Pingipung Electronic & Dance 43 Items

Ya Tosiba is a Berlin-based duo producing bass-heavy riddims with energetic female vocals. On the mic we have Zuzu Zakaria, the versatile singer who uses mainly found, historical lyrics in her mother tongue Azeri. On synths and drum machines we have Mesak.

Y Bülbül is back on the controls accompanied by Yumurta, a percussionist from Istanbul. Pingipung introduced the London based artist in 2020 with his psychedelic, synth-laden debut “Fever”.

“Not One, Not Two” is based on a one-way transmission of improvised drum recordings from an industrial estate in Maslak, Istanbul to another one in Tottenham, London, where Y Bülbül laid down fragmented layers of bass, synths, guitars and field recordings over Yumurta’s singular drum takes. The result is a free-form deep listening album for fans of dub, ambient and kosmische music, where the groove and harmonies are mystically interwoven, yet somehow manage to stay on the brink of collapse. Although the sessions were non concurrent and scattered over two continents, the collaboration evokes scenes of a telepathic communion where individual perspectives, circumstances and stories are exchanged between the two.

Resembling Moondog, Holy Tongue or Luis Paniagua in the sense that they favor the raw over the polished, holistic presence over conceptual perfection and questions over answers, the duo’s focus on bare sounds and repetition guides the listener throughout the album. The ride cymbal opening the minimalistic “I’m This”, for instance, briskly disarms the listener who might have been looking for more traditional songwriting or production clues. There are plenty of immediately rewarding moments too in “Not One, Not Two,” like the organic acid bassline in “Maurin Quina”, the euphoric drum fills of “Big K” and the intoxicating groove of the hypnotic vibe-setter “Jah Oto”.

Bülbül is Turkish for a singing bird while Yumurta simply means egg. Which one is first? Who is to follow? It’s this enigmatic entanglement between the two artists which creates the lurking tension, emphasized by the Zen Kōan-like title. The beauty in this album is a peculiar one, and it certainly is a rabbit hole too. Dissonance is fluid as everything moves, and whenever two sounds collide, a third one emerges.

2002-2022, that’s 20 years of Pingipung! The German record label celebrates its anniversary with exclusive tracks by a fine selection of artists from the label roster as well as new names. Instead of looking back at the classics, Pingipung chose to compile a kaleidoscopic preview of possible future directions for the label. The line-up features playfully melancholic songs by Museum Of No Art, Peter Power or The Notwist, an excursion to the desert by Rvds or a psychedelic take on Dub in Tolouse Low Trax’ remix for the Ainu singer Umeko Ando. Artists such as Anadol, Y Bülbül, MD Pallavi & Andi Otto, M.RUX, Sven Kacirek, Schlammpeitziger, Peter Presto and F.S.Blumm are already well known to the Pingipung audience. They contribute exclusive new tracks, adding to their existing output on the label.

It’s impossible to file this compilation under a genre, which is exactly the case with Pingipung in general - bull’s eye. The collection of tracks is pressed in the perfect format to match the Pingipung jubilee: A 2x10’’ vinyl in a gatefold sleeve.

“Upopo Sanke“ means “Let's sing a song" in the Ainu language. Umeko Ando (1932-2004) was one of the best-known artists of the Ainu, an indigenous, long-suppressed community in northern Japan. She sings their traditional songs together with Oki Kano on the Tonkori harp, who also recorded the album. The two are supported by members of the female vocal group Marewrew as well as Ainu percussionists, a string player and a male singer who provides rhythmic shouts and also throat singing. The call-and-response structure of many of the songs is performed with a mantric quality in a vocal style that is perhaps best described as elastic and breathing. There seems to be a gentle smile in every note and syllable. This music softly hits the heart.

Upopo Sanke was recorded on a farm in Tokachi in the summer of 2003. We hear dogs barking, a distant thunderstorm and voices imitating animals. The liner notes that accompany the 2LP release gather the anecdotal memories of Umeko Ando and Oki Kano about the stories of the 14 songs. Oki Kano is a musical ambassador of the Ainu culture who tours worldwide with his Oki Dub Ainu Band and also gives solo concerts, always playing the Tonkori, the five-stringed Ainu harp.

The Ainu have suffered from the oppression of their culture and language by Japan, especially since the 18th and 19th centuries. Only recently, in 2008, were the Ainu officially recognized again as an indigenous people culturally independent of Japan. As a result of the marginalization, there are now only a few hundred native speakers of the Ainu language left, making it a particularly worthy object of preservation.

"Upopo Sanke" was mixed again in part by Oki Kano, before being mastered and cut to vinyl by Kassian Troyer. The 2LP plays on 45rpm and it sounds fantastic. This album was the second album by Umeko Ando, the follow-up to „Ihunke" and also re-released in 2018 by Pingipung together with Oki Kano.

