One of the very first industrial bands in Italy, Officine Schwartz distinguished themselves as a multimedial project, fusing music with performance, theatre, dancing, and lots of other art disciplines. Their music creates a unique melt of heavy industrial rhythms (generated by found metal percussions), electronics, traditional popular songs, workers’ striking choirs, and a lot more. Excellent post-punk with a high Neue Deutsche Welle influence. Rambo / Fräulein was released on vinyl by Sub-Up-Records (UP! 04) in 1987.

Tracks:

1. Rambo
2. Fräulein

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Conceptual artist, dancer, musician, scholar and poet, Stefan Weisser began playing the drums at age 4. Moving to New York City from San Francisco in 1979, and adopting the name Z’EV, his work with performance/noise percussion broke new ground and drew the attention of rock symphonist Glenn Branca, dancer Simone Forti, guitarist Rudolph Grey and just about everybody related to the downtown scene. These recordings from the early nineties were created in New York with the assistance of long-time friends and collaborators Wharton Tiers and Glenn Branca. Excellent noisy percussion mini album. Tracks 7 & 8 recorded live from the Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco, USA, March 29, 1980. Salts Of Heavy Metals was released on vinyl by Infidelity ( JMB-237) in 1981.

Tracks:

1. Brings. Brings.
2. Cold Roll.
3. Cries Dissolve As Sweat.
4. The Number Seven.
5. The Hand. The Palm.
6. Skin On Thigh. Thorns.
7. Yellow Arrow.
8. Three Kinds Of Game.

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This Is Not Your Shape is the first full album of new material from Cultural Amnesia for 28 years. Seven of the nine tracks are released for the first time here. The accompanying designed booklet, Verbose Logging, contains the lyrics of almost all the songs recorded by CA since they resumed activity in the late 90s. The video for ‘Contains’ is the first official video from the band ever. Cultural Amnesia were first active 1980–1983. They released three cassette albums and appeared on some of the better-known cassette compilations. They had a notable associate in the young Geoff Rushton, soon to change his name to John Balance. He wrote songs for them and acted as their manager (one of the songs on This Is Not Your Shape is dedicated to him). After 1983 nothing more was heard from CA. A contracted vinyl album failed to appear. But in 1998 the three members of the band recorded some new material, and in 2003 a website was launched. Since then they have been recording more new material and have released two well-received collections of their 80s recordings and a few of their new tracks. We hope you enjoy the contemporary sound of these intriguing survivors from the heyday of UK post punk. This Is Not Your Shape is a free download released by Bleak Netlabel (bleak036) in 2011.

Tracks:

1. Bone Chapel
2. Product Chunk
3. (Let’s All Help Solve) Gary’s Problem
4. Speak The Wet Language
5. Dummyface
6. During Their Fit
7. The Product Chunk Funk
8. Seasong (For Geoff Rushton)
9. Waiting For The End

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Zos Kia (also credited as Zoskia) was a British musical group initially formed by John “Zos Kia” Gosling along with John Balance and Min. This trio, along with Peter Christopherson on sound, and sometimes other guests, recorded and performed several concerts in 1982 and 1983 under the names Zos Kia and Coil, and some of this material is available on the Coil/Zos Kia release Transparent. In 1983, Balance and Christopherson left to concentrate on Coil full-time. All material released under the Zos Kia name alone was primarily the work of John Gosling. After retiring the Zos Kia name, Gosling went on to record with Sugardog and Psychic TV and to work solo as Sugar J and Mekon. Excellent second 12″ mainly John Gosling with the aid of members from Pure and Psychic TV. Be Like Me was released on vinyl by Temple Records ( TOPY 5) and Temple Records (T.O.P.Y. 005) in 1985.

Tracks:

1. Be Like Me
2. Ten Miles High

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Excellent international double compilation album released by the Italian magazine Ass. Cult. THX 1138 – Amen Prod. edited by Roberto Marchioro. Some very rare bands on this mainly Italian compilation like La Fura Dels Baus, Officine Schwartz, Teatrino Della Volpe and The Tapes among others. Ranging from noise to experimental to ambient. The Negative Communication Age was released as a 2x vinyl with a 80 paged booklet, 2 inserts, and a floppy disk (don’t ask me what’s on the floppy because I did not own a PC when I bought the album) by Amen – THX 1138 (THX 1138-6) in 1990.

Tracks:

1. La Fura Dels Baus – Aigua
2. The Tapes – Tanz Fabrik
3. Phaeton Derniere Danse – L’Alignement Dans le Septième Ciel
4. S. Core – Shame Mask
5. Officine Schwartz – G.R.U.
6. Le Syndicat – Matrix Massacra
7. Das Synthetische Mischgewebe – Dusty Shivers on the Threshold of a New District
8. Etant Donnes – Cette Rose Qui Tourne Au Dessous de Mon Coeur
9. F.A.R. – Orgia
10. Phaeton Derniere Danse – N’Espère Plus Ton Corps
11. Cranioclast – Still Unknown
12. S. Core – Millstone
13. Tasaday – Crisalide
14. Etant Donnes – Transparente Nature
15. MGZ – I Don’t Love
16. Teatrino Della Volpe – Vado Lungo Il Fiume
17. Teatrino Della Volpe – La Casa Rossa

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Fra Lippo Lippi was formed in Nesodden, outside Oslo, by Rune Kristoffersen, Morten Sjøberg and Bjørn Sorknes after a couple of years of writing and rehearsing as Genetic Control. Debut 7″ 4-track instrumental EP is released on Private Records, 3 of the tracks being short, funny, quirky stabs at electropop, the b-side a longer, darker and more ambient offering. Songwriting for the debut album is showing the strong influence of groups like The Cure and Joy Divison and Bjørn Sorknes decides to leave. He will shortly join Holy Toy, the experimental rock group led by Andrej Nebb and featuring Lars Pedersen (When) and later to be composer Rolf Wallin. Debut album “In Silence” is released on Norwegian independent label Uniton. Excellent post punk / wave album. In Silence was released on vinyl by Uniton Records (UNITON 003) in 1981.

