The »Icol Diston« compilation, released in 2002 on DIN, comprised the three first EPs released by Uwe Zahn under his Arovane moniker. Following up on vinyl reissues of his path-breaking debut album »Atol Scrap« as well as 2000’s »Tides,« the German Keplar label finally makes »Icol Diston« available in its entirety on vinyl for the first time in a remastered version with new artwork. This expansive reissue sheds a new light on Zahn’s first two outings as a producer on the »I.O.« and »Icol Diston« EPs on Torsten ›T++‹ Pröfrock’s legendary label as well as highlighting his radical inventiveness as a remixer with the two renditions of Pröfrock-produced material offered on »AMX.« Taken together, these musically complex and emotionally rich electronic compositions form the prologue to an artistic story like none other while also documenting a very specific era in cultural history.
The energy running through Berlin and its boundaryless electronic music scene at the end of the 1990s is reflected by and refined through these eleven tracks. »There was an overwhelming dynamic of liberation reverberating through the city—through the clubs, the arts, the people,« says Zahn today. At this early stage in his career, he had a head full of ideas and slowly started filling up his studio with samplers, synthesizers, and sequencers to put them into practice. »I would compose percussive structures in my mind during long metro rides and record them once I was back at the studio as well as composing melodies spontaneously on my sequencer.« The Yamaha QY700 would become his sketchbook that allowed him to experiment with different patterns, creating polymetric figures out of discrete musical elements.
Zahn’s sessions, recorded live in stereo and straight to DAT, resulted in two very different EPs of original material. His debut »I.O.« showcases a playful and gentle, albeit dubby and at times moody aesthetic. The four tracks are exercises in sonic worldbuilding, creating vast spaces and filling them with a plethora of intertwining melodies and rhythms. Its successor »Icol Diston« drew on similar parameters, but painted a very different picture in terms of atmosphere and mood. »Berlin’s history felt still so tangible and yet somewhat ghostly during the 1990s, and it is a reflection of all that,« explains Zahn. »The weight of its past, starting with World War II up to the end of the GDR, clashed with an atmosphere of departure, a new zest for life among the people in the city.« It is perhaps no surprise then that the five tracks put a firmer focus on beats, at times even approximating techno or electro grooves despite never eschewing the complexity that is so central to Zahn’s work.
The »AMX« EP features two remixes of tracks originally produced by Pröfrock under two different guises. »Außen vor« had been released under his Dynamo moniker and was reworked by Zahn after having been introduced to his label owner’s Studio 440 sampler, sequencer and drum machine. By leaving the groove at the core of the original track mostly intact but infusing it with more dub as well as anthemic synth drones, Zahn gave it more depth both sonically and emotionally. With his remix of »No. 8,« released under Pröfrock’s tongue-in-cheek pseudonym Various Artists, Zahn followed a more radical approach which led him even deeper into dub territory. »I used a relatively short sample as the tonal foundation and then added an incredibly deep bass and percussive elements,« he explains. Widely different from the original version, it perfectly translated the spirit of this singular masterpiece into another stylistic idiom.
The »Icol Diston« compilation is imbued with a forward-thinking spirit that remains exhilarating until today. It captures the sound of one unique artist, but also electronic music during that time more broadly. This is the sound of opening a new chapter, the willingness to venture into the unknown.
All tracks composed and recorded by Uwe Zahn in 1998/99.
D1 is a remix based on the track by Dynamo. D2 is a remix based on the track by Various Artists.
Originally released on three 12inches by DIN in 1998/99 and on CD in 2002.
Remaster and cut by Kassian Troyer @ D&M.
Cover art by Jim Kühnel based on a photograph by Uwe Zahn.
Text by Kristoffer Cornils.
Tracks
# Title Duration
1 / 1 i.o. (2023 Remaster) 06:14
1 / 2 parf (2023 Remaster) 06:14
1 / 3 torn (2023 Remaster) 06:57
1 / 4 andar (2023 Remaster) 07:44
1 / 5 icol diston (2023 Remaster) 19
1 / 6 yua:e (2023 Remaster) 08:11
2 / 1 icol vern (2023 Remaster) 05:03
2 / 2 nacrath (2023 Remaster) 04:59
2 / 3 acval (2023 Remaster) 05:06
2 / 4 außen vor amx (2023 Remaster) 09:20
2 / 5 no.8 amx (2023 Remaster) 07:10
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
The energy running through Berlin and its boundaryless electronic music scene at the end of the 1990s is reflected by and refined through these eleven tracks. »There was an overwhelming dynamic of liberation reverberating through the city—through the clubs, the arts, the people,« says Zahn today. At this early stage in his career, he had a head full of ideas and slowly started filling up his studio with samplers, synthesizers, and sequencers to put them into practice. »I would compose percussive structures in my mind during long metro rides and record them once I was back at the studio as well as composing melodies spontaneously on my sequencer.« The Yamaha QY700 would become his sketchbook that allowed him to experiment with different patterns, creating polymetric figures out of discrete musical elements.
