| DateAdded | Artist | Title | Format | Price | Label | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/28/2006 | K Salvatore | Ashmadai | DBL LP | $21.99 | Fusetron | "Two adepts of the sonic arts return with a morality play in four sides. Gone are the appeals to the winged serpent, the tree of life, or other past luminaries; these days they can be seen in consort with only one: Ashmadai. It is said that Ashmadai is not to be feared. When you say to it: 'In truth thou art Ashmadai,' it will give you a wonderful ring. It will teach you geometry, arithmetic, astronomy and mechanics. When questioned, it answers truthfully. Released on two twelve inch 45 RPM platters - wide grooves for maximum impact to the ear." Latest from this mysterious NNCK offshoot. |
| K-Group / Omit | Storage | LP | $12.99 | Fusetron | “Not a split release by these two New Zealand artists, but a collaboration, carrying on from their 1997 single on Colorful Clouds for Acoustics. The weapons of choice are analogue synthesizers and the approach is slowly unfolding drones and drifting veils of sound that part and close across the listener's third ear like storms on the surface of Jupiter.K-Group is Paul Toohey, previously of noted NZ geological drone ensemble Surface of the Earth, who also has a solo album under this name on Corpus Hermeticum. Omit is Clinton Williams, who has also recorded for that notorious NZ 'un-easy listening' label, as well as extensively on his own Deep Skin imprint. During 2000 and 2001, having failed to bring down the global economy with their now-forgotten Y2K scam [remember Y2K? - I thought not], this pair of Hidden Masters turned their efforts towards late-night kitchen jam sessions during their holiday moments. In these each would fire up an antiquated analogue synth and the resulting aural collisions would be recorded on a handy hard drive, then tweaked, inverted, eq'd and edited to produce the immaculate slabs of sound contained within the tiny grooves of this ludicrously out-dated analogue sound-reproducing format. These seven tracks simulate the calm of the newly sedated patient about to undergo a surgical procedure, just as he or she is starting to slip into unconsciousness. You can listen, but just when you think you're hearing something, you realise that 12 hours have gone by and you have a new and inexplicable scar on some unlikely part of your anatomy. Too late you realise that the sound you can hear at the very edge of audition is not this recording, but the sound of forty metal robotic insects starting to eat their way out through your still-sedated navel. Waking with a start in time to flip the album over on your turntable, you notice that subsonic frequencies have begun to rearrange the contents of your mantlepiece into a veritable Morris Dance of inanimate objects, when you thought the audio had not yet begun to play back. A vestigial bass throb starts up in the back of your cranium, as very slow-moving if not actually stationary spacecraft begin to land in the garden. Three days later they are still hovering as the seventh and final track of the album begins to play, and infinitesimally subtle stereo effects start panning in impossible permutations audible only between your shoulder blades. Apparent suspension of time, delirious interludes, interference with the basic laws of physics, all of these effects are possible results of listening to the beautifully poised, finely polished and unutterably beautiful sounds contained in this simultaneously forbidding and inviting artifact. If, like me, these are all the things you look for in a sound recording, then look no further. If its merely music you require, then I suggest you meddle not in the affairs of your betters and proceed directly to the nearest chain CD store and stock up big time.” -Bruce Russell [Noise Legend], Lyttelton, NZ, May 2002. | |
| 4/24/2006 | K.K. Rampage | Sides E & F | 7" | $5.99 | Rococo | "Limited to 300 copies on various colors of vinyl. Who is KK Rampage? They're the band that crashes your favorite bands' show, throws powdered sugar everywhere, pukes on it and then rolls around in the disgusting puke paste. They're the band that knows what high school girls were made for. They are the holocaust. What is the Side E & F 7inch? Their first true sell-out effort. Recorded by the man they call "The Next Steve Albini", Sides E & F is the heaviest record this side of 1977. It not only continues the amazing growth KK has shown since replacing the original drummer, but also takes it to a startling new level. Louder than sound and brighter than the sun, this record will blast you through the gates of Valhalla. Imagine Sun Ra crossed with a gasoline fire, imagine The Beatles... actually in a gasoline fire. This record shows you that just becauseit's violent, misogynistic and heavily drugged, that doesn't mean it can't be overwhelmingly beautiful. "They're seriously a bunch of no talent hacks." ---Liz Armstrong (Chicago Reader) "America has run out of ideas. Anyone whose heard KK Rampage will agree with me." ---Tony Herrington (Wire) |
| 7/16/2009 | K2 | Encino Man | CDR | $9.99 | New Age Tapes | "Second limited edition album from this new project of James Ferraro of The Skaters, this one has an even darker vibe than the previous Chameleon Ballet, heavier on the warped vocals and early Skaters feel, with a cut-up, home constructed approach giving way to devotional trance pieces for rhythm and keyboard that have a ghostly, baroque atmosphere." - Volcanic Tongue |
| Ka-spel, Edward | Public Disturbance | CD | $24.99 | Beta-Lactam Ring Records | "A complete concert from 1993 in Nantes, France, plus additional tracks from a concert in Toronto in 1998 Second edition of 400 copies on CD with new cover and insert, packaged in DVD box. Very nice live recordings which add further electronic textures to old songs." | |
| 4/16/2003 | Ka-Spel, Edward | Share the Day b/w Dream Stealer | 7" | $9.99 | Brainwashed | "Edward Ka-spel’s Share The Day 7" features 2 exclusive tracks. The title track is a somber tale of a loveless life, with a Edward’s beautifully creative music as it’s soundtrack; while the second side features Dream Stealer, an equally melancholy track showing Edward’s more delicate musical side, and his empathy for the Dreamstealer...Translucent gold coloured vinyl packaged with a postcard and sticker." |
| Kable | Tardy All The Time | CD | $10.99 | Fleece Records | "Second album of basement folk/psych haze from the muse of Miss Kay Bonya. Tweaked and blissful, an excellent follow-up to her debut. 'Some of the record's best moments occur when she stacks finger-picked acoustic guitars over rustic banjos; tosses in some toy piano, an incomprehensible chant and a drum machine that sounds like it's going into cough syrup withdrawal.'" | |
| Kadura | From The Depths Of The Other Space | CD | $15.99 | Charnel Music | "Blissful, Eastern-Influenced Space-Rock" | |
| 11/29/2007 | Kæzm | Loom | CDR | $12.99 | into the lunar night | "Limited self-released debut full-length solo album from Nicolas Felix Kauffmann of Family Underground. Hoovering Hototogisu-esque power drones with ritual percussion and dense electricity adding to the overall heavy cultic vibe. - Volcanic Tongue. First full length solo from Nicolas of Family Underground. Two tracks." |
| 11/9/2004 | Kak | Kak | LP | $15.99 | Epic | “None of the plodding riffs, histrionic vocal stylings, or blues posturing that plagued many similar groups of this era mar this collection of melodic, tasteful progressive hard rock (as well as some mellower country-rock songs). Leader and main songwriter Gary Yoder would eventually join Blue Cheer and add his distinctive stamp to that band's sound.” 180 gram vinyl reissue of their only LP from 1968. |
| Kakashi | Mountain Love | CD | $14.99 | Captain Trip | 2nd release - one available. | |
| 12/10/2004 | Kaleidoscope | Kaleidoscope | LP | $22.99 | La Ciruela | "Heavy vinyl reissue comes in a new sleeve that is an exact repro of the original. This monster psych classic from Mexico City c.1968/69 is one of the rarest and most desired psychedelic albums of all time! A great album, with all songs in English—heavy grooves, super fuzzified guitar and a raving, ranting, drooling savage garage sound." - Lion Productions |
| 3/21/2007 | Kalorifeur | Within the Hermitage | CDR | $7.99 | editions_zero | "Bizarre lo-fi and bedroom experimentation from this obscure greek duoŠ" Edition of 199 copies. |
| 1/25/2011 | Kam Hassah | Le Origini Dell'Idolatria | cassette | $5.99 | Hanson | "The first US release from our Italian brother Matteo Castro, operator of the killer Second Sleep label. 40 minutes of dark hums littered with junk clutter, heavy breathing, and harsh crunch. Sounds like someone WAAAAY underground working on something he shouldn't be. First edition covers green print on black paper." |
| 3/2/2007 | Kamerman, Richard | Open Your Windows And Play These Discs Loudly (You're Exempt Mr. Pinnell) | DBL 3" CDR | $7.99 | Obsolete Units | "Richard Kamerman is a sound artist/composer who manipulates various instruments and devices into constant transmissions of sound that are alternately as minimal and subtle as they are harsh and blusterous. Open Your Windows... is a double mini-CD-R package of three pieces: two for percussion and one for guitar, all of them ranging from abstract ruminations on space and silence to alarming detours into cacophonous uproar. Described by Erstwhile proprietor Jon Abbey as "the Michael J Fox of downtown," Kamerman has also released material with UK-based labels Curor and Ancient Records, David Kirby's netlabel HOMOPHONI, and his own Sub Commander Frequencies. Both CD-R's come packaged in a dual DVD case. Edition of 50." |
| 2/28/2006 | Kamerman, Richard | Prophethead | CDR | $8.99 | Curor Recordings | "Richard Kamerman revels in the liminal, creating music that is acutely aware of the moment of its performance, music which is focused, as he explains, 'on that which has not been before and that which shortly will not be again.' It exists at the threshold of composition and improvisation, neither wholly structured nor wholly organic. Often employing dissonance and feedback, Richard's music can convey the visceral thrill of harsh noise while retaining also a gently meditative quality. This undoing of binary oppositions is demonstrated on Prophethead’s long opening track, 'For Sarah Schwartz', which begins with 10-minutes plus of synaptic machine feedback before underpinning this with a queasy, circulatory, pulsation that left us feeling as sick as the first time we heard Throbbing Gristle's 'Hamburger Lady.' 'Freedback 1 (Waverley Place)' the 19-minute second track, reveals Richard's affection for the small, incidental sounds generated by the equipment itself, or within the environment of the performance, that without meticulous miking and amplification might otherwise have fallen below the threshold of audibility. Edition of 30." |
| 5/24/2003 | Kaneko, Jutok / Takahisa Kikukawa | Wedged Night | LP | $17.99 | SIWA | "October 2002 recording of improvisations and songs by Jutok Kaneko (guitar) and Takahisa Kikukawa (drums). Kaneko should be familiar to some as the man behind the heavy psychedelia of Kousokuya (whose much sought after debut LP from 1989 has finally resurfaced on PSF). Kikukawa's name on the other hand will likely not ring too many bells outside of his home country but he did supply some sublimely spaced drumming to the dreamy Che-Shizu for a while and he plays percussion and piano in UZU. Both in Kousokuya and in Kaneko's solo work the line between composition and improvisation is a very blurry one so it's only in the loosest of terms that we say side one of this album is an ‘improvisation’ and side two consists of a couple of ‘songs’. The LP comes in an appropriately black and black on black silkscreened cover with two screened inserts." |
| 3/9/2004 | Kang Tae Hwan Trio | Love Time | CD | $13.99 | vhf | “Debut release by the trio of Kang Tae Hwan, Makoto Kawabata, and Ichiraku Yoshimitsu. Group leader Hwan is an under-documented alto player from Korea who has recorded for Japanese Victor and DIW, played at Moers, toured Japan a few times, and collaborated with Gerry Hemingway and Otomo Yoshihide, among others. Active since the 70's, Hwan's discography also includes several CD's of solo alto improvisations and a duo CD with Tuvan vocalist Sainkho Namtchylak. More recently he has been collaborating with Alfred Harth during Harth's residency in Seoul. Percussionist Yoshimitsu is well-traveled in both improv and rock circles, having been a member of Omoide Hatoba and a frequent collaborator with heavyweights like Otomo Yoshide and Haco. The inescapable Makoto Kawabata is best known for his Deep Purple-style rock as a member of Acid Mothers Temple, but on his own he has produced a string of subtle, elegica solo CD's, performing on guitar, organ, electronics, etc. More minimalist than free jazz, Love Time centers on Hwan's long circular tones, avoiding common free-alto styles in favor of a roughly-hewn clarion approach. Kawabata and Yoshimitsu shadow Hwan subtly on sarangi and bowed percussion. The music gradually builds to a crescendo, with Kawabata swtiching to guitar and Yoshimitsu moving to the drum kit. An atmospheric and understated work. 1 Track, 50 Minutes. In letterpress mini-gatefold.” Recommended! |
| 5/12/2004 | Kang, Eyvind | Virginal Co-Ordinates | CD | $19.99 | Ipecac Recordings | "Virginal Co-Ordinates is Kang's fifth record - an excursion into minimalist territory that nods to Steven Reich, Henryk Gorecki, Terry Riley and Tony Conrad. Recorded live in Bologna, Italy in 2000 at the Angelica Festival, the compositions combine a written musical score with subtle improvisation. The glide of Kang's smooth violin presides over a 22-member orchestra (The Playground Ensemble - a loose collection of European musicians who performed a variety of works at the festival), which includes Mike Patton on vocals and electronics. The compositions work as full-bodied excursions, parsed out in minimal doses that glide towards stunning emotional grandiosity." |
| Kangaroo Note | Soundness | CD | $7.99 | Public Eyesore | "From remote Sapporo, Japan comes a post-jazz improv trio featuring Aso Takashi on electronics, Ando Kunihiro on contrabass, and Kimura Masaya on tenor saxophone and 'breath controlled synthesizer.' 12 shorter tracks that mix rather traditionally 'smoky' jazz sounds with alien rumblings and frightening wailings." | |
| Kant | Non Plus Ultra | 7" | $4.99 | MykeDroner | Droney guitars and loops from Norway on transparent vinyl | |
| 9/17/2006 | Kantopa | The Temples of Maharashtra | CDR | $10.99 | Haunted Trail | "Manipulated field recordings = organic drone tunnels ravelled in faulty electronics that gently melt into your thoughts and grow and grow and grow and grow......and eventually wither...2 tracks - 57 minutes . Music against form and for headphones in a quiet private space...50 copies....each comes with 1 of a kind handmade art made by the artist constructed using candlewax, wire and paint in addition to the oversized uniform package." Out of print - limited stock. |
| 12/24/2005 | Kapotte Muziek | Praag / Rotterdam | CD | $9.99 | Chondritic Sound / Troniks | "The two live performances on this disc portray the sound of a microphone passing through antimatter - the haunting atmosphere of a slow drone, a glimpse of captured transmissions, the grinding crackle and crunch of a machine eating itself alive only to finally collapse in a sea of manipulated feedback ripe with wooden electronics running low on batteries.. recorded in '95 and '98, these two pieces both feature the line-up of Roel Meelkop, Peter Duimelinks & Frans de Waard. nearly 80 minutes of DEEP SOUND." |
| Kapotte Muziek | The Use of Recycling | CD | $12.99 | Intransitive | "Kapotte Muziek (aka Frans De Waard, Beequeen, Goem, Shifts) obsessive reworking of previous pieces means no project is ever trult finished. Here his materials are his own earlier experimental recordings and two reel-to-reel tapes given to him by Yeast Culture. Intense blocks of distorto-noise and worn tape hiss are his favored methods of attack. What comes out the other end sounds like a tiny windworn landscape, gradually overwhelmed by dust and heat." | |
| 4/3/2010 | Kappi, Pekko | Vuonna '86 | LP | $22.99 | Singing Knives | Brief intro: "Pekko Kappi is a player of Jouhikko, the ancient Finnish-Karelian bowed lyre, in all-improvised settings and traditional folk songs." NB: Don't be fooled, this is a full-on, fucked-up, inspired, deeply innovative record with its teeth firmly in noise, sound-sculpture, improvisation and great song writing. The most obvious comparison would be Ghédalia Tazartès, as Kappi fuses a vast array of recording techniques with a love of the traditional, in full awareness of the avant garde. He remains, however, separate from pigeon-holing. I have used numerous comparatives through this review to depict the incredibly varied sounds of "Vuonna 86". The LP is comprised of 10 short pieces playing in atypical pop division. Kappi's voice is gravelled and strained, singing deep from the throat. He whistles and growls increasing the breadth of his vocal pallet. The undulating rhythms of his music depict a turbulent landscape, as if fried through the brain of the artist. The fuzz and distortion of the recording adds an unusual harshness that one would expect from lo-fi tape filth artists (Nevari Butchers, The Haters). All is composed with a control that juxtaposes some of the improvised nature of the original recordings. It lends a sculpted feel I find both inspiring and successful. The Jouhikko is allowed room to lead by the forth movement. This is a beautiful little piece of seemingly traditional folk. It maintains the coarseness of previous recordings without veering to readily 'into the red'. It's unbridled honesty and simplicity is quite overwhelming. The use of the Jew's Harp kickstarts a mad journey into a splattered landscape akin to the visions of Ralph Steadman. It's Gonzo lunacy sings with guttural vocals that bring to mind Tom Waits circus madmen. Further bizarre jigs bound with distortion and devilish decay. The short snaps of traditional, versus dirty analogue filth bears comparison to the recent output of Harappian Night Recordings. Mad cocks crow to reveal a pounding agitated punk (Harry Pussy/Rusted Shut) type riff that absolutely knocks you for six. It's alien vocals land as if plucked from a European 80's bedroom Goth band. It makes you wish for a collection of killer 2 minute tracks to dance around to (preferably on your own, or with selected semi-naked friends). All burns away into field recordings that creep into view with an unleashed audacity. Noise splurge and free improv blast in a microcosmic vomit, then things take a deeper journey of heavy repetition that induces hypnotic trances. Wavering tones move the mind in subtle shifts beneath the din. Finally things placate with a truly moving sprawl across arid landscapes and darkened skies, forever bereft of a long absent northern sun. The kin left to ponder the forgotten landscape that fades in recent legend. Desperate attempts to tune an old radio fail to inspire hope. The demons that stole the light taunt from afar, safe beyond the airwaves. Hope and prayer persist and we enthuse at the trials of this loner, this madman against the soil. Eventually all is consumed by the dark, the radio waves become malicious fingers that strangle sound to pitch nothing. This is a great piece of work that is almost there, but simmers beyond complete digestion. It is utterly intriguing, brave and well worth falling into. 8/10" - Foxy Digitalis. 180g vinyl, heavy pro-printed sleeve & inner sleeve. Sounds killer! |
| 2/4/2007 | Kark | The Hermit | LP | $15.99 | HP Cycle | "Debut album from this massive free ensemble from Louisville which features a revolving cast of over 50 musicians including members of Sapat, Valley of Ashes, Virgin Eye Blood Brothers, Son of Earth, Taiwan Death and the Belgian Waffles. The Hermit consists of three extended pieces that offer spaciously abstract atmospheres as well as moments of righteous cacophony. Utilizing a multitude of brass, reeds and percussion the album careens through numerous passages where intricate harmonics are created from the densely layered sounds. When the full force of the ensemble is unleashed individual elements appear and quickly recede into the squall. As the music nearly becomes unhinged, the sound disintegrates into a godzilla-like rockist thud propelled by the rhythm section and soaring horns before drifting to a sparse conclusion. The LP comes in a full colour jacket with homespun artifacts gracing the cover." |
| 10/1/2011 | Kastel, Silvia | LOVE TAPE | c30 cassette | $6.99 | Ultramarine | Silvia Kastel: synth, voice, bass, beats, tenori-on, NatGeo artwork "A concept tape packed with unconditional love to whoever hears/buys/does whatever with it. C30, white shells with watercolor labels by SK; each tape is unique. Edition of 60; also comes in a numbered limited edition of 9 with different covers, each one featuring an instant picture of/by Silvia Kastel." |