Tracks:

1. Out Of The Ruins
2. A Moment Like This
3. In Silence
4. Recession
5. The Inside Veil
6. I Know
7. Quiet
8. Lost

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Bogart grew up as Hubert Haverkamp in Emsdetten. There he began to play the drums at the age of six. In the early 80′s he was already a recognized experimental musician and live performer. From October 7th to November 19th Mac Whitney, a well-known American sculptor, had his first solo exhibition in Germany in the Kunsthaus am Moritzplatz, Berlin-West. The Sounds of this album were made on “Concan”, one of Mac Whitney’s stainless-steel sculptures. Sounds Of A Sculpture was released on vinyl as a box set with booklet by Bog-Art (BOG 103) in 19??.

Tracks:

1. Sounds Of A Sculpture I
2. Sounds Of A Sculpture II

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Thanks for your understanding,

C.

This album was written and recorded by the group during 1983-1984 at their newly occupied headquarters, the notorious “Ambulance Station”. The Ambulance Station was a 5 storey building in the roughest part of South London, which quickly became a nationwide center for anarchist events. Bourbonese Qualk performed there regularly and organized gigs, exhibitions film events etc during the buildings 3 year occupation. Hope is a record with intensity that makes your pulse beat faster, it stops your breath, it makes your teeth chatter and your brain dizzy with excitement. Hope is full of excesses, it is loaded with it but never too much, it gets you and drags you on. You will get from hope very clear views with a murdering vitality and a passionate deathly atmosphere, powerful and significant sound. Heavy metal percussion cuts through visionary areas, chunking bass accompanies the delayed orgasm of sunset sex and headstop. This is dripping emotion. This is feverish energy. This is music with balls. Hope is coming off on icy heights. Review by Peter Claessens. Hope was released on vinyl by Recloose Organisation (LOOSE 007) in 1984.

Tracks:

1. Erector
2. Sunset Sex
3. Invocation
4. Cold Blood
5. Head Stop
6. Mission England
7. Dereliction
8. Black Madonna
9. Gag
10. Something In The Air
11. There Is No Night

(Tracks 1, 2 and 3 are recorded together.)

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Bourbonese Qualk seem to creep up on you. Their haphazard existence and punk ethos doesn’t come across on record: they’re a different proposition altogether. “Laughing Afternoon” is an oddity indeed; it meanders through embryonic cabs, floating vini reilly, thumping TG and a wealth of other angles but never gets stuck in a rut, it never becomes obvious or predictable. At one point it sounds like an abominable thud that’s coming from next door, then a crisp regular beat irons out the indecision and layers of melody and noise spar for position, you lose track for a moment, that sunday afternoon sense of being comatose creeps back and the migraine is accompanied by a crunching chorus. Bourbonese Qualk don’t fit in, this lp is messy but mesmerising. At times rough and at times smooth. they don’t so much change the face of rock’n'roll in a revolutionary way, more twist and torment it with sadistic pleasure. Review by Dave Henderson. Laughing Afternoon was released on vinyl by Recloose Organisation (LOOSE 004) in 1983.

Tracks:

1. God With Us
2. Idiot Pain
3. Barcelona Telephone Exchange
4. Freefall
5. Blood Orange Bargain Day
6. Behind Closed Doors
7. Qualk Street
8. To Hell With The Consequences
9. Building Jerusalem
10. Feast Of Trumpets
11. Virgin Ears, Virgin Eyes
12. Spanner In The Works
13. Mystery Dance

(Recorded as Side A & B)

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Excellent post punk album by this Manchester band. Crispy Ambulance started in 1977 as a two-man outfit but adding Keith Darbyshire and Gary Madeley to the line-up in 1978. During their first five years they recorded sessions for local and national radio and released several records on Factory, Factory Benelux and Aural Assault. They toured in the UK and Europe, both as headline act and as support to Joy Division, Killing Joke and Section 25. The Plateau Phase was released on vinyl by Factory Benelux (FBN 12) in 1982.

Tracks:

1. Are You Ready?
2. Travel Time
3. The Force And The Wisdom
4. The Wind Season
5. Death From Above
6. We Move Through The Plateau Phase
7. Bardo Plane
8. Chill
9. Federation
10. Simon’s Ghost

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Here’s an excellent split album by these two experimental electronic artists. Brume (Christian Renou) is a prolific French musique concrete composer/sound organizer who has been releasing CDs and cassettes worldwide. The sound of La Nomenklatur can be described as a very intensive mix of old school industrial sounds, extreme vocals, atmospheric and melodic parts, metal percussions and intelligent used samples. End Of Symptom Dump / Meosta was released on vinyl by La Légende Des Voix (LDV 002) in 1989.