Umeko Ando (1932-2004) was a folk singer from Japan. She was a representative of the Ainu culture on the Hokkaido Island in the north of Japan. “Ihunke” is her first album which was recorded with the Ainu musician and dub producer Oki Kano in 2000. The 16 Ainu songs on “Ihunke” are delicate, natural gems. They are built on Oki Kano’s Tonkori patterns (a 5-string harp), over which Umeko Ando develops her repetitive, mantric vocals, often in a call-response manner. Oki Kano is one of very few professional Tonkori players who performs worldwide with his Oki Dub Ainu Band. The songs possess a mystical energy – when crows call accurately with Ando’s brittle voice in the first song, it seems like natural powers join in with her music. Her voice sounds like animals of the sky and the forest. Oki Kano: “It was a lot of fun to record with Umeko Ando. Many Ainu hesitate to break from tradition - if Umeko hadn’t been so flexible to work with the younger generation and recording technology, this album would never have happened. Our sessions were intense, and we were proud and happy about making such beautiful music.” Upcoming in autumn: remixes of “Ihunke” by Tolouse Lowtrax, M.Rux, DJ Ground, El Buho Mark Peters, Gama, Andi Otto, and Dreems.

Historical background: Only recently (in 2008) have the Ainu officially been acknowledged as indigenous people who are culturally independent from Japan. This record is an example of how their music has been passed on through generations in the underground Ainu communities while it was oppressed by the Japanese hegemony. It deserves a huge audience.

The Quasi Dub Development (QDD) has been founded as a collective four years ago by Luca Fadda and F.S. Blumm. After “Limousine To The Guillotine” (2011) comes now their new album. The QDD love Dub, obviously, but they play it by hand with their many instruments and effects, instead of working in the studio along the classic post production methods of the genre. Their friendly, handmade „Quasi Dub“ is at the same time experimental and accessible. This sound has convinced nobody else than of the pioneers of the Dub genre, Lee Perry, to make an appearance in “Let's Communicate”.

Selten hat es in der neunjährigen Geschichte von Pingipung ein solch frenetisches Echo auf eine Ver- öffentlichung gegeben, wie auf das Album „The Ke- nya Sessions“ von Sven Kacirek (Pingipung 20). Die Kooperation des Hamburger Schlagzeugers mit ke- nianischen Musikern verbindet auf eine eigene, auf- regende Weise Electronica und afrikanische Klänge und wird deshalb in unterschiedlichsten Kontexten von der Techno- bis zur Weltmusik-Szene gefeiert. Demnächst erhält die CD den „Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik“ für das erste Quartal 2011 in der Kategorie „Nu and Extreme“. Auch mit dem Label befreundete Künstler zeigen sich ob der Qualität des Materials begeistert und Pingipung veröffentlicht deshalb Ende Mai die 10“ „The Kenya Reworks“ mit Neubearbei- tungen des Albums. Lawrence, melancholischer Hansestadt-Houser, Label-Mitbesitzer von Dial, Smallville und Laid sowie international hochgelobter DJ widmet sich dem Stück „Kayamba Tuc Tuc“. Für seinen auf die Essenz maximierten Edit klaut er dem Original viele Spuren und lässt dafür ein großes Herz zurück. Taprikk Sweezee ist neben Gizmog oder Fussel eine der viele Identitäten des Musikers Niko- lai von Sallwitz. Als Taprikk Sweezee bastelt er elektronische Soul-Beats schon zum Früh- stück. Für seinen Remix war ein einziges Original deshalb zu wenig. Zum dekonstruierten Funk von „Kayambriä“ würden wir ihn gerne zusammen mit den kenianischen Musiker der beiden Originale tanzen sehen. Außerdem auf der 10“: Eine Neubearbeitung von „Paperflowers“ von Sven Kacirek selbst, die zusammen mit dem Samy Deluxe Produzenten Sebastian Winkler entstanden ist. Und, weniger Bonus als heimlicher Höhepunkt der Platte: Das exklusive Sven Kacirek Stück „Takaye Village“.

Five years ago Sven Kacireks released his legendary album “The Kenya Sessions” on Pingipung. The drummer's collaboration with musicians from Kenya connected electronic, instrumental and field recordings in a unique manner and received kudos from various scenes between techno and world music. For the fifth anniversary Kacirek delivers two more songs with previously unreleased material: The Kenya Encores.

