Downbeat | Electronica | Leftfield Tape 412 Items

First major release and first studio album by German electronic music group Tangerine Dream. Recorded in a rented factory in Berlin in October 1969, using just a two-track recorder. As described back then by Sound magazine "free electronic rock", it features conventional instruments such as guitar, organ, drums, custom-made and found sound such as such broken glass, burning parchment, and dried peas being shaken in a sieve. An all-time milestone in music history.

First ever reissue of this groundbreaking ambient work
Produced in full cooperation with Yoshimura’s estate
Remastered for vinyl and pressed at RTI
Unseen original handwritten track notes by Yoshimura.

Barely known outside of his home country during his lifetime, the late Japanese ambient music pioneer Hiroshi Yoshimura has seen his global stature rise steadily in the past few years. The 2017 reissue of his lauded debut, Music For Nine Post Cards, along with a slow building cult internet following has helped ignite a renaissance in his acclaimed body of work, much of which has never been released outside of Japan. Known for his sound design and environmental music, Yoshimura worked on a number of commissions following the 1982 release of Music For Nine Post Cards, including works for museums, galleries, public spaces, TV shows, video art, fashion shows, and even a cosmetics company.

Originally released in 1986, GREEN is one of Hiroshi Yoshimura’s most well-loved recordings and a favorite of the artist himself. Recorded over the winter of 1985-86 at Yoshimura’s home studio, the compositions unfold at an unhurried pace, a stark contrast to the busy city life of Tokyo. As Yoshimura explained in the original liner notes, the album title in the context of this body of work is not meant to be seen as a color, but is rather used to convey “the comfortable scenery of the natural cycle known as GREEN”—which perfectly encapsulates the soothing and warm sounds contained on the album, although it was created utilizing Yamaha FM synthesizers, known for their crisp digital tones.

This edition marks the first reissue of the highly sought-after and impossible to find album. It features the original mix preferred by Yoshimura himself, previously available only on the initial Japanese vinyl release (a limited edition remixed version of the album, with added sound effects, was released on CD in the US). Additionally, this release is the first in our ongoing series, WATER COPY, focusing on the works of Hiroshi Yoshimura.

Testkard 225 was a pioneering industrial project by journalist Danny Beller, which released a handful of cassettes during the 80’s and was a major influence for the electronic and experimental scene in Israel. Genbaku was the 2nd cassette Testkard 225 released and the 1st to be reissued by Confused Machines. It was originally recorded and released in 1988. Only 30 copies were of officially made and they were quickly sold out. However, thanks to “illegal” home taping, it reached hundreds around the world and made an important mark on the emerging industrial scene in Israel, while getting some decent exposure via the tape trading phenomena around the globe.

Excellent Ambient Techno/House album

Originally released in France in 1998, Vibractance is one of the most unique and haunting titles in Merzbow’s vast catalog. It’s unique drone, noise, almost ambient like qualities makes this a great starting point for adventurer ears but also an essential album for the initiated. A true journey into the unknown where pulsating sonar waves swim between a sea of eerie beauty and tangible dreams. Celebrating it’s 25th anniversary, Aurora Central Records proudly presents its first ever vinyl and cassette release.

A beautiful and distorted dream of drum samples, jazz, swing, noise and bliss by Harsh Noise giant, Masami Akita (Merzbow), remastered for the first time since its original release in 2002. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of this incredible albu we are doing a limited second edition, gatefold, vinyl pressing on white/ pink colored vinyl limited to 300 copies worldwide. It includes updated artwork by the artist. Consider by many a landmark album and a turning point in Merzbow’s discography, Merzbeat serves as a powerful introduction to the world of experimental music.

After last year's release “Death Star Droid” Berlin stromtrooper Robot Koch kept himself busy. He finished off the new Jahcoozi album “Barefoot Wanderer” which is coming out on BPitch this spring. Coinciding with the release of his “Death Star Droid Remix EP” (incl fresh mixes by Loops Haunt, Blue Daisy etc). Robot Koch was on tour in the USA and Mexico, stopping by in LA for a stunning gig at Low End Theory and finally settled down for 2 months in Mexcio City, where he found time to work on new material with his girlfriend and singer Grace . Visiting some ancient Maya and Atztec sites and Pyramids sure added to the spaced out magic of the new EP. The new material is dark, percussive and surreal. Like an audible painting my leonora carrington. Its dubby but not dubstep, rather next step maybe. The songs are heavy and dripping with analog and organic sounds…. Lo Fi field recording mashed up with heavy bass and unquantized grooves. Live sounds like guitars work like samples. Vocal talent Grace, that was already featured on the Death Star Droid album and the last EP brings in a dark and yet soulful gospel vibe over Koch’s twisted beat concoctions. This EP is only a taster of the new album that should be ready to drop in october on Project: Mooncircle. In the meantime Koch will keep himself busy with playing shows (with Dorian Concept, Stagga, Darkstar, Boxcutter) and festivals including a live show appearance at this year's Sonar Festival.