Tracks:

End Of Symptom Dump

1. Brume – Part 1: An Introduction To Dumping System (Bienvenue Au Zoo)
2. Brume – Part 2: The Reaction
3. Brume – Part 3: Continuum Mobil
4. Brume – Part 4: Plastic Truth / Pseudo Orgasm
5. Brume – Part 5: The Dejection
6. Brume – Part 6: Washed Life
7. Brume – Part 7: Now, You Can Die (Bienvenue Au Zoo.2)

Meosta

8. La Nomenklatur – Meosta (Part I)
9. La Nomenklatur – Meosta (Part II)
10. La Nomenklatur – Meosta (Part III)
11. La Nomenklatur – Meosta (Part IV)

(End Of Symptom Dump is recorded as one track)

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enjoy and have a very Happy New Year!!!

This is the third and final part of the trilogy, four tracks of manipulated vocal and mouth sounds. Von Mund Zu Mund 3 was released on vinyl by Die Stadt (DS28) in 2000.

Tracks:

1. Mann Im Zimmer
2. Ein Wenig Angst
3. DaV 45
4. GuU 49/2

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Here’s the second part of the Von Mund Zu Mund trilogy by this German pioneer of experimental electronic music. The same voice manipulations and treatments as on part one. Von Mund Zu Mund 2 was released on vinyl by Die Stadt (DS27) in 2000. In a limited edition of 400 copies.

Tracks:

1. Belehrung 2
2. Ikarus
3. Mit Schiefem Mund
4. Spielzeug Greift An

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As a Christmas special mrsneff thought it might be interesting to dig something out of the vaults that’s rarely seen the light of day: Renaldo and the Loaf’s one and only live performance. Mrsneff explains: Back in 1980 Renaldo and the Loaf played their one and only live performance. The performance was one of a number staged to promote the release of the sampler of Portsmouth music, South Specific. We approached the performance with some trepidation as it was somewhat out of our comfort zone, and we sought certain assurances before we committed ourselves. Specifically, we wanted adequate time to set up and do a sound check before the performance to ensure that we could monitor our playing adequately. Although the gig was supposed to promote the album we weren’t playing any of our music from the album because we didn’t know how we could reproduce it live. Instead we opted to perform an improvisation using a tape delay system, and the nature of the system makes it essential to hear what you’re playing, ‘mistakes’ tend to return and haunt you. Of course the nature of the tape delay system meant that we had a recording of the performance. We put it on a shelf, forgot about it and got on with other things, like recording Songs for Swinging Larvae. In 2006 Brain gave me a CD with a number of obscure Renaldo and the Loaf pieces on it, including the Bali Hai recording. I thought it might be fun to reinterpret it and set about sampling the recording. This was before I’d started using FLStudio, I just used a simple audio editor to extract and treat the samples (just with some echo and reverb) and put the whole thing together using a free program called Kristal. Everything you hear was played on that night on guitar or prepared guitar or by Brian singing, just not necessarily in that order or at that particular pitch, no extraneous sounds have been added. So there you have it Renaldo and the Loaf Live @ the Bali Hai 1980, not exactly as it was, but as it might have been, a trifle heavy on the reverb perhaps. The artwork is adapted from a picture of Brian and I at a fancy dress party around the same time.  Enjoy the recording while you can – on 1 January 2012 it will disappear.

Tracks:

1. Live @ the Bali Hai

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Asmus Tietchens is a German electronic musician who has pursued “absolute music” through an almost mathematical process of rigid formal exercises. With strong ties to Karlheinz Stockhausen’s early electronic work, Tietchens specializes in irregular patterns of sonic abstractions that are suspended in gray drones to create cold textural voids from external references. Excellent 7″ solemnly made of manipulated voice sounds. Von Mund Zu Mund 1 was released on vinyl by Die Stadt (DS24) in 1999.

Tracks:

1. Da Sitzen Sie Nun
2. Die Tränen Einer Wurst
3. Den Bach Runter
4. Halluzination
5. Belehrung 1

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In the Shadow of the Sun is an improvised “score” created by Throbbing Gristle for the Derek Jarman 1980 super-8 film bearing the same title. It is an example of what Throbbing Gristle founder Genesis P-Orridge called “Ambient video”, used to “enhance or complete an environment.” In the Shadow of the Sun has drawn comparisons with the ambient music works of Brian Eno, Pink Floyd circa Ummagumma (1969) and krautrock stahlwarts Ash Ra Tempel. In the Shadow of the Sun premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in February 1981, where it was received enthusiastically by the audience. In The Shadow Of The Sun was original released on vinyl by Illuminated Records (JAMS 35) in 1984. Re-released on CD by The Grey Area (TG CD9) in 1993.

Tracks:

1. In The Shadow Of The Sun

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Wind in the Wires represented something of a departure from The Darkening Scale usual highly structured style and was influenced by my (David Janssen) work with Sylvie Walder in The Tapeworm Vessel, leading to an exploration of a more open, atmospheric approach. Recorded at a time when I was getting bogged down with what would eventually become Hydrogen Kaleidoscope, Wind in the Wires was an effective way of blowing away the cobwebs suggesting new avenues to explore. The other big influence was a nostalgia for the way Brian and I used to sit around with two guitars just experimenting to see what appeared. Wind In The Wires is only available as an MP3 download.