Zahn’s sessions, recorded live in stereo and straight to DAT, resulted in two very different EPs of original material. His debut »I.O.« showcases a playful and gentle, albeit dubby and at times moody aesthetic. The four tracks are exercises in sonic worldbuilding, creating vast spaces and filling them with a plethora of intertwining melodies and rhythms. Its successor »Icol Diston« drew on similar parameters, but painted a very different picture in terms of atmosphere and mood. »Berlin’s history felt still so tangible and yet somewhat ghostly during the 1990s, and it is a reflection of all that,« explains Zahn. »The weight of its past, starting with World War II up to the end of the GDR, clashed with an atmosphere of departure, a new zest for life among the people in the city.« It is perhaps no surprise then that the five tracks put a firmer focus on beats, at times even approximating techno or electro grooves despite never eschewing the complexity that is so central to Zahn’s work.
The »AMX« EP features two remixes of tracks originally produced by Pröfrock under two different guises. »Außen vor« had been released under his Dynamo moniker and was reworked by Zahn after having been introduced to his label owner’s Studio 440 sampler, sequencer and drum machine. By leaving the groove at the core of the original track mostly intact but infusing it with more dub as well as anthemic synth drones, Zahn gave it more depth both sonically and emotionally. With his remix of »No. 8,« released under Pröfrock’s tongue-in-cheek pseudonym Various Artists, Zahn followed a more radical approach which led him even deeper into dub territory. »I used a relatively short sample as the tonal foundation and then added an incredibly deep bass and percussive elements,« he explains. Widely different from the original version, it perfectly translated the spirit of this singular masterpiece into another stylistic idiom.
The »Icol Diston« compilation is imbued with a forward-thinking spirit that remains exhilarating until today. It captures the sound of one unique artist, but also electronic music during that time more broadly. This is the sound of opening a new chapter, the willingness to venture into the unknown.
All tracks composed and recorded by Uwe Zahn in 1998/99.
D1 is a remix based on the track by Dynamo. D2 is a remix based on the track by Various Artists.
Originally released on three 12inches by DIN in 1998/99 and on CD in 2002.
Remaster and cut by Kassian Troyer @ D&M.
Cover art by Jim Kühnel based on a photograph by Uwe Zahn.
Text by Kristoffer Cornils.
Tracks
# Title Duration
1 / 1 i.o. (2023 Remaster) 06:14
1 / 2 parf (2023 Remaster) 06:14
1 / 3 torn (2023 Remaster) 06:57
1 / 4 andar (2023 Remaster) 07:44
1 / 5 icol diston (2023 Remaster) 19
1 / 6 yua:e (2023 Remaster) 08:11
2 / 1 icol vern (2023 Remaster) 05:03
2 / 2 nacrath (2023 Remaster) 04:59
2 / 3 acval (2023 Remaster) 05:06
2 / 4 außen vor amx (2023 Remaster) 09:20
2 / 5 no.8 amx (2023 Remaster) 07:10
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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
More records from Keplar
1
Vladislav Delay - Ranta (2020 Remaster)
2
Vladislav Delay - Raamat (2020 Remaster)
3
Vladislav Delay - Huone (2020 Remaster)
4
Vladislav Delay - Viite (2020 Remaster)
5
Vladislav Delay - Karrha (2020 Remaster)
6
Vladislav Delay - Pietola (2020 Remaster)
7
Vladislav Delay - Nesso (2020 Remaster)
2LP (ltd.)
2023 repress, edition of 500 copies, featuring a new artwork by Marc Hohmann
incl. download code
"Multila" was the third album by Finnish producer Sasu Ripatti under the moniker Vladislav Delay. It compiles the "Huone" and "Ranta" 12"EPs Ripatti released on Basic Channel's Chain Reaction label in 1999 and 2000. The album features six hauntingly murky dub ambient tracks and the impressive 22-minute techno odyssey "Huone."
More than 20 years after its original release as a full-length CD album (Chain Reaction), these iconic recordings of modern electronic music are now available again as a double vinyl edition, featuring a revised artwork by Marc Hohmann that matches the new design of the »Whisteblower« and »Entain« reissues.
"Life films us exactly. Our experience of it, though, lies beyond images and descriptions. Emotions, coming in irrational flashes, are non-figurable. We lose our little connection to them very quickly. We look for forms which promise to take us to our own experience. We construct forms with this in mind: that they can take us to meet the subconscious. Multila's construction is principled this way. Fragments of experience, moments without definition or localisation are captured within tiny fragments of time and then within one's mindspace. We can look into it and see that experience has left some of its data to us. As we receive it, again and again, we are connected and reconnected to certain indefinable moments. Both during and after its recording, Multila is a tool to learn about the unintentional states of us. It is a way to see our own emotional loops. Multila is a soundtrack for vision." - Vladislav Delay in the year 2000
Remaster by Rashad Becker. Vinyl cut by Kassian Troyer at D&M. Artwork by Marc Hohmann.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
2023 repress, edition of 500 copies, featuring a new artwork by Marc Hohmann
incl. download code
"Multila" was the third album by Finnish producer Sasu Ripatti under the moniker Vladislav Delay. It compiles the "Huone" and "Ranta" 12"EPs Ripatti released on Basic Channel's Chain Reaction label in 1999 and 2000. The album features six hauntingly murky dub ambient tracks and the impressive 22-minute techno odyssey "Huone."
More than 20 years after its original release as a full-length CD album (Chain Reaction), these iconic recordings of modern electronic music are now available again as a double vinyl edition, featuring a revised artwork by Marc Hohmann that matches the new design of the »Whisteblower« and »Entain« reissues.
