Electronic & Dance Vinyl 318 Items

(Japanese pressing, Official reissue) Brilliant synth prog weirdness from the late 1970s Tokyo. Recorded by the guitarist Akio Niitsu who was compared, not without reason, to Manuel Göttsching. Niitsu has a fairly small discography of only three full-length albums, but his second one - “Pet Step” - was on Tomita’s label and supposedly with the involvement of Haruomi Hosono (this is according to Chee Shimizu who lists it in his “Obscure Music”).

Akio Niitsu's first album, "i/o(i･o)" released in 1978, was produced in a homemade studio that had been converted from a storeroom in his home, and he spent three years doing everything from composition to engineering by himself, using overdubbed guitar recordings. 's first analog re-release has been decided.As a guitar multi-recording album, the idea was realized six years earlier than the album "e2-e4" released in 1984 by Manuel Göttsching, the central figure of "Ash La Tempel", but it was too early. A hidden experimental/ambient gem!The paradoxical sound that makes you feel as if you are lost deep in a labyrinthine forest, combined with Tadanori Yokoo's artwork, is a piece that allows you to enjoy Akio Niitsu's worldview with your ears and eyes.

“The idea of getting together Orquesta De Las Nubes with Glen Velez, Layne Redmond and Miguel Herrero in a recording studio arose when Glen and Layne visited Spain to hold a seminar on frame drums techniques. We had met Glen some years before during an event that took place in the amazing “Aula de Música de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid”. Glen came to Madrid playing with Charlie Morrow as part of an event about Fluxus with Alison Knowles and Philip Corner. On that time Glen played in Steve Reich Ensemble and our mutual love for repetitive music and ethnic music allowed us to build a very good friendship. When Glen visited Madrid we always get together in our rehearsal space and we played, talked and drink for hours. In 1985, during one of those sessions, Miguel Herrero joined us. On that time Miguel and meI used to play together in a club each week, where we made a bizarre fusion between pop and repetitive music. The sessions sounded so good, our ideas flowed so easily that after one session, I called Track Studios to ask if they have free rooms to make a recording during next days and as they told yes, I booked it immediately. The recording was made with an incredible fluency and about 12 hours after, we had recorded Música Esporádica. Fluency, spontaneity, close friendship was the fuel that fed us. After 34 years everything remains the same. Some of them are not with us any more but Música Esporádica keeps the unselfish spirit that encourages to share without objectives. Música Esporádica never step on stage and the 6 never met again altogether.” - Suso Saiz

While she was still a member of Nasmak, one of the leading bands of the Dutch ultra-movement, Truus de Groot started Plus Instruments in 1978 with herself as the sole member. When the project evolved, she found a wide range of rotating collaborators like Michel Waisvisz, Lee Ranaldo and James Sclavunos. Plus Instruments was about freedom and the live performances were largely improvised. The sound minimal but captivating. The music always came from within, but De Groot was also triggered by bands like Red Crayola, Suicide, DAF, Wire, Per Ubu, Devo and the No Wave scene in NY. She was always experimenting with primitive multi-track recording and whatever crappy gadgets she could find. Always looking for a gritty, dirty sound and bizarre overtones.

At a young age she travelled to New York and began to immerse herself in the nightlife of the city that never sleeps. Here she found true creativity, passion and expression. The club scene was alive but highly competitive, so this fearless Dutch girl would just knock on promoter’s doors to get gigs booked at places like CBGB’s, Peppermint Lounge, Underground and the Pyramid. De Groot eventually settled in the United States and never stopped experimenting with sound. In recent years she reinvented Plus Instruments and led the group into new territory.

The recordings for this LP were made by De Groot at home and the music is experimental, minimal, industrial but also playful, sounding nothing like most of the later material. 14 tracks in total of which 7 are taken from the elusive and impossible to find self-released debut cassette as ‘Truss Plus Instruments’ which was sparingly distributed by Nigel Jacklin and his legendary Alien Brains fanzine in 1980. The remaining 7 tracks are from the same period (1979-1980) and were carefully selected from the vast archive of De Groot. We are glad to present this anthology that serves as a long overdue testimony to the formative phase of a unique female pioneer of electronic music.

200 copies on black vinyl with insert.