| 4/10/2009 | Katchmare | Groom Lake | CDR + zine | $6.99 | Scissor Death | "Guitar and computer compositions recorded in the midst of a bleak Midwestern winter. This edition includes a zine with drawings by Nick Hoffman." Nick Hoffman is an active man. He has three labels under his belt, Pilgrim Talk, Ghost & Son and Scissor Death. I don't know the difference between the three, but its on the latter that he releases the bulk of his own musical work under the name of Katchmare. Last year he received his BA in music, and I can't say I heard that quality in this music, but I would let him graduate too, based on this work. Here he plays guitar and computer in twelve small compositions of what could best be described as 'ambient' music: gliding and sustaining tones which operate mostly, but not always, on the higher end of the musical spectrum, that however never works in terms of flat, worn out ambient music. Hoffman knows how to kick the material around and give it a somewhat more sharp edge, a rough angle. Still on the experimental side of things, but also 'flowing' enough to lull you into a pleasant nightmare. Very nice work, perhaps even his most refined work to date, and again it comes with a booklet with drawings. (FdW)-Vital Weekly www.vitalweekly.net |
| 4/10/2009 | Katchmare | Sea of Blood | CDR | $6.99 | Scissor Death | "Spaaaaaaaccccced OUT! Members of Bumbrella Donkey guest. Nick Hoffman and Mike Hamende discuss the implications of the Multiverse Theory ("In another universe I just pissed on your head.")." |
| 4/10/2009 | Katchmare | Smelt. | CDR | $6.99 | Scissor Death | "Performed by Nick Hoffman. Practical joke that went wrong and turned into a piece of music." |
| 4/10/2009 | Katchmare + Antler Piss | Automatic Wedding | cassette | $5.99 | Scissor Death | "Automatic Wedding is a fully collaborative recording between Katchmare (of Scissor Death Collective) and Antler Piss (of Deep Fried Tapes). Sound materials were exchanged by mail and mixed by Katchmare and Antler Piss. What began as a series of email exchanges resulted in thisŠ" |
| 4/10/2009 | Katchmare / Nick Hoffman | Gabriel's Mistake | CDR + zine | $6.99 | Scissor Death | "Gabriel's Mistake was recorded live summer 2008 at the BBC in Normal, IL. The zine is a special edition (each copy is unique). The horror of "real life" serves as a catalyst in the creation of both of these works. If reality can truly be manipulated by sound, there may be hope for a real revolution." |
| Kate Village & Wayne Rogers | Quits | LP | $12.99 | Twisted Village | "Wayne & Kate have been dueling with their electric guitars for most of their adult lives, usually in the context of Crystalized Movements, Magic Hour, Major Stars, or one of the many imaginary ensembles they've been a part of over the past 15 years. Here they cut out the rhythm section and go head-to-head. One side studio, one side live, both sides loud and free." | |
| 7/30/2006 | Kauffman, Nicolas Felix and Stefan Geoffrey Neville | Owl Low | CDR | $10.99 | Carbon Records | "46+ minutes of acoustic guitar, bells, woodwinds, primitive percussion, patented Pumice-style buzzing guitar, organ/keyboard, drone-vocals and more from Stefan Neville (aka Pumice) and Nicolas Kauffman (part of Family Underground - Denmark) . recorded 2005 in a giant concrete room, this release is a fine companion to Stefan and Nicolas' other recordings on various other labels such as Last Visible Dog, Soft Abuse, Audiobot, Chocolate Monk, QBICO, Into the Lunar Night). [packaged in hand-silkscreened cardboard cover in various colors]" - label. Highly recommended! |
| Kawabata Makoto | Inui 2 | CD | $13.99 | vhf | "Inui 2 is the first widely available solo cd by this prolific Japanese guitarist/composer/bearded guru. Known primarily for his recent work with oddballs Acid Mothers Temple, Kawabata's career actually goes back to the late '70s and spans many styles, including solo guitar improv, electronics, folk, and, of course, the deranged acid mayhem associated with the PSF scene. Performed entirely solo on violin, kemenje, zurna, electronics, sarangi, taiko, gong, water, bouzouki, cello, vibes, organ, and sitar, the four tracks that make up Inui 2 are perfectly executed dream-music, equal parts delicately floating and heavily droning. There's also one all-too-short modal essay for bouzouki that is amazingly beautiful." Recommended! | |
| 9/30/2005 | Kawabata Makoto | Jellyfish Rising | CD | $13.99 | Fuenfundvierzif | "Kawabata Makoto is guitarist with the Japanese psychedelic rock legend Acid Mothers Temple. He is also their mastermind. One does not have to make a big fuss over the ingenuity of Acid Mothers Temple (who are seen by many as the Japanese answer to Hawkwind, Motörhead and Grateful Dead combined). Big and important magazines like for example The Wire have amply celebrated their music in the past years. The connection to Acid Mothers Temple alone will provide sufficient reason for many listeners to want to own their copy of Jellyfish Rising, because AMT are to be found on the must have-list of many record buyers (complete with the tag "related releases also"). But Kawabata's musical activities go back way before the beginnings of AMT. Already at the end of the 70s, he was the leader of Ankoku Kakumei Kyodotai, a band who through their albums of wild synthesizer noise collages in a style reminiscent of Morton Subotnik received some attention. These records and Jellyfish Rising are directly linked. On the present album, Kawabata distances himself from the drones which dominated much of his earlier solo output. This album is comprised of two long minimalist compositions for (and on) guitar, which were realized with the help of reverb and delay units. The music thus created reminds one in many ways of the synthesizer experiments from early Krautrock-days (Klaus Schulze, Neu!, but also Brian Eno are the names to be dropped in this context). Another possible influence to be discerned here are the minimalist compositions of Terry Riley, especially his piece "In C" (which AMT interpreted on their homonymous album). In both tracks, Kawabata heaps layers of guitar sounds upon each other, which - similar to Riley - have a small but perpetually changing motif at their core. This gets modified in such small nuances, that the listener cannot but be totally absorbed by the resulting music - one almost gets sucked into it. Listening to this album is a bit being under like hypnosis - after having listened to the first two to three minutes, one simply becomes incapable of doing anything else besides listening to those slight changes in Kawabata's music. He puts his listeners into a trance. Jellyfish Rising is acoustic LSD. But without any negative side effects, that much I can guarantee you. Have fun on this trip of the extraordinary kind." |
| 8/20/2004 | Kawabata Makoto | O Si Amos A Sighire A Essere Duas Umbras? | CD | $12.99 | Important Records | "Kawabata Makoto (leader of Japanese collective The Acid Mothers Temple) has created O Si Amos A Essere Duas Umbras? in tribute to Sardegna where Kawabata's creative life recently achieved a highly influencial spiritual climax. According to Kawabata, these recordings represent one of the most important moments in his life. While in Sardegna he found his 'cosmos.' At some point on his trip, a new cosmos opened for him and he received 'many wonderful vibrations' from these cosmos. These are the very first of his works created after this transcendental experience. Hearing and feeling these tracks it is apparent that Kawabata has been deeply spiritually affected since his last solo outing. O Si Amos A Essere Duas Umbras? is comprised of two epic, deeply meditative, spiritual and transcendental compositions. Track one, titled Ses Aintro ‘e mene finzas Si Ses In S'Atter'Ala E Su Mundu is the very first solo track Kawabata has ever recorded on an acoustic guitar. Filtered through 3 reverb units and a single delay this epic acoustic track starts off droning but quickly builds with reverb drenched and finger picked momentum light years away from any of Kawabata's solo guitar work. The second major composition is the album's namesake. This deeply spiritual electric guitar drone was also played through 3 reverb units and a single delay machine. Drawing the listner in, these drones resonate deeply and numbly seduce the active listener into a meditative state capable of understanding what Kawabata Makoto means when he says he found his 'cosmos.' If you're having trouble actualizing your cosmos, or even understanding Kawabata's spiritual experience, take this home and put on your headphones. The skies will open and you'll be full of vibrations." |
| 8/22/2008 | Kawabata Makoto | We Don't Know Where We Came From | LP | $22.99 | Important | "Limited edition of 500 copies in a letterpress jacket by 43rd Parallel Press. We Don't Know Where We Came From features Acid Mothers Temple leader Kawabata Makoto on both electric and acoustic guitars. Recorded at Kaccho-Buu Matsuzaka by Takayama Manabu. Live recordings." |
| 12/26/2005 | Kawabata Makoto | Your Voice From the Moon | CD | $15.99 | Vivo Records | "A new solo CD (November 2005 release) by Acid Mothers Temple mastermind Kawabata Makoto. Musique Cosmique Electro-Acoustique2. 3 tracks full of modulated analogue synthesizer sound. Spacious and hypnotic improvisations." |
| 8/31/2008 | Kawabata Makoto & Michishita Shinsuke | Basement Echo | CD | $15.99 | Important | "Basement Echo is the historical meeting point of two generations of the Japanese underground. Kawabata Makoto, leader of The Acid Mothers Temple, and Michishita Shinsuke, leader of LSD March, are together here for the first time in a guitar duo. Though Kawabata and Michishita are from the same scene the fact that they are from different generation means that they bring different energy to the collaborations. This fact is extremely exciting for Kawabata who refers to Michishita as "one of the most promising musicians in the Japanese Underground." Both artists agree that Basement Echo was a step into the unknown with neither really knowing what the resulting sounds would be. For Michishita the collaborations have been a dream come true. He describes Kawabata as having a "soul of rock that never burns out." After the recordings were complete the two friends sat down and raised a triumphant toast. Recorded at Snowflake Sound in Sapporo in October of 2007. Totally improvised with no editing/overdubbing." |
| 1/17/2010 | Kawabata Makoto & Michishita Shinsuke | Maru Sankaku Shikaku | LP | $24.99 | Prophase | "ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE main man KAWABATA MAKOTO links up with LSD MARCH guitarist MICHISHITA SHINSUKE to create another amazing platter of fantastic sounds and vibes. Maru Sankaku Shikaku (Circle Triangle Square) finds the duo moving on from the electric guitars of their previous duo releases to an all acoustic album featuring ethnic instruments from around the globe. Two side-long pieces mesh drone music with an ebb and a flow usually found on soundtracks or the soundtrack in one's head. New psychic territorial landscapes the cosmic cartographer mapped yesterday before tomorrow. Limited to 500 copies on swirled colored vinyl in gorgeous gatefold sleeves." Recommended! |
| 11/2/2008 | Kawabata Makoto & Michisita Shinsuke | Sex, Voyage, and Echo Chamber | CD | $18.99 | BLR | "Acid. Meet LSD. LSD. Meet Acid. The reigning lords of the new psychedelic church cross guitars for a super-electric cosmic jam that causes even hurricanes to don ear plugs. More like the paintings of crazed banshees than songs, this shape-shifting set's loud-quiet-loud transforms the spaciousness of the axe duel into a growling canvas of thunder. Walls of feedback and distortion moan like sinking U-boats. Fuzzed tones collide into cavernous micro black holes that seem to engulf the Earth. Bigger bangs birth savage suns of massive noise. A fierce metallic martini, best taken shaken AND stirred! Play loud!" Highly recommended! |
| 9/17/2006 | Kawabata Makoto & The Mothers of Invasion | Hot Rattlesnakes | CD | $16.99 | Prophase Music | "Hot Rattlesnakes is a reissue of a classic out of print Acid Mothers Temple-related CD. Pressed in a limited quantity in the UK, it sold out almost immediately and currently commands high prices on ebay and is whispered about in hushed tones from those who have actually heard it. Guitarist Kawabata Makoto brings along Acid Mothers Temple cohorts Tsuyama Atsushi (Zoffy, Omoide Hatoba) and Ichiraku Yoshimitsu for one of the most out there power trio recordings ever. While certainly close to Acid Mothers Temple in sound and feeling, Hot Rattlesnakes certainly exists in its own little corner of the Acid Mothers Temple galaxy." Recommended! |
| 6/11/2006 | Kawabata Makoto / Anla Courtis & Rokugenkin | Kokura | LP | $16.99 | Riot Season | "Kokura was recorded under dark skies and howling winds, deep in the bowels of a Japanese club as the country shook outside. Kokura is the fruits of a collaboration between ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE / MAINLINER main man KAWABATA MAKOTO, Argentinean guitarist ANLA COURTIS (REYNOLS) and Japanese underground musician ROKUGENKIN. Based around hushed, mellow guitar drones and hypnotic, yet restrained guitar wails, Kokura is the first fruits of their labors and captures the sound of life beneath a hurricane. Like Sunn O))) on half volume! Limited edition one-off pressing of 400 copies worldwide. Packaged in black and metallic silver ink shrink-wrapped sleeves." Recommended! |
| Kawabata Makoto / Richard Youngs | s/t | CD | $13.99 | vhf | "The untitled CD of duets by the nowadays unavoidable Acid Mothers Temple leader Kawabata Makoto and the somewhat less available Glasgow librarian Richard Youngs shows the pair in a relaxed, yet psychedelic mood. The five untitled tracks here play simple modal melodies performed on acoustic guitar, autoharp, organ, voice etc against swirling production and layers of shifting audio haze. Track 1 has Richard's immediately identifiable voice, guitar, and autoharp against Kawabata's spacey echo treatments - track 3 reverses the process with Richard's minor key picking cutting against Kawabata's thick, visceral bowed drones. Tracks 2, 4, and 5 all use a base of lovely fingerpicked guitar melodies, layering on organ, synth, tape effects, and echo until a suitably mellow cosmic vibe is achieved. All in all, some of the most beautiful sounds ever issued by either of these two gents, best known for their edgy experimental work - and support of pro wrestling and antique hunting, respectively." Highly recommended! | |
| 3/7/2011 | Kawaguchi Masami's New Rock Syndicate | The Psychedelic Sounds of New Rock Syndicate | LP | $24.99 | 8mm Records | "The new decade begins with a groovy explosion of sound and colors: Ladies and Gentlemen, here comes The New Rock Syndicate. Band leader Kawaguchi Masami is a veteran of the Tokyo underground scene, being former Miminokoto, Broomdusters and LSD March member, both seminal projects in the development of a certain way to make rock, looking back at the tradition with a new approach, open to psychedelia, noise and free improvisation. As it happens, Masami's activities soon became the object of a passionate cult among music lovers and record collectors. 'The Psychedelic Sounds of the New Rock Syndicate' is the definitive statement of Masami as songwriter and ferocious guitar player, finding in Kikuchi Akira (bass), Kiyasu (drums) and Hasegawa Yohei (guitar on 'Dazzling Light' and '(Theme From) New Rock Syndicate') the perfect partners in crime for this unbelievable new studio work. The album opens with an almost sabbattesque anthem ('Why') where a heavy riffage is accompanied by lamentous vocals; second piece ('Affected Dance') is a deconstructed blues jam, with a touch of narcoleptic magic and simply beautiful. Side b is where the miracle actually happens: every single track is a banger, a compendium of 50 years of rock music compressed in 18 minutes of fire on wax. Songs like 'Repetition' or 'Tottemo' have been rotating non stop here since when we got the master recording. Every other word is useless: a monument." First edition 250 copies, with spectacular artwork by Standard In-Fi Visuals. |
| 3/24/2008 | Keffer, Leslie | Whoreny 4U | cassette | $8.99 | Tusco Embassy | "two side long tracks. both recorded at home directly to stereo. these newer recordings are great. taken from the same session that produced her side of the skin graft/keffer split (now sold out) pretty blown out. weird loops. dissonant and lulling at times. screened, wrap around inserts printed on recycled lp sleeves. artwork by delina. awesome." |
| 5/14/2007 | Keffer, Leslie + Rodger Stella | Live In Nashville April 6, 2007 | cassette | $7.99 | Action Claw Records | "New live collaboration between Leslie and Mt Stella with a distant, wind tunnel fidelity shot full of tiny holes with the aid of what sounds like hair driers sharpened to tiny dart-like points and used as projectiles while Leslie flashes in and out of corporeal form in explosions of vocal smoke. Comes in hand-sewn paper sleeves with Madonna-reverent artwork." - Volcanic Tongue |
| 9/30/2008 | Keffer, Leslie + Val Martino | Prissywillow | 7" | $6.99 | I Just Live Here | "Collaborative effort between Leslie Keffer and Val Martino (Unicorn Hard-On). Totally demented stumbling beats and clutters of sound. Spraypainted and silkscreened covers. Edition of 300." |
| 5/16/2010 | Keffer, Leslie / Robedoor | Silver Bridge / Hooded Communion | LP | $11.99 | Lost Treasures of the Underworld | "Like drinking 12 cups of coffee in a row and listening to Ramones "Loco Live" over and over and over......that's ALMOST how excited we were to get to release this record for the 2nd time around!!! This has always been one of our favorites . Everything from the absolutely killer and totally stoned out cuts on the wax to the incredibly sweet artwork on the cover has always totally blown our minds! And this time around the covers have been pro-printed (with metallic gold ink) giving the artwork the justice that it deserves.... totally looks AMAZING!!!! ....And if you've ever heard Leslie Keffer or Robedoor then you already know that they don't disappoint. " 500 copies - 2nd edition. |
| 5/14/2007 | Keffer, Leslie / White Album | split | cassette | $7.99 | Action Claw Records | "white album from athens,ohio can be compared to bands like nirvana, flipper, and black flag." These recordings were captured live in Athens, Ohio on January 27, 2007. |
| 3/26/2006 | Keffer, Leslie and and Jason Zeh | Dodder / Like Trees | 7" | $5.99 | Eye Wish Arts | "Leslie Keffer "Dodder"+Noise Queen, Leslie Keffer of Athens, Ohio, conjurs harsh incantations of radio static and electronic tones producing haunting, psychic, future-scapes that tap into the dreams and desires of all those who surround her. "Dodder" is a throbbing, sonic manifestation of the collective unconscious; a masterful evocation of forces which are elusive to most; a betrayal to conventional reality. Jason Zeh "Like Trees Growing Around Fences Long Gone, Places Bare the Imprint of Past Emotional Distress."+Xerox artist and tape mangler, Jason Zeh of Bowling Green Ohio, utilizes the limitations of analog reproduction technologies, showcasing the imperfections and degenerative tendencies inherent in the process of duplication. "Like Trees..." is an attempt to unlock the emotional character of a physical space. It is a symbiotic relationship between human, machine and place resulting in a slowly escalating tension and an emergence of nearly human voices from the seemingly lifeless walls." - label description |
| 9/10/2011 | Keijo | Along the Stream | c50 cassette | $6.99 | Cabin Floor Esoterica | "Finnish legend Keijo Virtanen (the voice behind the Rambling Boys, The Free Players, etc.) returns to Cabin Floor with nearly an hour of fried blues. He rolls effortlessly from the sparse disjointed riffing and freakouts of '15 Days' into the solid locked coasting-blues groove of songs like 'With White Woman' and the almost Valentine-like dream of the instrumental title-track. Every song is developed and full. Beautiful howling harmonica wails, dancing clear guitars and the snapping drums keep things exactly where he wants them to be. Edition of 50 tapes in cardstock sleeves with two inserts, one featuring a photo from Keijo." |
| 8/20/2011 | Keijo | Another Man | c60 cassette | $7.99 | Ikuisuus | "close feel of consciousness but have to go onto the road as another man with barren songs passage may be going with easy beat but becomes blue because of distance - you are not independent of what must be grabbed that is sufficient to be given but think of me as only so you will get yourself free from thinking of me in order to shine in the world of a dream of tomorrow." Recorded in Jyväskylä and Kuusankoski, Finland 2009-2010. |
| 8/22/2008 | Keijo | Carry On With Us | CDR / Book | $15.99 | Pseudoarcana | "Latest missive from Finlands motorcycle crazed improvising drone shaman. 'Carry On With Us' features extended percussion rites and long sections of uber-blues guitar. In some ways this is a challenging record with Keijo veering into Jandek like atonality at times. But there are also moments of lush sublime beauty. Overall it reflects honesty and frankness. Sure signs of 'true' magic.. Packaged in a high quality 12 page book of photos and collage works by Keijo." |