"Life films us exactly. Our experience of it, though, lies beyond images and descriptions. Emotions, coming in irrational flashes, are non-figurable. We lose our little connection to them very quickly. We look for forms which promise to take us to our own experience. We construct forms with this in mind: that they can take us to meet the subconscious. Multila's construction is principled this way. Fragments of experience, moments without definition or localisation are captured within tiny fragments of time and then within one's mindspace. We can look into it and see that experience has left some of its data to us. As we receive it, again and again, we are connected and reconnected to certain indefinable moments. Both during and after its recording, Multila is a tool to learn about the unintentional states of us. It is a way to see our own emotional loops. Multila is a soundtrack for vision." - Vladislav Delay in the year 2000
Remaster by Rashad Becker. Vinyl cut by Kassian Troyer at D&M. Artwork by Marc Hohmann.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
1
Vladislav Delay - Kohde (2023 Remaster)
2
Vladislav Delay - Untitled (2023 Remaster)
3
Vladislav Delay - Poiko (2023 Remaster)
4
Vladislav Delay - Notke (2023 Remaster)
5
Vladislav Delay - Ele (2023 Remaster)
6
Vladislav Delay - Ele (2023 Remaster)
Vladislav Delay's proper debut album 'Entain' on vinyl for the first time in more than 20 years
Remastered and featuring new artwork
2LP
Incl. poly-lined inners
incl. download code
The Keplar label presents the next instalment in a series of reissues from the catalogue of Sasu Ripatti’s seminal Vladislav Delay project. Originally released on Mille Plateaux, the vinyl edition of »Entain« from 2000 omitted two shorter tracks and included all others in an abridged form. With this reissue, the full album as it was pressed on CD is finally made available on vinyl. Besides a new remaster by Kassian Troyer, it was also given new cover artwork by Marc Hohmann that picks up on that of the »Whistleblower« reissue, released in early 2023 by Keplar. This serial visual approach highlights the conceptual continuity between those masterful explorations of the interplay between dub techniques, noise, and repetition.
Ripatti himself had reworked material from 1999’s »Ele« album for the release of »Entain,« which means that it can be considered the debut album proper of his Vladislav Delay project. It saw the Finnish artist aim more vigorously for abstraction than in his earlier releases as Vladislav Delay for labels such as Chain Reaction, which were collected on the iconic »Multila« compilation in 2000; another milestone from his back catalogue that has been reissued by Keplar in recent times. To mark this special occasion, »Multila« will be repressed by Keplar with a new artwork that matches the new design of »Whisteblower« and »Entain«.
»Multila« and »Entain« correspond with each other conceptually as much as they seem to differ on a musical level. The material on »Multila« was clearly indebted to the Berlin dub techno sound, marked by its grainy and at times abrasive sonic aesthetics. From the very first moments of the 22-minute long opener »Kohde« however, it becomes clear that »Entain« takes things further away from the dancefloor, aiming less for physical impact than for intellectual stimulation. A sort of electronic minimal music, it was primarily interested in letting discrete elements freely come into play with one another.
Much like »Multila,« however, »Entain« highlighted the subtle differences embedded in what only feels like repetitive music. Of course the massive bassline and ghostly dub riddims that permeate »Notke« as well as the deconstructed beat at the core of »Ele« still hint at Ripatti’s roots in beat-driven music. However, they also make his artistic transformation audible by turning their sources of inspirations into something entirely unheard of. »Entain« took the dub techno formula further than any other record before it—onwards into the realms of pure abstraction.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
Arovane's acclaimed 2004 album »Lilies« has been out of print on vinyl for nearly 2 decades now. It finally gets a well-deserved reissue through the Berlin based Keplar label. The new version has been remastered by Kassian Troyer at Dubplates & Mastering and comes with a brand new cover artwork.
»Lilies« was a follow-up to »Tides« in every sense, exploring a trip to Japan and drawing on shimmering textures and the sort of melodies that you might need some time to recover from. There's a hugely evocative sense to these tracks, emotionally driven, free of complexity or conceit, piano melodies providing the central focus for a twilight cascade of light that seems perfect for the Tokyo skyline - just as the sun sets. It's an album that radiates warmth and vulnerability, fusing the technological might at the heart of each track (and at the heart of the city) with an age-old understanding that certain echoes of sound, small melodic changes and cushioned lullabies can imprint sounds on your mind like childhood memories - remembered forever. Like a dreamlike score, or maybe even an alternate soundtrack to »Lost in Translation« - the sort of music that intertwines with images and stays in your mind indefinately.
After coming back from Tokyo and completing the production of »Lilies«, Uwe Zahn disassembled his studio in the big flat in an old building in Berlin's Prenzlauerberg district and stored it away in boxes. He needed a break from making music. »Lilies« was the last album prior to a nine-year hiatus for Arovane, ending in 2013 with the release of »Ve Palor«.
