Downbeat | Electronica | Leftfield 320 Items

Two musicians at the vanguard of electronic and ambient forms in 2022 further leaning in to their friendship, and themselves, on this brand new set for Orange Milk. Never Stop Texting Me shares much textural and aesthetic landscape with Claire and Mari's respective works - intimate, pitched and autotuned vocals, bright playful synth patches, but this is now applied to a wonderful appraisal of their broader musical loves - emo, college rock, trap, pop punk, shoegaze. The rattling indie-rock of Hands, the Chicago college rock of Stairs, Ghostly trap in Camille, and a personal highlight is Arms' nod to the back end of Kanye's masterpiece Runaway - dramatic anthem-laden autotune all present and correct. How To Dress Well and Bloodzboi pop up on Missed, a playful pop ballad soaked in found sound-like samples and synth drones that give way to baroque arpeggiation, trance synth strings and huge vocal hooks - genius stuff. Ever wanted to know what it would sound like if Run For Cover records released an experimental record? Wonder no more...

The Zru-esque adventure takes its suite with a full-length LP recorded in adventurous (avant) times. No time left for the deliverance of these melodious flights, playful tribalistic cadences and surrealistic lyrics. Art-Funk duo Zru Vogue tackles avec grand-chic inner themes in order to let the listener get lost in the domain of dreams and spirituality. Surfing on Californian rocks, Andrew L. Jackson & Rick Cuevas affirm here their heretic talent in an non-angular form. Zru is a (post) 'beat' poet.

(1-sided LP)

Satis was composed as a soundtrack to 2023 video documents of the Prize of the Slovak Chamber of Architects for Architecture CE ZA AR.

Reiko Kudo first debuted on the Tokyo underground music scene in 1980 with Noise, a duo which apart from herself under her then maiden name Reiko Omura on voice, guitar and trumpet featured Tori Kudo on organ. Their only album Tenno (1980 on Engel) is probably one of the most outstanding and uncompromising records of all time.

Like other pioneering female producers from Japan such as NON (of NON Band), Phew and Haco, who had all begun their startling careers in the early days of the japanese Punk era, Reiko Kudo can surely be regarded as one of the most unique, uncategorisable and daring voices in the entire field of electronic and experimental music ever.

Rice Field Slowly Riping IN THE Night was Reiko Kudo's second album under her own name. It features Tori Kudo (maher Shalal Hash Baz) and Saya and Takashi Ueno (tenniscoats) on various instruments. The recordings took place in 2000 at Reiko' s and Tori's house in the rural surroundings of Shikoku island.

All recorded music on this album sounds like it originates in a parallel dimension where time and key signatures simply don't exist, Some might describe this as outsider music, but this doesn't really begin to do justice to the quality of the tracks, there is nothing accidental or forced here, this is simply music created in a very different way. Yet again Reiko Kudo had conceived of something utterly beautiful.

"After producing the album "Souvenir de mauve" with Maher Shalal Hash Baz which we released on our label Majikick, the idea came to us, to release Reiko Kudo's work. For Reiko's work, we brought our recording equipment from Tokyo to Shikoku and recorded the entire album at her house.

The piano was positioned in a room with a high ceiling. We would set up our small recording equipment in the room and started to record. The basic tracks were recorded without any rehearsal and just a few overdubs were added on top of it. To have a distant sound on the recording, Tori played trumpet in the next room. The choir was standing outside the house, singing "Enya-totto, enya-totto" through the open window. It was early spring, I remember that it was still a bit cold and the members of the choir were freezing outside.

Reiko plays only at certain times of the day, so that we were able to complete only two or three recordings a day. Therefore we had plenty of free time. We went to a hot spring, to a cafe, or we tried pottery on a spinning wheel at Tori's workshop. It was a very rewarding time.