An interesting insight into some of the diverse dancefloor oriented sounds going on in Canada during the 80s sitting somewhere between electro, italo disco and proto house. A-side starts off on a slow paced 80 bpm pop/rock italo-disco crossover track featuring lyrics in english with an unidentifiable accent, very much reminiscent of Italian local neighbourhood private press ventures featuring someone's sister on the vocal. 3 versions later, on the B side, things step up a notch coming in at 130 bpm with "Heat In Africa's" drum machine propelled rhythmic mayhem pulling out all the latest studio bells and whistles of the time. Big electric guitar solo build up on the "Dance Mix" and additional Bonus Beats mix by Castro. Remastered and officially re-released almost 4 decades later.

With the demise of the group Wire in 1980, founder members Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis joined forces to create Dome. With the assistance of engineer Eric Radcliffe and his Blackwing Studio Dome took the ethic of »using the studio as a compositional tool« and recorded and released three Dome albums on their own label in the space of 12 months: »Dome« (July 1980), »Dome 2« (October 1980) and »Dome 3« (October 1981). A final fourth album, »Will You Speak this World: Dome 3« was released on the Norwegian Uniton label in May 1983.

These albums represent some of the most beautifuly stark and above all timeless exercises in studio experimentation from early 1980s alternative music scene.

Reissue of early Japanese house outing by Junichi Soma, Shuji Wada and Katsuya Sayo. Comes with insert with liner notes.

All musical movements require a spark to set them alight; in the case of Japanese house music, that spark was provided by the forward-thinking resident DJs of The Bank in Roppongi, Tokyo. In 1989, to celebrate the ground-breaking club’s first birthday, the venue released a 12” EP featuring first-time productions from three of its DJs, Junichi Soma, Shuji Wada and Strong Katsuya AKS Katsuya Sayo.

Widely considered to be one of the first ever EP of house music produced in Japan, 1st Unit was never officially released. Instead, 500 of the 1000 copies pressed were given away at The Bank’s first birthday party, with the rest initially being sold not in local record stores, but rather the venue’s own in-house shop. Three decades on, the 12” is finally set to get its first worldwide release via Rush Hour’s Store JPN Series.

The record has its roots in The Bank’s willingness to give its ever-changing roster of DJs a free hand to play what they liked – at the time a rarity in Tokyo nightclubs, whose musical offerings usually revolved around strictly defined playlists. At The Bank in 1989, it was not only common to hear European body music and the kind of post-disco New York productions associated with Larry Levan’s sets at the Paradise Garage, but also acid house – something not offered at the time by other clubs in the city.

This cutting-edge blend of sounds, combined with the venue’s unique decor (it was modeled on the inside of a London bank, complete with a cashier’s window to take entrance fees), made The Bank a go-to spot for young party-goers, celebrities and forward-thinking Japanese musicians (Ryuichi Sakamoto was reportedly a weekly visitor).

When it came to celebrating the club’s birthday by cutting a unique record, it made sense for The Bank’s owners to turn to three of their most exciting resident DJs, who were assisted by Heigo Tani and Jun Ebi. The collective name, 1st Unit, was chosen to reflect the fact that all three resident DJs were debutants with no previous studio experience.

As this reissue proves, the music remains timeless, magical, and authentic to the sound of American house productions of the period – albeit with occasional twists,. Katsuya Sano’s EP opener, ‘I Need Love’, sounds like a twist on Larry Heard productions of the period – all jacking Tr-909 drums, undulating analogue bass, dreamy Juno synthesizer chords and evocative vocal samples.

The influence of Chicago acid house is also evident on Junichi Souma’s ‘Ubnormal Life’, whose unusual title contains what he says was an intentional misspelling. Driven forwards by restless drum machine handclaps, sweet chords and rising and falling melodic motifs, the track is an energetic and uplifting treat.

Perhaps the most influential of the three tracks at the time – within Japan at least – was Shuji Wada’s similarly misspelled ‘Endless Load’. Deeper and more melodic with a more expansive arrangement, the track’s combination of marimba-style lead lines, tribal drum patterns, dreamy chords and jazz-funk influenced bass offered a loose blueprint for the more successful and better-known Japanese deep house tracks that followed.

In Menstrual Night was recorded in 1985 by Current 93, who could never be: David Michael Tibet, Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, Steven Stapleton, Diana Rogerson, John Balance, Ruby Tathata Wallis, Keiko Yoshida, Rose McDowall and Bee. The album was mixed by Steven Stapleton, and was originally released as a picture disc on United Dairies / Maldoror (ud022/m) in 1985.