Tracks
# Title Duration
1 Ten Hours (2023 Remaster) 03:01
2 Windy Wish Trees (2023 Remaster) 03:19
3 Passage To Nagoya (2023 Remaster) 02:07
4 Cry Osaka Cry (2023 Remaster) 05:08
5 Pink Lilies (2023 Remaster) 04:00
6 Lilies (2023 Remaster) 05:27
7 Tokyo Ghost Stories (2023 Remaster) 05:07
8 Instant Gods Out Of The Box (2023 Remaster) 04:35
9 Good Bye Forever (2023 Remaster) 03:48
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
»Lilies« was a follow-up to »Tides« in every sense, exploring a trip to Japan and drawing on shimmering textures and the sort of melodies that you might need some time to recover from. There's a hugely evocative sense to these tracks, emotionally driven, free of complexity or conceit, piano melodies providing the central focus for a twilight cascade of light that seems perfect for the Tokyo skyline - just as the sun sets. It's an album that radiates warmth and vulnerability, fusing the technological might at the heart of each track (and at the heart of the city) with an age-old understanding that certain echoes of sound, small melodic changes and cushioned lullabies can imprint sounds on your mind like childhood memories - remembered forever. Like a dreamlike score, or maybe even an alternate soundtrack to »Lost in Translation« - the sort of music that intertwines with images and stays in your mind indefinately.
After coming back from Tokyo and completing the production of »Lilies«, Uwe Zahn disassembled his studio in the big flat in an old building in Berlin's Prenzlauerberg district and stored it away in boxes. He needed a break from making music. »Lilies« was the last album prior to a nine-year hiatus for Arovane, ending in 2013 with the release of »Ve Palor«.
Tracks
# Title Duration
1 Ten Hours (2023 Remaster) 03:01
2 Windy Wish Trees (2023 Remaster) 03:19
3 Passage To Nagoya (2023 Remaster) 02:07
4 Cry Osaka Cry (2023 Remaster) 05:08
5 Pink Lilies (2023 Remaster) 04:00
6 Lilies (2023 Remaster) 05:27
7 Tokyo Ghost Stories (2023 Remaster) 05:07
8 Instant Gods Out Of The Box (2023 Remaster) 04:35
9 Good Bye Forever (2023 Remaster) 03:48
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
1
Ekkehard Ehlers - Plays Albert Ayler 1
2
Ekkehard Ehlers - Plays Albert Ayler 2
3
Ekkehard Ehlers - Plays John Cassavetes 1
4
Ekkehard Ehlers - Plays John Cassavetes 2
5
Ekkehard Ehlers - Plays Hubert Fichte 1
6
Ekkehard Ehlers - Plays Hubert Fichte 2
7
Ekkehard Ehlers - Plays Cornelius Cardew 1
8
Ekkehard Ehlers - Plays Cornelius Cardew 2
9
Ekkehard Ehlers - Plays Robert Johnson 1
10
Ekkehard Ehlers - Plays Robert Johnson 2
Ekkehard Ehlers' seminal plays series was originally released on three 12inches (Staubgold) and two 7inches (Bottrop-Boy) in very limited runs. The entire series was previously only available as a CD compilation or digitally. Keplar finally presents it on double vinyl for the first time, featuring a new cover artwork.
Domestic ethnology: Ekkehard Ehlers plays.
‘Play’ is a word in English with many meanings attached. Each one sends you down a different cognitive pathway. When I think of ‘playing’, in the sense of a game, I think of an activity involving more than one person. When Ekkehard Ehlers plays, he is very much on his own. Or, at least, alone but at the same time keeping intimate company with the artistic innovators named in his titles. Robert Johnson. John Cassavetes. Albert Ayler. Cornelius Cardew. Hubert Fichte. Is he playing with them, against them, about them, for them, to them? This can never be known.
It is certainly a mistake to try to hear the ‘work’ of these originals in the sounds played by Ekkehard. They’re not cover versions. They’re hardly tributes in the conventional sense. Cassavetes and Fichte are not even musicians, although music played an important part in both their careers. Sure, there are little nods and flashes of recognition – tiny guitar licks among the minimal beats of ‘Robert Johnson 2’; rich bowed instruments in ‘Albert Ayler’, recalling the violin, cello and double bass arrangements on Ayler’s 1967 Live in Greenwich Village LP; the elongated organ lines of ‘Cornelius Cardew 1’ gesturing towards passages in Paragraph 1 of the British composer’s 1971 Marxist monolith, The Great Learning. Ekkehard is not so much playing these figures as allowing himself to be played by them.
Playing as an activity also suggests freedom. Maybe the only thing all five named persons have in common is that they were all quiet radicals. In music, literature and cinema, they all stepped, without self-promotion or fanfare, into unmapped territories. Once there they found it necessary to invent new languages in order to survive. Necessity was the mother of their inventiveness. They were also uncomfortable avant gardists. Lonely types, fighting their corners out on the margins, with little reward, often misunderstood, ridiculed or ignored.
All died unfairly young. Fichte a victim of HIV/AIDS, Cassavetes of cirrhosis of the liver. (‘Cassavetes 2’ sounds like a tender farewell played across the 59 year old alcoholic director’s death bed.) The deaths of Johnson, Ayler and Cardew have never been satisfactorily explained, and remain shrouded in myths and conspiracy theories. The pioneering expeditions of all five began in that spirit of playful freedom, but inexorably drew them towards the heart of darkness.
So these ‘plays’ are micro-dramas, sonic soliloquies, monolog-ins to the private accounts of various geniuses in Ekkehard’s ‘follow’ list. Hacked sensibilities. Artistic manifestos boiled down and distilled, skinned and dried in the digital smokehouse. (Ekkehard Ehlers Flays.) Each of these plays was originally floated out into the world alone on its own disc. The collected works play well as a team – a tranquil, introspective experience where each artist has his own identifiably unique sound character. As an album, Plays is a ‘Plattenragout’ – a ‘record stew’ – which was the title of Hubert Fichte’s LP review column in the leftist culture magazine konkret in the 1960s. The novelist’s work investigating the cultures of South America and the Caribbean islands has been called ‘domestic ethnology’. The writer himself referred to his ‘ethnopoesie’. Ekkehard Ehlers’s intuitive electronic portraits are a form of domestic ethnology in themselves. Invoking another of Ekkehard’s musical aliases, they are portraits of cultural ‘autopoiesies’ – creators whose works were strong enough to have their own self-regenerating life force. (by Rob Young)
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
Domestic ethnology: Ekkehard Ehlers plays.