Six artists remix the rich sound material from Sven Ka- cirek's LP “Scarlet Pitch Dreams” (Pingipung 32, April 2012). Sven's original percussion recordings and his densely layered melodies invite for a rework which fo- cuses on the single elements. Robert Lippok (To Rococo Rot, Raster Noton) turns the title track into a balearic sunshine dance until the voice and synthlines evoke a deep and driving witchhouse at- mosphere. Absolutely awesome remix! Opiate aka Thomas Knak from Denmark (Morr Music) is one of Pingipung's favourite artists in the world and we're very happy to have his remix included here. His highly individual syncopating beat works dive into the pool of Sven's percussions, with the snare and marimba always in the foreground. Stefan Schneider (Mapstation, To Rococo Rot) delivers a delicious dub version of “About Me And You”. In fact, Stefan Schneider and Sven Kacirek are in the beginnings of their musical collaboration, releasing one album on Honest Jon's later in the year and playing gigs together. RSS Disco & Sugarwater (Mireia Rec) transform snip- pets of the voice and marimba patterns of the title track into a disco track. RSS Disco have been responsible as DJs for some of the most outstanding parties in Pin- gipung's hometown Hamburg lately. We're very happy to include these talented producers in this release. F.S. Blumm (Morr Music) adds nothing but his charac- teristic guitar to the “Scarlet Pitch dreams” vocals of Jana Plewa. No question it's a perfect match: the two make the duo “Old Splendifolia” and have released one beautiful album on the Plop Imprint. Peter Presto finally remixes “About Me And You” in the best of his humours. The guy who made the first Pin- gipung record ten years ago (yes, it's our anniversary!) always has one other melody to add. Happy go lucky style, we like!

Sven Kacirek, the much praised multi- instrumentalist from Hamburg, releases his third album with Pingipung. „Scarlet Pitch Dreams“ presents intimate solo works, following his debut „The Palmin Sessions“ (2007) and the interna- tional success „The Kenya Sessions“ (2011), which was honored with German Record Critic's Award for the second quarter 2011. Whilst „The Kenya Sessions“ revealed fruitful col- laborations with Kenyan musicians, almost every single instrument on „Scarlet Pitch Dreams“ has been played, recorded and produced by Sven Kaci- rek himself. Within these dreamy scéances of per- cussive virtuosity, Sven Kacirek has effortlessly found his original sound – from the first whirring of the prepared grand in the opener to the massively rolling drumset crescendo in the last track. Jazzbrush patterns define Sven Kacirek's sonic identity. They create beat structures on wood, glass, and paper which sound like digital sampler tweakings - but they are not. „For the previous records I had been led by the production process in the first place, cutting loops, use of FX and so on. But here, everything has been written down in notation first, and has then been properly recorded“, Sven Kacirek says. This handcraft - and the crafti- ness in Sven Kacirek's handling of his recording and production technology - are two bless- ings to this record. The eleven tracks burst with sonic details and never dwell on aimless repetition, they are tied together with wide melodic archings, and at times they sound like a classical jazz recording, at times they show their influences from dub techno and clicks & cuts. Featured guests on this record are a.o. Jana Plewa (Old Splendifolia, The Kat Cosm) on vocals, and Johannes Huth (Efim Jourist, Anthony Braxton) and John Eckhardt (Alvin Lucier, Evan Parker) on upright bass. Three music videos accompany the album. They are directed and produced by Sönke Held, Chichirik und Agnieszka Krzeminska. Chichirik's video can be found on Pingi- pung's video channels and the label site in February, the other two will follow in March and April.

Sven Kacirek has a background as virtuoso jazz drummer. He studied at the Drummer’s Collective in New York, played several solo shows at the World Drum Festival and has writ- ten two educational books on the experimental use of electronics on the drumset.

Six years have passed since the last album by Andi Otto alias Springintgut, (“Park and Ride”, City Centre Offices, 2007). In this period, Otto has done nothing less than inventing a new instru- ment: His “Fello” is a cello with movement sensors attached to the bow and a corresponding software. The development has been kicked off at STEIM in Amsterdam already in 2007. Since then, Otto has achieved vital refinements of the system, cooperated with artists of various fields as diverse as choreographers in Macedonia, theatre in Nigeria and Techno DJs in the Berghain Kantine in Berlin or the Fusion Festival. He even played solo with his instrument on different continents. For this third album, “Where We Need No Map” Otto takes the “Fello” to his studio in Hamburg for the first time. He records his instrument which has until today only been presented live on stage. In these Fello Sessions, the bow gestures immediate- ly modulate and process the amplified cello sound. In the subsequent editings he selects and cuts these sessions and merges them with other styles, such as Skweee, House and Jazz. Springintgut's trademark sound, this unique playfulness, is pre- sent throughout, while the live-processed cello adds an unrivaled deepness. The artist's expeditions even add more colour. Two tracks have been recorded in India. The lead voi- ce in “Bangalore Kids” is a field recording of a schoolboy in Cubbon Park, Bangalore. Andi Otto spends three months in Japan as artist- in-residence in the Villa Kamogawa in Kyoto. Du- ring this concentrated period he produces the more contemplative tracks of the album, like “Ka- mogawa Cycling” and “Western Kyoto”. In Sri Lan- ka, finally, he meets Sasha Perera, the voice of Berlin's Dub Techno band Jahcoozi. They record two songs together. Especially in “Bullet” one can sense the lazy, muggy, peaceful heat of the after- noons in which this beautiful track has been com- posed. These stories may help to locate the music's orig- ins but still the sound of “Where We Need No Map” points us to unknown territories. The journey itself is the reward, let's listen!

