Möbius - Above The Clouds, Night cdr

Those readers who remember the TQ anniversary post will remember my raving about a track featured on the compilation that accompanied that issue contributed by Möbius. This is a vocal drone duo from Newcastle consisting of a guy doing very low pitched hums and occasional death grunts similar to background synthesizers or a Tibetan monk and a woman singing, moaning and mourning above with a gorgeous voice. Their approach is narrative and generating images of demons, witches, cauldrons and Cthulhu. Möbius is really the new breaking out unit from the ever prolific and inspiring North-East  English/Tyneside womb of drone/noise. From what I see in this video they also have a ritualistic aspect to them that reminds me a little bit of Phurpa, something that makes them even more adorable in my eyes and mind. And to make things even better, I saw that an oncoming TQ issue will be coming with the new Möbius recording for free, so I hope that more people will become exposed to them; this means that a subscription to TQ to get the cd is a pressing necessity! And for those who still haven't made the right move to contact David Howcroft of No-Audience Underground for live tapes of the great artists of the North-East region, I think that this cdr will convince you to do so, as David has already recorded and generated four Möbius gigs on tape along with other great people such as Death In Scarsdale, Womb, MP Wood! Admire this amazing cdr and do any necessary action now! 2017 cdr on Inverted Grim-Mill Recordings (cool name).

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Faust - Fresh Air

Faust return three years after Just Us with a collection of studio and live recordings from an American tour with a list of collaborators including Barbara Manning of Glands of External Secretion and Braden Diotte of Tarantula Hawk. It's incredible how much these old guys continue experimenting relentlessly with drone, motorik rhythms, noise rock, toxic funk, and avant-garde dub jazz while collaborating with people that had probably barely been born when Faust released their first album. Highly recommended. 2017 cd on Bureau B.

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Bjerga/Iversen - Untitled 2 X cdr (1000+1 TiLT)

This is probably the first release ever made by the highly prolific duo of Bjerga and Iversen, so many releases of whom have been posted here. Not as much focused on drone, this one has wildly exploratory tendencies, ranging from deep bass tones to Coil-esque psychedelic synths and from elemental old-school techno melodies to harsh noise wall. Weirdness abounds. 2004 2Xcdr on the legendary Greek label 1000+1 TiLt.

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John Cage - Boris Berman ‎– Sonatas And Interludes For Prepared Piano

A great recording with superbly sounding reverb of Cage's 1946-1948 compositions for prepared piano. It's that good that I put my two-month old baby child to sleep to it- does it need any higher recommendation? Recorded by Berman in 1998, released by Naxos on cd in 1999.

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itdreamedtome - A.Y. and various Johann Wlight releases

If I had heard this in time, I would probably have called the best release of 2017. If you remember, one of the participants in the Pylons and Telegraph Poles comp of the previous post was Johann Wlight, a quiet and evasive figure of the English drone underground who had released a few tapes and cdr-s in the 2000s on Evelyn Records, Matching Head tapes and other imprints but never became a household name. He plays psychedelic devotional drone/ambient with a focus on mysticism.

The itdreamedtome moniker is the one under which he now records after years of silence and it shares its name with the title of a tape he released on Matching Head in the 2000s. It's an amazing release coming in a great package with beautiful esoteric images (John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress and others) and the music is sublime. Deep ambient with an angelic and frozen quality intermingled with some darker industrial tones ending in a levitating/peaceful dying orchestral ambient track of the order of William Basinski. A must hear offered by Trome Records, the continuation of Evelyn Records that had released the comp I mention at the beginning. The bandcamp download I got when I ordered the cd offered two additional releases: Johann's 2004 Y.V. on Evelyn, in which he experiments with heavier drones and slightly harsher tones while still containing the psychedelic/hypnotic edge, and the previously unreleased thunderthighbonetrumpet which is so spectrally and cinematically good I can't understand why he never brought it out. As an additional bonus I share two more releases of his I found on Internet Archive where they were posted for free: 2004's dark and menacing Dauswkn 2007's Oneironautic Recrudescence, both on on Sijis, on which he combines field recordings and electronic soundscapes to great effect.

itdreamedtome - A.Y.
Johann Wlight - Y.V.
Johann Wlight - thunderthighbonetrumpet
Johann Wlight - Dauswkn
Johann Wlight - Oneironautic Recrudescence

Various ‎– Pylons And Telegraph Poles

When a compilation starts out with a Culver track, you know that it's good. So this comp features 9 tracks from UK drone and experimental artists, including Culver in a totally sleepy static mid-tone drone, fizzy psychedelic ambient by the underrated Johann Wlight, scary ambient by Dual, spacey levitating drone by Amberlight, low-pitched paralyzing distortion by iD, deep spectral ambient/drone by Arabella's Parade, cacophonous accordion/dictaphone improvisations by Rob Galpin, ambiental noise by Nixxos Lexxos, and nice organ/guitar loop drone by Karina ESP. I like this cd very much, it makes me want to sleep so much; due to the fact that I always work afternoons/evenings I should have known better than listening to such stuff just before I leave for work. Shit. Cdr on Evelyn Records.


