Sam Prekop HHV Records 6 Items

Comma Black Vinyl Edition

LP | 2020 | US | Original (Thrill Jockey)

Release: 2020 / US – Original

Genre: Rock & Indie

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Sam Prekop's boundless imagination is guided by his strong sense of melody. For more than 25 years, as a solo artist or as part of The Sea and Cake, Prekop creates a singular sound that is both inventive and warm. New album Comma takes Pekop's electronic music experiments in a surprising new direction. Working extensively with beat programming for the first time, Prekop uses rhythm as a narrative tool, tapping into electronic music's romantic and emotional qualities. Comma embraces the analogue synthesizer's often unpredictable nature, imbuing the record with a decidedly organic feel even while working within the relative rigidity of beat architectures. Prekop's creative process is a combination of preparation and improvisation. Writing sessions for Comma began with an open-ended exploration of sounds and textures from which the first fragments of songs would reveal themselves. The introduction of drum machines and additional synthesizer units to his modular setup shifted things in surprising new directions as he worked to bend them into more traditional pop song structures. Drum tracks and emergent rhythms provided the frameworks and narrative sketches to be fleshed out with lustrous widescreen synth pads and ribboning melodies. In approaching his writing with a completely open mind and letting himself be guided by the music, Prekop maintains a delicate balance between composition and chance, control and spontaneity. Prekop's wide-eyed sense of discovery guides his exploration of beat-driven music, pushing him to use rhythm as a narrative tool and to embrace electronic music's romantic and emotional qualities. With Comma, Prekop compiles an incredible breadth of ideas into a surprisingly coherent sound-world. It's a modern minimal pop album that taps into the experimental heritage of the synthesizer. The album places Sam Prekop's work squarely in the tradition of electronic music pioneers like Brian Eno and Yellow Magic Orchestra who brought together the unrestrained ambition of the avant-garde with the immediacy and accessibility of pop music.

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LP | 2021 | US | Original (Thrill Jockey)

Sam Prekop - Pink Vinyl

$ 36.62*

Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Pop

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Sam Prekop's eponymously titled LP is a study in pop nuances. Simultaneously transporting the listener from mild climes and swinging palms to darkened skies and wind blown steppes, the record will be easily recognized by fans of The Sea and Cake. Known to many as the singer and main songwriter for said group, Mr. Prekop is assisted on this release by Chad Taylor (Chicago Underground Duo), Josh Abrams (ex-Roots, Town and Country), Jim O'Rourke (Gastr del Sol) and Archer Prewitt (The Sea and Cake).Those expecting to find more of the computer beats and trickery found on The Fawn and Two Gentlemen are in for a surprise. Whilst prevalent on "Faces and People" - (a lucious groove overlayed by cornet and guitar), the computer takes a back seat to real strings, drums, piano, electric piano and organ as well as electric and acoustic bass. The subtle grooves, a trademark of The Sea and Cake records, are still present here as Sam and his band blend West African rhythms with a bit of soul, jazz and pop. The resulting record is something wholly original, elegant and earthy. A cauldren, if you will, of sweet smelling and enlightening stew. So line up, grab a spoon, and dig in. All the ingredients and intoxicating aromas necessary for an auditory feast are contained within.Personnel for the record:Sam Prekop - vocals, guitar, pianoChad Taylor - percussionJosh Abrams - bass, pianoArcher Prewitt - guitar, pianoJim O'Rourke - organ, backing vocals, guitar, bassWith: Julie Pomerleau- violin, viola, Rob Mazurek- cornet, John McEntire- triangle, maracas

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LP | 2022 | EU | Original (Tal)

The Sparrow

$ 25.11*

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Electronic & Dance

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"Is it too Sam Prekop?", Sam Prekop asked me in an email conversation in which he delivered his wonderful illustrations which would become the front cover artwork. No, it is not too Sam Prekop at all. His drawings as well as the freeform music on this album are subtly different from anything else he has produced in his solo career. Regardless of the style he is working in, Sam Prekop’s music is always imbued with a sense of wide-eyed discovery and unpredictable exploration.

On »The Sparrow« Sam Prekop expands his electronic cosmos with a remarkable expression of timeless simplicity and coherent execution. It's deceptively simple music that feels accessible without abandoning the experimental legacy of the Modular hardware system which serves, besides a polyphonic Prophet 5 synthesizer, as the centre piece of this production.

The side long title track opens this album with unpredictable synth dissonances and broken step sequenced patterns. »Palm« brings the set to a close with its irregular fragility while »Fall is Farewell« is build around a yearning brassy fanfare which resembles the noir romance theme of Michael Smalls soundtrack for the 1971 film »Klute«. The sparkling essence of »Step and Stair« seems a suitable space for unforgotten summer holidays of our childhood.

On his first solo release for Düsseldorfs label TAL, electronic experimentalist Sam Prekop offers his most captivating yet stripped down modular music. All compositions on »The Sparrow« were gradually developed piece by piece. Best known for his jazz-leaning tropicalismo with The Sea And Cake, a key part of the Chicago scene with the likes of Tortoise or Chicago Underground Duo, he has in recent years established himself as a modular synthesist, building his instrument meticulously to create a unique system that allows him to create highly individual music through mechanical patterns, repetitions and chance. In this context his widely acclaimed community forming public tutorials on fb should be noted as well.

»The Sparrow« is an exciting new chapter in his development as a constant creative influence.

Stefan Schneider, Düsseldorf August 2022

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LP | 1999 | EU | Reissue (Thrill Jockey)

Release: 1999 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Pop

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Comma White Vinyl Edition

LP | 2020 | US | Original (Thrill Jockey)

Release: 2020 / US – Original

Genre: Rock & Indie

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LP | 2010 | US | Original (Thrill Jockey)

Old Punch Card