When this album was finished, we brought it to her to listen to. She said happily "I think this is the best work I have ever done." We felt that all our efforts were richly rewarded. Secretly, we thought the same, so we are delighted that this album will be re-issued." - Saya and Ueno (Tenniscoats), Tokyo 2018

Originally released on Majikick Records, Japan, 2000 Restauration and mastering by Detlef Funder at Paraschall Mastering, Düsseldorf. Vinylcut at Calyx, Berlin Translation by Miki Yui and Claus Laufenburg. Many thanks to Reiko Kudo, Tori Kudo, Saya and Takashi Ueno, Satoru Higashiseto.

Kundan Lal is a highly understated artist. Little is known about his background, though some refer to him as Kunsaf Halil, his personal life remains largely a mystery.

Gathering a cult following amongst people like Den Sorte Skole or DJ Marcelle with his previous releases, he is now set to sail new shores. There is a sense of wanderlust as he opens his box of field recordings, collected on his many travels. From the buzzing streets of Alexandria, early sunday markets in Tafraoute or a crackling bonfire down by the banks of the river Ganges. Each track takes you places.

Kundan's second album is a captivating blend of dubby beats, collages, and exotic instrumentation. Drawing from classic tools like the Roland 808, SC7 and the famous Space Echo, Kundan has created a unique and minimalistic sound that is sure to captivate listeners. At once nostalgic and experimental, "Power of Ra" is a must-listen for both electronic music purists and fans of adventurous soundscapes.

Compelled to work from home on his computer during lockdown, Kundan dusted his pawnshop e-piano, downloaded some orchestral soundkits and started to digitize almost forgotten field recordings. The "Power of Ra“ came to him.

“Illgrimage” is a good example of his approach. Combining atmospheric soundscapes with swirling strings, trombones and pianos. Echoes of birds and children playing in the streets. A small town filled with life and a theremin leading the way while you hear the faint yet powerful words of Greta Thunberg saying: "Imagine...“

“Raqaqa,” a powerful orchestral journey with a hip-hop edge. Tinkling chimes add a groovy vibe, while lush layers of wind instruments weave a masterful soundscape. It’s the slow-burning intensity of this track that pulls you in.

"Nasi Chip" is a signature song that exemplifies Kundan Lal’s musical prowess. An engaging beat coupled with chopped up vocals, 8-bit synth melodies and an arpeggiated piano provide an energetic atmosphere that is both cunning and unique.

”Cen" lures you into the egyptian realm. A Harmonium slithers serpent like around a pounding beat.Horns gently swaying to the rhythm of the desert.

It is hard to put your finger on his style or genre. You can feel Kundan Lal‘s DIY spirit in his production, carving his own ethnic genre. For enthusiasts of Roberto Musci or Muslimgauze, this avant-garde album is one for your collection. Keep your senses open and let the Power of Ra pass you to another world.

ARA is proud to welcome a new incredible talent : Polygonia created for us a landmark record of avant-garde dance music called « Living patterns » The 6 tracks are inspired by nature, converting the complex structures of plants and animals into spiralling pulsations and fractal textures.

Polygonia represents a multidisciplinary music and art project conceived by Lindsey Wang from Munich, Germany. She draws inspiration from her many years of practicing various acoustic instruments and her keen interest for other cultural forms of expression, which she translates into the digital language of electronic music and art. The soundscape of her own productions conveys a mystical, organic character and features driving complex rhythms.