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Food People - Animal Work tape

Spaced-out weirdness at its best here, as this trio creates a mix between psychedelic drones, folkish violins and dark ambient/industrial voids. 2018 tape on Beartown.

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Flamingo Creatures ‎– Flauschi tape

One of the absolutely best psychedelic bands at work at the moment, the German duo of Flaming Creatures construct a hazy world of amazing sonic experimentation based on violins, guitars and loops, mixing kosmische psychedelia, gamelan type bliss and the best and most nightmarish elements of early Throbbing Gristle. Must listen. 2017 tape on Beartown.

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Erimos - Koilada Tis Monaksias

If you liked the side of Epithanatios Ronghos from the previous post, this is also gonna appeal to you. Erimos was the band some of their members had before Epithanatios while they still lived in provincial Greece. Their style is almost identical: epic wintry black metal-tinged crust punk based on seventh chords, gruff vocals and relentless pounding on the drums, close to Greek crust legends Himeria Narki, dark melodic crust like Ambulance or Ekkaia, as well as the early - and good - Greek bm material like Rotting Christ (pre-Triarchy of the Lost Lovers), Varathron and Septic Flesh. 2004 DIY release.

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Epithanatios Roghos & Poreia Sto Perithorio Split LP

Two great punk bands from Thessaloniki, Greece, whom I was lucky enough to catch in the act during their run. Epithanatios Ronghos (Death Rattle) played superb black metal-influenced crust punk with lots of wintry melodic riffs, gruff vocals and an epic sense of despair. Unfortunately they broke up after their guitarist's death from a drug overdose, but at least one member continues to the now running band Kataxnia who play kinda similar punk. Poreia Sto Perithorio played pogo-inducing mid-to-fast-paced rock n roll punk that makes me want to jump from my desk to the couch. 2006 self-released lp.

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The Tea Towels ‎– We Are The Deadness tape

Garage sound quality noise rock with lots of mellower atonal, greenish moments. For fans of Slint, Oxbow, and The Dead C, but at their most incoherent, broken down and crawling on the floor. 2017 tape on Beartown.

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Paranoia Keeps Crawling ‎– Made To Be Broken lp

One of the later examples of the Bremen sound of metallic hardcore, Paranoia Keeps Crawling plays extremely dark and heavy hardcore punk with a technical edge compared to their forefathers Zeroid and many influences from His Hero Is Gone, along with some more melodic neocrust moments. Very good stuff. 2004 lp on Sabotage and and Per Koro Records.

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N. / Depletion ‎– Today I Feel Drained cdr

Italian N. sets off very interestingly with soulless synth noise akin to Maurizio Bianchi and Atrax Morgue. It sounds very damaged and nihilistic, inducing you to just stare at the ceiling. The great Depletion of Martyn Reid (Vampyres) continues with three amazing tracks of heavy synth noise of similar influences, for people who want to commit suicide by swallowing a bucket of wet concrete. 2017 cdr on BeTon.

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IDX1274 / Dead Shall Not Have Died In Vain ‎– Split

IDX1274 is from Oregon and plays improvisational noise. He doesn't push the wheel on any account but his noise is harsh, heavy-toned and hypnotic. On a dark, rainy early autumn like this it's one of these things I like hearing after a tiring day at work to put my mind at ease. Dead Shall Not Have Died In Vain plays more lo-fi noise, with additional textures and samples and a little HNW attitude. 2007 cdr on Pottersfield.

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Various ‎– Spiritual Jazz Vol.8 Japan: Parts I & II

The most recent in the Spiritual Jazz series features 60s and 70s jazz artists from Japan, ranging from bop and spiritual to free jazz and fusion. Outstanding tracks include Minoru Muraoka's blend of jazz with traditional Japanese instruments like the shakuhachi, biwa, and koto, Sadao Watanebe & Charlie Mariano's aggressive free jazz, and Tohru Aizawa's deep spiritual. 2018 2Xcd on Jazzman/Spiritual Jazz.

PS. These Spiritual Jazz cd contain very informative booklets on the artists, but unfortunately my time is too limited to get into the trouble of scanning them. However, since the music is amazing, I strongly urge everyone to buy the actual physical thing to get all the info and of course support the label.

Disc 1
Disc 2 

Various ‎– Spiritual Jazz 5 - Esoteric, Modal And Deep Jazz From Around The World 1961-79

The fifth installment of the Spiritual Jazz series features progressive jazz from all around the world, from countries such Israel, Turkey, Jamaica and Argentina. My favorite tracks are the Indian Louiz Banks's heavy funky raga jazz, Oladepo Ogomodede's gritty cover of Dave Brubeck's "Take Five," and Hideo Shiraki's koto-and-flute based dark, subdue jazz. 2014 cd on Jazzman/Spiritual Jazz.

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Various ‎– Spiritual Jazz - Esoteric, Modal And Deep Jazz From The Underground 1968-77

The first release in a series of compilations on various aspects of spiritual/deep/modal/soul jazz, this cd includes various underground and not too well-known jazz artists and bands from the late 60s and early 70s, most of whom showcase dark jazz and many times with ethnic vibes. My favorite tracks include Lloyd Miller's beautiflu santur-based jazz version of an Iranian traditional song, South African Ndikho Xaba's deep vamp, and the one by Ohio Penitentiary 511 Jazz Ensemble, which consisted of prisoners. 2008 cd by Jazzman/Spiritual Jazz.

