Downbeat | Electronica | Leftfield 232 Items

Both a marketing firm and metaphysical mission, Valley of the Sun synthesized style and spirituality to produce an extensive catalog that at once defines and defies new age music. Founder Dick Sutphen worked with tireless devotion to spread a message he believed could change the world for the better. This 18-track overview of Vots' fertile 1977-1990 period includes music from Upper Astral, Robert Slap & Steve Powell, David Naegele, David Storrs, Steven Cooper, and Gloria Thomas, a 24-page booklet with extensive liner notes, J-card scans, and a hint of Sedona sand. Subliminal hypnosis likely.

A cult was built around this truly ominous original tape by Vatican Shadow. With slowed down mega-apocalyptic drone drum contemplations. Despite being created over a decade ago for limited double cassette and then compiled on ‘it stands to conceal’ this is long form esoteric cold industrial perfectly suitable for our accelerating global amnesia.

Extra Muros - Czech Republic is the result of the fourth edition of FLEE's creative residency program which took place in December 2022 on the dance floor of Prague's most infamous nightclub Ankali.

For two weeks on wooden floor, and under a yellow-tinted skylight, the room usually filled with movement and vibrations became home to six musicians and producers from the Czech Republic and all over the world who came together to experiment on new sounds, inspired by a large variety of artistic environments and soundscapes.

Documenting from various perspectives the music production process, capturing those exchanges, this compilation celebrates a unique form of artistic expression and collaboration. credits releases October 20, 2023

All tracks and compositions by Jay Glass Dubs, Oliver Torr, Haich Ber Na, Rlung, Timmi & Andriy Kostyukov.

Compilation, concept and production by Olivier Duport, Carl Ahnebrink & Alan Marzo

Analog mastering by Jaakko Viitalähde

Limited to 150 copies. Yellow double LP edition.

‘Destiny Waiving’ completes a collaborative trilogy that began with 2011’s ‘Underrated Silence’ and followed by 2013’s ‘Tomorrow Is Another Day’ (Schnauss also became a full time member of Engineers at this time). Initial sessions began at Ulrich’s East London home studio in early 2017 and final mixes were completed there in late 2020. Despite its extended conception, most tracks were completed during 2017, in part informed by improvisational sets in London, Dublin and St James’ Church in Birmingham (as part of the Seventh Wave electronica festival).

Available on LP/CD/digital plus a limited edition with a bonus disc of alternate versions with added live drums by the Von Spar drummer Jan-Phillip Janzen.

A buoyant masterpiece from the early 90s, "The Water Garden" was created by Okinawa-born Kojun Kokuba under the inspiring image of a "happy Asia" thriving in the sea-based trading networks of the medieval to pre-modern era, with the concept that various types of music, as well as physical goods, were distributed and dispersed across the seas connecting various parts of east and southeast Asia. Fittingly, the music here has definite and distinctive Ryukyu island roots, but is informed by a number of other Asian musical traditions, layering phrases derived from numerous Asian scales, often altered by Kojun, eschewing typical Western chordal harmonic movement. Kojun uses the synths and multitrack recorders of the early 90s to, in his words, "pile up lines" in sweet and not at all overbearing melodic accumulations, with a desire to distribute and disperse a new energy from Okinawa to the rest of Asia and the world. Despite a pleasing and compelling rhythmic lilt and the use of synths and drum machines, this music was not created as a product for the dance floor; Kojun envisioned a type of electronic salon music, a "light music" made with contemporary technology. This is the first LP edition of the self-produced original 1993 CD release and includes bonus tracks and liner notes in English and Japanese.

An electronic homage to celebrated B-Movies and Cult films. Limited Edition of 100, includes download card

12" limited to 100 handnumbered copies

Pictureplane has made his name circling the outer limits of pop culture in several mediums. The Brooklyn-based artist's gallery works, shown both in the U.S. and abroad, collide familiar with fringe and hard lines with visceral spatter. His Alien Body clothing line serves up a stylized study of symbology, the occult, and societal decay. And his music—beautiful yet heavy, swirling wild strains of industrial dance, gothic hip-hop, and emotive New Age—treats electronics not as artificial, but as extensions of our analog selves. After a decade thrashing the status quo, Egedy is not only kin to makers of lovely dark music everywhere, but a vital player in the global DIY community. He is a proud outsider, yes, but his tribe is legion and ever-growing.