‘Play’ is a word in English with many meanings attached. Each one sends you down a different cognitive pathway. When I think of ‘playing’, in the sense of a game, I think of an activity involving more than one person. When Ekkehard Ehlers plays, he is very much on his own. Or, at least, alone but at the same time keeping intimate company with the artistic innovators named in his titles. Robert Johnson. John Cassavetes. Albert Ayler. Cornelius Cardew. Hubert Fichte. Is he playing with them, against them, about them, for them, to them? This can never be known.
It is certainly a mistake to try to hear the ‘work’ of these originals in the sounds played by Ekkehard. They’re not cover versions. They’re hardly tributes in the conventional sense. Cassavetes and Fichte are not even musicians, although music played an important part in both their careers. Sure, there are little nods and flashes of recognition – tiny guitar licks among the minimal beats of ‘Robert Johnson 2’; rich bowed instruments in ‘Albert Ayler’, recalling the violin, cello and double bass arrangements on Ayler’s 1967 Live in Greenwich Village LP; the elongated organ lines of ‘Cornelius Cardew 1’ gesturing towards passages in Paragraph 1 of the British composer’s 1971 Marxist monolith, The Great Learning. Ekkehard is not so much playing these figures as allowing himself to be played by them.
Playing as an activity also suggests freedom. Maybe the only thing all five named persons have in common is that they were all quiet radicals. In music, literature and cinema, they all stepped, without self-promotion or fanfare, into unmapped territories. Once there they found it necessary to invent new languages in order to survive. Necessity was the mother of their inventiveness. They were also uncomfortable avant gardists. Lonely types, fighting their corners out on the margins, with little reward, often misunderstood, ridiculed or ignored.
All died unfairly young. Fichte a victim of HIV/AIDS, Cassavetes of cirrhosis of the liver. (‘Cassavetes 2’ sounds like a tender farewell played across the 59 year old alcoholic director’s death bed.) The deaths of Johnson, Ayler and Cardew have never been satisfactorily explained, and remain shrouded in myths and conspiracy theories. The pioneering expeditions of all five began in that spirit of playful freedom, but inexorably drew them towards the heart of darkness.
So these ‘plays’ are micro-dramas, sonic soliloquies, monolog-ins to the private accounts of various geniuses in Ekkehard’s ‘follow’ list. Hacked sensibilities. Artistic manifestos boiled down and distilled, skinned and dried in the digital smokehouse. (Ekkehard Ehlers Flays.) Each of these plays was originally floated out into the world alone on its own disc. The collected works play well as a team – a tranquil, introspective experience where each artist has his own identifiably unique sound character. As an album, Plays is a ‘Plattenragout’ – a ‘record stew’ – which was the title of Hubert Fichte’s LP review column in the leftist culture magazine konkret in the 1960s. The novelist’s work investigating the cultures of South America and the Caribbean islands has been called ‘domestic ethnology’. The writer himself referred to his ‘ethnopoesie’. Ekkehard Ehlers’s intuitive electronic portraits are a form of domestic ethnology in themselves. Invoking another of Ekkehard’s musical aliases, they are portraits of cultural ‘autopoiesies’ – creators whose works were strong enough to have their own self-regenerating life force. (by Rob Young)
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
1
Arovane - Theme (2022 Remaster)
2
Arovane - Tides (2022 Remaster)
3
Arovane - Eleventh! (2022 Remaster)
4
Arovane - Tomorrow Morning (2022 Remaster)
5
Arovane - Seaside (2022 Remaster)
6
Arovane - A Secret (2022 Remaster)
7
Arovane - The Storm (2022 Remaster)
8
Arovane - Deauville (2022 Remaster)
9
Arovane - Epilogue (2022 Remaster)
»Tides« marked a radical change in direction for Arovane. After Uwe Zahn had made a name for himself with cutting-edge IDM rhythms and slick ambient textures on a slew of releases, his sophomore album saw the prolific producer opt for a sample-based approach that resulted in a more organic sound and laid-back downbeat grooves. Having reissued Arovane’s seminal »Atol-Scrap« as a double LP in 2021, the Berlin-based Keplar label now makes »Tides« available on vinyl for the first time since its original release in 2000 through the legendary City Centre Offices. The new version has been remastered by Kassian Troyer at Dubplates & Mastering and comes with a brand new cover artwork. It shines a new light on a release for which Zahn quite literally ventured into previously unknown territory — »Tides« is an album that emits a timeless, quiet calm and nonetheless stays constantly in motion.