Tracks:

1. Wind In The Wires
2. Inorganic Dharma
3. Autumnal Bile
4. Snow Over Gwastedyn
5. Koto Agreement
6. Linoleum Tractor
7. Aeolius
8. Ceramic Campfire
9. Returning To The Source

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Here we go with a TG live bootleg celebrating 20 years of infection and cauterising, recorded on a stereo sony cassette supplied as a “Virus” by William S. Burroughs, that was recorded in 1975, that’s what’s stated on the CD, but most tracks seem to be from taken from Throbbing Gristle’s live performances in Berlin in 1980. Track 3 is “Epping Forest,” which also appears on Nothing Short Of A Total War and Assume Power Focus. Track 6 is the original 7″ mix of the song. Track 7 is an extended version of “Final Muzak” from First Annual Report. There is also no mention of Peter Christopherson which is highly unlikely. aside from these few facts an excellent experimental / noise release. Blood Pressure was released on Cd by Dossier (DCD 9048) in 1995.

Tracks:

1. Blood Pressure
2. Destoria
3. Cerebral Aneurysm
4. Catheder Depletion
5. Humoral Response
6. Zyklon B. Zombie (Alive)
7. Speed

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The Songs Of Langtuhn Hemblu is The Darkening Scale’s album of songs! The project grew out of one particular piece, Black Death. I (mrsneff) got hold of a recording of some children singing the nursery rhyme “Ring Around The Roses” from The Freesound Project. I was aware of the alleged association of the nursery rhyme with the plague and started recording a piece which set the innocence of the children’s voices against a much darker, sinister backing, complete with voices singing from the Requiem Mass and a middle section like a funeral march. Only available as an mp3 download.

Tracks:

1. Shaker Loops
2. T for Tuva
3. Banshee Moron
4. Desperate Griper
5. The Aforementioned Lard Rant
6. Gladsome Vane
7. Forget Nephritis
8. Edema Ladylove
9. Fictive Funk
10. Black Death
11. Mandrake Hymn
12. Balsamic Novelist
13. A Health Warning

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Patrick Parent from Belgium was a well known force with his Etat Des Stocks project in the mid 80′s releasing tapes and one offs for other labels. He is also the founder of Red Neon Tapes. Nice electronic experimentation. Galactic Gigolo was released on cassette by Red Neon Tapes (rn 10) in 1991.

Tracks:

1. Overload
2. No More
3. Midnight
4. Roller Skate
5. Chips
6. The Forge
7. Ben Guess
8. Numbers
9. Sirens
10. Streets
11. Electricity
12. Down
13. Cat
14. Modern Language
15. Cycles
16. The Monk
17. Bass Mania Part 1
18. Etat Des Stocks
19. Bass Mania Part 2
20. Modern Language Instrumental
21. Modern Language Dub

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Here’s another Darkening Scale, this time it’s the remix of Songs For Swinging Larvae. David explains: “As with Aerobic Dallying the idea wasn’t just to create alternative versions of the original songs, rather to see what was possible given the starting material. So, while some tracks are recognisably similar to their originals others are totally unrecognisable. Venice Restored bears no relation to Renaldo’s Trip To Venice but all the material is derived from it apart from the drum loop. There’s also a new twist to a couple of tracks this time; hybrids! So A Sob Story has been crossed with Ow Stew The Red Shoe to form Sobbing In The Red Shoe, and Honest Joe’s Indian etc. has been crossed with Bali Whine to form Joe In Bali. There’s also some serious slicing and treatment of some of the vocal parts on Gnome Song, Medical Man, BPM and Spratts Medium.” Larval Dissections is only available as an mp3 download.

Tracks:

1. Intro
2. Jersey Mill Slag
3. Riotous Index
4. Melodic Swine
5. Trumpet Sadism
6. Storm Tempo
7. Meson Gong
8. BPM
9. Seven Polymers
10. Sobbing Into The Red Shoe
11. True Bootleg Bush
12. Venice Restored
13. Do Gophers Eat Peanuts?
14. Hats Off Again
15. Joe In Bali

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This Texas based duo, Jim Leggett and Rikky Wilson, previously masqueraded as Surgical Ills, Unca Meat or Vunderglass. They began working together around the end of ’83. Delving delicately in the difficult areas of new age music, electronic experimentation, sonic collage and found samples. Blistering Moments play mood music, with a whole lot of experimentation. Therapeutic Dreams was released on vinyl by Dead Man’s Curve (DMC 010) in 1986.

Tracks:

1. Night Prowler
2. 77 Seven, I Guess
3. The Plat-Eyed Disposition
4. Bushwacker’s Overture
5. Clean Thyself
6. Die Mütherfucker

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Could not find any info about this Japanese avant garde /  new wave band. Akebono Jirushi was released as a 7″ by Telegraph Records (TEL 0025) in 1985.

Tracks:

1. One: Great Sea Beyond
2. Two:  A Clear Day
3. Three: University Driven Nightlife

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Glaxo Babies were a Bristol-based UK post-punk group, formed in late 1977. There were three distinct phases in the bands life and after initially breaking up in 1980, they reformed in 1985, only to finally break-up again in 1990. Excellent avant garde / post punk album, which seems to be recorded in just one day. Nine Months To The Disco was released on vinyl by Heartbeat Records (HB2) in 1980.