In 2011, Pictureplane's Thee Physical arrived, marking a major leap forward. Egedy's voice was suddenly dripping sex at the forefront of a lush synthscape, while cuts like "Trancegender" and "Breath Work" explored the human body with gender-dissolving aplomb. He moved to Brooklyn in 2012 in order to stoke alt-rave culture from a more powerful vantage before teaming up with fabled indie-rap imprint Anticon for Technomancer (2015), an LP about the blurring line between ourselves and our machines. Along the way, Egedy's toured with everyone from Crystal Castles and Major Lazer to the Faint and Gang of Four. He has remixed Lil B; been remixed by Grimes; collaborated with bands (Prayers) and SoundCloud stars (Goth Boi Clique)

It all started with waiting music for the city of Ghent information telephone line. City composer Fulco Ottervanger (Cruise Lento) envisioned a music in which waiting time would serve as an invitation to stillness and presence. Long-term friend and producer Lieven Van Pée (Vectrex) turned out to be the ideal companion.

However, the music was never used, yet it had not missed its magical effect. The two gentlemen were now determined to make a full ambient album in which silence would play a leading role, both intuitive as well as elaborated down to the smallest unit of time... An additional approach was to make music to lull their newborn sons to sleep. With melodies simple, sounds sweet and silences deep.

Inspiration came from Haruomi Hosono's 1984 obscure classic Watering a flower, Eric Satie's Vexations and how could it be otherwise, John Cage's 3'44. What these progressive yet universal compositions have in common is a refinement of repetition and both a soothing and stimulating character. As a listener you can't help but dive into the silence and experience an certain sweetness. The ideal record to rest to, to wake up to and enter a wider field.

2013 24 bit technology dubbing of the original Abramo Allione master tape!

sferic mark 5 years of operations with a special deep dive into ancient/modern Mediteranean culture by Giovanni Napolano, usually known for crankier industro-dancehall output as Nplgnn (Reel Torque, Youth) as well as programming the wonderful MBE label (Beatrice Dillon, Conor Thomas, Evol) - a proper Riyl Jay Glass Dubs, Christos Chondropoulos, Alan Lomax, DJ Screw, Coda Lunga.

Unfolding along two sprawling 15 min sides, Napolano stitches threads of chopped & screwed folksong with a discrete dub strategy, seamlessly leading the mind down labyrinthine ginnels of his imagination in a sort of uchronic regression session where the ghosts of the past inform the present. In the process it humbly speaks to Naples’ position at the frontier of the current migrant crisis, and necessarily takes a standpoint against Italy’s resurgent, nationalist fascism, revealing the beauty and energy of its indigenous mixture of peoples, rather than erecting borders between them.

Taking his native Naples as a locus of Mediteranean culture, Napolano plunges the port city’s palimpsest of energies embedded by successive waves of Greek, Northern African & Eastern migration to discover an underlying, rhizomic connection and commonality linked by dub and hip hop as a contemporary iteration of folk music.

Under its titular, mythical metaphor for the fall of Babylon, and usage in Rastafari culture, ‘Le Macerie Di Babilonia’ imaginatively examines a sense of self via a historic lens, drawing on Napolano’s upbringing in the chaotic port city and his autodidactic research into the rich mosaic of Napolitan heritage, to model how a folk class solidarity and shared character, with its own rules and rituals, has emerged from its syncretic milieu.

Variously a treatise on provenance; an impressionistic tale of the European north meets a global south; a dub-abstracted, allegoric, ethnomusicological collage; ‘Le Macerie Di Babilonia’ is a fascinating and immersive listen that presents its maker’s dilated world view at its most mesmerising.

Rave At Your Fictional Borders emerges as the fervent brainchild of multi-instrumentalist producer Dave De Rose (Moloko / Rokia Traore / Electric Jalaba / Agile Experiments). Building upon the avant-garde-step traditions established by the Agile Experiments international collective (led by Dave since 2015 between London and Athens), Rayfb aspires to forge ahead in its era, encompassing the diverse soundscape of 2023. It exerts pressure on the confines of genres while infusing the soulful essence and improvisational spirit of jazz into its sonic journeys. Embracing repetition and unconventional groove concepts with a confident stride, it delves deeper, incorporating elements drawn from ambient, noise, and techno influences.

Collaboratively improvising on the particularly inspired evening of November 24th, 2022, four musicians converged at Electricity Sound Studios in Exarchia – the historical heart of radical political and intellectual activism in the Greek capital. It was in this vibrant setting that they intricately crafted the instant-compositions showcased on this EP.