| 3/1/2007 | Keijo | Flying Over | CD | $12.99 | Digitalis | "The godfather of the Finnish Underground is back with his most complete album to date. Keijo Virtanen's far-reaching hands can be felt throughout the Nordic peninsula from his home in Jyväskylä. While he often performs in numerous groups such as The Free Players and Kheta Hotem, it is in his solo work that he is most accomplished. Virtanen is not just a talented and prolific musician, but also and artist and published author. His inspiration and creativity know no bounds. At 54 years-old, Virtanen still rides his motorcycle all over the country and shows no signs of letting up. Virtanen finally took his show on the road this past autumn, touring with members of Uton and Vapaa throughout Northern Europe. He also released two CDs on the much heralded Last Visible Dog imprint. "Flying Over" is the culmination of a landmark year for this troubadour. These nine tracks run the gambit of all of Keijo's talents, from the rattling blues transgressions of "On the Edge," to the throatsinging-laced organic drone of "Late Night Here & Far Away," and completed with the harmonium-laced " Virtanen's range is pure magic. While the bulk of "Flying Over" is entirely Virtanen's creation, he is joined by two of his closest collaborators on two tracks: Sami Virtanen and Jussi Karsikas, two extremely talented Finns in their own right. Whatever the moment calls for, though, Virtanen fills the void and the empty space with exactly what is needed. He is a wizard of sound and a seemingly endless well of magnificent music. It shouldn't be surprising for someone who makes their home at the center of the universe." |
| 7/30/2006 | Keijo | For A While | CD | $12.99 | Last Visible Dog | "Keijo hails from Jyväskylä, Finland -- a small town in the north that claims to be the center of the universe. In the sprawling Finnish underground, Keijo is the wise sage who everyone admires. He has worked and collaborated with Finnish acts such as Vapaa, Avarus, and Kheta Hotem, while seeing cd-r releases on the ultra-hip pseudoArcana and Lal lal lal labels. Keijo broke through the wall of cd-r obscurity on our 6 CD Invisible Pyramid comp last year, and has subsequently seen several excellent CD releases on Foxy Digitalis. "for a while" picks up the reins where Brad left off, but even we're a bit surprised with this one! While using all acoustic sources, 'for a while' is flat out weird. I mean weird even for Keijo. Essentially the structure utilized here is folk, but somewhere way beyond the analogy of Buckley's Lorca dream-structure being used to break down reality subconsciously. It isn't even easy to listen to. Unsettling minimalist guitar riffs drift under sheets of detuned/stretched-out bell samples. No, this isn't the sort of weirdness that grabs you by the collar and shakes you around a bit. This is another, more insidious weirdness that isn't apparent right away, but rather you wake up one morning and realize you weren't the person you were before." - label |
| 2/21/2009 | Keijo | Here They Come | CDR | $9.99 | Reverb Worship | "For his second release Keijo has produced yet another interesting and lovely album."Here They Come" has eight tracks beginning with a baroque sounding "Clear After Midnight" and ending with "At Night" with its lovely field recording of bird song.This album is a very worthy follow up to his "About Around" album. It has all manner of instrumentation and touches on blues and psychedelia with the addition of a few guests including Keijo's cat "Leila". The cdr is available now and comes in a hand numbered edition of 51 copies in a spray stencilled sleeve with a stylised organic leaf design. Each cover is totally different." |
| 2/21/2009 | Keijo | Hetki | CDR | $7.99 | 267 Lattajjaa | "Hot on the heels of kheta hotem live album (ltj-81) comes a brand new solo album, more damaged folk blues from this finnish master. another guthrie cover (do re mi) and original keijo material, also couple of songs sung in finnish. recommended!" |
| 9/14/2004 | Keijo | Jungle Joy | CDR | $9.99 | Outa | “Loveliness of a different hue to his last 2 cdrs: dreamily picked and strummed guitar with a languid summery evening feel.” -Melody Bar |
| 10/16/2003 | Keijo | Keijo | CDR | $13.99 | LalLalLal | “Keijo Virtanen is a Jyväskylä-area (A place that is said to be the center of the universe) free music stalwart and a writer/thinker. His music is very honest, humble and beautiful. Computers, oriental instruments and synths merge together lulling the listener to a state of quiet happiness. The liner notes consist of excerpts from Keijo's writings. If one for some reason has to compare this record to something, Sunroof and Tangerine Dream come to mind, and maybe even some of the MV stuff.” |
| 10/25/2008 | Keijo | Neverending Blues | CD | $12.99 | Ikuisuus | "According to Indian mythology everything was born and will be born with vibration, sound. What Western civilization calls music, is narrow, nothing but strictly controlled thread in that vibrating area. Other kind of threads have been mastered elsewhere. Inevitably these threads will also face each other and become one. Basic note chimes in blues, raga and mantra. I dreamt of musics and players who can modulate with music, no matter which cultural background they come from... I felt I understood something about the sounds I sometimes heard in the evening just before falling into sleep and in the morning when I woke up." Keijo Virtanen (Kheta Hotem, Free Players, Rambling Boys) makes his long distance walk into the stream of folk/countryblues continuum. These marvellously rusty and dusty tracks have been cooking with tender flame in Keijo?s mind&soul for a good while: "When I was just a little boy, I used to just lay down under the blanket (just before falling to sleep) randomly switching the channels of our transistor radio. Under the crunches and washes I also found the new pirate radio stations and there, among the speeches came out the echoing, rhythmic, electric guitar music. Eventually under rock music and British pop music I discovered the sounds of the black people of North America. I felt like those deep singing voices and wailing guitars would somehow also belong to this kind of environment, to rural, middle-of-nowhere Finland, surrounded by wildlife and physical work with our own hands and whatever we may get grown from the land. Blues was burning onto recordings in Jyväskylä and Kuusankoski, Finland 2006-2007." |
| 11/20/2010 | Keijo | Something In My Blood | CDR | $6.99 | 267 Lattajjaa | "Great new solo album from Keijo, this time it's 'hypnagogic blues'!" |
| 5/18/2004 | Keijo | Unfolding Emptiness / Decomposing Dawn and Dew | DBL CDR | $14.99 | Pseudoarcana | “Celebrating PseudoArcana's 50th release is a new double album by Finlands Keijo Virtanen. Keijo's cdr on LalLalLal last year was one of my favourites of the year, and ‘Unfolding Emptiness’ follows on from where that one left off. Keijo uses harmonic singing, home-made '2 string', chimes, electronics and maultrommel to create a hyper-atmospheric soundworld that somehow manages to convince one that Mt Kailash is perhaps actually in the middle of a forest in Finland, rather than in Central Asia... ’Decomposing Dawn and Dew’ is, if anything, even better! On this disk Keijo is joined by Juri Joensuu and Sami Virtanen. Where the 1st disk celebrates the chaos of eccentric juxtaposition, the 2nd focuses more resolutely upon 'the drone' itself. All packaged in a 'fancy' gatefold sleeve with art work by Keijo.” |
| 2/12/2008 | Keijo | Whose Dream We Live In | CD | $9.99 | Fire Museum Records | "Finland's master of psychfolkdroneblues music emerges with what may well be his most engaging release yet! Considered by many to be the forefather of the much lauded Finnish musical underground, "Whose Dream We Live In" serves as Keijo's sonic calling card - bringing together many of the diverse elements that his music has been celebrated for into a joyous whole. From blues (by way of Jyväskylä) meditations to spaceship lullabyes to psychedelic rave ups and beyond, Keijo has opened the door into his musical universe for all to enter. Don't miss your chance, accept his invitation or it's your loss, friendŠ For the most part a solo outing (although he is assisted by Leila on four of the eleven tracks here) "Whose Dream We Live In" assuredly answers the question it poses. For the duration of the disc, enjoy living in the dream that Keijo has conjured up for you. We will not be held liable if, upon awakening, your world never looks the same again." - label. "(Keijo) compares the way the way he builds his pieces to Wittgenstein's conceptual rope, where no one strand is continuous: Instead, all strands overlap to express a whole. His music, then, becomes a negotiation between seemingly opposed elements - the organic and the 'artificial', the acoustic and the electronic - the goal being to expose the common roots and mutable nature of all sound" - Matthew Wuethrich, The Wire |
| 6/11/2006 | Keijo & the Free Players | After at Once | CD | $12.99 | Digitalis | "Once again, Finnish-native Keijo Virtanen unloads another dirt-stained masterpiece. Over the past few years he has assembled a group of artists that have become known as the Free Players. Their collaborative efforts are like a clinic in improvisation. The interplay and spontaneity between them is epic. The Free Players often include members of Finnish free-jazz pawnpins Vapaa, as well as Kheta Hotem, Kundalini Snakes, and others. "After at Once" is the ensemble's first non-CDR release and finds them in top form. The members of Vapaa play an integral role on "After at Once." Tiitus Petäjäniemi is especially key with his vocal wailings and incantantions. Tribal percussion and chromatic whimsy often puncuate Keijo's sarod-laden excursions through the mist. There's a heavy Indian influence on these recordings, stemming from Keijo's many trips its sub-continental shores. Musically, "After at Once" is spacious, but cohesive. With the addition of the sarod on these recordings, the music takes on a life of its own. As always, Keijo's hand guides the magic and in the end, it's still his world we're living in." |
| 2/11/2006 | Keijo & The Free Players | Passing On | CDR | $7.99 | Foxglove | "it is hard to know what else there is to say about keijo and his free players. over the past two years, the wise sage of finland his band of merrymen have unleashed a discography as impressive as it is imposing. as gayle brogan of the unimitable boa melody bar said (about a previous release), "keijo may be incredibly prolific but each release really is essential." this is certainly the case with "passing on." this is an album full of reverberating space. acoustic guitar improvisations with nothing to hide, clattered by chromatic percussion split the stars. methodic drones with flickering wind instruments keep everything grounded. "passing on" is everything you've come to expect from keijo and is nothing short of brilliant. 100 copies." |
| 10/31/2009 | Keijo & Uton | Alun Ääniä | CDR | $8.99 | Om Ha Sva Ha Ksha Ma La Va Ra Yam | "First duo collaboration of keijo & uton. here is 7 songs of droney & spacey blues jams, sometimes far away in cosmos, sometimes rockin the ground again." Edition of 60 copies. |
| 2/4/2007 | Keijo and The Free Players | Endless Clouds | CDR | $12.99 | musicyourmindwillloveyou | "On this outing the freeplayers move with gentle grace through realms of hazy free flowing rock and psyche spiked jammage . deeply meditative , cyclical and dreamy , perfect for the human nomind." |
| 6/5/2005 | Keijo and the Free Players | Untitled | CDR | $12.99 | Pseudoarcana | "Wonderfully dreamy and spatious recordings by Finnish ambient-mystic Keijo Virtanen, joined on these sessions by members of the band Vapaa. Synth and reed-instrument drones are married to discreet plucked strings, abstract percussion, and Keijos harmonic singing. A 45 minute series of beautiful slow moments." |
| 11/2/2011 | Keith, Rodd | My Pipe Yellow Dream | LP + download | $16.99 | Roaratorio | "Song Poems Wanted" read the ads. "We need new ideas for recording!" The send-us-your-lyrics business was a borderline scam, taking whatever lyrics came their way from would-be songwriters and - for a fee - setting them to music. None of the results ever came close to being a hit, and to be sure, the vast majority was sufficiently bland or clumsy to insure no great karmic loss in their instant obscurity and miniscule press runs. But Rodd Keith - the late, great genius whose prolific output was almost completely confined to the song-poem industry - had a knack for turning sow's ears into silk purses. The nature of the business required him to work quickly, with no second takes, and his skill at writing and arranging on the fly was not unlike that of a master improviser. When at his best, he put his unique musical stamp on some lucky customer's submission. My Pipe Yellow Dream is the second Roaratorio anthology of the highlights of Rodd Keith's work. Compiling fifteen previously unreissued songs from 1966 through his death in 1974 - including a never-before-heard cover of "Choo Choo Train" - My Pipe Yellow Dream showcases the full range of his talents. From exquisite mid-60s pop balladry ("Deep Velvet") to blue-eyed soul ("You Don't Have To Alibi") to folk-rock ("Tired Of Waiting") to solo Chamberlain creations ("Red Sports Car") to gospel testifying ("O Jesus My Savior") to a pair of patriotic screeds (the all-spoken word "America The Not So Beautiful" and the bizarre-world lounge funk of "Search Out Your Soul, American"), this collection continues the rehabilitation of Rodd Keith's recorded legacy from thrift-shop throwaway to celebrated cult artist. A limited edition LP in a gorgeous gatefold jacket, with artwork by Josh Journey-Heinz and liner notes from song-poem vocalist Dick Kent. Digital download coupon included." |
| 11/9/2004 | Keller, Yann & Vilbjørg | Riddles | CDR | $14.99 | Holispolis | “A duo from the squatting scene in Amsterdam, consisting of Yann Keller on her selfmade electronics and metal bass and Vilbjørg on voice. They have been playing together as a duo for five years and occasionally work together with other people, such as the notorious Dead Fish Fuck. The four pieces on this release were generated through means of improvisation, but these two incorporate many different musical styles into their work. Occasionally inspired by techno and noise likewise, which mostly accounts for the music played on the electronics, the used vocal techniques by Vilbjørg seem to have one origin: improvisation. Not meant as a negative qualification, as I think her range is quite wide. From more 'regular' singing she goes out to a strong voice abuse, kinda Diamanda Galas meeting Jaap Blonk, merging together into one person. Despite these references to more popular tunes, this is by no means an easy disc. It's demanding throughout it's length, and will leave the listener breathless after it stops after it's 46 minutes. Difficult stuff but rewarding.” – FdW, Vital |
| 9/17/2006 | Kelley, Greg | 1 Hour As Something That Didn't Turn Out The Way I Intended It To | CDR | $9.99 | Chocolate Monk | "Another exercise in failure. Spring 2003: With assistance from Vic Rawlings, I fill my room at Club Awesome in Somerville MA w/ electric keyboards, synth, a small organ and set them all for drone. A radio plays static. Record to MD, output MD through my stereo for low feedback. An electric fan is aimed at the microphone for the distorted vintage 78 effect (rpm, not the year). Vic bowed a single cello note at some point and a cymbal was scraped. The intent: record in mono for 2 hours, communicate with the dead. After 1 hour, I couldn't take it any more. My intended "Two hours as..." is now "One hour as..." I fussed over it for a while. It's kind of boring. I like boring, but... Late Winter 2004: I must do something with this recording. I decide to look backwards into the archives... January 8, 2000: I send out a call to arms: Meet me at Twisted Village Records, Cambridge MA at 8pm. It's Scelsi's birthday and we will play a memorial drone for him. The call was met by Oliver Alden, Mike Bullock, James Baumgartner, Seth Cluett, James Coleman, David Dougan, David Gross, Tatsuya Nakatani, Howard Stelzer, Bhob Rainey, Vic Rawlings. Some automatic instruments played themselves. Others may have been there, but I don't remember. And you can't really hear them anyway. Back to Late Winter 2004: I record a new track onto my 4 track in my bedroom in Allston MA. Trumpet and radio static. (DJ Screw's ghost inhabited my 4 track near the end of this track.) Then I record a burning guitar solo for the end of my new and improved "One hour as..." The mono drone, the Scelsi tribute band, the trumpet/radio track and the HOTT guitar track are all mixed down from 4 track to MD under the influence of Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout. A vocal intro and headphone feedback interruptions are then added. The task is complete. It's a bloodbath. What have I done?" |
| 5/8/2005 | Kelley, Greg | I Don't Want to Live Forever | CD | $10.99 | Gameboy | "This ain't your mama's trumpet-recorded-through-microcassette-and-then-chopped-the-fuck-up record. Oh no. Kelley's taking that genre places, son. Recognize. Brutallyl spliced, severed, destroyed, and chopped, but oddly not so screwed. This is how Greg entertains himself when not practicing his world-renowned stage dives. Co-released with the brand new Little Enjoyer label." |
| 8/22/2008 | Kelley, Greg | Religious Electronics | LP | $15.99 | No Fun Productions | "Two sides of melting electronics from Greg. This is not Jazz. limited to 350 copies." |
| 6/11/2006 | Kelley, Greg | The Conditions Of The Past Cannot Be Retrieved | CDR | $10.99 | 8MM | "Title makes this one seem like an old-school lesson in Industrial dissection but while there's enough devolved man/machine strategies here to please your average tattooed occultist, the bulk of this fantastic disc is drawn squarely from the mutant solar modes that orbit Kelley's (Nmperign, Cold Bleak Heat et al) own brain. Five tracks, all born of extensive four track experimentation and all working scales of low-fi fug into tortuous new ends ala a more wiped-out take on Kelley's last, killing Gameboy side. First track moves hoovering drones into small pools of single-note synth and sets up the initial mood of degraded repeats that fuels the first four tracks, somewhere between the concrete logic of Nurse With Wound circa Homotopy To Marie and a Fluxus machine orchestra. Last track is a massive 30 minute composition for metal, piezo mics, bow, tape machine and auto-destructive violence. Totally great. Comes in an oversize 5" x 7" silkscreened cover in a hand-numbered edition of 205 copies with another chance to own that great snap of Kelley preaching to the unconverted in shirt and tie. Highly recommended." - Volcanic Tongue |
| 4/10/2009 | Kelley, Greg & Alex Neilson | Passport to Satori | LP | $14.99 | Golden Lab Records | "This beautiful super-heavyweight LP, which comes packaged in a sweet full-colour sleeve reunites the UK's premier free drummer Alex Neilson, who's played, amongst others, with Motor Ghost, Directing Hand, Trembling Bells, Tight Meat Duo, Josephine Foster, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Jandek, MV&EE, Richard Youngs, Baby Dee and Alastair Galbraith, with Nmperign member Greg Kelley, whose reinvention of the trumpet is as crucial now as Anthony Braxton's reinvention of the sax was 30 years ago. A screeching, soaring, scattergun array of noises come maniacally out of Greg's horn, unlike anything we've ever heard and he successfully straddles no wave, concrete and free jazz in a way that makes those genres seem like trite pigeonholes. Limited to 500 copies." |
| 9/17/2006 | Kelley, Greg / Alex Neilson | Graveside Doles | LP | $24.99 | Ultra Eczema | "Two of the most intense young "free" dudes from different parts of the globe (kelley from boston, neilson from leeds) unite for this completely weird record, taking free music to a different level, recorded on top of eachother via mail. this sounds like moving the heaviest metal closet on a little rubber boat from brighton to the east coast of the united states, kicking off with a heavy free jazzy tune full of retarded trumpets stuffed with little babies screaming for a change slightly changing into ice cold acoustic metal scraping ambience. tons of different sounds to discover and very unclear whether they came out of a trumpet, a drumset, a mouth or a whale. comes in a black and silver fine line drawn cover by dennis tyfus - limited to 400 copies" |
| 2/25/2004 | Kelley, Mike | Silver Ball (Light and Color, Mostly) | one-sided LP | $14.99 | Table of the Elements | "Table of the Elements presents the Lanthanides, a series of 14 single-sided, limited edition LPs. Each disk is pressed on clear or transparent vinyl, silk-screened on the reverse in glow-in-the-dark ink, and packaged in a clear vinyl sleeve. As one of this country¹s most prominent visual artists, Mike Kelley twists common colloquial forms - like signs, stuffed animals and felt banners - and infuses them with the dark psychologies and hidden undercurrents (sexual, metaphysical, and otherwise) of middle-class American culture, assaulting everything that society holds dear. From his first rambling performances in the early 1980s, he has appealed to a cult audience because his work is too complex, aggressive, and willfully contradictory to be considered mainstream. Yet in the early '90s, his soft sculptures made from filthy thrift store animals garnered international art world attention, landing him a 1993 exhibition at the Whitney Museum (they also appear on the cover of Sonic Youth's classic Dirty album). Kelley has an even deeper background as a sound artist: he is co-founder of the seminal trash-noise collective Destroy All Monsters, whose anti-aesthetic marauded throughout the 1970s with a membership that included artist Jim Shaw, Ron Asheton (Iggy and the Stooges) and Mike Davis (MC5). The composition Silver Ball (Light and Color, Mostly) is one channel from Kelley¹s eight channel audio sculpture 'Silver Ball' (1994)." |