Even in the land of the rising sun, during the last months the enthusiasm for eccentric rhythms has increased. More and more young beat maker in Japan emulate their models J Dilla, Flying Lotus or Hudson Mohawke. This new generation of beat smiths understood Hip-Hop not as a mere pose, but as an aesthetic principle, in which it is explored, where the boundaries of this music style lie. The artistic crucial questions are therefore: How can you make known subjects in other contexts? How abstract can it be? Some of these emerging artists, we can now gather on this download Compilation. It’s a good way to become familiar with these extraordinary artists. So the Compilation shows the wide range of this emerging beat music scene, the originality of each artists. The title of the records tries to reduce very different types of artists to a common denominator: Finest ego.
The compilation includes BudaMunk, a.z, Daisuke Tanabe, The Astronotes, Dj Olive Oil, FERRARI, RLP, SATO, Ogiyy, ichiro_, Eccy & Himuro Yoshiteru.
Design by LGB5. A&R by Akira Inagawa & Gordon Gieseking. Mixed & Mastered by Sven Friederichs.

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The tendency towards advanced beats seems to be more and more a global phenomenon. As we already have said: Decentred beats for decentred people. During the last few years arose also in Russia a small, loosely networked scene of people, who have experimented with Hip Hop-beats. But in this case, the young Russians have no examples or references for this kind of music in the musical culture of their own country. All of their inspirations are taken from blogs and from the intensive study of their role models worldwide. The result is an organic, very playful, snappy and jazzy sound, which is carried by a common vibe, but is in the same way as diverse as the finest egos of the artists themselves.

The compilation includes Pavel Dovgal, DZA, Pixelord, Demokracy, Moa Pillar, Arktor, Shawalski, Myown, Nienvox, 813 and Long Arm.

В течении нескольких лет появилось все больше и больше музыкантов,экспериментирующих с хип-хопом.А делать это не легко,так как в России beat культура развита не так хорошо как на западе.Но ребятам удается создавать свой собственный,непохожий на других,стиль,и это не может не радовать.Мы представляем Вам второй сборник серии Finest Ego,с такими музыкантами как Pavel Dovgal,DZA,Pixelord,Demokracy,Moa Pillar,Arktor,Shawalski,Myown,Nienvox,813 и Long Arm.В итоге сборник получился очень разнообразный,некоторые треки звучат джазово и органично,а некоторые наоборот,можно даже отнести больше к дабстепу,чем к хип-хопу.

Design by LGB5. A&R by Jinna Morocha & Gordon Gieseking. Mixed & Mastered by Sven Friederichs.

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We’re proudly announcing our first Finest Ego solo releases. Available digitally and on limited chrome cassettes (with digital download code), we are releasing a series of albums and EP’s from talented and promising artists. Expect all facets of instrumental hip-hop, future beats and electronic beat music….

Images of classic movies come to mind while listening to the “Hypnotic Machine“ by Vienna-based beatsmith Szenario. Wether a thriller, crime story or action flick, this album will turn your imaginary cortex into a screen for a true cinematic experience.

Mastered by Dj Buzz of Waxolutionists. Original paintings by Simon Walter.

Available digitally and on limited chrome cassettes (with digital download code), we are releasing a series of albums and EP’s from talented and promising artists. Expect all facets of instrumental hip-hop, future beats and electronic beat music….

Good Paul has been searching for that right sound ever since his career started. Never confining to only one genre or branch of music, he has been looking in various genres, but especially in the gray area between hip-hop and house, drum and bass and dub-step, always being attracted by soulful emotion with bass and broken beats. In these last 14 years he was unable to find that one special sound. This EP, however, is his solution for this neverending search.

In his own words:
“To live well we need to learn and know about a lot of different things. Draw your plans in an attempt to consciously create the future. It turns out that often the decisive moments in our life are found. I have never sought music by artists or genres, but instead, I am just trying to find music that gets to me in terms of emotion.
I hope there will be people who find the music from this EP, because that music found me.”
The artwork was created by Mateusz Kolek, who is known for his playful, psychedelic and dreamlike illustrations, heavily influenced by Soviet science fiction flicks and Japanese anime’s.

Bio:
Good Paul from Krakow, Poland, has spent already 14 years behind the decks and is well known for his musical selection and technical skill. Being a Red Bull Music Academy alumni (Toronto, 2007) and lecturer (Warsaw, 2012), he self-released a free EP entitled „One More Time“ and has been remixing various projects in the advanced futuristic music scene in Poland, in particular for U Know Me Records from Warsaw.

Available digitally and on limited chrome cassettes (with digital download code), we are releasing a series of albums and EP’s from talented and promising artists. Expect all facets of instrumental hip-hop, future beats and electronic beat music….

As we pursue our lifes and the relationships it brings with it, it seems as if we just can’t avoid making the same mistakes over and over, chasing one unhealthy relationship after the other. Some say that our choice of partners is strangely predestined and we keep searching for our significant other in all the wrong places. How can we affect these templates seeming to be deeply ingrained in our brains and liberate ourselves from such self-imprisonment to find the right people, friend and partners to join our temporal journey.
Empt is 20 year old Romanian Bogdan Gridan. Always having been into music and playing various instruments, he was introduced to Ableton while still going to school about a year ago. Ever since he has been making music to process and give meaning to his everday life, being influenced by natural and organic sounds and trying to sum up and express himself by means of personal experiences and feelings.