»The idea for the album came to me after a vacation in France«, says Zahn. Inspired by the landscape, especially the coastline and the sea, he made field recordings throughout his trip that were also used on the record, giving it its sensual feel. The foundation of the album however, the loose yet gripping grooves at the heart of every track, result from Zahn working extensively with samples. »I wanted to make use of drum sounds and small excerpts from old jazz vinyl records«, he explains. He maintained the unique sound signatures and rhythmic flutter of the source material while building intricate beats with them. Most of the material was culled from the record collection of Christian Kleine, whose spontaneous guitar improvisations over the first musical sketches were recorded and edited by Zahn and can be heard on four tracks. Also employing the occasional cembalo or spinet sound, he worked with a hardware sequencer and a delay to integrate the different, discrete elements into nine tracks that feel both dense and light at once.
What’s astonishing still 22 years later is how spacious »Tides« sounds. This is due to the fact that Zahn not only paid close attention to the sonic idiosyncrasies of his source material, but also to what happened in between those sounds. »Mark Hollis’s solo album was a huge inspiration at that time«, says Zahn. »What I find fascinating about it until this day is how silence and the subtle hiss of the mixing boards were being used on that record.« Silence was also an important stylistic element on »Tides« and adds greatly to the overall atmosphere of an album that with the appropriately named »Theme« immediately sets the mood with intricate spinet melodies: Zahn opens a door for his listeners and invites them to follow him to see a specific part of the world through his very own lens.
As a whole, the album mirrors Zahn’s trip that took him along the steep cliffs on a foggy day (»Seaside«), to an abandoned house in which he found old maps (»A Secret«), along the coastline during a long car ride (»Deauville«), to a sleepy village and the slowly moving sea (»Tides«) and finally back home to his native Germany where he started reflecting upon his experiences, ultimately deciding to translate them into music (»Epilogue«). »Whenever I listen to this album now, the images and memories it evokes are incredibly vivid and vibrant«, he says. It’s not hard to see — or rather hear — why. »Tides« may have been a deeply personal project, but it effortlessly evokes universal feelings by (re-)building an entire world in the course of only a few pieces of music.
All tracks composed and recorded by Uwe Zahn.
Originally released on CCO in 2000.
Remaster and cut by Kassian Troyer @ D&M.
Cover art by Jim Kühnel based on a photograph by Uwe Zahn.
Text by Kristoffer Cornils.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
»The idea for the album came to me after a vacation in France«, says Zahn. Inspired by the landscape, especially the coastline and the sea, he made field recordings throughout his trip that were also used on the record, giving it its sensual feel. The foundation of the album however, the loose yet gripping grooves at the heart of every track, result from Zahn working extensively with samples. »I wanted to make use of drum sounds and small excerpts from old jazz vinyl records«, he explains. He maintained the unique sound signatures and rhythmic flutter of the source material while building intricate beats with them. Most of the material was culled from the record collection of Christian Kleine, whose spontaneous guitar improvisations over the first musical sketches were recorded and edited by Zahn and can be heard on four tracks. Also employing the occasional cembalo or spinet sound, he worked with a hardware sequencer and a delay to integrate the different, discrete elements into nine tracks that feel both dense and light at once.
What’s astonishing still 22 years later is how spacious »Tides« sounds. This is due to the fact that Zahn not only paid close attention to the sonic idiosyncrasies of his source material, but also to what happened in between those sounds. »Mark Hollis’s solo album was a huge inspiration at that time«, says Zahn. »What I find fascinating about it until this day is how silence and the subtle hiss of the mixing boards were being used on that record.« Silence was also an important stylistic element on »Tides« and adds greatly to the overall atmosphere of an album that with the appropriately named »Theme« immediately sets the mood with intricate spinet melodies: Zahn opens a door for his listeners and invites them to follow him to see a specific part of the world through his very own lens.
As a whole, the album mirrors Zahn’s trip that took him along the steep cliffs on a foggy day (»Seaside«), to an abandoned house in which he found old maps (»A Secret«), along the coastline during a long car ride (»Deauville«), to a sleepy village and the slowly moving sea (»Tides«) and finally back home to his native Germany where he started reflecting upon his experiences, ultimately deciding to translate them into music (»Epilogue«). »Whenever I listen to this album now, the images and memories it evokes are incredibly vivid and vibrant«, he says. It’s not hard to see — or rather hear — why. »Tides« may have been a deeply personal project, but it effortlessly evokes universal feelings by (re-)building an entire world in the course of only a few pieces of music.
All tracks composed and recorded by Uwe Zahn.
Originally released on CCO in 2000.
Remaster and cut by Kassian Troyer @ D&M.
Cover art by Jim Kühnel based on a photograph by Uwe Zahn.
Text by Kristoffer Cornils.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
1
Vladislav Delay - A Anima A
2
Vladislav Delay - B Anima B
3
Vladislav Delay - C Anima C
4
Vladislav Delay - D Anima D
5
Vladislav Delay - Anima (Version)
Repress of Vladislav Delay's classic 'Anima'
First time on vinyl since its original release on Mille Plateaux in 2001.
2001’s »Anima« was the third album released by Sasu Ripatti under his Vladislav Delay moniker and marked a turning point in the stylistic development of the prolific producer. Clocking in at roughly 62 minutes, the single piece draws on dub aesthetics while working with Musique concrète-like methods through the liberal use of samples to create a dreamlike logic. Muffled voices, lush chords, subtle rhythms and indefinable sound events are not so much integrated into a composition with a predetermined outcome but rather engage with each other freely in a constant sonic flow, forming constellations in one moment before moving on to connect with other elements in the next one. »Anima« marked the first time Ripatti was using a DAW in his working process, creating a piece constantly in motion that subtly evolves over time. This vinyl reissue on the German Keplar label follows up on the 20th anniversary edition of 2000’s »Multila« and will be complemented by a ten-minute long version of the original piece, previously only available on the CD version released by the artist on his own Huume label in 2008.