Tracks:

1. Maximal Sexual Joy
2. This Is Your Vendetta
3. Seven Days
4. Electric Church
5. Nine Months To The Disco
6. Promised Land
7. The Tea Master And The Assassin
8. Free Dem Cells
9. Dinosaur Disco Meets The Swampsstomp
10. Conscience
11. Slim
12. Shake (The Foundations)

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Here’s the last known recording of Cranioclast. Cranioclast provide two rhythmic tracks in the form of cocktail recipes. Side 1 utilizes a crazed out beatbox sound and intermingles the beat patterns with all kinds of noise and tape splicings. Woven in with this active soundscape is Cranioclast’s signature sound – distant voices. This time the human factor creeps in in the form of a small child babbling away. Side 2 is denser and not so overtly rhythmic – there is much brooding under the surface going on. Excellent as always by Cranioclast. Carl’s On Acit was released on vinyl as a 10″ by Auf Abwegen (travel_document #4) in 2003. Limited edition of 500 copies.

Tracks:

1. Biosemiotic Experiments
2. Heartbeats Of Mating Galaxies

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1983 is the official start of Vagina Dentata Organ and World Satanic Network System, under which Jordi Valls will produce his own works. “Music for the Hashishins in memoriam of Hasan Sabbah” is his first release. This record was inspired and conceived from a tape by Psychic TV while recording The Pack (of wolves) on the 23, 24 and 25 of July 1983 in Soho, London. It’s a functional record to play only at selected times: “Listen carefully to these recordings and you might discover your true will. It is highly recommended as background music to your sexual games and blood rituals.” All you hear on both sides of this LP is the wild growl of a real dog trained to kill. This is the second release of the album. Music For Hashasins was re-released on vinyl by Temple Records (TOPY 012) in 1987.

Tracks:

1. Trained To Kill
2. Sexual

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Could not find much info about Nubile, formed by bassist/singer Ken Tanami (famous for playing in the Japanese punk “Typhus”) and guitarist Yoshihide Igarashi from Sadie Sads. Two excellent post-punk tracks like Sodom and Sadie Sads.  Nubile was released as a 7″ flexi by ADK Records (ADK-04S) in 1983.

Tracks:

1. Strawberry Hill
2. In Sight

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Here’s the second part of The Music Is Taboo, again an excellent compilation of different bands and persons doing there cover versions of songs by Renaldo and the Loaf. Some big names on this compilation like: Andrew Liles, Big City Orchestra and Renaldo and the Loaf themselves. The compilation is now available as a download, with cover art by Renaldo M, and has been split into 2 volumes to make it easy to burn to CD.

Tracks:

1. The Albatross Pseudonym – Medical Man
2. The End Time Orchestra featuring Renaldo M – Bearded Cats At The Blue Mango
3. Otalgia – Absence
4. Lightness Ascending – JPWBC
5. Mr Mute – Mahogany Wood
6. Sylvie Walder – Nelda Danced At Daybreak, But I Was Not There
7. The Spectral Pride – Mr Leery
8. Andrew Liles – A Street Called Straight
9. Logan 5 – Dying Inside
10. Rectoplasm – Kimbolton Nome Song
11. The Darkening Scale – Seven Interludes from Struve & Sneff
12. QWE – Renaldo’s Trip to Venice
13. Big City Orchestra – Anthem
14. Renaldo and the Loaf – Hambu Hoedown

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The Music Is Taboo was the braichild of Charles Klee. Charles approached Renaldo and the Loaf with the idea of getting bands and artists to submit their cover versions and remixes of Renaldo and the Loaf songs. Charles himself set the ball rolling with his version of Bustle the Burgoo from Songs For Swinging Larvae, set up a MySpace page and invited people to send in their renditions. Slowly the tracks began to accumulate and the project closed in September 2008 with 28 tracks and over 100 minutes of fantastic music. The compilation is now available as a download, with cover art by Renaldo M, and has been split into 2 volumes to make it easy to burn to CD.

Tracks:

1. Henk – Medical Man
2. Renaldo M – Rosa’s Still Lonely
3. The Pedantic Pedestrian – Absence
4. Charles Klee – Bustle the Burgoo
5. The Oblong Boys – Boule!
6. Twentyagon – BPM
7. The Knobster – Haul On the Bowline
8. The Tapeworm Vessel – Wheelchair and Anaesthesia
9. Mr Mute – Nelda Danced At Daybreak
10. Aldo Tamarind – StruveAndSneff
11. Mandible Chatter – Mahogany Wood
12. Dr Butcher – The Bathroom Song
13. Sylvie Walder – A critical dance (from the neighbours point of view)
14. Umbrella Whirlpool – Then at Iona Lanthem

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Here’ s another collaboration between The Darkening Scale and Sylvie Walder, excellent ambient drones from a duo that have never met, a fine mail art project. For more info on The Tapeworm Vessel, The Darkening Scale and Renaldo And The Loaf you can visit mrsneff’s new blog. Mp3 download with artwork.