Schlammpeitziger's album yields even more fruit. Six weeks after the release of his longplayer "What's Fruit" Pingipung releases this 12inch EP with remixes from Candie Hank (Patric Catani), Andreas Dorau, Springintgut, Mouse On Mars, Thomas Mahmoud Zahl and Dub-Master hey (one half of Hey-Ø-Hansen).

With his new album "What's Fruit", Schlammpeitziger touches the dancefloor more than ever before in his 22-year long career. Yet his dancefloor is a playful one. The Cologne based composer's sounds electrify with their multi-layered melodic structures. He weaves countless details in perfection, to a high density of musical activity, always focusing on the slow, driving beats which hold everything together. Each of the eight tracks represents shades of the unique humour we love about Schlammpeitziger.

The New York and Miami based duo ROM deliver this LP with twelve super energetic instrumental pieces. Pingipung very happily welcome Roberto Carlos Lange and Matt Crum to their artist family. ROM is the vibrant collaboration of two sound artists who have been on the radar for a long time, as members of beloved projects such as Savath&Savalas (Warp, with Prefuse 73's Guillermo Scott Herren), Comic Wow (Asthmatic Kitty, with Tortoise's John McEntire) or Roberto's solo project Helado Negro. ROM's first appearance marked their self-titled debut on the Japanese WIMM imprint in 2005. Raised in south Florida on tropical fruits and pan con lechón; surrounded by picturesque beaches and stifling humidity, ROM’s members Roberto Lange and Matt Crum create music so deeply imbued with the contrasting textures found in the world in which they were reared. Despite having been recorded over the span of three years, and in various locations in different cities, ROM’s sophomore “Foot Signal” effort is an entirely cohesive sonic outing. That they used mostly broken instruments throughout the process only reinforces that soundscape they sought to create. That they played them even with their feet as the title reveals gives us a slight visual hint at the anarchy of the sessions. Could they have used an organ that stayed in tune? Probably. But taping its keys down and pressing record in hopes to document something at all usable is part of the random fabric that makes ROM’s music so incredibly transcendent. Largely recorded with Will Loftin at Shangri-la Studios in Atlanta, Roberto Lange and Matt Crum captured scores of live improvised sessions onto two-inch tape. The two also set up shop in apartments, studios, and storage units in Miami, Savannah, New York - even Jeremy Lemos’s Chicago studio to try and document the inspiration they felt lurking. The sessions were then labored over at home studios, shared over the Internet, processed and reorganized until this collection of twelve wildly captivating instrumental pieces emerged. Foot Signal contains material that had been released on CD through WIMM in Japan in 2008. It has now been reworked by the band and cut onto vinyl at Dubplates & Mastering in Berlin. Standout track “Whale Vomit” does not sound like a regurgitated mess it purports itself to be. Instead, it is the perfect combination of unwavering percussion, vibraphone flourishes, and studio-manipulation wizardry. It’s the kind of stuff that makes ROM and Foot Signal so darn exciting.

MD Pallavi & Andi Otto first crossed paths on a theatre stage in India ten years ago. They started collaborating instantly and in 2016 MD Pallavi's mesmerizing vocals for the downtempo raga Bangalore Whispers warmed hearts and ears. Their musical relationship flourished with artistic residencies in Bangalore and Hamburg, their respective hometowns, and a concert tour in Japan. The collaborative track Six made ears turn again on Andi’s album Bow Wave (Multi Culti 2019). And now, years later, the fruits of this artistic endeavour are fully formed here on Songs for Broken Ships - the debut album of the duo.

The album presents an interwoven pop-aesthetic vision of the two artists with their contrasting musical backgrounds. It ranges from organically woven folktronica to cut-up disco tracks and acoustic ballads. Reminiscent of, but not akin to Nicola Cruz, Beach House or Four Tet’s early productions, the music is experimental but focused on the listener and their experience.