After the release of his »Ele« and »Entain« albums in 1999 and 2000, respectively, Ripatti took the 1998 independent movie »Hurlyburly« as a conceptual starting point to experiment with different gear and production methods. »Until then I had worked with an old MSQ-700 MIDI sequencer and an Ensonic EPS16 sampler/sequencer that had one or two MB of sampling memory and mixed the music live on a Mackie, which was very limiting arrangement-wise,« says Ripatti. Loading a slightly shortened version of the film into his DAW however allowed him to play along to it with the DrumKAT MIDI controller, triggering and playing all the sounds that can be heard on »Anima« while also contributing synths, bass and other sounds during repeated playthroughs before mixing a total of six stereo tracks together. »This way, after I had edited out most of the few parts that had music in them, I was in the movie; almost like an extra character playing music,« explains Ripatti. »This was certainly the most organic way in which I have ever made music, and I have never again approached another record like this.«
While »Anima« sounded like an unusual Vladislav Delay record at the time of its release, it also prefigured many of the developments Ripatti would go through in the course of his long career. Combining visceral immediacy with a sense of abstraction, it is far more than a mere missing link in his discography but rather a conceptually and musically outstanding piece of work that remains as engaging as it was 21 years ago.
All tracks composed and recorded by Vladislav Delay.
Originally released on Mille Plateaux in 2001.
Remaster and cut by Kassian Troyer @ D&M.
Art direction and design by Marc Hohmann.
Text by Kristoffer Cornils.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
First time on vinyl since its original release on Mille Plateaux in 2001.
2001’s »Anima« was the third album released by Sasu Ripatti under his Vladislav Delay moniker and marked a turning point in the stylistic development of the prolific producer. Clocking in at roughly 62 minutes, the single piece draws on dub aesthetics while working with Musique concrète-like methods through the liberal use of samples to create a dreamlike logic. Muffled voices, lush chords, subtle rhythms and indefinable sound events are not so much integrated into a composition with a predetermined outcome but rather engage with each other freely in a constant sonic flow, forming constellations in one moment before moving on to connect with other elements in the next one. »Anima« marked the first time Ripatti was using a DAW in his working process, creating a piece constantly in motion that subtly evolves over time. This vinyl reissue on the German Keplar label follows up on the 20th anniversary edition of 2000’s »Multila« and will be complemented by a ten-minute long version of the original piece, previously only available on the CD version released by the artist on his own Huume label in 2008.
After the release of his »Ele« and »Entain« albums in 1999 and 2000, respectively, Ripatti took the 1998 independent movie »Hurlyburly« as a conceptual starting point to experiment with different gear and production methods. »Until then I had worked with an old MSQ-700 MIDI sequencer and an Ensonic EPS16 sampler/sequencer that had one or two MB of sampling memory and mixed the music live on a Mackie, which was very limiting arrangement-wise,« says Ripatti. Loading a slightly shortened version of the film into his DAW however allowed him to play along to it with the DrumKAT MIDI controller, triggering and playing all the sounds that can be heard on »Anima« while also contributing synths, bass and other sounds during repeated playthroughs before mixing a total of six stereo tracks together. »This way, after I had edited out most of the few parts that had music in them, I was in the movie; almost like an extra character playing music,« explains Ripatti. »This was certainly the most organic way in which I have ever made music, and I have never again approached another record like this.«
While »Anima« sounded like an unusual Vladislav Delay record at the time of its release, it also prefigured many of the developments Ripatti would go through in the course of his long career. Combining visceral immediacy with a sense of abstraction, it is far more than a mere missing link in his discography but rather a conceptually and musically outstanding piece of work that remains as engaging as it was 21 years ago.
All tracks composed and recorded by Vladislav Delay.
Originally released on Mille Plateaux in 2001.
Remaster and cut by Kassian Troyer @ D&M.
Art direction and design by Marc Hohmann.
Text by Kristoffer Cornils.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
1
Shuttle358 - Ash (2021 Remaster)
2
Shuttle358 - Chessa (2021 Remaster)
3
Shuttle358 - Blast (2021 Remaster)
4
Shuttle358 - Duh (2021 Remaster)
5
Shuttle358 - Marche (2021 Remaster)
6
Shuttle358 - Nerf (2021 Remaster)
7
Shuttle358 - West Nile (2021 Remaster)
8
Shuttle358 - Melt (2021 Remaster)
9
Shuttle358 - Logical (2021 Remaster)
10
Shuttle358 - Dead Leaves (2021 Remaster)
11
Shuttle358 - Scrapbook (2021 Remaster)
12
Shuttle358 - Habitat (2021 Remaster)
13
Shuttle358 - Bloom (2021 Remaster)
14
Shuttle358 - Angelic (2021 Remaster)
Keplar re-issues the fourth album 'Chessa' by Dan Abrams' project Shuttle358 on vinyl for the first time. The double LP edition includes 3 previously unreleased tracks from the same recording sessions back in 2004, as well as an extended artwork with unseen photographs by Dan Abrams.