Tracks:

1. Sleeping Near Belgium
2. Broaching Rage
3. Waving & Nodding
4. Gentian Rooftop
5. Snake Kiss Remix
6. Headpiece Dirge
7. She Shall Tell A Sea Shell Tell
8. Distant Rumbling
9. L’éducation Sentimentale
10. Last Tea With Emma

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On 22/10 around 8 am I rushed my girlfriend to hospital, and on 24/10 at 17.37 pm she gave birth to a little girl named: Nola. As Nola was born 6 weeks to early she has to stay at the hospital until 15/11, but everything is ok with Nola and all probes and infuses have been removed and she now sleeps in a regular bed. So with recent events I have been busy arranging all legal & family aspects, I have had no time for the blog and website. Now I have a little more time to do some new posts, answer e-mail’s & ect.,  until she comes home, and then I’ll see how things evolve. I’ll start posting again tomorrow.

Thanks for your understanding,

C.

The Tapeworm Vessel is a collaboration between The Darkening Scale and Sylvie Walder, as David Janssen explains: Via the myspace page I had at the time I was approached by the French drone artist Sylvie Walder who asked if he could send me some material. He liked what I did with it and our project The Tapeworm Vessel was born. We’ve never met but work by exchanging music files that we rearrange, modify and treat until we arrive at something mutually satisfying. Excellent ambient drones. Twelve Atmospheres was completed in 2008, now made available as a mp3 download by David Janssen.

Tracks:

1. Dr C G Jung’s Hallucination Under A Tree
2. Endless Ivory
3. Sein Und Zeit
4. Saddened Ivy
5. A Tear, From Wotan’s Eye Falls.
6. Cloud Formation
7. Ragwort Garland
8. Loki’s Shivers
9. Santa Pioggia
10. …On A Suffocating Village Street
11. Caressed By Nettles
12. A Wrinkled Garden

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Here’s another Darkening Scale aka David Janssen remix, this time it’s a remix of the “Duck Stab” album of The Residents. If you like the previous one you’ll like this one too. Stuck Bad is a mp3 download made available by David.

Tracks:

1. Continental Sop
2. Bake Sore Toe
3. Boulder Buses
4. Had Visions, Bless
5. Hugging Salon
6. Sexier, Arresting Goat
7. Acid Ash Bed

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Aerobic Dallying is a remix of the classic Renaldo And The Loaf album “Arabic Yodelling” made by David Janssen. The Darkening Scale is the solo project of David Janssen: “After Brian an I recorded The Elbow is Taboo we felt that we’d taken RATL as far as we could at that time and so we disbanded and regrettably lost touch with one another. Brian carried on working, but I took a 20 year ‘sabbatical’! Eventually we got in touch again (2005) and arranged to meet up (I’d moved to Wales by then and Brian was still in Portsmouth). Brian was trying to put together a RATL compilation for release (never happened) and asked if I’d be interested in helping choose what went on it and gave me CDs of all the albums plus some he’d burnt from unreleased and unfinished material. It was the unreleased and unfinished material that particularly interested me (I’d forgotten about the existence of a lot of it) and found myself playing around with the material and sampling it – I’d acquired an early version of FL Studio (at the time it was still called Fruity Loops). From there it was a short step to working with non-RATL samples and the solo project The Darkening Scale was born. This is a MP3 download + cover art made by David Janssen.

Tracks:

1. Cap
2. Night
3. Cats
4. Fly
5. Dichotomy
6. Wilf
7. Leery
8. Home
9. Clean
10. Vitamin
11. JPW
12. Cous Cous
13. Nelda
14. Critical

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This is I think the last in the NG series, more punk orientated than the previous two album’s, as the title suggests it’s an live album so to quality of the tracks vary, a short album compared to the other two. NG Live was released on vinyl by Transrecords (TRANS 28) in 1987.

Tracks:

1. ZOA – All Disease Human
2. ZOA – 99
3. Joy – Gork Ii-Beauvoir
4. Asylum – Ain’t No Crime
5. Asylum – Entreaty
6. Genkaku Mime – Done Dance
7. Kokushoku Elegy – 鵼鵺 Thoughts
8. YBO² – Kingdom Of Familydream

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This is the third part in Troum’s Tjukurrpa trilogy, following Part 1 (Harmonies) and Part 2 (Drones). This final part is dedicated to “rhythms” and “pulsations”, with a focus on rhythmic, pounding, looping & repetitive elements and structures. Here Troum shows a not so well known side, using the trance-power of repetitive textures. In every of the seven extensive tracks, rhythms in various moods build the basis: from smooth ambience / pulsations over ritualistic surroundings up to ecstatic pounding harshness, from underneath and soft pulsative patterns up to evolving harsh & overwhelming rhythmic loops. Tjukurrpa (Part Three: Rhythms And Pulsations) was released on cd by Transgredient Records (TR-01) in 2003. CD covered by two full-coloured circular cardboard sheets in a clear sleeve, some copies with additional 10.5 x 15 cm info paper. Two or three editions with the same circle-design cover were pressed, for a total of 2000 copies.

Tracks:

1. Ignis Sacer
2. Orphne
3. Saiwala
4. Wáian / Moys
5. Reigen Taumelnder Geister
6. Wheaio
7. Airþeins

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This is the second part of Troum‘s trilogy Tjukurrpa. Part two is dedicated to “drones,” presenting five highly atmospheric and droning tracks ranging from minimal to monumental sounds, from dark ambient to more ritualistic areas: these are drones to loose your rational mind in. The music on Tjukurrpa II is made by loops based on metal-sounds, percussion & other more obscure sources, as well as mouth-organ, choirs, guitars, and effects. Tjukurrpa (Part Two: Drones) was released on CD by Transgredient Records (TR-01) in 2001. CD covered by two full-coloured circular cardboard sheets in a clear sleeve. Two or three editions with the same circle-design were pressed, for a total of 2000 copies so far (05.2008).