Optimo Music presents “Janara” the new album from Italy’s José Manuel. We always have our ears open for music that is unique, powerful and that can conjure up a ritualistic atmosphere, and this meistrerwerk did all that, and then some. We knew we had to release it after the first listen. We’ll let José tell you about it. This album is a result of the necessity of exploring and opening my mind to new musical horizons, by testing the main traditional instrument of the Italian region Campania, whose name is “Tammorra”. It is a big drum, which must not be confused with the typical tambourine, made from a wrap of wood shaped in a circle and covered with dried skin (almost always goatskin or sheepskin). This instrument was used during playful events, especially during rituals and ceremonies, such as the frequent devotional pilgrimages in honour of the Virgin Mary. By using this instrument, the sound, the rite and the magic could take possession of the mind and the body creating a perfect union. Also, the dancers, as if they were bitten by a tarantula and possessed by a strange evil, launched themselves to an uncontrolled dance by moving every part of their body. In addition to the Tammorra, I also inserted some texts, which have been written by some Neapolitan friends and interpreted with Neapolitans voices, in honour of the “janara”. The Janara represents a popular belief of the Southern Italian regions, particularly of the Benevento area. The Janara is one of the many types of witches represented by folktales belonging to the rural tradition. The Janara was expert in medical herbs, which were also be used for her magical practices, such as the manufacturing of ointment. The ointment gave her the power to become incorporeal with the same nature as the wind. According to the tradition, in order to snatch the Janara it was necessary to grab her by the hair. It was also said that if anyone was able to capture the Janara during her incorporeal moment then Janara herself would offer protection to them and their family for seven generations, in exchange for her freedom. With this work I hope that the listener might get carried away by the spirit of this pagan and popular legend that can be still be considered as current. As a matter of fact, the folk tales speak of a probable comeback of the Janara, who after being burned at the stake seems to be thirsting for revenge for the evil suffered.

Dark Day is the brainchild of Robin Crutchfield, a New York City based musician, performance artist, and writer. Robin’s musical path began in 1977 when he formed the no wave group DNA with Arto Lindsay and Ikue Mori. In 1979 Crutchfield left DNA to pursue his more synthesizer-based solo project. He released the ‘Hands In The Dark’ 7” followed by two albums, ‘Exterminating Angel’ in 1980 and ‘Window’ in 1982. In 1984 he re-launched Dark Day as an acoustic chamber ensemble performing ethereal soundscapes and self-released two cassette albums “Obsession” and “Beyond The Pale”. ‘Darkest Before Dawn' is a collection of 13 songs recorded between 1985-86, released on CD in 1989 that have never been pressed to vinyl before. The album is a lost medieval collection of pagan tunes for private ceremonies. Played on echoey pipe organ backed by saw-like rhythmic cello lines and melodic woodwind recorder, driven by the beats of rattles, bells, and drums. These simple, cyclical layered instrumental rounds owe much to the inspiration of Moondog as well as the efforts of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra and Dead Can Dance. The original press release stated, “Serious gothic organ works which cross Captain Nemo's Nautilus pipe organ with the standing stones of Stonehenge and reminisce Babylonian battle hymns and Egyptian burial ceremonies.” All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The vinyl comes housed in jacket featuring illustrations from Thomas Bewick’s ‘Vignettes’ and includes a double sided insert with photos and notes.

Second album, released in 1979, by French keyboard wizard Benoit Widemann (ex-Magma). “Tsunami” is an incredible mix of electronics and jazz-fusion with prog / avant-garde /minimal elements. Treated Minimoog, Oberheim synths, Rhodes, early computer sequencing plus bass, drums, guitar, sax… Featuring Jean-Pierre Fouquey (ex-Magma), Jean-Pierre Grasset (Verto) and Jean-Paul Ceccarelli among others.
"Digital computer-based sound in 1979! We were the avant-garde!" - Benoit Widemann.

Formerly member of beloved 00's electronic experimental band Emeralds. · Features
vocal contributions from Julianna Barwick & GABI. In search of the sublime,
contemporary electronic musician Steve Hauschildt has designed grids and
panoramas of sound across multiple releases through the rise and dissolution of his
former band, Emeralds, an American touchstone of 2000s home-recorded
psychedelic noise music. Consistent with his solo work is Hauschildt's ability to coil
his craft in precise, varied, and distinctly physical forms. Gently spinning arpeggios
converse with post-industrial decay. Sonic fibers sway like pendulums from static
melancholy to motorik bliss. Dissolvi, the artist's first full-length with Ghostly
International, engages sublimation from an ontological perspective: by dissociating
the self. Hauschildt steps out from the singular path, for the first time in a traditional
studio, to compose and arrange contributions from friends. As a result, his most
collaborative work to date extends a vast, vibrating framework in which to consider
the state of being.