I was between the ages of 18 and 20 when I wrote the 22 songs found on To Anyone Who Ever Laughed at Someone Else. They express the thoughts and frustrations, hopes and fears of a young man coming of age in a world that was full of upheaval and transformation. I was a product of that period in America we call the sixties—those years between the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963 and the resignation of President Richard Nixon in August 1974. In fact, this record was released that same month Nixon resigned. Over the next five years, I toured the country as an acoustic artist performing at clubs, coffeehouses and colleges. During that time, I watched the idealism and social consciousness of the sixties slowly fade away. In its place emerged a cynicism and materialism that still seems to be with us so many years later. More than anything else, I think To Anyone Who Ever Laughed at Someone Else is a time capsule that speaks to us from a past era. A period when, above all other things, we asked questions. We questioned our country, we questioned our faith, we questioned the very purpose of life itself. I am very excited to bring those questions and these songs to a new generation on a new continent. Special thanks to my friends Jordi Segura of Wah Wah Records who took the initiative to release this 50th Anniversary Re-issue of To Anyone Who Ever Laughed at Someone Else and Michel Veenstra Klinkhamer, who introduced us.

Welcome to library breaks *chopped 'n screwed*! Slow (Motion And Movement), originally released on Sonoton in 1980, is super-sought-after and full of crazy dubby, super SLLLLLOOOOWWWWW and super HEAVVVVVY library breaks. It's also home to blinding new age/synthy tracks that are equally great. It's really varied throughout, but all absolutely fantastic.

Slow features KPM/Bruton/Sonoton-legend John Fiddy, the mighty Sonoton founder and composer, arranger and conductor Gerhard Narholz in 2 of his best-loved guises - Sammy Burdson and Norman Candler (get it?) - as well as a couple of fine offerings from Antonio Campo.

Heavy opener "Slow Business 1" is veeeerrrrrrryyyyyy slooooooooow with the phased drums so beloved of Narholz but this time delivered by Campo, with a proud, deliberate piano melody and great bassline adorning the creeping rhythm. "Slow Business 2" is equally as slooooooow but without any melodic decoration. Just pure phased drums, folks! Get sampling. "Moody You" is Narholz's first track on the record and what a beauty it is. A languorous, insouciant, slo-mo guitar soul track with warm synths, electric piano and heavy drums. It sounds a wee bit like an erotic film score, and all the better for it. "Slow Groovement" is Campo's final contribution and it's definitely his best. It's an ace, moody-yet-melodic crime/blaxploitation track with gorgeous percussive elements, mellifluous Rhodes and twinkling piano over a fantastic bassline and drums with some great electric guitar soloing halfway through.

"Slow Reactor 1" is Narholz again, under his Burdson pseudonym, and it's him all the way, now, joined by John Fiddy for half the tracks. This one is a tense, phased, slo-mo thriller with mysterious percussive elements and ominous strings. "Threat To Research" contains mysterious, dramatic sounds and heaps of string-assisted tension whilst "Ion Exchanger" is replete with repetitive, strange accents and sounds; all half-tumbling drums and dead tense, again. Truly, a taut experience and ideal for adventurous sample-based beat-heads. "Wave Motions" is a real highlight and the first to feature John Fiddy. It's a beatless ambient banger with slowly changing sound waves. It sounds like Angelo Badalamenti would if he were crafting strung-out teutonic library madness in 1980. The A-Side closes with "Slow Motion Link" which is over waaaay too soon but just simply needs looping. Trust us. Phenomenally dope!

Flip over for "Scenic Vision 1" for here, ladies and gentlemen, we go sublime. It's an absolutely stunning ambient wonder, with slowly changing textures and colours that create a peaceful, gliding, tranquil atmosphere of sheer bliss. You will not want it to end. Whilst "Scenic Vision 2" adds a bass melody, "Scenic Vision 3" uses the same melody but renders it isolated and lonely in the background. Haunting, hypnotic and hyper-beautiful. "Study In Brown" is s a lengthier number, with room to stretch out, and features Fiddy back in the game. Again, a slow, isolated melody gradually segues - by way of Fiddy's mournful electric guitar solo - into a slow heavy rhythm with rumbling, groovy bass and stratospheric drums.