MD Pallavi is a singer, actress, filmmaker and performer from Bangalore, South-India, where she trained in Hindustani music and poetry since childhood. On Songs for Broken Ships, poems in her native tongue Kannada*, one of India's many languages, are performed over Andi’s alluring production, translating the stories into musical narratives. The poems address topics that are as timeless as the music itself. Social equality is touched upon in Bayalu (written by Bontadevi in the 12th century). Artistic struggles - communicated on An Unwritten Word (Gangadhar Chittala, 1865) - are almost prophetic and the surreal, dreamlike scenario of Clockshop (KS Narasimhaswamy,1958) brings you further inside the sonic journey.

Andi Otto is a composer, cellist and DJ based in Hamburg, Germany, He is known for his idiosyncratic and unconventional dance music productions on labels such as Multi Culti, Shika Shika and Pingipung (which he co-runs and curates). For this collaborative experience, his dubbed out basslines gently interlock with the 7/4 and 5/4 beats to create a backbone for the instrumentation and expressive vocal timbres of MD Pallavi. His sound design combines graceful acoustic recordings, juxtaposed against modern drum machines, computer generated noise and vintage synthesizers.

*The LP comes with a text sheet containing all Kannada lyrics - which have their own vocabulary and script - together with the phonetic transcription and English translation.

Still shrink wrapped but opened.
Includes original inner sleeve with small seam split..

In the wake of a profound loss, Marie Klock, a neo-chanson singer and multi-instrumentalist from Paris, presents a poignant tribute with her debut on Pingipung. On “Damien est vivant” Marie Klock pays homage to the poet Damien Schultz, who has recently passed. They were intertwined both in artistic collaboration and deep friendship. Marie Klock creates a powerful ode to Damien Schultz's surreal, anarchic, witty and at times provocatively obscene French (English translations are included in the vinyl release). The poet's own voice resounds alongside Klock's, oscillating between spoken word and neo-folk vocals. Recorded in an intimate lo-fi setting with co- producer Julien Louvet, the 10 songs are far from a mournful requiem. They showcase idiosyncratic pop music brimming with humour and absurdity. “Damien est vivant” is a celebration of the unique bond they shared, in past and present. The melancholy sometimes takes on an almost whimsical quality, an allusion to the world as perceived through the lens of two kindred spirits. Marie Klock has appeared as keyboardist on international stages with Sofia Portanet and collaborated with artists such as Jean-Louis Costes, Chilly Gonzales, Charlotte Brandi and Adrienne Pauly. Her self-titled solo LP (2020, Les Disques De La Face Cachée) was a cheeky outing of her synth-chanson act. She is currently working on a duo album with Anadol, to be released on Pingipung in autumn 2024. “Damien est vivant” will be released on Good Friday 2024. Marie Klock will present the album in live ceremonies.

Marewrew (pronounced: Ma-leoo-leoo / mɑleːul̯ eːu)̯ is a female vocal group that sings traditional Ainu songs. The music of the long-suppressed people from northern Japan has been a particular focus of Pingipung's output in recent years, together with Oki Kano who recorded and produced many Ainu artists. Following various re-releases by Umeko Ando, the late grande dame of traditional Ainu music, the spotlight is now on the a cappella music of Marewrew, which by the way means ‘butterfly’ in Ainu. Attentive listeners will recognise the voices, as some of the band have already performed as backing singers on recordings by Umeko Ando. Their a cappella versions of traditional Ainu music shed a whole new light on the fascinating songs that have been passed down through generations exclusively through song. 'Ukouk' means 'round singing', which refers to the form in which Marewrew perform and record. Many of the songs are set as tightly interwoven canons: one starts, the others join in, but slightly out of phase: Almost like dub echoes, except that they are sung and not created in post-production. The short songs sometimes unfold into a wondrous trance ('Sikata Kuykuy', 'Honkaya') that seems to spin round and round - if singing can actually dance, then this is how. Nature sounds and woodpeckers can be heard ('Hawsa’), and there is a funny miniature in which the ladies imitate birdsong ('Takuro'). Things get hypnotic with an evocative song about stranded whales ('Hunpe Yan Na’) or an ode to the Orca as ‘Little Sea God’ (‘Pon Repun Kamuy’). The album culminates in unexpected pop ('Yaykatekara') or cumbia moments ('Kanerenren') with a band line-up including percussions and Oki Kano on the famous Tonkori harp. Marewrew are Rekpo, Hisae and Mayunkiki. Rim-Rim was a member of the group until 2022. Mayunkiki reflects on the ambivalence of performing traditional music as a contemporary band: "When we first started performing, we all thought we had to perform in an Ainu way. But over time we have become more and more open to new ways of singing. I think if our way of singing is seen as the only, correct way of our tradition, then it won't spread, it's not alive. We like it when it's traditional, but it changes, just like our voices have changed over time.” * 'Ukouk' is a selection of Marewrew's work from the last 13 years, compiled from CD releases by Pingipung's Andi Otto. Oki Kano has contributed unreleased material and added new versions of the songs which had only been released in Japan. The album has been remastered by Kassian Troyer and is now available on LP for the first time.