| 3/23/2007 | Kemialliset Ystävät | Alkuharka | LP | $29.99 | BLR | "Ed. of 400 copies on 220 gm vinyl. KY's medieval ministrations make the Weird America movement seem like a furry load of Clay Aikens. This latest opus plots out like a secret musical map through a Bosch painting. It is not a horror show by any means. It is the sound of losing time and of losing bearings. A microverse full of familiar landmarks, populated by improbably strange shapes and beings. This could be Heaven; this could be Hell. Who are we to say which is weirder? What if Ilhan Mimaroglu traveled with Chaucer? What if Parmegianni was in the David Monroe Consort? What if In Gowan Ring got busy with Volcano The Bear? KY's psychedelic fusion of folk and musique concrete could almost be a sketch of the birth of music itself. " |
| 6/17/2004 | Kemialliset Ystävät | Alkuhärkä | CD | $18.99 | Fonal Records | "After recovering from a long illness I started searching through the shores and woods. I finally managed to locate Mr. Anderzén in the middle of an arctic desert. He sat there cross legged, eyes closed, calm as if on top of a mountain or in the bottom of the sea. No trees nor any other objects apart from ourselves interrupted the plain white landscape. Sun dragged itself slowly over the horizon. The air was still. 'My retreat will soon be over.' His husky voice seemed to emerge from the field of snow itself. I didn't see his lips moving. As I asked about the last nine months he had been away he mumbled something about contemplation. 'Remember what Cocteau wrote in Opium about revealing the essence of plants? - I have gained sights of that different kind of speed of vegetation and I have heard the screams of plants he talked about.' After six long days of silence spent mostly eating drought reindeer's meat Mr A. talked again: 'I had this strangest of dreams. There was no space, no people, no traces of action, just this plasmoid machine out of which erupted sounds. And then as I was receiving those aural secretions of an ultra physical automaton from the seventh uppermost world, I woke up due to a butterfly itching in my ear. There I was all covered with sweat, heart beating furiously, yet the ear was empty. It took a long time to be able to sleep after that night.' Heed my words dear friends; that butterfly preserved to the ears of ours which weren't there is Alkuhärkä." - Ralf Normaali. Highly recommended! |
| 12/24/2005 | Kemialliset Ystävät | Lumottu Karkkipurkki (Vapaa Systeemi) | CD | $18.99 | Fonal Records | "Originally Lumottu Karkkipurkki was released on cassette on Huutomerkki label, re-released on double 8 inch lathe cut on the Celebrate Psi Phenomenom label. Now finally available on CD remastered and remixed." |
| 8/31/2010 | Kemialliset Ystävät | Ullakkopalo | CD | $16.99 | Fonal Records | "Kemialliset Ystävät is the project headed by audio/visual artist Jan Anderzén, one of the few Finnish musicians to have achieved renown in the international experimental circuit. Previous KY albums have featured contributions by Islaja, Sami Sänpäkkilä and members of Avarus, and Anderzén has also released sampler-based solo recordings as Tomutonttu. His music is created with a fluctuating array of instruments and equipment, with collage being an essential technique. The focus is less on instrumental prowess and more on the overall sound and impression as well as the tension between the various materials. As a manipulator of these elements, Anderzén is in a league of his own." |
| 6/19/2007 | Kemialliset Ystävät | untitled | CD | $18.99 | Fonal | "Please receive this carefully cooked porridge, the new untitled Kemialliset Ystävät full length album. Pulsating, radiant and turbocharged this music shares the groove of a junk pile AND a wild foal. It comes with the lovely smell of the chemical they spray on apple trees. It's a highly ambitious effort originally planned to become a defying message in a bottle, limited edition of one, addressed to the Man. Kemialliset Ystävät has been rocking OUT for some time now and there is no end in sight. Without all the experiments of the past this record would not exist while there's still plenty of fresh perspective in the mix too. Listen to Roope drum his belly, Laura play tambura and Jaakko go berserk on a Chinese flute. Listen carefully. Lot of energy went into the mixing: million voices from friends are twisted into one hypnotic over-the-top sound textile that vibrates and grows to every direction resembling a living organism, a merry beast. Give it a hug and you will gain power, it is like shooting up Echinacea. Wrap it around you and tune in to the blizzard. Sit down and blast as loud as possible!" Recommended! |
| 12/24/2005 | Kemiälliset Ystävät | Latvasta Laho | CD | $17.99 | Celebrate/Psi/Phenomenon | "Goodness gracious. Them freaky Finns that got the whole Finnish thing a-rollin, roll on in with this warm pool of clatter-bash, strum-n-clunk, and electro-forest ya-ya. There ain't many acts sharp enough to go whittlin' with this gang and 'Latvasta Laho' (literally 'rotten in the head') shows just why you shouldn't go foolin' with what you dont know nuthin' about. Monophonic wood goblins wiggle trees and a retarded werewolf banjo orchestra leaves cute piles of stones outside your tent. Comes complete with fleeting hip-hop stomp-a-tronics, and freefallin' spookified blast-athons... huh?. Quite possibly the most fascinating/frightening night of 2005. Cuppa tea anyone?" |
| 10/25/2008 | Kemialliset Ystävät / Sunroof! | split | LP | $14.99 | Fat Cat | "Another album-length release, the nineteenth 12" in our acclaimed Split Series presents two immensely vital and influential artists whose fiercely focused and highly individual music has genuinely pushed boundaries and an aesthetics of movement / excess in two very different, yet complimentary ways, creating their own distinctive sound-worlds. Led by Jan Anderzén, Kemialliset Ystävät (it translates as 'chemical friends') are a loose collective from Tampere in southern Finland. Fans for a long while, FatCat's initial hookup with Kemialliset Ystävät occurred in February 2006, when the band were invited to play at FatCat's 'Open Circuit' Festival in belgium, at which they also played a live improvised collaboration with Múm. A fantastic live unit, they will be touring the UK / Europe this Autumn. Sunroof! is the work of prolific, Bradford-based guitar-abuse legend Matthew Bower, who has been active on the experimental / post-punk / noise underground for over 25 years, releasing over 60 albums under a variety of pseudonyms. Bower's vast discography of visceral, free drone-rock is one of the most formidable of its kind - a monumental / labyrinthine effort to get your head around, with continual shifts and dynamic reverses between - and even within - his various projects rendering it virtually impossible to pin down. If anything, more wilfully diverse and leaning towards the ecstatic, Sunroof!'s trajectory has shifted from bubbling, transcendental pulse to coruscating feedback, jerky freeform soloing to sweet-shimmering dream-haze with traces of acid-damaged British folk, and brain-blitzing high-pitched psychedelic drone. Heavily layered and forming a rich, deep and fully immersive experience, the project has included collaborators like Richard Youngs, Mattin, C. Spencer Yeh (Burning Star Core), Sunburned Hand Of The Man's John Moloney and Marc Orleans, Vibracathedral Orchestra's Mick Flower and Neil Campbell, and Phil Todd (whose Anna Planeta project featured on a previous FatCat split 12"). Stepping between varying pressures and weights, the three tracks provided here offer a dazzling confirmation of Sunroof!'s quality. 'Little Ornamental Lake Of Death' and 'Extinction Fantasy' blow out a beatless, fizzing, corruscating, hyper-energetic scrawl / sprawl of guitar - a swirling mass of sound that's blissfully immersive and hyper-coloured. Wedged in between, the far briefer 'Spiritual Forgery' hangs a frayed line of quavering guitar tone." |
| 3/2/2007 | Kendall, David | Triumph of Individuality | CDR | $8.99 | Gameboy | "Harsh digital composition from prominent SoCal programmer and resident Heat Director. The title says it all: one of a kind. Kendall whips out six tracks of composed noise with an improviser's sensibilities." |
| 7/11/2008 | Kenji Siratori | Biomechanic Torture | CDR | $8.99 | 267 Lattajjaa | "More japanese cybernoise." |
| 4/20/2008 | Kenji Siratori | Droid | CDR | $8.99 | 267 Lattajjaa | "Bleak ambient drone that sounds like the death throes of an enormous machine." Boa Melody Bar |
| 5/31/2009 | Kenji Siratori | Hototogisu | CDR | $7.99 | 267 Lattajjaa | "Experimental cyber ambient. All sounds by Kenji Siratori, recorded in march 2009 in Hana No Yama." |
| 3/31/2008 | Keszler, Eli | Clermont | 3" CDR | $7.99 | Something On The Road | "Recorded in the Spring of 2007 in Boston Massachusetts. Eli plays bowed crotales, cymbals, bowls, bells and fender rhodes. Eli Keszler is a percussionist and multi instrumentalist. In addition to his solo work, he has performed, recorded or collaborated with a number of artists such as Jandek, Roscoe Mitchell (Art Ensemble of Chicago), Geoff Mullen (Last Visible Dog), Steve Pyne (Redhorse), T Model Ford (Fat Possum Records), Lyn Taitt and pianist Ran Blake. Performing at venues such as The Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston), The Empty Bottle, Irving Plaza, Issue Project Room, The Stone and The Knitting Factory (NYC and LA). In 2007 he installed his first sound installation at the Boston Cyber Arts Festival. In addition to completing two solo releases on his own imprint REL records. He has most recently completed a new LP for Geoff Mullen’s Rare Youth label. Eli has been chosen as the artist in residence along with Ashley Paul, at Issue Project Room (Brooklyn) for the Spring of 2008. Performances are scheduled with Phill Niblock, Loren Connors, Anthony Coleman David Linton and Charles Cohen." Numbered edition of 50 copies from Israeli label Something On The Road. |
| 6/25/2011 | Keszler, Eli | Oxtirn | CD | $11.99 | ESP-Disk' | "ESP-Disk' has released some far-out albums in its 47 years, but Eli Keszler's Oxtirn raises the bar. Keszler is a percussionist and composer like no other; some connoisseurs of outside music will know him from his work with the singular guitarist Jandek.Oxtirn is Keszler's ESP-Disk' debut and most widely distributed album after prolifically self-releasing micro-edition CDRs, tapes, and vinyl via his label REL Records. On Oxtirn, Keszler plays drums, guitar, piano, prepared piano, motors, cymbal, crotales (bowed and unbowed), snare drum, prepared/riveted sheet metal, spring harp, bass board, and microphones. He's joined by clarinetist Ashley Paul (his partner in Aster) on two tracks, plus Andrew Fenlon (trumpet, tuba, French horn, trombone) and Sakkiko Mori (prepared piano) on one track each. There are few musical analogies to what Keszler is doing here. It might sound like freely improvised noise, but it's actually meticulously composed - and if you don't believe it, you can check out his graphical-notation score for all three tracks, included on a six-panel fold-out. The Italian Futurists of the 1920s would have loved this magnificent din, so full of startling timbres and arresting textural combinations, like a cross between Xenakis and free jazz." |
| 5/29/2008 | Keszler, Eli | R.L.K. | CD | $11.99 | REL Records | Long piece in 3 parts; Bowed percussion, drumset and electronics. Hand embossed/stamped and painted arigate pak with insert. |
| 10/21/2009 | Keszler, Eli | Tilt | CD | $13.99 | REL | "Tilt is a special edition CD, marking the 10th release on REL. It is a reissue from an out of print CDR originally released on the UK based label Reverb Worship. A solo percussion outing, Tilt features an extra track added for the REL edition and is entirely remastered and reworked from the original. Tracked live with no electronics or modification in the winter of 2009, Tilt covers a wide area of sound from glistening, spinning crotales and stick and drum clusters to high pitched sustain and sympathetic vibration formations. All of this works together to create dense textural metal motion that piles on top of itself. Later moving to a low end, multi-bowed cymbal rumble then returning again to more angular areas. Special double digit design, Tilt features a ‘mini lp’ size, multi-layered silk screen cover on archival royal blue paper. The CD itself is housed in a fold out canary yellow silk screened booklet, with a vellum wrap around. Featuring multiple drawings by Eli, the inside contains notes on dark grey cardstock with full color CD printing. Released just prior to Keszler’s upcoming European solo tour, Tilt is a hand numbered one time edition of 300 copies which marks the beginning of REL's new limited CD series." |
| 7/16/2009 | Keszler, Eli / Ashley Paul | Aster | LP | $17.99 | REL | "Aster is the debut LP release by the duo of Ashley Paul and Eli Keszler. Having spent the last 3 years performing all over the northeast, they have developed a unique sound, combining the piercing high pitched resonance of Keszler's bowed crotales and cymbals with altissimo sustains and drastic pitch bends of Paul's alto saxophone and clarinet. The split tone combinations from these instruments is surprising and overwhelming, creating continuous, multi-layered, dense, shifting harmonics and intense inner-ear sound. Spinning discs, invented resonating metal configurations, bending reed tones, and voice interference carefully blend, creating a wild texture that is both harsh and striking . This is contrasted with Paul's guttural string attacks, which meet the rapid-fire movement of Keszler's low end bowed cymbals and jittery crash. This is a live document recorded to 4 track, with no sound modification. This LP is the first 'official' release in a planned series of releases by this long standing duo. Pressed on 160 gram copper plate pressed virgin vinyl with a black inner sleeve, the LP is housed in a textured paper cover that features a layered screen printed drawing. The inside contains grey pasted notes with an attached 8" x 25" 3 part multi-tone picture which has been printed across a fold-out frosted vellum book. All of this has been screen printed, drawn, and then hand assembled by Keszler and Paul. The record comes in a limited hand numbered edition of 300 copies." |
| 7/16/2009 | Keuhkot | Toimintatapoja olioille | CD | $14.99 | Ektro Records | "You've never, ever heard anything like Keuhkot, the one-man, multi-media funhouse commandeered by Kake Puhuu from his home in the forests of Pomarkku, Finland. This national treasure has been active since the late '80s, when began setting his bizarre, ranting vocals to Middle Eastern exotica, synthetic carnival melodies, and squawky no-wave guitar. His fifth album, Toimintatapoja Olioille ("methods to objects"), is a somewhat mellower but no less arresting statement about the perils of technology-a perfect opportunity for fans of Avarus, Lau Nau and Kemialliset Ystävät to discover the demented forefather of Finnish freak-folk!" |
| 5/13/2011 | Key Of Shame | Key Of Shame | double LP | $42.99 | PLANAM | "Key Of Shame is the most extreme entity to come out from two cult collectives of the New York underground, or No Neck Blues Band and Sightings. PLANAM proudly presents their first recordings, four threnodies for Judas Iscariota as performer by Mark Morgan (Sightings) and Pat Murano (NNCK, Decimus). Jesus answered and said "You will become the thirteenth, and you will be cursed by the other generations - and you will come to rule over them. In the last days they will curse your ascentŠ". Atmospheric radical electronics at their highest peak. Hand stenciled and silkscreened edition of 270 double-LPs released by PLANAM. "And Jesus replied 'Friend, Do what you came for'". Matthew, 26:50 Edition limited to 270 copies |
| 1/24/2009 | Kheta Hotem | Pimeyden karkotus | CDR | $8.99 | 267 Lattajjaa | "Brand new live recording (recorded at it's all in the mind festival in helsinki last november) from this great band (featuring keijo!) who play shamanistic komutean music. Shamanistic psychedelic jam recorded live at Vaihtolava, Helsinki 22.11.2008. |
| 11/20/2010 | Kheta Hotem | The Most Wonderful - How does it sound? | CDR | $6.99 | 267 Lattajjaa | "Keijo & friends perform komutian ritual psych, improvised shamanic drones, stronger and more social than ever…" Recorded live at La-Bas Biennale, 25.4.2010, Dubrovnik, Helsinki. |
| 8/28/2007 | Kheta Hotem | Winter Solstice | CDR | $7.99 | Foxglove | "Better late than never (this was originally to be released in december), "winter solstice" finds kheta hotem in rare form, basking in the glow of the midnight sun. this finnish quintet featuring, among others, keijo virtanen and members of the free players and akisa, is a chaotic romp. with elements of free jazz creeping in from the margins to compliment the organic drones and shimmering percussion orchestra, these recordings are woven in solid gold. keijo's throat singing is the perfect undercurrent for jilted saxophones to dance in the metallic rain. "winter solistice" is perhaps kheta hotem's finest hour. 100 copies" |
| 11/2/2008 | Khoury + Hall | Battlefield Medicine | CDR | $10.99 | Bug Incision | "In what appears to be the first entry in this duo's discography, Detroit's Mike Khoury (Andrew Coltrane, Graveyards, others) and Ben Hall create very sparse music that somehow occupies a formidable density. Impossibly long tones from strings, drums that sound like you're inside of them, enhanced percussion, bell tones that hang. This is a huge-sounding album. It will fill the room." CDR in clear plastic sleeves, color artwork, edition of 150. |
| 1/24/2009 | Khoury, Mike | Solo Renegades #9 | 3" CDR | $3.99 | Lost Treasures of the Underworld | "Two solo violin pieces by a Michigan dude who definitely knows whats up...mixed up colors, delicate brush strokes and whirlwinded fury if telepathic energy. Edition of 50 in clear plastic sleeves with photocopied artwork by French artist renegade dude Nicolas Murer." |
| 8/31/2010 | Khoury, Mike & Christopher Riggs | Abandon Rate | CDR | $8.99 | Bug Incision | "The Khoury-Riggs duo tape that appeared on Holy Cheever Church sometime last year was a favourite around Bug Incision headquarters, and it was a no-brainer when it came to scooping these recordings and getting them out there. The two are closely aligned with Detroit's fertile scene of creative improvisors, and are often involved with Ben Hall and Hans Buetow, two other Bug Incision-released artists, and their excellent label Brokenresearch. Both players have previously released material on this label (Khoury on Battlefield Medicine and Airwaves, Riggs on Tanto Impresos Como Sistemas and I Feel So Strong. I Feel I Could Punch A Hole In A Fucking Wall.) and have also filled their own and a good many others' release schedules with quality product. The strength of this duo is that they manage to succeed in bridging the gap, finding some middle ground, between Riggs, who's taken it upon himself to overhaul the guitar as we know it, often rendering it unrecognizable, and Khoury, who has taken the violin at face value and studiously honed a unique sound and approach. There is a wonderfully controlled and varied bank of sounds from which Riggs draws, and Khoury keeps up with deft manipulations in tone, tremolo, bow pressure, etc. Look for a sister release on the House of Alchemy label." Edition of 66 copies. |
| 11/17/2007 | KHU | Flesh Lament / Phoenix Mass | DBL CDR | $10.99 | American Grizzly | "extreme vocal psych-out from france w/ industrial percussive undertones. everything soaked in reverb." |