Tracks:

1. Scurphen
2. Dhren
3. Trahan
4. Afgod
5. Tiefenrausch

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The first part of the Tjukurrpa trilogy, aiming to show the different sides of Troum’s organic and archaic dreamscapes. This Part one is dedicated to “Harmonies,” containing seven  atmospheric tracks made by guitar, bass, accordion, voices and effects. Troum is a German duo who were active before in Maeror Tri. Tjukurrpa (Part One: Harmonies) was released on CD by Transgredient Records (TR-01) in 2001. CD covered by two full-coloured circular cardboard sheets in a clear sleeve.  Two or three editions with the same circle-design were pressed, for a total of 2000 copies.

Tracks:

1. Wrota Sfe
2. Licht-Brandung
3. Gluoen
4. Skaun[ei]s
5. Zayin
6. Mada Shaunda
7. Mirrored In You (Dedicated To Martyn Bates)

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As requested here’s the Le Lu/Lu’s first 12″, which seems to have the same tracks as the 7″, also released in the same year. Have almost no info about Le Lu/Lu’s, they where a female fronted synth-wave / pop band from the U.K. They appear on several compilation albums and have a split single with Bene Gesserit.  Two nice relaxing tracks on this 12″, the third track “Blipverts”  was conceived by Dr. J. and aborted by Le Lu/Lu’s, the track seem’s to be a recording of data. Africa was released on vinyl as a 12″ by Possum (POST001) in 1986.

Tracks:

1. Africa
2. Fragile Thing
3. Blipverts

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Another excellent Zoviet France release. Zoviet France have developed a radical relationship with the cheap technologies of old fashioned tape recorders, homemade acoustic instruments, primitive looping and sampling devices, and basic dub trickery. From these machines, the collective has crafted a distinctly unique vocabulary of postindustrial sonic hypnosis. Popular Soviet Songs And Youth Music was released as a 3x CD set by Staalplaat (STCD 024) in 2004. Originally released in 1985 on Singing Ringing/Red Rhino as a double cassette in a ceramic container with special packaging.  Re-leased in 1994 with a round felt piece on front and back of the set with a Soviet miltary pin holding the whole set together. The front round felt piece has the title of the release and the artist printed on it. The set contains 3 CDs with felt glued to the print side & the music on the other side, and 3 CDs with track information on the printed side & a side long high pitched tone on the other side. Re-released in 1995 without felt glued onto the CDs, and without the extra “blank” CDs – there are two versions of this release: one with two brown round stiff felt pieces and Soviet military pin as per the original Staalplaat release color scheme, and one with two grey round soft felt pieces with a different Soviet military pin. Re-released again in 2004 (This version) (once again without felt glued onto the CDs, and without the extra “blank” CDs) with two brown round stiff felt pieces and Soviet military pin once again in the same color scheme as the first Staalplaat issue. The discs have different artwork than the previous CD releases, and CDs 1 & 2 are switched. I have corrected the tracks and put them in the right folder.

Tracks:

CD 1

1. Tier Of Veils
2. Ram
3. Duir
4. Zonë
5. Straif (La Mère Du Bois) Z Estrif
6. White Track (Fire Frost)
7. Veil
8. Pesach
9. Decoy
10. Yezidi

CD 2

1. добрый день
2. Signal
3. Sidi
4. Birch Brake
5. Sein
6. Spin (Hellisein)
7. Tan-Tal
8. Ma-Ja
9. Whip
10. Veil
11. Fearn
12. Burning Bush
13. Sidhe (Riuben)
14. Marsh
15. Swine
16. Marsh
17. Signal (Circe)
18. Migration

CD 3

1. Burning Bush
2. Sheol
3. Veil (Sloe Semen)
4. Signal
5. Chirm Ela
6. Chirm Geis
7. Charm Aliso
8. Shewel
9. Yezidi Say

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Excellent experimental cassette from this  band from the Netherlands which was active in the late 80′s. Prilius Lacus played scores consisting of large colored patches which were pasted on the walls. They produced three cassettes – Symbol Und Hoffnung (V2_Archief), Dentro De La Gravedad (V2_Archief) and Pas De Fear (Korm Plastics). Pas De Fear was remastered and reissued on CDr by Korm Plastics in 1999. Dentro De La Gravedad was released as a cassette by V2_Archief (V211) in 1988. The cassette box was covered with foam, the cassette could only be removed from the only free side opening of the box, released with 11 little  inserts.

Tracks:

1. Das Baby Sagt Dada Again
2. Dentro De La Gravedad
3. Dreifünftell Gehirne
4. I Thought I’ve Killed The Time
5. Only For Adults
6. The Parvenu
7. Am Wannsee
8. The Leoparty

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Here we go with the second NG compilation. A more wider variety of new wave, post punk and noise bands from the Japanese underground scene. Most of the bands are unknown to me, so more info on the bands would be welcome. NG II was released on vinyl by Transrecords ( TRANS-18) in 1987.