This is the second package of remixes for the hypnotic folk music of the Ainu a cappella group Marewrew.
Ukouk Remixes Pt. 02 is dedicated to dub-infused remixes, featuring Elijah Minnelli and Peter Presto on a 7" single. Elijah Minnelli is a producer of dub music. The London-based artist specialises in a fusion of folklore and dub, which he masterfully demonstrates on his latest release Perpetual Musket on the FatCat label. His remix of Marewrew's Uekap is a deep and breathing take on the mesmerising round singing vocals, dubbed in a live take through his mixing desk. The chopped vocals are used like percussion instruments. Elijah Minnelli has also contributed a moody DJ mix to the Pingipung podcast series, sharing some of his knowledge of pre-reggae roots music from the Caribbean and South America. Pingipung founder Peter Presto remixes the same track, Uekap, with his unmistakable dubby playfulness. The vocals are merry, the groove stumbling and slow. The flute melody qualifies as a perfect stress antidote.

The hypnotic folk music of the Ainu a cappella group Marewrew has received the first of two remix treatments by Pingipung artists. Part 01 is by Andi Otto and M.RUX.

Andi Otto was the curator of the Marewrew album for Pingipung, released earlier in 2024. He selected gems from their archive for the "Ukouk" LP. His remix pays homage to the frenetic vocal dynamics of the round canon Sikata Kuykuy. Beginning with a stubborn piano beat, it's the bass clarinets that sit in sync with the vocals that make this dance track so charming. Bonus fact: they're played by Pingipung co-founder Heiko Gogolin - his first outing on the instrument for his own label.

M.RUX's take on Etukuma Kara is playful and groovy. Many will remember his legendary 2018 remix of Umeko Ando (Iuta Upopo), which marked Pingipung's first involvement with Ainu traditional music from northern Japan. His reworking of Marewrew's vocal music blends elements of various tracks with his own percussion, and the result is nothing short of spectacular.

Mameen 3 are soFa and Cheb Runner from Brussels. Both versatile players in the rather niche scene of oriental electronic music in the European capital, they only ran into each other at the Nyege Nyege Festival in Uganda two years ago. They clicked and after a first jam session they immediately launched Mameen 3.

For their Summer Of Seven tracks Iso68 have, as usual, recorded many live instruments. We hear drums, guitar, keys, and brass, mixed into two tight tracks which unfold their addiction not at first glance. But after several plays the two pieces by Florian Zimmer (who also plays with the bands Saroos and Jersey) and Thomas Leboeg (member of Hamburg?s Popband Kante) become essential beauties.

by Hey-O-Hansen
00:03
With "Sonn und Mond" Pingipung presents an insight into the archives of the Austrian Dub Act Hey-O-Hansen. "Sonn und Mond" is far more than just a "Best-Of". As the subtitle reveals, this record collects "Rare and Unreleased Austro-Dub Tracks", which are in the first place scarce gems from the last decade’s oeuvre of this outstanding duo. Hey-O-Hansen have been famous for their musical output on remote formats such as rare vinyl singles or even on cassette tapes, through their own label heyrec. Following the contribution "Rflu" to the compilation "Pingipung Blows: the Brass", "Sonn und Mond" is the first feature-length cooperation between Pingipung and Hey-O-Hansen. Why Austro-Dub? Obviously, Helmut Erler and Michael Wolf who are Hey-O-Hansen originally come from Austria. Raised to the off-beats of Tyrolian folk music, then practising offbeats in Ska and Rocksteady bands they eventually moved to Berlin in order to explore samplers and sequencers for their music, alone or as Duo. Soon they had their professional studio, call it the musical instrument of Dub. And they literally carried it on stage for their many gigs. This is what makes Hey-O-Hansen’s tracks so special. Their extraordinary skills and tricks in sound engineering join their detailed, Lo-Fi playfulness which is based on the artistic cross-grainedness of the duo and the fact that they appreciate the openness of a live performance as essential for their compositions. Maybe that is why numerous guest musicians appear on this record; for example Dirk von Lowtzow (Vocals), Gordon Odameteys (Percussion), Olaf Rupp (Gitarre), and Kazumi (Vocals), just to name a few. In Hey-O-Hansen’s music the deepness of Dub is always combined with the catchiness of a Chanson or the stubborn straightness of a dancefloor track. Although "Sonn und Mond" shows above all the versatility of Hey-O-Hansen by pointing at hidden beauty, this record contains several hits and evergreens such as "J'ai peur" or "Dreams never die".