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Various - State of the Union 2Xcd

The main reason I bought this compilation was to hear the one of the only two recordings as far as I know of legendary and mysterious very early Swans guitar player (pre-Filth) Sue Hanel, which is talked about to some extent in the Swans book. The other recording is in the All Guitars! compilation uploaded by Die or DIY. But this double cd set contains a lot of the most important names in the American noise/no wave/experimental scene. The names are two many but some indicative names are Fred Frith, John Duncan, Painkiller, John Zorn, John Lurie, plus a poem by Allen Ginsberg! You can check all the other names in the pic here on Discogs. 1996 2Xcd on Atavistic.

Disc 1
Disc 2

Swans - Filth/Body To Body/EP #1/Live Recordings 3-cd reissue

Of course theres nothing to be said about Swans' first monstrous album of cacophonic oppressive filth. I'm just posting this because I recently finished the Sacrifice And Transcendence: The Oral History book with interviews of various people close to Michael Gira and Swans compiled by Nick Soulsby. It's a fun book documenting Gira's oppressive personality and regimental discipline imposed on the band, plus the many crazy reactions to the band's loudness. Jarboe comes off as an extremely likeable person by most interviewees, Bill Laswell is mostly berated for the production he imposed on The Burning World album. What I found lacking was discussion on the reunion line-up and experience of Swans which was kinda short and didn't care to make any mention of the decision to disband it and Gira's enigmatic plans about how Swans will continue; plus, since the book is as much a Swans biography as an account of Gira's life and his life post-Swans (with some really negative comments by his Angels of Light collaborators), I would definitely have liked it had the book delved into the rape allegations made by Larkin Grimm, given that she hasn't pressed charges against him and that Gira has made a too vague response as far as I'm concerned. I hope that the truth will come out one day; whether Gira has done it or not, there must be some form of financial help for women who have been raped so that they can legally go forward, and so that Larkin Grimm can do what she deems best to prove if Gira is scum or not.

So, the three-cd reissue of Filth includes the album remastered plus a live recording from 1982-3 on the first cd, the amazing Body To Body Job To Job live cd comprising of recordings from 1982-85 in all their brutality - damn that LOUD version of 'Raping a Slave' (and includes the only live recording I've heard of Sue Hanel with Swans), and the third cd includes the first EP, and other early live recordings. Enjoy. 2015 3-cd set on Young God Records/Mute.

CD1: Filth
CD2: Body To Body
CD3: EP/Live Recordings

Emaciator - Possessive tape

Emaciator proves that sleep can be a horrible experience. Hypnotic, dark and scuzzy synth imdustrial noise in the vein of early Maurizio Bianchi that is guaranteed to put you to sleep and then terrify you. 2006 tape on Hanson.

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Depletion ‎– Electrónica Nerviosa cdr

Claustrophobic, utterly grey and urban modular synth industrial noise by Martyn Reid, who also plays with Lee Stokoe in Vampyres. Like early Maurizio Bianchi with better sound and bleake. 2016 cdr on Shadown Of Venom.

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Blacken The Skies - Blacken The Skies cd

An anarcho-punk band from North Carolina featuring Stef of Catharsis. They play intricate and melodic neo-crust punk with influences from Ashes Rise and mainly The Dagda, along with some more experimental screamo influences. 2003 cd on CrimethInc.

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Sindre Bjerga - Fabio Orsi - Faded Brown And Grey cd

Awesome electro-acoustic drone collaboration between Sindre Bjerga and Fabio Orsi without hesitating to delve into noisier, more levitating atmospheres. 2014 cd on Korm Plastics.

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Papal Bull - In Is In, An Is An, Nrmeegecy Is Emergency, Uyo Is You, Cna Is Can, Siht Is Shit, On Is On, Polihs Is Polish, Tiancvdseetas Is Sedevacantist cdr

Papal Bull is a project of Joe Murray (Posset) and Jon Marshall (Singing Knives). The approach is similar to Posset's musique concrète/sound poetry, i.e. the soundtrack of dental suction, accompanied by noisy improvisations on piano, violin and a very cool demented jazz track called "Brassy Exit Burrs" with jazzy drums and mouth horns. I also must mention the title; I love the anagrams and I also love doing this mentally, i.e. when I watch a movie and I place vowels or consonants of words I here separately and alphabetically very quickly. Then my brain hurts. Shit. 2016 cdr on Chocolate Monk.

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Posset - Incumbent Failure Ambassador 3" cdr

Starts fairly typically with Posset's patent dictaphone decay and improvised percussive sounds, and then "Technological Music" comes in with beautiful 8-bit chords over sound manipulations and ends with some lo-fi beatbox. Last track is a slowed-down, very low tone sound poem which at the end sounds as if it says "cock you up." Well, I'd be honored. 2018 3 cdr on Bells Hill.

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