The title 'Potion Trigger' whispers of the world's awakening, as our global tapestry unfurls, revealing society's festering flaws. It hints at the slow dawning, where it becomes clear that those in power have forgotten their pledge to the people. In this newfound clarity, the cloak of corruption within states and the intertwining of corporations with governance is lifted. The potion becomes the elixir of collective revelation, a taste of the genuine reality we must confront. This trigger, a ripple in the waters of our awakening, is the surge of momentum as we ascend into this heightened state of awareness.

Born a french, fried in Belgium, Accou recently delivered on stage ecstatic dancefloor sets for the techno enthusiast.

Back to he intimacy of his studio, Antoine lets himself go to layered dreamy electronics with a warm loving feeling covered under six feet of snow. On the other side of the record, that noisy guitar sound coming straight out of the early nineties instantly catches the ear to an intense and joyful travel in time.

Lexi Disques is a maverick label based in Brussels since 2008 that explores the rich possibilities of the 7-inch record single. A welcoming home for experimental and adventurous musicians of diverse backgrounds, from fresh and vibrant faces to underground heroes, dwelling between the misty fields of psych-pop to the straight (and not so straight) roads of electronics.

Captivating, cinematic, side-long Electronica & leftfield House extravaganza

Bobby Krlic is an artist, producer and multi-instrumentalist hailing from Wakefield, Yorkshire and now residing in Los Angeles. His music stems from a fusion of the punk, metal and post hardcore of his teens and later discovery of avant garde music, drone metal, ambient and modern composition. It combines acoustic instruments, synthesis and field recordings manipulated to create a singular, visceral listening experience.

/ C-Minus Particles ... produced by Moonstarr

Fake Yourself is an act of revolt as much as it is a celebration of life and an expression of human alienation. As usual in most of his work, soFa here reflects contrasts and contradictions as our existence so often does. It’s about sadness and joy, ups and downs and the fine line which connects them to tell a story. Fake Yourself comes as a spontaneous output of an artist escaping a scene of which the constant superficiality is unavoidable. Mistakes and wrong production with a strong DIY flavor are a conscious choice to not lose the spontaneous feeling which defines these recordings. A pure and direct self, exploring a realm of sound with sharp curiosity, emotion and humour. Where simplicity and complexity marry. This album is a good example on how some of the most authentic musical explorations are the most personal ones. soFa leaves all boundaries behind and let many of his influences confluence. Unconsciously or not, traces of IDM, Disco, New Beat, Dub and mostly Krautrock cross heavenly paths, followed by ironic and confronted vocals and his hypnotic signature basslines. Everything seems to make sense, to fill the chapters of an adventurous short novel.

What makes Fake Yourself remarkable is not the deep blend of genres, but the definition of one man shaping and finding his authentic sound. Killing boundaries to create this journey in his very own "style-no-style".

All tunes were improvised, recorded and arranged within 10 days in a wooden cabin, isolated in the middle of the nature in Alentejo/Portugal in 2022. This album was not meant to happen and one can strongly feel its spontaneous soul. No overdubs.

Konstantin Schimanowskis debut E.P. Vague Pure Affection is a love letter to an island in the deep north of Europe. The little Shetland island of Vaila. It is a sprawling collection of lush and airy songs, showcasing the artist talent in both songwriting and production. The music seems to drift high above the ground and Schimanowski’s voice breaks out of every pattern introduced - liberating itself the most in the E.P’s forth track „Crossing the Bridge“, where it leaps with bold passion into another space. The artwork is created by renowned danish-ukranian artist Sergei Sviatchenko. Riyl: Burial, Dean Blunt, Sebastien Tellier, Serge Gainsbourg, John Maus, Conan Mockasin

Explore the world of Hyrule in this expansion on Helynt’s modern classic, Legend of Synthwave Deluxe — as a collector's grade 2xLP double vinyl album.

Legend of Synthwave is the Zelda music you know and love, reimagined as an 80s synthwave soundtrack. The Deluxe Edition features eight new and exclusive remixes of favorites from Zelda games like Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, and Breath of the Wild. Helynt makes this his biggest album yet, featuring 18 show-stopping synth tracks.

Helynt is a music producer and guitarist from Italy. He’s the artist behind Mario & Chill and the Super Lofi World series. The Legend of Synthwave Deluxe is an expansion and remastering of the original 2020 release, Legend of Synthwave.

Legend of Synthwave Deluxe will be pressed on double purple vinyl at 45 RPM for the best quality sound. Lo-fi aficionados also know that playing a 45 RPM at 33 RPM can be a fun way to experience the album!

Legend of Synthwave Deluxe features memorable Zelda songs such as Outset Island, Song of Storms, and Kakariko Village, and is presented as both a digital album and a double-disc vinyl record.