Goto80 from Sweden is one of the heroes of the chiptunes scene. He makes his music only with old soundchips, above all the SID chip from the C64. The two songs he delivers here prove once more that he is a brilliant composer with this very peculiar sound. Nerd tech info: “Sombanova“ uses a 16 millisecond loop for all the instruments except the drums. The vocals of “Mamasita” have been improvised by Acid Terrorist.

Dennis Busch is an artist who is well-known to all Pin- gipung fans for his “James Din A4” contributions to our catalogue. This man of many faces has also developed a reputation as visual artist. Therefore he decides to present his music under the same name: Dennis Busch - which we think might be his real one. Dennis Busch has delivered an enormous output of odd, melodic techno tracks in the last decade – mostly on his own now unfortunately vanished “Esel” imprint (this means “donkey”). We have featured this sound in a dedicated compilation of his archive in 2008, called “Fistel Rose Power”. “Music for dance floors which haven't been invented yet”, someone wrote. Today he presents a fresh sound, each track bouncing and swaying in a different shade of good humor. We think it's his best album yet, in terms both of composi- tion and sound. Deep chords from Detroit meet skweee- ish melodies, a brassy bass says “wob”, and hip-hop hi-hats hold those guitars and vinyl samples to - gether. The entire album has been mixed down in real-time sessions on his MPC - this famous sampler is actually the only device with which Dennis Busch produces his tracks. Maybe it is the technological simplicity and his ease to ignore the temptations of endless digital sonic possibilities which shape the peculiar charms of this whole album. If deep-house were a discipline at the Paralympics, “New Yor” or “Happy Stranger” would defin- itely qualify. The title track “Total Youth” sounds like brewing the world's finest mocha coffee for Jan Jelinek (footnote: Jan Jelinek and Dennis Busch are musical mates, and Jan even considers to create a collage album from Dennis' sounds on his own “faitiche” label in the near future - what a good idea!). “Love Is Evol” is an old man crooning his wisdom quietly in our ears. The raise-your- fist-up-high-contest goes to the last track's cowbell, “Keiner Vice mehr”. The artwork has entirely been created by Dennis Busch. By the way, those who buy the LP get a colored inner sleeve with two more of his works. An online archive of Dennis Busch's visual works can be found here: www.dennisbusch.tumblr.com

Pingipung and Future Nuggets present Cosima, a Bucharest based artist, with two wonderfully poignant songs. Cosima Opârtan is widely known as one half of "Raze de Soare" (Future Nuggets). As a solo artist, she files her music under the genre widow pop - melancholically reaching out to the past and the future in one gesture. She sings like someone addressing a beloved but faraway audience, or a trusted, distant relative who can only be seen through someone else's description. Cosima has a background as an architect which she shifted to designing sonic treatments for various spaces such as sound studios. She is also a founding member of the Queer Night, a series of itinerant parties engaging the local LGBTQ+ community and part of Corp., a Bucharest based platform dedicated to supporting and promoting female & female identified musical talent. "Ploaia" has been co-composed and produced by Ion Dumitrescu, known to all Pingipung afficionados for his 7inch as Ion Din Dorobanti (Pingipung 056) who also runs the never failing Future Nuggets label. On the flip side, the two team up with Horațiu Șerbănescu, an artist from the Future Nuggets roster releasing music as "Plevna".

Cole Pulice is a saxophone player from Minneapolis. An improviser of Ambient Jazz who earned his merits touring with Bon Iver, working with Godspeed You! Black Emperor and releasing wonderful electroacoustic gems with the groups Iceblink (Moon Glyph) and LCM (Orange Milk). With Gloam - his solo debut - Cole Pulice offers us six spacious audio holograms, one-take recordings of his saxophone entangled with live electronic hardware. We hear undulating pitch shifters, ring modulations and spectrally rich harmonizers. Cole applies all signal processing live, augmenting the calm, serene melodies Cole plays on his saxophone. The electronics never serve as a mere effect here. Instead, Cole’s fine-tuned setup functions as one whole instrument with which he effortlessly morphs shapes and colors, like fractals within a kaleidoscope or fragments of stained glass in a rock tumbler. Cole mentions the Synchromism visual art movement as an influence for this record, an American avantgarde style of the early 20th century in which colour and sound were treated as equivalents. It’s a spot-on analogy for these musical gems which serve to immerse us in imaginatory prisms. Cole’s sessions conjoin artificial processes with the vibrations of his breath to create electro-acoustic lullabies which reveal ever more timbral layers with each listen. Gloam was released on tape by the Moon Glyph imprint from Portland during the first lockdown in 2020 and has been licensed to Pingipung for this vinyl edition.