| 6/11/2006 | Kiefer, Christian | Czar Nicholas Is Dead | CD | $13.99 | Camera Obscura | "Some ideas are difficult to dispense with. Were you to ask Christian Kiefer why he fixated on Russia, and on a particularly grisly period in the country's history, he would probably be unable to answer. After all, Kiefer lived (and still lives) in a quiet, unassuming, and decidedly American suburb in Northern California, a far cry from the North Asian continent of his imagination. But it was, in fact, Russia that had become the object of his curiosity and like Franza Kafka's Amerika, a novel similarly fixated upon a geographical location that the author had no firsthand knowledge of, Kiefer set out to address his interest through art. The end result of that interest is "Czar Nicholas Is Dead", a soundtrack to a tundra wasteland filled with lonely soldiers, ornate towers crumbling into ruin, and desolate, blood-soaked snowscapes. An essentially ambient project with minimal instrumentation, "Czar Nicholas Is Dead" captures Russia as a fever dream, a strange and disorienting place that lay on no map, but rather resides entirely in the author's imagination. On the one hand, the subject of Kiefer's project is a strange one to be sure, particularly since most of his recorded output-including the similarly epic and minimalist instrumental project "Exodust" (2002) -has been rooted strongly in American soil. But Kiefer's work has always also been rooted in history and in academic and intellectual pursuits. His Ph.D. work at the University of California at Davis explores the intersection of history and the arts (particularly literature) and "Czar Nicholas Is Dead" falls perfectly within his primary field of interest, even if the geographical location has shifted off the North American continent. For research, Kiefer turned to thick volumes on the assassination of the Romanoff family, the tradition of Russian folk music, and to early Russian silent film. The central musical concept, though, was not to represent a version of Russian folk material or a literal rendition of the Russian Revolution, but rather to utilize the ideas and in order to form a particular vision of Russia on the brink of revolution. Kiefer brought in a handful of his favourite musicians and asked them to improvise with him live in the studio with a handful of simple instructions. The material was then worked over further in the studio, edited, rearranged, and produced, often with additional parts being added or subtracted as the musical force of the album began to reveal itself. The end result is part collective improvisation on a conceptual and musical theme, and part constructed and composed musical work." |
| 11/17/2007 | Kill Devil Hills | Ex-Kill Devil Hill | one sided 7" & CDR | $13.99 | American Tapes | "What the? Is it the Tom Potter/Coorz/ the? Is it the Tom Potter/Coorz circa 92? Gnaw......I was on tour with Juice (Fag Heath) and Bondo (Raven Matt) and on a late night drive one of them squirmy dudes put a KDH CD in the player, and I was like: "Yo holmes, what this?" "Kill Devil Hill" "Funny...... "Funny........seriously though "Dude....Kill Devil Hill" "C'mon man, quit messing, break me off" "Its Juice and Ben Hell's new group" "Why they gotta bust on my old jam" "What you mean player?" "That Bad Seeds Style band from Lansing...you know we had that 7" that dillo always grips copies and keeps taunting me with them" "Gnaw...i think it is just a cosmic coincidence" "Weird...... "Weird.......well I'm funna bust a 7" and have it Devil Hill" "Whatever man....do your thing......stupid reason to do it.....but.. So here it is, Sick Llama and Ben Hell...prob. the most Hi Fi thang Juice has ever been trapped in...but kool sounding Organum - styled screech & moan, Juice's clarinet sounds spot on. See if you can hear "the counterpoint. CD includes remix by EX KD called "Dedicated to Tom Potter-Playwright" but it would take a long time to explain it to him and kinda dumb at that. Part one of the "Trapped Title" with Juice. Hah. Edition of 200, color vinyl, color art, hit any speed, will take you there. No info, stark." |
| 8/8/2009 | Killa | Tuota Tuota | CD | $16.99 | Fonal Records | "This is the third full-length album by Finland's Kiila. Born of peaceful, focused work and intense rehearsals with friends, interspersed with sleep and meal-times, Tuota Tuota ("Well, Well") features an eight-strong core line-up -- but, as always, the composition of the group varies according to need. This is an album that consists of many details: the sound is full, the web of acoustic and electric instruments more varied and carefully orchestrated than before, and now, it is completely unnecessary to separate the electronic from the non-electronic components. Different traditions of folk, psych and pop music intermingle with electronic music and improvisation, tones and sounds. From Incredible String Band-ish folk-troubadour jams to gentle acoustic fireside ballads rendered in plucked guitar and scratchy fiddle lines ala Vetiver or Espers, to freakier space-jazz meanderings, this album's ultimate reward lies in its commitment to solid, glorious song-structure rooted in a long-established folk-rock tradition. The motifs in the songs are not easy to convey in English, but the titles reveal some clues: master of the house, elk antlers, tree bark, sound of rapids, fog, letters, calves, fingers. The words sound archaic, anachronistic or timeless, the language of myth, even -- but can it be something else, too? Tuota Tuota is an excellent culmination of Kiila's history and cultural landscape, proving them to be among Finland's finest founders of the new-growth forest sound." - FE |
| 2/7/2009 | King Crab | Moskoe-Ström | CDR | $5.99 | Abandon Ship Records | "Deep, dark, scuzzed out jams recorded through a rift in the time-space continuum. Sincerely bleak sonics that will bring you to your knees either begging for mercy or for more. A first time listener might make a comparison to Mouthus, but these guys have tapped into something truly unique. Turn it up loud." Edition of 50 |
| 4/16/2003 | King Hell | II | CDR | $6.99 | "Blown-out dirges ala High Rise meets Neu! Features Plastic Crimewave & others. The owner of PSF Records described it as ‘like Blue Cheer’. Mixed by Nanjo of High Rise." | |
| 6/4/2010 | King Kong Ding Dong | Youth Culture Index | LP | $15.99 | Dekorder | "After an extended period of dormancy, King Kong Ding Dong returns with their first full- length album, Youth Culture Index, recorded in various bedrooms, basements, and other amorphous dwellings over a lazy year and a half period of musical Indian summer progeny. This collection of eleven tracks incorporates pieces built around samples, guitar tunings, and field reverberations. The music within relies more on pulsing percussion and sonic textures than on lyrical content. Using samplers, de-tuned guitars found in the trash, and stand-up drumming with random melodic percussion, Philadelphia based group King Kong Ding Dong make tribal, dreamy/nightmarish music with hints of pop. The music incorporates drone experimentation, whammy bar tone bending, and 4- track sound manipulation. The group shares members with A Sunny Day in Glasgow, but does not share the same sound, instrumentation, nor set musical concept. These are the perfect summer jams and the CD-r release has already been made "Record of the Week" over at Aquarius Records and praised by a bunch of influential online blogs. This is Rock music reduced to it's core: euphoric, charming, effortlessly smart, unstrained, willingly unhip, and unambitious in the most positive sense, summoning echoes of Drag City-era early Pavement or a heroin-less juvenescent Royal Trux with MDMA replacing the Opiate infusions, combined with the DIY aesthetics of several Not Not Fun and Woodsist related bands." Limited edition of 500 copies! |
| 2/6/2003 | Kinski | Airs Above Your Station | CD | $14.99 | Sub Pop | "Within a mere three-album span, Seattle’s Kinski has concocted a Krautrock space brew earning them the lofty praise of comparisons to giants in the genre like Mogwai and Hovercraft. That would be accomplishment enough, if not for the fact that Kinski has actually succeeded in raising the bar and carving out a unique niche for themselves as well. On Airs Above Your Station, their third album overall and debut for Sub Pop, Kinski magnifies the extremes that define the ambient space rock genre, quelling the lows to a dramatic hush and inflating the highs to a brain-boiling maelstrom. On the near 10-minute opener, ‘Steve’s Basement,’ Kinski takes a page from Brian Eno’s book of ambience but beefs it up with plenty of raging guitars and drums as well, creating a palpable tension between the opposing ends of the sonic spectrum. On ‘Semaphore,’ the quartet blurts out a jazzy psychedelia that rocks like Red-era King Crimson, while ‘Rhode Island Freakout’ sees them steer a course toward the dense atmosphere of My Bloody Valentine, and the 11-and-a-half-minute ‘Schedule for Using Pillows & Beanbags’ utilizes all of the above in a scorching blend of indie rock simplicity and prog rock complexity. Kinski relies on both repetition and swirling chaos as the canvas for their ultimate creations, and the energy that is generated by that counterpoint is the band’s sonic fuel. The beauty of Kinski’s presentation is the subtlety with which they mix their influences and the passion with which they translate them." Double LP version available, too. |
| 9/30/2005 | Kinski | Be Gentle With the Warm Turtle | CD | $12.99 | Strange Attractors Audio House | "In collaboration with Intellectual Drunks Records, the Strange Attractors Resurrection Series (our irregular reissue campaign of lost gems) proudly offers Be Gentle With the Warm Turtle, the critically hailed, cranium-shaking sophomore album by Seattle, Washington's premier instrumental rockers Kinski! Kinski's second full length recording, 2001's Be Gentle with the Warm Turtle, proved that the band was ready to take on the world. Upon its release, Alternative Press enthused "Šthe disc makes one of the few strong arguments against the claim that rock is dead." Their first sojourn into a "real" recording studio, Kinski seized the opportunity and crafted a spacious yet immediate rock album. With nods to forebearers past and present, Be Gentle With the Warm Turtle finds the band creating their own unique sound and sonic space. Few bands before or since have matched Kinski's ability to marry delicate and heady sonics with massive, gravity-defying heaviness. This is the album that opened many doors for the band, including snaring sets at Terrastock IV and V, tours with Acid Mothers Temple in the U.S. and Japan, great international press and a record deal with Sub Pop Records. Previously issued on the now-defunct Pacifico Recordings in the US, this crucial document of the Kinski tour-de-force has criminally been unavailable since 2004. Now back in print, Be Gentle with the Warm Turtle is a modern classic." |
| 4/29/2004 | Kinski | Don't Climb On and Take the Holy Water | CD | $13.99 | Strange Attractors Audio House | "In their hometown of Seattle, Chris Martin, Lucy Atkinson, and Matthew Reid-Schwartz of the lysergic-punk band Kinski often play out incognito. Under the guise Herzog (film buffs should figure all these German names out pretty quickly), the goal is to experiment with mood, sound construction and interplay by channeling their chemistry into an exploration of their 'cosmic' side. These entirely improvised sets have yielded some truly heady excursions into the sonic ether. Although they may perform as Herzog, the sum of the parts is still Kinski, and while the intent is to shower the air with slow-raining space dust rather than their trademark heavy-paisley riffs, ambient drone is still very much an aspect of the overall Kinski sound. Don't Climb on and Take the Holy Water is a snapshot of these experiments, 'free-ambient' sounds weaved on the spot when the guitarists subliminally dialed into one another and directed their energies into a subtle exploration of drone, texture and atmosphere." |
| 9/30/2005 | Kinski | SpaceLaunch For Frenchie | CD | $12.99 | Strange Attractors Audio House | "In collaboration with Intellectual Drunks Records, the Strange Attractors Resurrection Series proudly exhumes SpaceLauch For Frenchie, the long-lost debut album by Seattle, Washington's premier instrumental rockers Kinski! 'Spacelaunch for Frenchie serves up one of the coolest Krautrockin' dronefests this side of the second Spacemen 3 album.' - Fred Mills, Magnet. Originally self-released by the band in 1999 in a limited edition pressing, Kinski's debut album SpaceLaunch for Frenchie captures the group in their infancy. Exploring multiple sonic terrains, the album clearly illustrates Kinski's skillful melding of their love of pop with their love of the drone. Initially a 3-piece, the band recorded their debut in their rehearsal space on an Otari 8-track. Spacelauch For Frenchie contains some of the bands' favorite early tracks, namely "Staring" and "Jetstream", and a cover of the Spacemen 3 tune "Losing Touch with My Mind". Remastered and repackaged, this reissue includes Kinski's ultra-rare five song demo unearthed from the period, featuring two never-before heard songs as well as an early version of a number re-recorded for Be Gentle With the Warm Turtle and the outtake "She Always Made Us Work Like Dogs". Unavailable for years, SpaceLaunch for Frenchie is an auspicious starting point and a complete departure from their later flights of fancy." *Erkin Koray - Erkin Koray LP $29.99 "Absolutely over the top debut album by Turkish psychedelic guitar guru. At last reissued on vinyl, this is the rarest of all Erkin albums but also the rarest Turkish psych album ever. This album, originally released in 1973, is actually a compilation of singles from the previous years since 1968. You can notice the difference in time when listening to the album, with some tracks kinda pre- psychedelic and some others heavily into it, but all of them with that unique Eastern feel that the guitar master gives to their recordings. Definitely, the best Koray album together with Elektronik Turkuler, a total masterpiece." |
| 11/4/2006 | Kirby, David | Inside, it is Ringing | CDR | $8.99 | Students of Decay | "This is it. Long in the making, we have here THEE definitive statement (for the time being) from Atlanta, Georgia soundwizard David Kirby. And God, it's a monster. 'Inside, it is Ringing' is born of the same brain erasing dust as his recent "Shrieks Against the Glass Pt. 2" and his work in the Wire Thicket duo. However, this record transcends those previous outings in every possible way. Kirby offers cavernous drones, alien rumblings and static depth charges here that could level mountains. His recording processes are as hermetic as they are obsessive, and, like the work of all the finest craftsmen, nothing is superfluous. Play impossibly loud. Inhale the vapors. And float the fuck away." Edition of 100 copies. |
| 6/25/2004 | Kiritchenko, Andrey | Bees & Honey | CD | $9.99 | Zeromoon | "Five tracks by Andrey Kiritchenko, followed by remixes from Brian Lavelle, Marcus Maeder, Scanner, 833-45, Kotra, Violet, The Moglass, Kim Cascone, Cray, Freiband." "This disc is without doubt a very good collection of contemporary 'ambient glitch'. Kiritchenko fits into this category very well and has placed himself accordingly with this CD." - Vital Weekly |
| 12/24/2005 | Kiss the Anus of a Black Cat | If the Sky Falls, We Shall Catch Larks | CD | $12.99 | K-RAA-K | "Kiss the Anus of a Black Cat is the solo project of the young Belgian musician and instrument-builder Stef Heeren. Heeren used to be in a punk band but choose to follow his own direction a few years ago. Kiss The Anus of a Black Cat makes dark folk songs with ethnic instruments as the tampura or the sruthibox. "For several years I have been recording music using my instruments and a computer, although it wasn't until (K-RAA-K)3 got in touch with me, that I brought my ideas together to make actual songs. Before that, the only audience was myself. Although the songs on this cd are folksongs really and have a structured course, my musical approach and interest goes out to religious and shamanistic music, be it buddhist, krishna or american indian music. Not because of it's contents but because of it's repetitive, mantra, dronelike character. I tried to create this timeless, trancelike atmosphere which you can find in religious music through using non-western instruments such as harmonium, tanpura, bowls and bells and repetitive singing. I very much enjoy their rattling and clanging. When I wrote the song Sevenfold, I was really imagining an incantation around an indian campfire and therefore should be regarded as such by the listener. Sighing, Seething, Soothing is a lenghty dronelike piece of 20 minutes in three parts which, as the title indicates, makes a curved course. Firstly, a preamble based around a pianotheme that suddenly is taken over by a centerpiece led by apocalyptic repetitive chanting, bells, hurdy-gurdy and distorted guitars. And which finally results in a postrockish outro with lots of delayguitars and so lays down the course. To be listened to in this order. Nihil, as in Nihilism is a some sort of protestsong. I became so angered with the mediacircus which aroused around the Tsunami disaster that I had to write a song about it. The title refers to my attitude towards the money-collecting rage fed by big companies. The most accessible song on the cd is Almost, Silver and I therefore wanted it as the last track on the cd. Though Sighing, Seething, Soothing should be regarded as the main part of the cd, I wanted to finish the album with a more positive feeling. Actually the song is about unrequited love and not positive at all, but the music is much softer and more gentle. The music on this cd should be regarded as a whole and urges the listener to break with his routine by entering a timeless state in a utopian world." - Stef Heeren, 28th march 2005 |
| 12/10/2004 | Kissing Spell | Los Pajaros | CD | $15.99 | Essex | "Definitely an under-appreciated album (Arena label, 1970) - ok, so it's not the guitar rave-up record most expect from South American psych; instead it's West-coast styled introspection from Chile, more akin to We All Together (if you need another South American reference point) at times than anything else; well-crafted songs with an attractive dreamy quality enhanced by spacey effects, occasional bursts of well-handled fuzz guitar, and strong harmonies; includes their up-tempo track 'Yellow Moon', which was on Latin American 'Love Peace and Poetry' compilation; most tracks in English, with a couple of exceptions." - Lion Productions |
| 3/29/2005 | Kissing Spell | Los Pajaros | LP | $44.99 | Shadoks | "Beside BLO and El Congreso, this is the best album from Chile and the rarest one. Beautiful compositions and well-crafted songs sung in English and Spanish. Kissing Spell was born in 1967. One night after a gig they said: No more fucking other peoples music, it is time for something new, created by us and for people who want to see us and not some fucking Beatle clone. Kissing Spell was seen as a very elite group who played very few times for large audiences, and consequently the records did not sell much. After 'Kissing Spell' the same band became 'Embrujo', which is the Spanish translation for 'Spell' and recorded another album in 1971. A true masterpiece." Edition of 550 copies. |
| 12/24/2005 | Kitchen Cynics | Compulsive Songwriting Disorder | CDR | $10.99 | Audiobot | "Small and quiet places are the perfect breeding ground for fragile beauty that fights the inner demons. painting a poetic picture drenched in acid folk gentleness. Another very nice collection of songs by poet Alan Davidson. accompanied by a variety of instruments. with some great versions of Briget St.John. Ivor Cutler & a Lal Waterson songs. in a typical Kitchen Cynics style. Very inspired texts showing a poetic vision of tiny worlds situations that show a variety of perspectives. and a desire to open up like seeds. One track is a dialogue with Simon and Cara Lewis. All other songs are entirely multitracked one man performances. Like any Kitchen Cynics release. highly recommended. Alan's favourite songtitles : I want you on a mountain top. Snowflakes. oatcakes and earthquakes. Lethargic lover. Unwoozling invalid woman. If you have good memories on Pearls Before Swine. this is right up your alley... Packaged in stencil-printed fold-out jackets by design therapist Jelle Crama. Limited to only 150 copies." |
| 4/24/2006 | Kitchen Cynics | Parallel Dog Days | CD | $12.99 | Secret Eye | "The first US CD release for The Kitchen Cynics (the alter-ego of Alan Davidson of Aberdeen, Scotland). "His songs combine ancient folk roots with a lo-fi psychedelic aesthetic that effectively blurs the line between Syd Barrett and Pearls Before Swine," writes George Parsons in Dream Magazine #4 (that issue also features a full Kitchen Cynics interview). Original cover art from William Schaff who has also done LP art for Godspeed You Black Emperor, Songs:Ohia, Okkervil River, and more. We are very pleased to be releasing this CD - more folks should have the chance to enjoy the genius of the Kitchen Cynics!" |
| 12/24/2005 | Kitchen Cynics, The | Tunnels | CDR | $12.99 | Barl Fire | "In a recording career encompassing three decades, and with a prolific back-catalogue of cassette, CD and CDR releases, The Kitchen Cynics' brand of hushed lo-fi bedroom recorded psychedelic folk has captured the hearts of many, including such luminaries as the late great John Peel. Recorded live at Tunnels in Aberdeen over two nights in summer 2005 'Tunnels' is a perfectly executed live show-case on home-turf for Davidson's poetic tales of eccentric historical figures and real-life "kitchen sink" drama. Delivered as ever with equal measures of wit and sensitivity, Davidson has been compared in the past to the likes of Syd Barrett, Robin Hitchcock and Ivor Cutler. "Tunnels" features some new material, re-workings of traditional pieces and some old Kitchen Cynics favourites. "Tunnels" comes housed in black digipacks with inserts and with modern landscape artist Eilidh Crumlish's "Aberdeen Pink" painting on the front cover, and is limited to 94 copies." |