One of the most essential works from Nurse With Wound, coming in an extended luxury 3LP edition, as well as a 3LP picture disc release with many unreleased, alternative versions and songs. This album is the sister album to Current 93's same titled album and it's a crownjewel for collectors of avant-garde and experimental music.

The newly established label Cat in the Room, created by Goodheart Productions, re-releases for the first time after almost fifty years the legendary work Smog by Kyriakos Sfetsas, one of the most important Greek contemporary composers. At the same time, in collaboration with the composer and The Hubsters, which is responsible for the digital distribution, it presents for the first time the majority of his discography in digital format.

Smog is an electro-acoustic work in five parts of equal duration (18 minutes) divided into several variable sequences. It was composed as the music score for the ballet Smog commissioned by the choreographer Michel Caserta. The work was premiered on October 18, 1974, by the Ensemble chorégraphique de Vitry at the Théâtre Jean-Vilar in Vitry-sur-Seine (Paris).

As a musical work, it has acquired over the years the scope of a legend in the electro-acoustic & avant-garde scene, for its richness and value as a composition, the composer's ingenious use of the means available at the time regarding the production of electric sounds, and their combination with natural sounds, as well as for the four-channel recording and live performance.

A new sound mastering and artwork was developed for this release in collaboration with the composer, whose liner notes are included on the cover.

Smog will be released on December 9, 2022, on a 180gr. double vinyl edition

Recital presents a new double album of rarely heard Robert Ashley compositions performed by baritone singer Thomas Buckner.

“(Robert Ashley) turned speech into music” - Alvin Lucier.

In the 1960s, Robert Ashley pioneered the American avant garde with the Once Group and festivals, before irrefutably changing the face of American opera later in the 20th century. Buckner, in addition to running the fabulous 1750 Arch record label in the 1970s and 80s, is a noted baritone who has collaborated for decades with the likes of Roscoe Mitchell, Annea Lockwood, and the late Noah Creshevsky, amongst countless others.

The title of the album, Spontaneous Musical Invention, refers to Ashley’s method of instructing the singer to do what he called “spontaneous musical invention based on the declamation of the text.” A vocal practice that Thomas Buckner perfected over the 33 years that he collaborated with Ashley. First performing in Ashley’s 1984 opera Atalanta (Acts of God), Buckner continued on as an integral performer in the ensemble until Ashley’s death in 2014.

The album is composed of two halves, the first is a new rendering of Ashley’s second opera Atalanta (Acts of God). Robert Ashley wrote about ten hours of music for the opera Atalanta, divided into three acts: ‘Max', for the surrealist artist Max Ernst; ‘Willard', for the composer’s uncle, Willard Reynolds, a great story teller; and ‘Bud', for Bud Powell, the great jazz pianist and composer. One is invited to construct a version using any material from these ten hours. Over the years they worked together, Thomas Buckner commissioned three reworkings of arias from Atalanta that he could perform in concert: the ‘Odalisque' aria from Max, 'The Mystery of the River' from ‘Willard', & 'The Producer Speaks' from ‘Bud'. So this first section of the album is one of many possible versions of Atalanta, albeit in strikingly different versions from the originals.

The second section of the album is dubbed Occasional Pieces, and holds two unpublished Ashley works. ‘When Famous Last Words Fail You' & 'World War III Just the Highlights' are not from any Ashley opera. However, each is highly dramatic and theatrical. They were written as standalone pieces for Thomas Buckner. Buckner’s distinct vocal cadence projects the sharp wit and wry storytelling of Ashley’s librettos.

A portion of the record was recorded live at Roulette in Brooklyn, NY, at an intimate memorial concert held for Robert Ashley in 2014. Spontaneous Musical Invention, in essence, functions as a tribute to both exceptional artists, and to their decades of collaboration.

Vinyl edition comes with a 24 page 12” x 8.5” booklet of Ashley librettos, scores, & program notes, with an introduction by Alvin Lucier.

After a self-imposed retirement, Martin Dosh returns with an expansive, dense and meticulous meditation on the now, rooted in the past, the first release on the new Max/min imprint. Six songs, equally influenced by Ornette Coleman, Brian Eno and the RZA, and featuring Jeff Parker and DAN Bitney (tortoise), Andrew Bird, Tobacco, Mike Lewis (bon Iver, Happy Apple) and THE Nunnery. Tommorow 1972 is a community response to the isolation of the pandemic rendered through the unique and strange prism of Dosh's production style.

Cover and vinyl are close to NM.