Vinyl is close to NM. Tiny wear.

Last copies, re-imported from the US.

Otto’s Bangalore Whispers gets finally repressed. The psychedelic track which he recorded together with the Indian singer MD Pallavi in 2016 has become a hit in the downtempo scene around the globe (“Saaaa - resa nisa”). Pingipung press a new edition of the much sought after single on the occasion of their 20th label anniversary. In this 2022 edition the original track is paired with the Peter Power remix which has not seen the light of day on vinyl before.The Brazil-based producer slows the track down a notch and adds even more space. A perfect tune both for the dancefloor or meditation.

Anadol and Marie Klock have teamed up for a joint album, La Grande Accumulation. They met two years ago at a festival in England crowded with violent seagulls and outsider musicians. Klock being prone to barking on stage and Anadol not laughing at jokes she doesn’t find funny, they straight away had the intuition that they would meet again. And so they did, a few months later, at Anadol’s studio in Istanbul.

Today, the two Pingipung artists present the fruit of this musical friendship. La Grande Accumulation was born out of the peculiar atmosphere of the studio neighbourhood in Büyükada, an island where thousands of cats run free and humans randomly destroy things during apocalyptic times when parts of Turkey had just been turned into dust by terrible earthquakes. The French lyrics are inspired by hours of conversations, the music is consequently drenched in absurdity, overflowing with a strong urge to live and enjoy. According to the LP sticker, this album has been certified “Best handshake of 2024”, and stickers never lie.

La Grande Accumulation brings together Marie Klock's mysterious metaphors and Anadol's intriguing radiophonic psych-pop. Stretching forms beyond common sense to see how long they can resist is probably their favourite game. The result are six highly imaginative tracks that challenge the sub-3-minutes standards of Spotify pop.

Gözen Atila aka Anadol is well known to the Pingipung audience, with three solo LPs on the label. Her music follows a kind of collage logic, she interweaves countless styles, combining field and studio recordings with obscure quotation marks here and there. "I hope no one will come and explain this music to me, because it's the most beautiful music there is", says Kristoffer Cornils about her solo album Felicita.

Marie Klock is a French writer and musician who produces songs oscillating between synthpop and neo-folk, full of anarchic humour and existential dread. Her recent solo LP on Pingipung was a captivating tribute to the recently deceased poet Damien Schultz entitled Damien est vivant.

Marie Klock delivers her lyrics in song or spoken word, stream-of-consciousness musings on strange human adventures, and her rich keyboard melodies culminate in a nonchalant dialogue with the bass trombone (La Reine des Bordels). In the opulent opening piece (La Grande Accumulation), a woman is cursed to take home everything she kicks in the street; a bit later, we stumble upon a ghoul hiding in the gutter (Sirop amer), Mona Lisa loses her teeth (Sonate au Jambon) and a warthog struggles to climb the stairs of a silver tower (Sabots triviaux).

La Grande Accumulation was mixed and mastered by Jonas Romann at Chaos Compressor Club in Hamburg and cut to vinyl by Kassian Troyer at D&M in Berlin. It's an audiophile LP that invites to focus on every detail in this heap of musical ideas.

Hatıralar was Anadol's second album, originally composed between Berlin and Istanbul around 2012 and released years later only in digital form on the Ankara based label Inverted Spectrum. The title Hatıralar ("Memories") turns out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Anadol recalled and revisited the music in 2023, gently editing and mixing the compositions for the newly mastered LP format in which they now see the light of day. Hatıralar represents an early version of the melodic, instrumental synth-pop that Anadol refined on her album Uzun Havalar (2019) before exploring the more free, krautrock-inspired musique concrète of her last album Felicita (2021). Here is the text that accompanied the original 2017 release:

Anadol, named after an old-fashioned Turkish automobile brand, is an instrumental synth-pop project by Gözen Atila, an artist, dj and keyboard player. She records with mini organs manufactured during the 70s and 80s, the built-in rhythms and arpeggios of these machines provide the backbone of her sound, and her melodies are influenced by pop music and soundtracks from France, Italy and Turkey from the same period. The music is awash with allusions to the moods of old Turkish and European cinema, from the erotic to the melodramatic, and with a reminiscence of the sound and spirit of so-called "tavern music" popular in Turkey's urban nightlife in the 1980s, a flexible pop style usually performed by a solo keyboardist-singer. Anadol is a continuation of the tradition of lone synth experimentalists like Bruce Haack and The Space Lady with their childlike curiosity for electronic sounds, and of the keyboardists pushing the boundaries of minimal equipment to entertain middle aged drunk couples in pubs and wedding parties of Istanbul.