| 12/2/2011 | Kitchen's Floor | Look Forward To Nothing | LP | $16.99 | Siltbreeze | "Loneliness Is a Dirty Mattress, the debut LP by Australian trio Kitchen's Floor, made many ponderous pinetop's top ten list in 2010 and with good reason. The band aptly channels an adroit cacophony that recalls the former glory of past Aussie noise / punk gnashers such as Rejex and Feedtime with such élan that one might suspect Toohey's Sheaf courses through their veins. On Look Forward to Nothing, new drummer Joe Alexander (also found in the excellent combo, Per Purpose) gives Kitchen's Floor a much more thunderous drive, with the the results sounding not unlike a cage match between (the Australian) X and The Gordons. True, the pummeling is without quarter and there's blood everywhere. But take stock, friend-it's all yours! Which just goes to show that the best thing about beating your head against the wall is that it's to Kitchen's Floor. Look for the band Stateside late August through September, touring coast to coast and also dealing pain at Gonerfest 2011. Aloha." |
| 8/4/2007 | Kiwaka Kaneda | Cake of Sea | CD | $9.99 | Absurd | "Earlier this month a little greek boy named Orion became one year old, and this is celebrated with the release of this CD by Kiwako Kaneda, from Japan. I never heard of her (him?), but it's music in the best Tujiko Noriko tradition. Frail, intimate, with toy like instruments, and childish vocals. The somewhat lengthy title piece is perhaps the odd ball in this collection for it's ambient music pur sang, whereas the others hoover in the Noriko areas of music. Of course I should bring this CD to my sometimes day occupation of baby-sitter and test the waters on a two year old and see what his reactions are. I think it's all a bit too sweet for my taste, but then I may not entirely be the target group for music like this. If Noriko or the acts on Happy are your thing, then this must be too." - Frans de Ward, May 2, 2007 |
| Kjertl del Brondo Group | Live At Bryne/The Refsnes Sessions | cassette | $7.99 | no label | A side: 5 tracks recorded live on June 18, 1999 featuring Sindre Bjerga (vocals, keyboards), Kjetil D Brandsdal (guitar), Torbjorn Ollestad (bass), & Pal (drums). B side: 11 tracks featuring Sindre (vocals, guitar, accordian), Kjetil (guitar, drums), Jan Christian Kyvic (bass, guitar), & Pal (drums, gimbri). | |
| 7/10/2008 | Klangmutationen | Liturgie | CDR | $13.99 | Dreamsheep Records | "One of the most outstanding/uncompromising jazz collectives circulating right now is (without any doubt) Klangmutationen. Coming from the Eastern side of the world, they suddenly remind us of noise legends such as Masayuki Takayanagi, Kaoru Abe and Kousokuya. But you should consider them an exception because they come from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and they play 'organic free metal' (!). 'Liturgie' is a black ritual devoted to schizophrenia and otherworldly meditation which clocks at around 20 minutes. It is a burning candle for Shiva. For all you listeners, a final suggestion is to turn off the lights and immerse yourself into this deep black hole. CDR comes in a limited edition of 150 copies." |
| 9/30/2008 | Klangmutationen | Schwarshagel | CD | $13.99 | Utech Records | "Klangmutationen are a mystery. More could be said about what their music isn't than what it is. Hailing from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the underground experimentalists pierce the veils of Eastern and Western music. Recalling early sets on FMP as well as the Takayanagi/Abe axis of Japanese free music, Schwarzhagel is the sound of a spirit falling past its own life after death, forever." Edition of 750 copies. |
| 6/25/2011 | Kleeman, Arrow | Phase Reps And Builds | cassette | $7.99 | Root Strata | "Micro body rhythms amplified and overlapped like drifting mosaics. Music based on mathematics, but all the calculations are lost. Electronic organics.." Edition of 100 copies. |
| 12/30/2002 | Kleer, Martijn de | So Close Yet So Far | DBL LP | $29.99 | Beta-Lactam Ring | "And yetter still, so wonderful. This inaugural solo jaunt by Legendary Pink Dots guitarist/bassist/violinist Martijn de Kleer betrays a love for freeform freakouts of the 60's, with a special emphasis on the mellow, acid drenched stylings of the West Coast underground of the late 60's. All the I's are microdotted and all the mushroom teas crossed as Martijn's guitar gently seeps, crawls, oozes, boils and burns. And even though Martijn's Dotted past is in some evidence, this is hardly an LPD Karaoke album. This is a fully fleshed out beast of original design. Martijn's vocals occasionally punctuate the parade, but the majority involves instrumental clusters, some based in rock form and others more like giant swelling clouds, all thick with psychedelia (acid rain?). Besides the requisite fuzzing guitar (see also Damon and/or Helios Creed), Martijn employs such merry men as Ryan Moore (Twilight Circus), Raymond Steeg (Girlfriends, Legendary Pink Dots, Beequeen), Phil Knight (Legendary Pink Dots) and Cevin Key (Skinny Puppy, Download, Tear Garden), oh and a chorus of Himalayan children singing all vocals on the 26 minute acid mind tripper ‘The Apple Crumble Trail’. A beautiful production that is filled with sonic surprises at every turn and is sure to make any day trip, erm, trippier. 8 tracks over 2 albums, exactly the way any good psych record is supposed to be, damnit! The finale is a particularly rewarding climb to Heaven on a honeyed ladder, from which view is all poppies, beautiful poppies, and the sound is perfectly Kleer." |
| 3/21/2009 | Kleistwahr | Outer Bounds Of Sound: Kleistwahr (The Return) | LP | $17.99 | Noiseville | "Gary Mundy from Ramleh/Broken Flag records fame returns with the ressurection of Kleistwahr, a project whose previous material is impossible to find these days. Just as you'd hope and expect, this is a completely saturated mesh of tortured guitar, tormented vocals and extra noise added just to round things off. Brilliantly painful. As good as anything Ramleh has ever done, really. Outer Bounds Of Sound is an experimental LP series in an edition of 300 copies with a hand-made cover." |
| 6/19/2002 | Knead | 1st | CD | $15.99 | PSF | "Keiji Haino (guitar, vocals), Tatsuya Yoshida (drums, vocals), Hisashi Sakaki (bass). Knead is a new unit which brings together two of the most unmistakable voices in the Japanese underground, juddering prog- thrash duo Ruins, and master of all darkness he surveys Keiji Haino. Haino and Ruins drum-master Yoshida have bumped heads on several occasions before - several years ago in Haino's collaboration with Musica Transonic, more recently on a duo record released on Hong Kong label Sonic Factory, and a couple of months back the two toured China together. Recorded live at Manda-La2 last December, this is a full-on, hang-on-for-dear-life rock rumble, with added moments of very special spectral tremble. Haino's guitar full-spectrum roar pushes the Yoshida and Sakaki rhythm-section away from their usual stop-start vocal led patterns into more instinctive territory. Less an uneven tussle between two weedy prog guys and a guitar monster than six-legged quest for instant-by-instant rock nirvana." - Alan Cummings |
| 2/11/2006 | Kneale, Campbell | Pink Stalingrad | CD | $15.99 | Celebrate / Psi / Phenomenon | "Imagine... a SOLO album! Take the everlasting, golden-superchord of BIRCHVILLE CAT MOTEL, the growling tectonic, under-par riffage of BLACK BONED ANGEL, and the 'Burzum-o-phonic', cassette-left-on-the-dashboard fidelity distruption of MING. Simmer at a high heat. Pour boiling mixture into ear canal. Allow to set. ARGH! YUMMY!" |
| 5/8/2005 | Kneale.Kneale.Kneale | Myriapod | CDR | $14.99 | Celebrate/Psi/Phenomenon | "There's nothing quite like a wig out in Dads shed after a delightful family meal listening to a nice Hijokaidan album. Am I bringing my kids up wrong? Perhaps I should have sent them to work at the coalmine when I had the chance? The latest 'beautiful family time' named after Caspars latest insect preoccupation. Over-amplified exoskeletons roar in fury as they are crushed under gigantic sneakers. Wild." |
| 2/4/2007 | Knife City | Black Circle | cassette | $5.99 | American Grizzly | "Disembowling harsh crunch slicing through a thick musty ambient fog." |
| 4/11/2008 | Knife World | Knife World | LP | $14.99 | Roaratorio | "Formed in Minneapolis in 2004, Knife World have converted many unwary bystanders into true believers through their frenetic gigs in underground venues and the occasional club. The band worships at the Riff Temple, swapping pomposity for a mischievous intelligence. Jon Nielsen sounds as if he's scrambling to play all the guitar parts of some skewed arena-rock mashup at once, while drummer Josh Journey-Heinz avoids the obvious backbeats by carving out the spaces around them instead. Together they have a fuller sound than most groups with more appendages. A self-released cassette and a cd-r served up hints and guesses, but now their debut LP comes along to deliver the goods. Packaged in a pleasantly eye-gouging 3D gatefold jacket, with glasses mounted into the vinyl." |
| 1/30/2010 | Knit Prism | Perception | c20 cassette | $7.99 | Digitalis Limited | "If anyone's asking, i feel like 2010 is going to be a stellar year for mike pouw's fantastic knit prism project (not to mention his awesome, awesome label: house of sun). but let me step back for a minute... "perception" is a quick, magical exercise. missed opportunities are pushed into sonics and wrapped in a layer of murk and hiss that keeps the final answers shrouded in some semblance of mystery. each tone is stretched to its limit, creating spacious, oddly beautiful spectral pieces. it's an easy place to get lost. once pouw has you totally enveloped in this aural maze, he hits you with a blast of straight-up cold. there's a smattering of bleeps and bloops that act as a focal point to keep your path in line, but they're constantly being washed over in a dark, dreary storm. it's a great contrast and pulled off beautifully. "perception" will lead you in. edition of 65, pro-dubbed." |
| 6/4/2010 | Knit Prism / W.A. Munson | split | c40 cassette | $7.99 | Digitalis Limited | "this split from knit prism and black eagle child-spinoff w.a munson finds its solace in the greath white north. ontario's knit prism aka michael pouw has been churning out gem after gem lately and this split follows-up on his gift tape quite nicely. hazy drones bleed into glassine accompaniment, shards falling like hypnotic crystal rain. pouw cuts and pastes like a master, fusing together something ancestral with an aim to the future. his piece is equal parts old, dusty relic and computer-age synth dream. pouw's a master craftsman and knit prism is just getting started. munson returns from hiatus and eschews the momentum of black eagle child to dive straight back into the deep end of the pool. somebody asked me if he's using a heavily-effected guitar or a synth and i honestly have no idea and could really care less. munson is playing for keeps. over the first half, munson is searching. underneath hiss and fuzz, time-worn melodies play-out even if they're completely unsure of the destination. but midway is his come-to-jesus moment. the fog and haze clear and we're left with a beautiful, modern hymnal. tones and melodies that remind me of boards of canada suck you in without fail. equal parts earnest and heartbroken, its a place i could stay for a good, long while. edition of 75." |
| 6/30/2010 | Koes Plus | Dheg Dheg Plas & Volume 2 | CD | $16.99 | Sublime Frequencies | "Often referred to as "the Beatles of Indonesia," Koes Plus are the most beloved pop group in the history of Indonesian music, yet they've been basically unknown to the rest of the world. Born in 1969 from the previously established roots of Koes Bersaudara, the group blazed a trail across the Indonesian popular music landscape of the 1970s, with a scope that reached from the archipelago out to Singapore and Malaysia. The band began as a psychedelic-era beat group and eventually streamlined their sound into a successful formula of hit-making success. Recording relentlessly during the 1970s (40 full-length albums plus countless compilations), the band delivered a solid and familiar pop style and simultaneously branched out with an astonishing onslaught of LPs catering to specific genres which set a precedent for other popular groups to follow in the ensuing years. More than three decades removed from the peak of their popularity in the late '70s, most major Indonesian cities have their own Koes Plus fan clubs, local weekly radio shows dedicated to their music, and frequent tribute band shows. There are currently more than 60 Koes Plus tribute bands on the island of Java alone ranging in age from kids under 10 to those in their 60s. Koes Plus has become a national symbol of pride, an Indonesian legend larger than life; their music seamlessly crossing over from generation to generation. Reissued here for the first time, this CD contains the first two incredibly rare Koes Plus albums in their entirety: Dheg Dheg Plas (commonly referred to as Volume 1) from 1969 and Volume 2 from 1970. Dheg Dheg Plas features spectacular beat rockers such as "Kelelewar" ("The Bat"), "Awan Hitam" ("The Black Cloud"), "Hilang Tak Berkesan" ("Gone Without An Impression") and the title track. It also includes the original versions of two of Koes Plus' most brilliant and beloved ballads: "Manis Dan Sayang" ("Sweet And Dear") and "Tjintamu Telah Berlalu" ("Your Love Has Passed"). Volume 2 has spectacular late-'60s moments. It also includes their heaviest freak-out track, "Pent Juri Hati" ("Heart Stealer"). Both records have been coveted by serious "in-the-know" collectors worldwide for decades and will surely appeal to all fans of the beat and psychedelic era of the late-1960s as a significant missing piece of the global pop music history puzzle. Tri-fold digipack CD with a 20-page booklet featuring rare & unseen photos provided by Koes Plus for this specific reissue project and extensive liner notes of the band's amazing history by Alan Bishop." |
| 4/7/2011 | Köhn | All I See is Light | c40 cassette | $9.99 | Kraak | "All I see is light" is the second release in our brand new cassette series. This c40 captures one of Köhn's true cosmic healing sessions at the legendary house show venue 'At Anthony's' in Ghent. In this set we hear De Blonde's weirder side, combining his love for late 70s kraut in more abstract terms with the old school Köhn vibe. Think bizarre repetitive leads, eighties string work, oscillation paradises and other maneuvers in the dark. For those who liked "We need more space in the cosmos", here he takes his nouveau brain sound even one step further." |
| 11/10/2011 | Köhn | Random Patterns | LP | $15.99 | Kraak | "After his exploration of the kosmische territory, Köhn reprogrammed his his brain to dive into another early synth passion of his: minimalism. Drawing inspiration from great masters such as Philip Glass, Steve Reich and Terry Riley, De Blonde recorded four late night 'variations on a theme'. These are pure transcendental improvisations, meditations on minimal patterns and shifting arpeggios. Random Patterns lays bare and celebrates Köhn's limitations a s a keyboard player, exploiting the deep core of instant composition. All four tracks show a dynamic relationship between observation, evaluation, action, reaction, acceptance and attempt, provoking sudden moments of musical insight or even feelings of genuine inner tranquility. Random Patterns is a wonderful piece of synth music that is completely disconnected from recent revivalists and painstakingly focussed on the personal bond between man and his instrument." |
| 8/17/2009 | Köhn | We Need More Space In The Cosmos | LP | $14.99 | Kraak | "The comeback we were all waiting for! Ever since his "Bruce Willis" album (Western Vinyl, 2003) Jürgen De Blonde mainly focussed on music for dance and theatre productions. Untill recently when he relived his old synthesizer festish. This finally resulted in "We Need More Space In The Cosmos", an ode to lost hero's such as Klaus Schulze and Jean-Michel Jarre. The album recalls eighties electronics, i.e. an era when kraut rock culminated into new space ages and cosmic television soundtracks. But still the Köhn trademarks pop up from the very first second. His unique approach to music that made him differ from the likes of Aphex Twin and Oval in the nineties, now shows the man as a Cosmic Courier of the 21st century. Comes in a limited edition sleeve from the Yves Jeanson Geometrical Abstraction Art Collection." |
| 4/20/2008 | Kohoutek | Expansive Headache | CD | $12.99 | Music Fellowship | "Washington DC-based experimental collective Kohoutek plays improvised psychedelia, ranging from unsettling, discordant noise to delicate melodies, inspired by the likes of Can/Amon Duul 2/Agitation Free/Ash Ra Tempel/Krautrock, Trad Gras Och Stenar/Parson Sound, Dead C, Skullflower, Sun City Girls, Sonic Youth, Bardo Pond, Ghost/White Heaven/Japanese psych, Sun Ra/Art Ensemble/free jazz, early Pink Floyd, MBV/shoegaze, drone, doom/sludge metal, etc. Expansive Headache is the band's first official CD, following two self-released recordings (Kohoutek and The Trails of Kohoutek), Hair on the Sidewalk, a DVD/CDR on Sockets, and a collaborative CDR with Soil Sing Through Me (members of Sunburned Hand of the Man/Feathers/Witch) on Wabana." |
| 4/3/2010 | Kohoutek | Lossless Loss | LP | $24.99 | Prophase | "Lossless Loss, the second studio album from Mid-Atlantic improv collective Kohoutek, covers most of the dynamic stylistic range Kohoutek is known for: abstract and textural sound, atmospheric rock, harsh noise freakouts, clattering percussion, guitar heroics, and alien electronics congealing to form a multihued psychedelic extravaganza. Recorded deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia in September 2007, the five members embarked on a psilocybic twilight journey, and this 44-minute aural excursion is the result. No overdubs and minimal editing create an experience as close as possible to a Kohoutek performance. With longtime core members Scott Verrastro (percussion, flute), Craig Garrett (bass) and Scott Allison (electronics) augmented by Vic Salazar (electric guitar) and Damian Languell (vocals, harmonica, clarinet, didgeridoo, Space Echo), Kohoutek forge their own path in the improv universe, and Lossless Loss is another burning fragment of this fleeting sonic comet." |
| 8/23/2009 | Kolovos, Peter | New Bodies | LP | $15.99 | Thin Wrist | "Intensely physical and abstract music that constantly, unpredictably shifts and evolves. Impulse, memory and intent, laid bare in real time. Post-melody, post-groove SOUND. Concrete, brutal, fun." "In New Bodies, his first solo release, Kolovos lets rip with all the skronk and blurt he's been holding in for the last decade, in tiny, tightly gated segmentsŠ His sound vocabulary is very broad, and his control of texture and timing is masterful. Using equalisation, reverb, envelope shaping and volume control... He rapidly opens and closes the volume window on a dizzying series of extended techniquesŠ This electrifying effect is enhanced by the crisp recording and the superb D&M masterning job - every clang and buzz is right up in your grill. The cover features a magnificent photograph of the guitarist using the mid-19th century tin type processŠ The image is as physically 'time based' as the recording it encloses, and has the distinctive look of a Victorian death mask - no 'posing' or even facial expression is possible. In this regard the cover is an exact metaphor of the recording - what you perceive is exactly what you get." - Bruce Russell, The Wire Aug. 2009 . "Everything changes (or doesn't) at exactly the right time. With such abrupt cuts from sound to sound, a lesser man could end up with a whiff of "30 genres in 29 seconds!" but here each new sound relates so well to what just came before it, in a gracefully aggressive way." - Chris Corsano. From Los Angeles, also of Open City - first full length. Heavy jacket with full color, metallic printing. Mastered by Rashad Becker at D&M Berlin. 180 gram vinyl pressing at Pallas Germany. Edition of 500 copies, digital download included. |
| 6/25/2011 | Kommissar Hjuler und Frau | Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm | LP | $15.99 | Feeding Tube Records | "This one is only for the seriously disturbed and I don't think any amount of hype will make you want this thing unless you know exactly what it is. That being said, i will attempt a description for those who haven't come across the world of Kommissar Hjuler (44 - an actual German police officer) and Mama Baer (30 - his wife, collaborator and mother of their two children Faust Adolf and Cy). The couple have created a body of visual, audio and performance work that has drawn the attention of many in the international art establishment and left others scratching their heads. With it's hearty mix of sound poetry, musique concrète, absurdist performance and pornography, the couple's music is not always an easy sell. Add to that the groups discography, which is approaching the 300 count, and it can become difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. That's where Feeding Tube Records comes in. Anyone who heard our first LP release for the group, "Amerikanische Poesie und Alkoholismus", knows that we are far from scrapping the bottom of the Hjuler/Baer catalog. That album was a vital sound poetry work for the 21st century, if there ever was one (a 21st century that is). "Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm", loosely based on the classic fairytale, is a no less important work and if you believe the Kommissar himself, "This is the greatest record of the century"!" Edition of 200 |