"Deja Vu 1" weaves swirling, disorientating magic. It's described on the original sleeve simply as "indefinite arpeggios inexplicable vision" and we can't put it any better ourselves. "Deja Vu 2" sounds like you've heard it before, it's "as above with melodic line" and really is fun. "Glistening Surface" sounds exactly as you'd expect, all frisson-inducing movements, slow waves and generally peaceful scenic sounds. This remarkable library record closes with "Laser Fight", blasting "utopian percussive sounds" that totally get under your skin like fireworks through your veins. A neat trick!

Established in Munich in 1965 by Gerard and Rotheide Narholz, Sonoton introduced library music to Germany. Initially intended to cater to the country's new TV market, the library also provided an avenue for Gerhard Narholz's astonishing musical prolificacy, and soon became a haven for a wide range of European composers and musicians. In 1969, Sonoton struck a deal with the British label Berry Music for international publishing rights, exposing its catalog to a worldwide audience; when Berry was bought out by EMI in 1973, Sonoton transitioned into a full-fledged international label, with successes in the library and commercial fields and many innovations to its credit. Now a worldwide operation with hundreds of producers and composers under its employ, Sonoton nonetheless remains an independently run business still helmed by its founders - a remarkable achievement in an era when nearly every other major library has been absorbed by a multinational conglomerate.

The audio for Slow (Motion And Movement) has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the original, iconic sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

Adrian Borland and Graham Bailey might be better known as members of legendary post-punk group The Sound, but the two were childhood friends and had been playing together even earlier in The Outsiders, and continued their deep musical rapport as a duo, creating these intense and engaging songs as Second Layer at the same time as their higher profile band output. Following the release of Courts Or Wars, combining their early material, 1972 reissues their only full length album, »World Of Rubber«.

Two hidden gems from the P&P vaults courtesy of a scarcely known talent from Georgia, Florence Miller get an official reissue 'I'm Just A Lonely Girl' and 'The Groove I'm In'. With only two releases to her name, both of which came on Peter Brown’s P&P Records, ‘The Groove I'm In’ released around 1975 got the attention of the Northern and Modern Soul scenes in the mid ‘90s becoming a real star of the show. Since then, it’s maintained consistent demand on the second-hand market with originals selling for over £200. As with most of Peter Brown's artists, they briefly emerged on the sparsely distributed P&P label, for a brief stab at stardom only to disappear when Peter's attentions moved on to the next releases. Consequently, very little is known about the multi-talented and sadly ignored Florence Miller following her two releases on the Harlem label. Clearly though, the music speaks for itself with the quality of the P&P catalogue and this Florence Miller slice of magic shining through to this day.

Videosex was the biggest Yugoslav electronic pop band, formed in Ljubljana in 1982. Their singer Anja Rupel sung on Laibach 1988 version of the Beatles' 'Across the Universe' and their drummer Iztok Turk produced early Laibach records. The release of their eponymous debut album in 1984 and the subsequent major l ive and TV performances propelled the young band into major stardom. The follow-up was highly anticipated: in March 1985, Videosex released Lacrimae Christi to critical and general acclaim. In comparison with the first album, the production on the Lacrimae Christi was state-of-the-art, as the most modern recording and composing techniques were used. The songs "Sivi dan" ("Gloomy Day") and "Tko je zgazio gospođu mjesec" ("Who Ran Over Mrs. Moon") became nationwide hits.

Conrad Schnitzler (1937-2011), composer and concept artist, is one of the most important representatives of Germany"s electronic music avant-garde. A student of Beuys, he founded Berlin"s legendary Zodiak Free Arts Lab, a subculture club, in 1967/68, was a member of Tangerine Dream (together with Klaus Schulze and Edgar Froese) and Kluster (with Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius) and also released countless solo albums. The red album ("Rot") from 1973 was Schnitzler"s first solo LP.

European funk fusion of the highest order, Michel Gonet's Phasing News Volume 1 is the essential companion piece to the venerated Volume 2. It's truly a library treasure that every home must own. As Tele Music themselves said, it contains "tense and mysterious underscores in a range of styles"; whilst we don't disagree, we'd add swaggering, orchestral drama-funk-jazz-breaks. Vital.

Opener "Moon To Light (Number II) - A" is a total wonder. It's incredible, and what a way to begin a record. The percussion is electrifying, complimenting the dark, heavy piano, eerie organ work, electric guitar soling and rhythm section brilliance. Part B is virtually identical but without the electric guitar. The slow "Soul Cathedral (Number II) - A" is an ambient spacey synth gem which is both beatless and drenched in phased organ. Pretty captivating. Part B plays it rather straighter, a church organ continuing the same melody and tempo but with less of the swirling synthy effects.

