LISTEN UP: NEW RELEASES OF VARYING DEGREES OF BRILLIANCE (1.7.2022)

  LULL - MOMENTS






Deep thunderous tones rise tsunami high and maintain their height until the next, more peaceful sonic stretch appears. This album is like traveling across flat landscapes without much variety in the way of hills or mountains, but a continuous metamorphosing of feeling - different areas, different light, different accents, all variations on a set central theme.   Dark ambient and drone from Mick Harris of Scorn and Napalm Death fame.  Originally released as a ninety-nine track continuous CD in 1998 now presented on vinyl for the first time.   Moments is expanded to one hundred cuts with bonus material from the original recording sessions.


ALAN HOVHANESS - OPENING A WINDOW TO COSMIC LOVE:  PRIVATE ACETATE DISCS 1946-55






Alan Hovhaness ranks among the most intrepid of musical explorers in 20th century classical music. He began to be a widely recorded and lauded American composer in the late 1950s, and was the recipient of numerous awards. With his "world view" of music and an often chaste, consciously melodic style, he was ahead of his time aesthetically but has, since the 1990s, enjoyed something of a revival as audiences have 'caught up' with him.  These recordings are derived from acetate-covered, aluminum-core discs, cut one-at-a-time for the composer and presented to his protegé, the pianist and teacher Shoghere Markarian.  They comprise private recordings of works-in-progress, radio broadcasts, and live recordings made during a fruitful and transitional period during Hovhaness' career.


CHAPUTA'S DOUBLE FEATURE VOL. 4




Oh boy, oh boy!… CHAPUTA!’s DOUBLE FEATURE is back!  Fourth volume of this amazing series now featuring: The Jackets & The Courettes   Oh boy, oh boy . . .  It’s a 4 track gatefold double 7″ packed with a fantastic illustration by our pal Rui Ricardo inspired b the movie Plan 9 From Outer Space.   Limited edition of 500 copies only!


ARTOFACT RECORDS 2021 SAMPLER




Artoffact Records is a Canadian/Icelandic record label that concentrates on industrial, postpunk, heavy metal, and electronic music. The label was founded in 1999.  This sampler is just the thing for those enamored of '80s industrial dance (Wax Trax, Front 242, Skinny Puppy) and '80s synth pop (Yaz, Human League, Depeche Mode, Spandau Ballet).   We know, we know, it's 2022 so get real, no?  No, you get real.  You can dance AND dream while this stuff is playing; how much of today's music can you say that about?  And they throw in a couple cuts - post industrial  dark ambient and grind punk -  at the end to impress you with their artistic bona fides.  And and . . . you can download the whole shebang for FREE!  But you're not that much of a jerk, so you'll shell out a couple of bucks (you get to name the price) for this.


DZAMBO AGUSEVI ORCHESTRA - BRASSES FOR THE MASSES




From humble beginnings in his Macedonian village of Strumica, to packing out festival dance floors across Europe and conquering stages across the globe, the Džambo Aguševi Orchestra has risen to the very top of the international music scene.  As the leader of his orchestra, trumpet prodigy Džambo, aka "The Funky Tiger," is, perhaps, the most widely celebrated Macedonian musician in the world.   Džambo’s sound developed as a result of his cultural background and varied musical taste. While his initial musical interest was deeply rooted in the brass band traditions of the southern Balkans, young Džambo kept his ears open, listening to music from both east and west – appropriate for a Macedonian youth in the historical melting pot of the former Yugoslav republic. Listening to Jazz and Funk, Turkish music and movie soundtracks, Dzambo combined these musical ideas using his gypsy heritage as a foundation from which he developed his own distinctive sound. 

Heralding the future of the Balkan brass sound, Brasses for the Masses is a reflection of Džambo’s vision for Balkan brass music.  Across the albums twelve track journey, Džambo pays respect to the regional roots of the genera, whilst combining hard grooves and uplifting melodies, bringing the music to the dance floors of a younger generation. 




 







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