| 6/9/2010 | Kommissar Hjuler und Mama Baer | Amerikanische Poesie und Alcoholismus | 12" | $12.99 | Feeding Tube | "Kommissar Hjuler & Mama Baer's sound poetry inflates the ridiculous, childish aspect of wordplay and disarticulation inherent to that particular discipline, while eroticising it and using it as a tool to reformulate the banal, recasting arguments, suburban melodrama, shrieking fits and idiotic cover versions as potentially liberating moments of confusion. The artist Hans Bellmer saw eroticism as having to do with the disarticulation of the body, his art based around the repositioning of limbs and postures, and it's here that sound poetry connects with sexuality, in the way that it obsesses over rephrasings and playing with words, with the initial sensual pleasure giving way to a form of Gnosis that goes beyond meaning. Hjuler and Baer's sexually graphic artwork foregrounds this approach, while connecting it to wild man rock stylings by combining improvisation with an energetic, emotionally raw presentation. The bulk of their back catalogue comes in microscopically limited art editions with handmade packaging, but Amerikanische Poesie Und Alkoholismus is a comparatively overground release in a run of 500 numbered copies. The A side presents a duo dissection of an English language text on sound poetry by the French poet and critic Jean-Francois Bory. The pair take turns reading excerpts, now deadpan, now hysterical, accompanied by shortwave interference, tape work and the high Wasp tones of early Whitehouse. It works as both a deflation and a satire of sound poetry's academic leanings while bolstering its most basic tenets by pushing it to its most senseless extremes. The B side is a three-part solo work from Mama Baer for field recordings and voice entitled "Alcoholisme-brut" that moves from tapes that sound like excerpts from a soap opera accompanied by a melancholy recorder to a sweetly disturbing alcoholic lament. Hjuler and Baer present the most radical furtherance of sound poetry since the publication of Henry Chopin's Revue OU collection, while finding common ground with the unofficial experiments of contemporary UK underground groups like Blood Stereo, Towering Breaker and Usurper. Amerikanische Poesie... is the duo at their most hilariously alienating and crudely sophisticated." |
| 5/28/2011 | Kommissar Hjuler und Mama Baer & Ninni Morgia and Silvia Kastel | Two Couples | LP | $17.99 | Ultramarine | "Two Couples" is the collaboration between German artists/performers Kommissar Hjuler and Mama Baer and the Italian musicians Ninni Morgia (guitar) and Silvia Kastel (synth and voice). Kommissar Hjuler and Mama Baer are known for their provocative, neo-dadaesque, often extreme art and performances and have previously worked with Smegma, Thurston Moore, John Wiese and many others. They have performed and exhibited all around the world and are part of the NY collective NO!Art Movement. Ninni Morgia has become well-known in the NYC improv-free jazz scene, has played among others with William Parker, Daniel Carter, Peter Evans, Kevin Shea, Quivers, the psychedelic rock outfit La Otracina and back in the 90's, started the noise rock band White Tornado. Silvia Kastel has studied sound engineering and electronic music in NYC, studied singing with Lee Torchia and attended workshops with Joan La Barbara. She also runs the Ultramarine record label. The music on "Two Couples" is a fusion of musique concrete, avant-garde, tropical psychedelia, moaning, screaming, free jazz and lots of raw synths. The two pairs have recently come back from a successful tour all over the UK, where they played and recorded at the historical sound poetry venue The Morden Tower in Newcastle. The cover features a special portrait of the two couples by Mama Baer and exclusive pictures in the back. Edition of 300 copies." |
| 6/5/2005 | Kompleksi | (I Ain't No) Lovechild / Moscow 1980 | 7" | $6.99 | Lal Lal Lal | "Kompleksi ('complex' in Finnish) are Mike Not and pHinn, two ex-suicide candidates from Tampere, Finland, who ride in a red Lada through the gloomy streets of their rainy post-industrial town; the home of ice hockey fanatics, world's last working Lenin Museum and countless sex shops. They started making music together in 2002, already having appeared on compilations of Mate Recordings (UK) and pHinnMilk (FIN). Mike Not (keyboards, production, programming, sound engineering) has produced music since the early 90s; pHinn (vocals, keyboards) has since 1996 maintained a Website called pHinnWeb on Finnish electronic, experimental and leftfield music. Kompleksi are now working on their first long play. They both also DJ in their hometown club called Eclectro Lounge. File under: post-industrial soul, post-Soviet electro. For more info, see: http://www.phinnweb.org/kompleksi - Edition of 525." |
| 9/10/2011 | Koray, Erkin | Meçhul: Singles & Rarities | CD | $15.99 | Sublime Frequencies | "Erkin Koray and Sublime Frequencies are pleased to present this collection of rare tracks and lesser-heard singles. All tracks were recorded and released in Turkey between 1970-1977 and culled from Koray's personal vinyl collection. Includes exclusive photos and remastered audio. What more is there to say about Erkin Koray? An iconic guitar and songwriting genius. A voice of gold. Having founded the country's first-ever rock and roll group in 1957, he is regarded worldwide as the father of Turkish rock. Forging Western sounds with his own inimitable musical mastery, he self-produced singles and LPs throughout the 1960s and 1970s that shook and altered Turkish society. Erkin didn't stop at rock and roll. Over time, he began to find inspiration in folk sounds from Turkey's Anatolian interior, and radio broadcasts received from Egypt and Lebanon. He looked to the East from his West-leaning Istanbul perch, and began incorporating these sounds into his own work. This amalgamation was as unprecedented and unorthodox in Istanbul at the time as rock and roll itself had been in the 1950s. The resulting hybrid sound ignited what became known as the Arabesque music movement in Turkey -- which continues to this day. While Erkin has recorded and performed tirelessly throughout the years (both as a solo artist, and with the powerful groups he formed), his extensive back catalog only began to be explored by the international community in the 1990s. He is now recognized as one of the foremost global leaders of psychedelic, folk rock, pop and balladry. His music has stood the test of time more than many of his Western contemporaries and influences have managed to, and his prolific work ethic has not ceased. He continues to live and breathe music, performing epic concerts, and continuously plotting new recordings and strategies. His vision and integrity, coupled with his pronounced world views and inherent musical greatness, have made him the unique and magnificent living legend he is today. This collection features tracks not found on the many unauthorized Erkin compilations and LP reissues that have emerged in the West over the years. Ranging from the sublime to the surreal, these tracks offer an essential glimpse into the extensive repertoire of the great Erkin Koray." --Mark Gergis, July, 2011 |
| 11/2/2011 | Koray, Erkin | Meçhul: Singles & Rarities | LP | $23.99 | Sublime Frequencies | "LP gatefold limited edition release. Erkin Koray and Sublime Frequencies are pleased to present this collection of rare tracks and lesser-heard singles. All tracks were recorded and released in Turkey between 1970-1977 and culled from Koray's personal vinyl collection. Includes exclusive photos and remastered audio. What more is there to say about Erkin Koray? An iconic guitar and songwriting genius. A voice of gold. Having founded the country's first-ever rock and roll group in 1957, he is regarded worldwide as the father of Turkish rock. Forging Western sounds with his own inimitable musical mastery, he self-produced singles and LPs throughout the 1960s and 1970s that shook and altered Turkish society. Erkin didn't stop at rock and roll. Over time, he began to find inspiration in folk sounds from Turkey's Anatolian interior, and radio broadcasts received from Egypt and Lebanon. He looked to the East from his West-leaning Istanbul perch, and began incorporating these sounds into his own work. This amalgamation was as unprecedented and unorthodox in Istanbul at the time as rock and roll itself had been in the 1950s. The resulting hybrid sound ignited what became known as the Arabesque music movement in Turkey -- which continues to this day. While Erkin has recorded and performed tirelessly throughout the years (both as a solo artist, and with the powerful groups he formed), his extensive back catalog only began to be explored by the international community in the 1990s. He is now recognized as one of the foremost global leaders of psychedelic, folk rock, pop and balladry. His music has stood the test of time more than many of his Western contemporaries and influences have managed to, and his prolific work ethic has not ceased. He continues to live and breathe music, performing epic concerts, and continuously plotting new recordings and strategies. His vision and integrity, coupled with his pronounced world views and inherent musical greatness, have made him the unique and magnificent living legend he is today. This collection features tracks not found on the many unauthorized Erkin compilations and LP reissues that have emerged in the West over the years. Ranging from the sublime to the surreal, these tracks offer an essential glimpse into the extensive repertoire of the great Erkin Koray." -- Mark Gergis, July, 2011 A1. Meçhul (Maetch Hool) (Unknown) 1970 A2. Ve... (Waeh) (...And...) 1970 A3. Kendim Ettim Kendim Buldum (Candym Attym Candym Booldom) (I Did It - The Fault, I Got It - The Punishment) 1970 A4. GÃ?n Do?muyor (Gyun Dough Moo Yoar) (No More Daybreak) 1970 A5. Goca DÃ?nya (Gocha Duen Yuah) (Oh, Big World) 1974 A6. Krallar (Crull Laar) (Kings) 1974 B1. CÃ?mbÃ?r Cemaat (Cuembuer Cae Maaht) (All Together "With Happiness") 1976 B2. Hadi Hadi Ordan (Hudy Hudy Or Done) (Go Away "You Liar") 1977 B3. DÃ??Ã?nÃ?? (Dhyschy Nysch) (The Thought) 1977 B4. Olmayžnca Olmuyor (All Mauynncha All Mooy Or) (Somehow It Doesn't Realize) 1977 B5. Sevdigim (Saewdee Eem) (My Loved One) 1976 |
| 12/24/2005 | Korber, Thomas / Dieb 13 / Erik M | Condenser | CDR on anti 7" | $12.99 | Absurd | "a short track lasting some 18 minutes to show the talented universe of this amazing trio of tomas korber ( guitar, electronics), dieb 13 (turntables) & erik m (3k pad system) ... out of silence are unleashed improvised electroacoustics, whose flow gets even in noisier realms to leave you breathless while the records on the turntables slow down..." Numbered edition of 99 copies. |
| 3/6/2008 | Korein, George | Another Corpse | CDR | $7.99 | Majmua Music | "Welcome to the debut release from the sister label of Fire Museum Records! A study in Grey Metal ambience, noise and texture, George Korein brings us a meditation of varied mood, instrumentation and intensity with Another Corpse. Joined by Helena Espvall (Espers, et al) on cello for Singsong Corpse, Keith Abrams (Time of Orchids, PAK) on drums for Pulsing Corpse and Liz Walsh on keys for Rotodrone Encroaching; this release brings you a different sound of Philadelphia, some Black Eyed Soul(s) music! First coming to the attention of discerning music listeners with Infidel?/Castro! and continuing with his solo releases and participation in projects such as the Naked Mall Rats (among others) and his production / electronics on Nimis & Arx by Helena Espvall, George Korein has carved out a unique niche for himself in the experimental music world. A regular collaborator with Charles Cohen, Alex Nagle, Jesse Krakow and many others, Another Corpse is yet another chapter in an ever mutating and evolving sonic trajectory." Limited edition of 125 copies. |
| 2/7/2009 | Korperschwache | Fear The Hex | triple cassette | $11.99 | Peasant Magik | "Black Canyon Drone starts things off right away with a blast of hyper distorted guitar and doesn't stop for the remainder if the cassette. Hidden melodies float in and out, with the occasional riff and drum beat surfacing. Death Disco slows things down with stumbling drums over layers of murk and blackened filth. Dissonance and Submission finishes everything off with walls of buzz and shards of feedback. Not for the open-minded." Edition of 100 |
| 3/29/2010 | Kosmische Keuterboeren | Kosmische Keuterboeren | cassette | $8.99 | Sloow Tapes | "Kosmische Keuterboeren recorded this tape on a sacred mountain dedicated to Saint Amands, who is said to have brought a hanged criminal back to life. Surprisingly, he is also the patron saint of all who produce beer: brewers, innkeepers and bartenders. Especially that last part is applicable to this duo, both intense supporters of the Belgian beer cult. As far as ‘Harvest’ goes: one of these guys is also active in Penguins Know Why and Sylvester Anfang II. Imagine the postpunk antics of the former being reflected in a stoned haze of the latter. Devotional music to meditate to. Same tracks on both sides of this cassette. 70 copies." |
| 6/25/2011 | Kosugi, Takehisa | Catch Wave | LP | $22.99 | Phoenix | "Takehisa Kosugi is an inter-media artist and performer who started his career back in the '60s in Tokyo. With his first band Group Ongaku (free anarchist-conceptual improvisations) he was introduced to the Fluxus avant-garde movement. During the '70s, he was a member of the mystical, psychedelic, droning rock band Taj Mahal Travellers. He co-founded the band in 1969. Since the end of the '70s until now, he has released several solo albums and commissioned works for events and sound installations. His album Catch Wave (1975) is an absolute progressive masterpiece, bringing Takehisa Kosugi's musical talent to territories usually reserved to kosmic Krautrock. 180 gram vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve. Numbered edition of 1000." |
| 7/16/2011 | Kosugi, Takehisa | Studio Improvisations, Tokyo, September 16th and 17th, 1974 | LP | $28.99 | B13 | "Originally released on CBS Japan in 1975, this solo album by the godfather of Japanese avant-garde music was called one of the top ten 'Japrock' albums of all time in Julian Cope's Japrock Sampler." Red vinyl LP in clear plastic sleeve with black lettering. Limited edition 500 copies. |
| 6/5/2009 | Kousokuya | Live At Shinjuku Jam, 2006 | DVD | $19.99 | PSF | "The sudden death of Jutok Kaneko in January 2007 robbed the Tokyo underground scene of one of its most startlingly original and emotionally devastating psychedelic free-thinkers. Kousokuya was the cold-space rock group that he led, on and off, since the late 1970s. This DVD documents two of the group's final concerts, in May and October 2006 at Shinjuku JAM in Tokyo. The group's unique sound was founded on the dark, staggered spaces set up by the jarring rhythms set up by bassist Mick and drummer Ikuro Takahashi (ex-Fushitsusha) over which Kaneko drapes some jaw-dropping guitar -- bleak, brutal power-riffing one minute, shading into deep-space feedback filigrees and baroque fuzz forms the next. Unbearably psychedelic, deeply affecting and a fitting memorial to one of the great rock groups of the last 30 years." 120 mins.; Color; NTSC region-free; Stereo Dolby Digital; 08:11:21. |
| 7/29/2004 | Kousokuya | Live Gyakuryu Kokuu | CD | $15.99 | PSF | “The fatigue or Mick’s voice became the lullaby to me. And when I woke up I was released from the permanent waves of the depression. I can testify from this experience that Mick’s vocal has the effect against depression. And if you can add Ritalin and Betanamin, you feel no scare! from Tetsu Fujii’s liner notes Absolutely stunning dark matter psychedelics from one of the Tokyo scene’s most elusive groups. Kousokuya have existed as a group since 1979, although leader Jutok Kaneko’s activities in bizarre performance unit Kokugaiso go back even further into the mid-seventies. But in spite of the group’s twenty-five year history, they have somehow managed to release just three full albums - a self-released debut since reissued as PSFD-132, a live album on Forced Exposure, and The Dark Spot [PSFD-90] with Masayoshi Urabe. These newly uncovered live recordings date back to 1991, the year that the group’s debut album was released. Two long tracks of grinding, soaring blackhole sonics that chart the empty gulfs of tension-space like no one save Fushitsusha. Don¹t pass up this chance to catch a barely acknowledged group-mind at an almost-never glimpsed peak of staggering beauty and dynamic force.” Jutok Kaneko (guitar, vocals), Mick (bass, vocals), Ikuro Takahashi (drums). Highly recommended! |
| Kousokuya & Masayoshi Urabe | The Dark Spot | CD | $15.99 | PSF | "Masters of inner space rock meet long breathed king of eruptive silence. Kosokuya are one of Japan's most mysterious psychedelic rock groups with an obscure history dating back to the late 70s. A previous self-released LP in an edition of 400 copies set rumours flying, but very few actually ever got to hear it. That situation was remedied by a live CD on FE which showcased their mesmerizing brand of heavy, weirdly-timed psych rock. Since that release the band have had all kinds of personnel problems including the departure of long-suffering vocalist/bassist Mik and percussionist Takahashi... Masayohsi Urabe is the staggering young altoist who had his debut LP released on PSF last year (PSF 81). His music deconstructs all boundaries between sound silence with a magnificent hoarse tone - uncategorizable individual music. This CD was recorded at one of the first gigs played late last year by Kosokuya's new line-up. Outstanding work, not necessarily reminiscent of anything other than itself. Great sensitive & heavy playing, lovely vocal action from Kaneko and Urabe's unique atmospherics." | |
| 4/27/2011 | Kplr | Mechanical Mind Space b/w Mechanical Motion Simulator | c40 cassette + download | $6.99 | Prairie Fire | "Dex Brightman, who provided the great art for our Ajilvsga/Gremlynz split cassette (PF020) last year, approached us with some tracks from his experimental unit Kplr. Mechanical Mind Space and Mechanical Motion Simulator are the results of Dex & Jair Espinoza's attempts at creating Sentient Electronic Systems. In their own words: "We've been recording some 'automatic music'Š By auto music, I mean we've been building patch/trigger webs in such a tangle that the synthesizers basically play themselves. Only gradual, minor adjustments to various effect attack/decays + some reso/freq fidgeting." The result is two great sides of heavy cosmic psychedelics we could have easily have passed off as a rare find of some mad German sound scientist. Art & Sleeve design by Cole Peters. Pro-dubbed w/ download code. Edition of 40 copies. |
| 12/3/2010 | KPLR | Psykosis Induktor | c43 cassette | $7.99 | Digitalis Limited | "KPLR simply don't care what you want or what you think. they're just happy to keep blasting out these messes of electronic stew that are like firecrackers launched directly at your cerebrum. i can't tell if this is sensory deprivation or sensory overload, but i'm happy to keep listening and figure it out. "psykosis induktor" goes off on a new tanget for the duo, finding random, sonic rhythms in the chaos of tonal debris they always leave in their wake. it's minimal techno but totally, unapologetically bonkers that ends up blinding you in the end. right on. edition of 75, chrome tapes." |
| Kraftwerk | Somewhere In Europe | LP | $17.99 | "Excellent quality tracks from radio shows recorded in Paris in 1976 (spacey, floating, melodic instrumentals) and Utrecht in 1981 (total cyberboogie!)." | ||
| Kraftwerk | Tone Float | CD | $19.99 | Germanofon | Also known as Organisation. This is the most freaked out Kraftwerk I have heard. From 1971. | |
| 9/17/2006 | Kraus | Prince Kraus | CDR | $12.99 | Root Don Lonie For Cash | "The strongest of the Kraus juvenilia albums ("joy", "prince krauss","emily"). has some boring experiments, but also a few really great songs. drums, casio, loops, a bit of computer. About 58% good." - Kraus. Edition of 30 copies. |
| 11/2/2011 | Kraus | Supreme Commander | c32 cassette | $7.99 | Dungeon Taxis | Unhinged In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida and cool Arecibo message from the Wayward Son of melted arena rock and wipe out/freak out goo. Fungal guitar moire and triple-tracked martian riffage time trek into a wriggly medieval manor of fuzz through a retro-futurism that is like nil else. Interstellar mineral insert by Clementine Nixon. Dungeon Taxis 14. |
| Kraus, Sharron | Beautiful Twisted | CD | $11.99 | Camera Obscura | "An album of darkly-original folk songs from Sharron Kraus and various collaborators. Oxford, UK resident Sharron's songs reflect a the meeting of English folk music and contemporary American alternative music. She draws on the singing of folk singers such as Shirley Collins, Martin Carthy, Anne Briggs and Nic Jones as well as on the music of artists such as the Violent Femmes, Tom Waits and Nick Cave." | |