"Light In The Rains (Number II) - A" sounds like something Diamond D would've sampled in the mid-to-late 90s, conjuring as it does that peculiar, creeping Axelrod-funk, all eerie electric guitar and organ, bass and spacey effects. Part B loses the electric guitar and adds brass.

The swirling, dramatic "Mondial Scoop (Number II)" has that urgent News At Ten feel with its prominent timpani drums whilst "Mecanic Bird Song" is a frenetic, abstract track with disorientating keyboard interplay.

*Total highlight* "Mephisto Jet (Number II) - A" rides a slick, proto-hip-hop beat with melodic, warm Rhodes yet, thrillingly, casually ups the drama with strings and timpanis. It then returns to its more mellow state. Ace. Part B adds acidy, phased percussion to create a more hypnotic, tripped out feel to proceedings. Part C is half as long but, pared back to just drums and Rhodes, it's arguably twice-as-nice.

To close, the shuffling, bell-laced urgent jazz of "Phasing News - A" is another highlight, riding a great bassline and augmented by ace drums, organ and electric guitar. Part B is also great, removing the guitar and doubling down on the head-nod funk.

The audio for Phasing News Volume 1 has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the original, iconic Tele Music house sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

Pierre Dutour's infamous Top Fiction is the epitome of a 5-tracker. Coming to light in 1979 on Tele Music, its collection of environmental themes are *all astounding*. We're talking all-time heavy hitters, here. They come recommended as tracks you'd choose to elegantly elevate deep selector sets or mixes.

Skip the irritating whistle-laced marching-band funk of "Captain Parade" and head straight to the glistening synths and proud horns of beatless ambient wonder "Mountain Echoes". Arguably worth the price of admission alone. It's that good. The sci-fi atmospherics of "Space Fiction" are definitely sampleable whilst the proud horns of "Mountain Trumpet" definitely contain blasts that could be of creative use. "Tambours Parade" is more marching-band funk, only this time the drums go hard and there's a lot to like about this one.

Truly, it's all about the B-Side. A real B-Side for the ages, in fairness. It opens with the gorgeous "Deer Forest". It's one of the most beautiful songs you'll ever hear. Like something off Brian Bennett's Voyage, it rides dreamily melodic synths, and comes on, as one fan claimed "like something Angelo Badalamenti would have co-written with Final Fantasy composer, ???? Nobuo Uematsu". It's jaw-dropping. Be instantly beguiled by the deep eerie nostalgia and pretty delicate piano of "Magic Lake I" and the whistling-synth-augmented "Magic Lake II". The almost-title-track "Pop Fiction" is another hidden gem, containing dreamy, glistening arpeggios that are just begging to be sampled with a heavy knocking beat behind it. The set closes with "Damnation Space", 2 minutes of spooky Musique concrète.

So, 5 absolutely incredible tracks and 2-3 good ones. An excellent ratio for a library album, I think we can all agree. Trust us when we say that the heavy hitters are just absolute gold, rendering this one an essential, buy-on-sight purchase. Go listen and discover for yourselves...

The audio for Top Fiction has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this divisive release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the original space-age sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

Limited to 500 units, includes a bifold insert with archival images and detailed liner notes.

Rainbow Generator are Australia’s first true experimental electronic music group. Consisting of David Labuschagne AKA Mojo, and Rob Greaves AKA Ras. Starting in the mid-70’s, the pair took it upon themselves to begin exploring the possibilities of the sonic dimension and with an ‘open mind’ began investigating the interface between psyche and sound.

In 1976 David established the ‘Lectric Loo’ studio in Woolloomooloo, Sydney. Known to the ‘heads’ as simply the “Loo”, the 3-story building was owned by the Department of Main Roads, and slated for demolition. So, it was that the entire block became a haven for squatters, and while Mojo had the main 3-story building to himself, the rest of the buildings were taken by a hotch-potch of people that included Anarchists, a Clown School and a collection of other random squatters. Recording in the ‘Lectric Loo’ provided them the ability to record freely. In 1975 they began to experiment, putting Mojo’s Fender Strat through effects pedals, playing with sounds while manipulating shortwave radio stations and also challenging convention by playing the insides of instruments. By 1976 they had built a kit synthesizer and shortly after purchased a full Roland 100 Synthesiser set-up and were on their way.