Originally released as a limited 10" for Record Store Day 2012, this long-sold-out must-have for fans of these two artists is now reissued as a 12". Erased Tapes label-mates OLAFUR ARNALDS and NILS FRAHM recorded and mixed their first collaborative record between Reyjkjavík and Berlin as a surprise release for label founder Robert Raths. The ambient electronic work features long-time collaborator Anne Muller on cello. All graphics created by close friend of the label, designer Torsten Posselt of Feld.

Reality Hacked Part 1 sees the long-awaited vinyl release of the Matthew Dear, Perel and Jonny Rock remixes of Mirage. Taken from Lost Souls Of Saturn’s album ‘Reality’, released on their Holoverse Research Labs imprint, the album track saw Seth Troxler and Phil Moffa teaming with vocalist Adam Ohr (aka Addy Weitzman of Footprintz and The Beat Escape) for a cosmic synth-pop anthem.The first 12” collects together the irresistible house remix from Perel (DFA / Kompakt), a chugging rework by Jonny Rock, and the gloriously twisted sprawling take from Matthew Dear.

some words of guidance by our friend pjotr jezernitski:

Stripped back and bony funk. The residue and distant memories of a party. Closing your eyes, still not dark. A lighting rig under your lids. A night lasting 20 years, falling asleep with your favourite song on repeat. The deconstructed, untangled memory lingers in your system. What you hear are the remnants of a social gathering and its body movements.

Kmos. The fog machines are gone, the free deconstructed thinking laid out bare. Fourth album. The white noise funk still here, 4 to the floor and gnarly basslines. The jazz but the tight, the funk but the taut. The austere but the flow. The instruments, sinuous and intricate. The deconstructed dancefloor. Sawed up bits, sawed up pieces. The drums the strings the claps the sharpness. Rearranged, picked apart. organized for a new day. A new idea. A new blueprint. A brave new clear elusive promise. The love in the strict. The strict but the mess. The strict but the lie. A promise.

Drifting through a sleepless world. The rent, the eyes, the mirror the scrolling the daylight, and the gravel in your eyes. Sounds of endless nights long lasting days, reality and visions, blurred and frazzled. The eavesdropping the neighbour the conversations the sleep. The fear and the joy and the new that I project onto you. The loopy sound of sirens. The joy of the sun. The field, the horizon, the light, the smoke. Xeroxed memories are now our new. The love the dream. The sleep the wake. The wish the longing. The promise the fear. What once was promised We will reclaim

Furthering his tireless quest in cutting up VHS tapes to make visceral electronica, his third album Phocus is the soundtrack to an “unfinished science fiction film made in the Fylde coast area

Under the production moniker of Material Things, 12th Isle co-founder Stewart Brown unveils a part debut album part compendium of musical collaborations spanning from 2015-2020. Some recordings began as long, one-take improvisations (How's Life, Peckham) spliced together and revisited years later. Others were based upon chance opportunities to record with musicians operating a long way from the parameters of 12th Isle. Cult private-press loner folk guitarist Bob Theil, whose 1982 album So Far counts as one of the Scottish greats of the era, is at the heart of 'Westway'. Synth and guitar fragments recorded by the pair in Stewart's family home one summer form a low-key conclusion to the collection, whilst London based percussionist Pike Ogilvy brings an array of drum sounds and natural percussion to 'No Direction'. Regular 12th Isle affiliate Vague Imaginaires also features heavily, contributing synth work on Grenoble and his own extended digi bonus remix of 'How's Life'. As a collection, the 8 tracks show a studious, concise vision and combine influences from minimalism, concrete and avant-garde jazz and techno yet also embrace friendship, experimentation and curiosity whilst capturing 5 years of the artists own personal life. Some of the tracks have been circulating in various versions for a number of years now, with DJ support from Bake, Ivan Smagghe, Optimo, Lena Willikens, Huntley & Palmers, Orpheu The Wizard and, of course, 12th Isle.