| 4/19/2004 | Kraus, Sharron | Songs of Love and Loss | CD | $11.99 | Camera Obscura | "Sharron's second album, 'Songs of Love and Loss', was recorded at home in Oxford and at Dungeon Studios in the Cotswolds and features Sharron's Oxford band: Jane Griffiths on fiddle and viola, Jon Fletcher on harmonica and occasional guitar, banjo and vocals, Colin Fletcher on bass; as well as BBC Folk Award-winning fiddler Jon Boden and Grammy-nominated early music violinist Giles Lewin. The album was finished in Providence and mixed with Jeffrey Alexander (The Iditarod, Black Forest/Black Sea). 'Songs of Love and Loss' is a natural follow-up to 'Beautiful Twisted', in places darker and more discordant, in others gentler and sweeter. The lineage back to UK 60s folk artists Anne Briggs and Shirley Collins is stronger than ever, no more so than on the opening track 'Gallows Song/Gallows Hill' where an original composition is seamlessly integrated into a traditional piece. This is not surprising since Sharron can easily switch between traditional balladeering at folk sessions and her role as an integral part of the Fishtown underground folk scene in Philadelphia along with Espers, Jack Rose, Fursaxa and Scorces. (Trivia note: her house was featured in a March 2004 feature on the scene in influential UK magazine The Wire.) Sharron's peerless instrumental, vocal, songwriting and arranging skills, and her ability to balance the traditional and the avant-garde, places her alongside only a handful of other musicians operating today - Martyn Bates and David Tibet come to mind." |
| 7/31/2006 | Krause, Schmulik | A Criminal Record | CD | $13.99 | Mio Records | "A slab of rock / psych / garage / improvisation, a lost monster from 1970. A well-known singer in Israel, Krause resided for several years in an asylum. He recorded many of Israel's classic popular songs, beginning with the Ofarim Trio and later High Windows (in 1967), Israel's best-know folk-rock band, that released Israel's first pop record. His Cape of the Big Hope was released in 1969, with musicians who appear on Danny Ben Israel's Bullshit 3 1/4 (MIO Records). In 1970, some problems with the law landed him in jail. He managed to get his guitar, and composed the songs for A Criminal Record. On a 48-hour furlough, he sped to record these tunes with session musicians; this hurried recording session gives the album a 'live' feel. Only 300 copies of A Criminal Record were distributed. It has became the most sought-after album ever made in Israel, an unavailable gem for collectors all over the world. 40 minutes. No bonus tracks were recorded, and no pictures of the sessions exist. Krause continues to write and record." |
| 1/22/2011 | Krautheim | Madchen auf der Rennbahn | c39 cassette | $6.99 | Dub Ditch Picnic | "When I was in my late teens I stumbled upon a triple LP compilation on Brain Records called Kraut Rock. At this point in my life I knew little of the post-psychedelic German scene outside of a couple of Ash Ra Temple records and Can's brilliant Future Days LP. This monster changed my life and began what's become a two decade long love affair with all sounds from that era whether you want to call it krautrock, kosmische, experimental psychedelic etc. As Dub Ditch grew from it's noisy parent Prairie Fire, we knew we wanted to find and showcase some of the best sounds from this still fertile scene. So with eyes set to the Fatherland, we quickly zeroed in of the Teutonic rock of Krautheim, a mind meltingly solid collective roaring out of Stuttgart Germany. Krautheim are make music that is certainly rooted in the 21st Century, but there is no mistaking where they have come from. The tracks on Madchen auf der Rennbahn are their own, but elements of past greatness of Pink Floyd, Faust, Cluster, and Guru Guru are most certainly there. Here's what the boys have to say about themselves. Krautheim is Commune. They behave mostly polygonal. Don Ciumbargo recently described them as malicious, "Solanaceae" when he visited them in the studio. Nevertheless, he assured that Krautheim became one of the most important representatives of contemporary Krautrock. Krautheim is a guarantee of psychedelic music, which generates itself by itself. Harmonious atmosphere will be transformed into sound. They started being a 'Klangforschungs-Studie' with various musicians from Stuttgart in fall 2008. The Milberg Studios offered the perfect surroundings for an independent free form musical expression. Since 2009, Krautheim decided to leave the studio to perform live on stage as a result of the sessions' substantial fruits. The audience dives into unique soundscapes and is taken to an unpredictable journey. This is, what makes Krautheim Live-Sets and every single studio session so precious. It's a certainty that it'll be a gain in experience of experimental and psychedelic bliss." Edition of 100. |
| 1/22/2011 | Kretzmann, Matt | The Emperor's Aesthetics | c47 cassette | $5.99 | Weird Forest | "Long a mainstay in the Sacramento noise scene as a member of Delayed Sleep and now Garrincha & The Stolen Elk, Matt Kretzmann drops this tasty set of noise concrète. This ain't no meandering chaotic buzz jam though -- Kretzmann uses destroyed guitar sounds, samples both found & lived and other various audio detritus to carefully craft this strangely melancholic tribute to his grandfather. Art by Matt Kretzmann. Hand-stamped, limited edition of 39 tapes with embossed paste-on covers." |
| 11/2/2008 | Krusi, Hans | EX HK | LP | $37.99 | Alga Marghen | "While preparing a new edition of Anton Bruhin works, alga marghen discovered some misterious tapes by Hans Krüsi. Fascinated by the raw and brut contents of those sounds, mixing field recordings of insects, sheeps and distant bells with primitive chanting, percussive noises and distorted radio folk songs, alga marghen started to conceive one of the most obscure editions in his catalogue. The Swiss-born, self-taught painter Hans Krüsi (1920-95) was a wiry man who eked out an existence on the margins of society. Even among outsider-art experts, his work is less well known than that of his Swiss compatriot Adolf Wölfli, who died in 1930 and whose richly patterned drawings have become treasures of classic European art brut, or raw art, made by untrained, visionary artists. Krüsi was orphaned as an infant and brought up on a farm in northeastern Switzerland by foster parents who largely ignored him. He scraped by with odd jobs (including gardening work) and eventually settled in the city of St. Gallen. There Krüsi lived in run-down buildings. In his late 20's, he began commuting by train almost daily to Zurich, to the west, where he sold flowers and, later, his artworks, on the Bahnhofstrasse, one of the most luxurious shopping streets in Europe. Among the wall-to-wall clutter of Krüsi's ramshackle lodgings, where pigeons flew in and perched, evidence of an unexpectedly experimental spirit abounded, including Krüsi's old cameras and the second-hand tape recorders with which he liked to capture the sounds of birds, insects and church bells. The artist's inventiveness and fertile imagination seemed to contrast sharply with his humble way of life. Krüsi took subjects from the agrarian world that he knew: alpine farmhouses, forested mountains, cows, birds, rabbits and cats. In his varied oeuvre, the folkloric and the psychedelic often appear to converge. Some works are even hallucinatory, with bright, brushy passages of acid green, lemon yellow or Pepto-Bismol pink in which watchful, lounging cats, clusters of dithering birds or watery human figures huddle or writhe. LP edition limited to 200 copies, issued in collaboration with the Swiss Kunstmuseum des Kantons Thurgau (the repository of the artist's estate) and published on the occasion of alga marghen invitation to the Artist's Record Pavillion at Art Basel 2008." |
| 6/26/2002 | Kryptästhesie / Linus Pauling Quartet | split | 7" | $5.99 | Mizmaze | Kryptästhesie ("Dark Lady Incontra il suo Fantasma Preferito" + "Tonno Morto") ") & Linus Pauling Quartet ("Jason Bill") – numbered edition of 300 copies “Multiple experiment of psychedelic alchemies. ‘…unusual… entertaining… excellent’ (Crohinga Well)" |
| 11/17/2007 | KTL | KTL 3 | LP | $29.99 | OR | "LP-only release. This is the third full-length release by KTL, the formidable collaboration between STEPHEN O'MALLEY (SUNN O))), KHANTE) and PETER REHBERG (PITA, etc.). Another soul-destroying follow-up to the highly-acclaimed 2, with more accompaniments created for the theater piece, Kindertotenlieder by GISELE VIENNE and DENNIS COOPER, which premiered in Brest, France, March 2007. Perhaps the broadest bulletin from the duo thus far, featuring two contrasting tracks. The layered dementia bliss of "Loud Game" counterbalances the fried dub of "Sunday." One-sided heavyweight vinyl and etching by SAVAGE PENCIL and packaged in a tip-on style outer sleeve, heavyweight inner sleeve and sticker." |
| 7/10/2008 | Kubin, Felix and Das Mineral Orchester | Felix Kubin and Das Mineral Orchester | LP | $18.99 | Dekorder | "We are extremely excited to announce the 1st collaboration between the Dekorder label and our old friend, local conspirator and private hair gardener Felix Kubin. Kubin has achieved world wide reputation by releasing post-dadaist, futuristic NDW-influenced Organ&Korg smash hits on his own Gagarin label, on A-Musik, Ski-pp, Meeuw, Diskono et al. He has collaborated with People Like Us, Coolhaven, Mark Boombastik, Asmus Tietchens, ensemble Intégrales, David Fenech, Ergo Phizmiz, Boris D. Hegenbart, Wojtek Kucharczyk and many others. His first recordings date back to his teenage years in the early 1980's, followed by his electroacoustic noise duo Klangkrieg and the pseudo-communist Liedertafel Margot Honecker. Right from the start Felix Kubin has written and recorded music for films (hence the title of his first album) by the likes of Mariola Brillowska and Anke Feuchtenberger and continues the German tradition of "Hörspiel" (radio play) with works such as "Territerrortorium", "Nachtspeicher", "Orpheus' Psykotron" and "Syndikat für Gegenlärm" (with guest appearances by Matmos, DAT Politics and Wolfgang Müller of Die Tödliche Doris). Some of Kubin's most gorgeous and adventurous works are his contributions to "The Raft" (a radio play by the mysterious Xentos Bentos of The Homosexuals, directed by Lukas Simonis of Coolhaven, Trespassers W, Dull Schicksal) and his soundtracks for theatre plays by Branko Simic ("Zufall", based on a short story by Vladimir Nabokov) and the notorious Schorsch Kamerun. The latter (known in Germany as a member of Goldene Zitronen) directed "Hollywood Elegien" based on a song cycle by Bert Brecht and Hanns Eisler. Now the best parts of these works are for the first time available on LP and CD, simply (and aptly) titled "Music for Theatre and Radio Play". While the musical spectrum on this release covers a variety of styles and moods it's still almost immediately recognisable as a typically Kubin-ist work featuring the main ingredients his records and body-and-mind-boggling live shows are famous for. Twisted rythms & playfully clever arrangements that could have been created by a mutated reincarnation of the legendary Juan Esquivel; hauntingly ethereal tracks sounding like a narcoleptic John Carpenter playing Angelo Badalamenti arrangements; contorted Big Band music, pre-war Schlager and Vaudeville sent through a malfunctioning pre-digital time machine; Ennio Morricone cloned as a Russian male choir; instrumental workers' songs Hanns Eisler might have imagined in a feverish nightmare - it's all there, and more!" Edition of 500 copies. |
| 9/1/2009 | Kudo, Tori | Piano Solo | CD | $15.99 | PSF | *Tori Kudo - CD $15.99 (PSF) "I came up with the title 'He would come home through the window, job in hand' for a dance performance by Mari Fujii. We hung a large frame made out of cardboard on the stage, and Mari would dance -- sometimes within the frame like a dancing girl at one of the old Nichigeki reviews, sometimes stepping outside it -- while I watched and played piano." - Tori Kudo |
| 9/30/2008 | Kushima, Stefan | Inner Hands | cassette | $10.99 | Blackest Rainbow | "Second release on BR from Stefan to end the summer heat with a sweltering black cloud of electric bolts... much more of a solid beast than the more mellow 'Don't Touch The Walls' disc we put out a few months back, this is one baron piece of heaviness... solid. Limited to 50 copies." |
| 10/17/2009 | Kushima, Stefan | Magnetic Levitation | cassette | $9.99 | Blackest Rainbow | "Stefan Kushima keeps bending our minds with his consistently awesome sounds that seem to be developing to a higher plain with each release... On this incredible 40 minute 6 track wonder, Stefan seems to pushed his trademark droning bliss of his previous two Blackest Rainbows to a more honed and zoned trance like state. Totally stellar and psychedelic. The closer features totally bizarre vocals/mutters/moans/crooning by Didi Bruckmayr... Full colour octopus artwork by Philipp Hanich. Pro-dubbed cassettes." |
| 9/30/2008 | Kushima, Stefan | Unseen Rising | cassette | $8.99 | Sound Holes | "SK drops a melting pot of drones based around vocal / guitar work as well as an array of otherworldy sounds. Guitar shards pierce through the drone like glacial stabs at the ocean. Both sides deliver detailed and controlled compositions, total burners..." Edition of 47 copies. |
| 6/27/2009 | Kutomo / Maan Aura | split | c45 cassette | $5.99 | Scumbag Relations | "Kutomo is a solo playing of Veli-Matti. One trail started since 1978, but someone walked it with Kutomo until 2001. Veli-Matti has made works with e.g. Kulkija, Vapaa, Keijo & the Free Players, Aan, Larkin Grimm and Kheta Hotem. Maan Aura is Veli's new band. Together with Kullervo Koskiaho and Veema Vaala. The trio plays Finish dream-psych and swirling tape warble. This feels like floating hash clouds enveloping your cortex." "Kutomo is a name I will definitely be looking out for in future - gorgeous haunting forest folk with flutes that float on the breeze." - Boa Melody Bar |
| 7/14/2010 | Kuupuu | 19.11.2009 | CDR | $16.99 | Unsound | "Numbered edition of 120 copies CD-R documenting a live performance by Finnish folk spirit Jonna Karanka aka Kuupuu in Germany. More punk primitive than her studio recordings, this still succeeds in transporting you to the heart of the wood with toy instruments, bells, phased vocals and uncanny loops. At points it sounds like Jonna is channeling Eastern European volk music - waltzes, social music, hypnotic ethnic melodies - and slowly reducing them to flat-lined drones, at others like the she's fantasising a future-prefect take on classic acid folk. Jonna makes some of the most bewitching small instrument psychedelia of any of the Finnish experimentalists. Packaged in a full-colour gatefold sleeve." - Volcanic Tongue |
| 6/11/2006 | Kuupuu | Kulta Sulka | CDR | $12.99 | Originally released as a imited edition US tour cdr from the summer of 2005. Features Jonna Karanka recordings from winter 2004 and spring/summer of 2005. Beautiful cover art, too - numbered edition of 100 copies (3rd edition). | |
| 9/17/2009 | Kuupuu | Lumen Tähden | LP | $20.99 | Time-Lag Records | "Although Finlander Jonna Karanka has been slowly leaking out little Kuupuu jewels for six years now, somehow it's taken just that long to materialize her first 'proper' album. Maybe it has something to do with the time she's devoted to her beautiful artwork, or her time spent in a highly impressive string of other bands, including Hertta Lussu Assa (with Islaja and Lau Nau), Anaksimandos, Avarus, and many others. But, you know, I always figured Kuupuu music didn't have much to do with 'time' anyway. It's music from another reality, to put it bluntly. A beautiful place no doubt, but somehow totally other. You could call this music a lot of things, all without really saying much. Post-everything? Pre-birth folk? Bedtime acid-art? Naive avant-garde loop witchcraft? Maybe something like a thousand memories & vague images folded into each other and spooled out infinitely like a sloppy film loop. The sound of tiny bioluminescent insects systematically devouring an urban cityscape in hyper-speed, while just as quickly slithering neon flora entwine the metallic gray remains, only to then be gobbled themselves by a leaderless army of pulsating micro-robots. Got that? Now play backwards in slow motion. Surreal might just be an understatement. Packaged in a stunning ultra-heavy laminated full color gatefold cover with full color art labels, all created by Jonna. Pressed on audiophile 180gm vinyl. Limited edition of 750 copies." |
| 7/23/2010 | Kuupuu | Spring High Spiritual Spree Spray Ray | c20 cassette | $7.99 | Cabin Floor Esoterica | "Jonna Karanka has been sewing up a patchwork rug of songs for years now in all sorts of beautifully strange Finnish free-folk groups (Hertta Lussu Ässä, Avarus, Anaksimandros, etc.) and solo as Kuupuu. Talking synthesizer chirps, floating midnight lullabies, and strange acoustic drones. It's all part of the moon (kuu) tree (puu). She carries us in her basket through cities made of roots. Strange animals made of taunt strings bound playfully from ear to ear. Each step is a new piano key. Always on the edge of some new dark corner, her voice sings away the shadow - always down a new path - until you're so flipped around and lost in the dreamland you just decide to stay. In an edition of 100 with color printed labels in fabric pouches with an insert by the artist and a dried spring flower." |
| 2/22/2007 | Kuupuu | Unilintu | LP | $15.99 | Dekorder | "Unilintu is the second of two vinyl-only LPs on the Dekorder label compiling the best material from Kuupuus first four CD-R and cassette releases, this time presenting a slightly darker and even more coherent sonic vision compared to last years gorgeous "Yökehrä" LP." "Of all the many travellers in the Finnish psychedelia scene, Kuupuu is surely one of the most enigmatic.(.....) Among the Finnish leftfield, Yökehrä is second only to Es's Sateenkaarisuudelma in its meditative intensity." (The Wire, September 2006) |
| 3/26/2006 | Kuwayama-Kijima with Carter Thornton | Shrine | LP | $13.99 | Conduit Creations | "Shrine presents a Summer of 2004, post-midnight, outdoor field recording made on the footpaths of Japan's largest Shinto shrine and documents the first time meeting of Japanese improvising duo Kuwayama-Kijima with NYC's Carter Thornton (Izititiz, Zashiki-Warashi, Enos Slaughter). Constructed with a mixture of cellos, violins, guitars, sticks, leaves, rocks, toys, security guards and wind, the music drones, hisses, screeches and whines with the humid Japanese dark within which it was created. Limited to 500 vinyl copies." |
| 6/25/2004 | Kwang, Goh Lee | Concrete / Eastern | DBL 3" CDR | $11.99 | Pseudoarcana | “Hailing from Malaysia, but currently resident in Germany, Goh Lee Kwang works occur at the interface between source sounds (field recs), and the technology used to capture them. On 'Concrete' the focus is upon machine hum and texture, where as on 'Eastern' it is upon the tonal qualities of (what sounds like Western religious) organ music. Two very different but complimentary and engaging disks.” |
| 8/28/2004 | Kwang, Goh Lee | Nerve Center | CDR | $9.99 | Deserted Village | “Goh Lee Kwang is from Malaysia. He has recorded several albums, we've got some copies of Nerve Center. Its abstract stuff, sometimes there’s beats and recognizable sounds while other parts are not so recognizable. There are some harsh moments but in general its fairly quiet.” “Minimal droning soundscapes forged from digitally treated guitars.” |
| 8/2/2008 | Kwannon | Clear Star | CDR | $13.99 | Reverb Worship | "Kwannon is the ethereal/wyrd folk project of Jenne Micale, formerly of the strange folk band Belladonna Bouquet.Her influences range from medieval and ethereal music to opera,psychedelia, chant, Pagan ritual and thealogy, victorian and romantic poets, and the Carmina Gadelica. A classically trained singer, Jenne also uses instruments from around the world, such as the kantele, mountain dulcimer and harp, giving her music a touch of the mysterious and otherworldly. Musical comparisons can be made with Fursaxa and Joanna Newsom. "Clear Star" features eleven tracks and is Kwannon's debut release recorded in 2002. The cd is available in an edition of 52 copies with hand numbered insert. The covers are made from thick handmade pale blue paper that are strewn with flower petals and leaves embedded into the surface. Each one of these cdrs are unique." |
| 2/11/2006 | Kyrgyz | Kyrgyz | CD | $12.99 | Digitalis | "Kyrgyz is a name that will be unfamiliar to most, but the band's members read like an all-star team of Bay Area improvisers. This quartet consists of Tom Carter (Charalambides), Loren Chasse (The Blithe Sons, Thuja, etc), Christine Boepple (Skygreen Leopards Skyband), and Robert Horton (Broken Mask, Infinite Article, etc). Kyrgyz's debut album is 60 minutes of droned-out bliss. With its roots firmly planted in trance-inducing soil, the six songs here stretch their branches toward the sun. When four artists of this caliber come together in a single setting, the expectations are high. There is tension to spare. But Kyrgyz is such a perfect blend of all their talents that it never implodes beneath the pressure. Horton is the hand that guides this mix of heavy, hypnotic drones, a thicket of acoustic scrawl, and even free jazz skronk.. Each sound is carefully chosen and blended together magically. There are equal elements of Charalambides and Jewelled Antler throughout Kyrgyz, but again it is Horton that upsets the balance to create something completely new. In the end, this is nothing short of brilliant." |