Tracks:

1. Kokushoku Elegy – Solar Eye
2. Es – Drawing Of Heresy
3. Es – Eye
4. Bardo Thödol – Redeem Redeemer
5. Junk Schizo – Bang Your Head
6. Elvis Dust – Highway Hotdog Star
7. Tupai – Strawberry Jam
8. Joy – Marble Dome
9. G.R.I ² – All My Color
10. Duppi – It’s Alive
11. Ita-roh – Why?
12. Ruins – Cambodia
13. No Lip – Ophelia
14. Zatopek Soccer – Corpus Cop
15. Asylum – Christmas NG

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After a week of vacation I’m fully charged to start posting again. Le Requiem Des Kangourous  is a very nice improvisation cassette recorded live in various places in Belgium. Ludo Engels has worked as an improvising musician, developing skills that he applied later to his artistic practice, which encompasses music, audio-visual installations, and photography. Guy De Bièvre is a composer, musician, arranger, sound designer, sound art curator, theorist, and sound engineer. As a composer/performer he focuses on experiments, which combine computer, live electronics, acoustics and standard arrangement formats. Lars Rudolph studied music as a trumpet player (mainly Jazz) and moved to New York in the late 80s to play with avantgarde musicians around the circle of John Zorn. Jan Blondeel now works for  TV in Belgium, where he has his own cultural program ” Goudvis “. Le Requiem Des Kangourous was released on cassette by Sex On Sunday, Sport And Country (st 55) in 1986.

Tracks:

1. Le Requiem
2. Ten Short Pieces (2)
3. Ten Short Pieces (4)
4. Les Kangourous
5. Ten Short Pieces (6-7-8-9)

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NG is an excellent compilation album of Japanese underground bands from 1986. From noise rock to new wave, with legendary bands such as Ruins, ANP, YBO², ZOA among others,  and it’s also another Sodom request for there first flexi release I didn’t have, but both tracks are on this album. NG was released on vinyl by Transrecords (Trans-09) in 1986.

Tracks:

1. ZOA – Cry The War
2. Ruins – Ideology / Sanctuary
3. Zeitlich Vergelter – The Third System Of Transit
4. Asylum – Mu En
5. YBO² – Trash! Crash! Y.B.O.
6. Sodom – Banshee / Cry
7. Boredoms – Ground Burn Out
8. Libido – Kiss My Area
9. ANP – Disembody
10. Ill Bone – Numberlessland

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Here’s another of Robert Haigh’s alias bands namely Fote. Excellent post-punk avantgarde  with the aid of Trevor Reidy, eerie and dark at times. Shaking The House  was released on vinyl as a 12″ by Le Rey Records (LR 03) in 1981.

Tracks:

1. Shaking The House
2. Cross Garden
3. Underground Games

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Here’s the third Sodom request. I think this is there second 7″, released before their “TV Murder” album. Two great post – punk tracks with a little avant garde touch, and a earlier version of “Test Pattern”. Breaking Glass was released on vinyl as a 7″ by Wechselbalg Syndicate (WT-705) in 1985.

Tracks:

1. Breaking Glass
2. Test Pattern

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Robert Haigh, also known as Omni Trio, is a British electronic, ambient and experimental musician. In the early eighties he released a series of experimental ambient albums under the names Robert Haigh and Sema – the most notable being ‘Three Seasons Only’ and ‘Notes From Underground’. He also contributed to several Nurse with Wound projects and formed an industrial avant  band called The Truth Club together with Trefor Goronwy, who would go on to join This Heat, Camberwell Now and become involved with music in the former Soviet Union. Music From The Ante Chamber was released on vinyl as a 12″ by L.A.Y.L.A.H. Antirecords (LAY 21) in 1986.

Tracks

1. Passage
2. Andante (For Strings, Piano, Percussion)
3. The Colour Of Red (Parts 1 And 2)

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Here’s another 7″ from the Portland multi-musical combo Smegma. From post-punk to vocal mumbling, rantings and other weirdness. On the track “Vox” you can hear the voice of Pig Champion (Born 4. November 1958; died 31. January 2006)  from the hardcore / punk band Poison Idea.  Thicket was released on vinyl as a 7″ (Red vinyl)  by Sympathy For The Record Industry (SFTRI169) in 1992.

Tracks:

1. Thicket
2. Vox

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Title in Limbo is an album by The Residents in collaboration with Renaldo and the Loaf, released in 1983 on Ralph Records. Guest performers include Snakefinger (guitar and violin), and vocalist Nessie Lessons. The album was originally recorded during four days in 1981, when Renaldo and The Loaf were on vacation in San Francisco, but they were unable to finish the album before the duo went home. In 1983, during a time of financial crisis in the Residents’ quarters, the half-finished album, with its gentle, tuneful sound, seemed like a financial lifeline, so the Residents decided to put vocals on the tracks and ready the album for release. Dave “The Loaf” Janssen was unable to get time off from work and just sent some tapeloops, Brian Poole came to San Francisco to sing and also participated in the instrumental overdubs. Excellent experimental surrealistic tracks by these two legendary bands. Title In Limbo was released on vinyl by Ralph Records (RR 8351) in 1983.

Tracks:

Tidal In Lumbar

1. Intro: Version
2. The Shoe Salesman
3. Crashing
4. Monkey & Bunny
5. Mahogany Wood

Tattle In Logo

6. Sitting On The Sand
7. Africa Tree
8. Woman’s Weapon
9. Horizontal Logic
10. The Sailor Song
11. Extra: Version

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