In 1978, with little resources, or any form of distribution they released their sole LP ‘Dance of the Spheres’. As Mojo puts it, “we were intent on making music with whatever we could beg, borrow, buy, and liberate. Albeit with scant regard for the rules or conventions or niceties of the game. Ultimately, it was all an act of love, of joy. Not just an adventure; it was a musical odyssey”.

This odyssey continued their exploration of the interface between psyche and sound. Fusing genres and boundaries, Dance of the Spheres incorporates elements of 70’s psych and folk with spoken-word and of course the emerging sounds of the synthesizer and drum machines. Furthermore, the addition of traditional instruments such as the didgeridoo and the classical Indian instrumentation technique of a Raga add a timeless layer, all seamlessly complementing the other elements and launching the album to another dimension.

Finally the deserved reissue! A very limited edition of 300 copies of this 1985 masterpiece, remastered and presented in a renewed artwork. Berlin School synth sequences, American minimalism vibes, new age and oriental influences, guitar-synthesizers, genius arrangements... A masterpiece exploring the emerging Midi technology of the time. A transportive selection of calming ambient soundscapes punctuated by glassy synth work and meditative drum patterns.

Metroplex continues its run of reissues with two more seminal releases from the label's golden back catalog. First off is Catalog number M003, aka late 80's Metroplex electro staple Channel One, a Juan Atkins joint with Doug Craig (Carl Craig's cousin) on vocals. Futuristic and playful techno from the late 80s which soundwise evolves from Cybotron and the obvious Kraftwerk influences. Juan Atkins said about the release in a 2005 interview that "it was more fun than politically driven, just about the colors and combination spread from colors". An important release in the history of Techno from both a cultural and creative perspective. Channel One's technicolor has been carefully remastered from the original tapes. Truly timeless stuff!

Original Pressing found in drummer Richard Driskell's archives Units were a synth punk band formed in San Francisco in 1978. This was a private release from 1980. "I hate synthesizers but both sides of this make me eat my words. Listen to "I-Night" and re-evaluate the bloated crap that comes out of most electronic groups. Once the singing starts, though, on "Warm Moving Bodies" I throw in the towel. It's some of the lamest vocal arranging ever to be found anywhere and the words are the standard science-art jokes that've gotten as sickly cute as leopard skin on Saturday Night Live. "I-Night" doesn't fall victim to this syndrome, instead letting loose with one of the wildest riffs this side of Metal Urbain. The words are shuddery and bleak, and the vocals tolerable." Slash Magazine, Vol 3 #3

Original Pressing found in drummer Richard Driskell's archives. Come housed in original unstamped paper sleeve. Units were a synth punk band formed in San Francisco in 1978. This was a private release from 1979. "Synthesizer bands don't normally thrill. Rather, they tend to lull the listener, falsifying and distorting the images and ideas at hand. San Francisco's Units are not that kind of synthesizer band. All four songs on this EP (even the instrumental!) are straightforward, exciting, lyrical experiments in understanding the beast and making it rock. Two machines and a drummer. Not pastoral visions but urban ones. Not peaceful, still angry. Not satisfied, still probing and asking questions. New life brought to old techniques. How surprising. How wonderful." New York Rocker, November 1979

First ever vinyl edition of the landmark 1980 cassette by synth wizard Don Slepian. Utilizing the fabled and notoriously complex Alles digital synthesizer at the Bell Laboratories scientific research center, Sea Of Bliss features two transcendent cascading sidelong tracks, to easily qualify as one of the ultimate pinnacles of the new age genre. Cut with care using the Direct Metal Mastering process, and featuring cover artwork by visionary artist Jonathan Meader.

Absolutely incredible and visionary - not to mention an engrossing, challenging, and thrilling listen - Masonna Vs Bananamara vinyl reissue stands high among the most significant of the year, allowing us to witness where it all began for a hugely important artist’s lifelong commitment to an exploration of noise music. This beautiful pressing - issued as a deluxe vinyl edition of 299 copies - is the first ever reissue of this masterstroke of noise, faithfully reproducing every aspect of the original 1989 release on Vanilla Record. Truly stunning and historically monumental within the genre, it can’t be missed by any fan of Japanese experimental music and noise.