Allee Der Kosmonauten ‎– Allee Der Kosmonauten LP

A now defunct band from Germany that fuses sludgy tones with noise rock and epic crust/punk influences with tortured female vocals. I saw them live years ago in Greece and they were the business on stage. 2007 LP jointly released by Institut Für Mentale Hygiene, Unsociable, Behind The Scenes, Bedbeforebreakfast, and Trująca Fala.

Download 

Jazzfinger - Our Friends In the North 4 X CDR

Three-and-a-half hours of dissonant green-ish free drone by the inimitable Jazzfinger recorded live across North England from 2001 to 2008 and three studio tracks. What else do you need for a hot Sunday? All hails to Posset for sharing this monumental piece of NE sickness! 2011 4 X CDR on Fuckin' Amateurs.

Download

Helictite ‎– Nicked tape

Part free skronk jazz, part high-energy motorik motherfuck, and part Les Rallizes Denudes-like brain melt, Helictite was one of NE England No-Audience Undeground's biggest secret. This was unfortunately their last recording, played live in - where else - Gateshead - as well as the last tape release of  Fuckin' Amateurs in 2017. RIP.

(For some stupid reason I ripped also the blank sound of side 2, you might as well never listen to it, sorry for the additional data, but at this moment I'm kind of too busy to re-zip and re-upload it)

Download

Abraham ‎– God / Traditional Height 12"

Another totally random purchase I've made that ain't what I usually listen to. Guess  the seemingly short-lived Abraham is somewhere between trip hop and downtempo with touches of dub, but it kind of reminds me also of the great Boston indie band 27, both in the low-key style and the similarity between the female vocalists of both groups. Not a stellar recording, but relaxing music for a summer day-off. 1999 12" on Junior Boy's Own.

Download

Wreaths - The Sea To Which The Body Is Drawn tape

EXCELLENT drone/ambient by the project of Michael R. Donaldson featuring bowed mandolin and hazy effects, creating a very foggy atmosphere of tides and windy landscapes. An absolute must-buy and one of the best recordings of 2019, buy it without any second thought from the great Panurus Productions.

Download

Left Hand Cuts Off The Right - Desired Place tape

Yet another beautiful recording by LHCOTR/Robbie Judkins, in which he utilizes piano and effects to reflect on his 2014 suicide attempt. The music is low-key, repetitive but not overall depressing, but with a feeling of recovery. 2018 tape on Hominid Sounds.

More greatness on his bandcamp.

Download

TQ zine #21

While waiting for the new TQ issue I though to post a rather belated writing on the previous issue, which includes an interview with Darren Holoway, the mastermind behind Damselfy who plays really interesting synth-based ambient that reminds me of late70s/early 80s sci-fi synth and even Soviet music, but with a touch of noise and even medieval sounds! I took a listen of his album In Southern Darkness and  I found it really cool. There's also a feature on Panurus Productions, a label I have mentioned from Newcastle, and which I will write about in forthcoming posts, run by James Watts of the amazing Möbius.

There's also a free cd by the improv/sound-making collective Blanc Sceol, who make site- and instrument-specific recordings with reproductions of ancient instruments and record while exploring natural environments. Very interesting sounds that require full attention.

Download the Blanc Sceol cd

and don't forget to make a subscription to the always commendable TQ zine.!

Xqui - Lleisiau cdr

Lleisiau is yet another piece in Xqui's urban experimental evil music. Quite removed from the more structured recordings of his previous full-length Capitulate, this one seems kind of closer to his first one Dragon in its more abstract approach, but the darkness and the horror are accentuated; as always there's a subterranean and submarine menace lurking, a Cthulhian creature waiting to arise when the stars are right. What I particularly like in this one is that it seems to have been influenced by the 80s industrial/experimental scene: early Coil, very early Current 93, a bit of Throbbing Gristle, all covered with a psychedelic and hazy atmosphere. On his bandcamp page, I see there's one remaining copy waiting along with some free button, so do the right thing and buy it; as always Xqui deserves our help. 2019 cdr on Wormhole World.

Left Hand Cuts Off The Right - Purge tape

A highlight album for 2019, and one of the most troubling recordings you'll hear all year round, Robbie Judkins/Left Hand Cuts Off The Right's Purge is an attempt at mentally overcoming a serious injury he had, while previous recordings deal with suicide attempts. The very effort he has put in dealing with his mental and physical health issues while making them public in a time where mental health problems are still not fully embraced socially is noteworthy, but when it comes with beautiful music, then it becomes praiseworthy. This is music based mainly on piano themes accompanied by ambient/drone sounds, I'd say it's somewhere between Satie and The Necks darker/more subdued pieces like the quieter moments of Vertigo, for instance. Oustanding work, which is mandatory that it be further explored. 2019 tape on Fractal Meat Cuts.

Download

Nimh + Maurizio Bianchi ‎– Secluded Truths CD

Not as haunting and apocalyptic as most MB releases, this one is closer to a more esoteric ambient approach with nods to space and kosmische music and very slightly new age, albeit with a few pinches of noise. 2005 cd on Silentes Minimal.

Download

Ken Ishii ‎– Circular Motion (Remixes) 10"

Completely random purchase I made years ago (I think I liked the packaging) by an artist I knew nothing of. It's two remixes of Ken Ishii's track "Circular Motion," an addictive track of good techno music. The remixes are vastly different. The first one, by Red Snapper, has an dub/electronic jazz/drum 'n' bass/ambient feel to it, with a far more natural and jam atmosphere that accentuates the original version's bass background. Remix no. 2 by Patrick Pulsinger is closer to techno but with a more relaxed style (floating synths and flutes) that suits a cocktail bar. 1997 10" on R & S Records.

Download

Georgina Brett - The Eclipse Collaborations USB stick

Almost three hours of beautifully diverse experimental music by Georgina Brett and her collaborators, ranging from Middle-Eastern haze to dreamy psychedelia, and from dark electronica to levitating ambient, released in 2016 on a golden-painted USB stick.

Download

We Came, We Played, We Conquered

It's been 29 years since the last Premier League championship but we still go to Champions League finals and win the trophy. Do you know of many other teams who can do that?

Johannes Frisch & Ralf Wehowsky ‎– Tränende Würger cd

Two German veterans of experimental music join forces to create an album that combines free improvised jazz with industrial noise; Johannes Frisch is a double bass player whose deep chords penetrate and crackle through the noise, while Ralf Wehosky offers a feeling of anxiety with his noises. I particularly like the more evidently organic and live moments as in track 3 "Kantakari" which borders on electro-acoustic musique concrète. 2005 cd on Korm Plastics.

Download