While undoubtedly associated with the microsound and 'clicks & cuts' movement around the turn of the millennium, on 'Chessa' Shuttle358 left behind the classical rhythmic patterns of the genre and shifted further towards warmer territories, meandering between modern digital minimalism and the soft tones of ambient music. Counter to his microsound synthesis approach on Frame (2000), Abrams created Chessa by writing software that manipulated samples from his unreleased songs, guitar pieces, and vintage japanese films sampled from video tape. In particular, a special granulating technique was written and performed at intentionally low sample rates that gave the uniquely fragile, yet dense sound to the album. Over fourteen tracks Abrams arranges slowly evolving sonic entities of unfading elegance. Strayed and hazy melodies pulse and cascade, elongated but brittle harmonies shimmer and disappear, echoing far-off in the rounded corners of the mind. The patient and detailed way Abrams combines the broken with the beautiful in creating organic collages of sound that retain the euphonic essence of a song, makes this piece of work so powerful and timeless, sounding just as relevant today, as it did 17 years ago.
Under modern scrutiny in Abrams latest studio, he refocused the original recordings to emphasize the elements most important to the original vision. The final mastering and vinyl preparation was done in collaboration with Stephan Mathieu, vinyl was cut by LUPO.
From the original press release in 2004 by Taylor Deupree:
Without a doubt Shuttle358 has become one of the most admired artists to emerge from modern electronic music’s sea of musicians. From the humble beginnings of a demo CD in 12k’s mailbox to 4 critically acclaimed CDs, Dan Abrams is, to some, the one credited for bringing a warmth and human touch back into what has often been considered a very cold, sterile genre. It began with 1999’s Optimal.lp (12k1005), a groundbreaking debut release that immediately defined the Shuttle358 sound; a hybridization of the then-emerging “microsound” genre with Eno’s true ambient explorations. In 2000 Abrams outdid himself with Frame (12k1011) by honing his sound design and exploring production techniques at rates that made his “now” quite brief and creating what was to become one of the most sought-after CDs in the 12k catalog.
Chessa is the third release from Abrams’ Shuttle358 moniker on 12k and he continues to do what he does best: attempt to move microsound away from the world of theory and towards absolute real life. Like his photographs, Chessa is music about, and to be listened to in, unexpected places. It is a narrative, a simple slice of life that plays out through the incidental photography of the cover artwork. To achieve this Abrams fuses irregular granular sound particles, like the movements of everyday life, with a deliberate melodic base that captures emotion and simplicity.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
While undoubtedly associated with the microsound and 'clicks & cuts' movement around the turn of the millennium, on 'Chessa' Shuttle358 left behind the classical rhythmic patterns of the genre and shifted further towards warmer territories, meandering between modern digital minimalism and the soft tones of ambient music. Counter to his microsound synthesis approach on Frame (2000), Abrams created Chessa by writing software that manipulated samples from his unreleased songs, guitar pieces, and vintage japanese films sampled from video tape. In particular, a special granulating technique was written and performed at intentionally low sample rates that gave the uniquely fragile, yet dense sound to the album. Over fourteen tracks Abrams arranges slowly evolving sonic entities of unfading elegance. Strayed and hazy melodies pulse and cascade, elongated but brittle harmonies shimmer and disappear, echoing far-off in the rounded corners of the mind. The patient and detailed way Abrams combines the broken with the beautiful in creating organic collages of sound that retain the euphonic essence of a song, makes this piece of work so powerful and timeless, sounding just as relevant today, as it did 17 years ago.
Under modern scrutiny in Abrams latest studio, he refocused the original recordings to emphasize the elements most important to the original vision. The final mastering and vinyl preparation was done in collaboration with Stephan Mathieu, vinyl was cut by LUPO.
From the original press release in 2004 by Taylor Deupree:
Without a doubt Shuttle358 has become one of the most admired artists to emerge from modern electronic music’s sea of musicians. From the humble beginnings of a demo CD in 12k’s mailbox to 4 critically acclaimed CDs, Dan Abrams is, to some, the one credited for bringing a warmth and human touch back into what has often been considered a very cold, sterile genre. It began with 1999’s Optimal.lp (12k1005), a groundbreaking debut release that immediately defined the Shuttle358 sound; a hybridization of the then-emerging “microsound” genre with Eno’s true ambient explorations. In 2000 Abrams outdid himself with Frame (12k1011) by honing his sound design and exploring production techniques at rates that made his “now” quite brief and creating what was to become one of the most sought-after CDs in the 12k catalog.
Chessa is the third release from Abrams’ Shuttle358 moniker on 12k and he continues to do what he does best: attempt to move microsound away from the world of theory and towards absolute real life. Like his photographs, Chessa is music about, and to be listened to in, unexpected places. It is a narrative, a simple slice of life that plays out through the incidental photography of the cover artwork. To achieve this Abrams fuses irregular granular sound particles, like the movements of everyday life, with a deliberate melodic base that captures emotion and simplicity.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
1
Arovane - nonlin.r (2021 Remaster)
2
Arovane - tascel 7 (2021 Remaster)
3
Arovane - thaem nue (2021 Remaster)
4
Arovane - ambelio (2021 Remaster)
5
Arovane - scapen te (2021 Remaster)
6
Arovane - revart amx (2021 Remaster)
7
Arovane - norvum (2021 Remaster)
8
Arovane - failed (2021 Remaster)
9
Arovane - amine (2021 Remaster)
10
Arovane - r/elet (2021 Remaster)
11
Arovane - atol scrap (2021 Remaster)
Keplar reissue Arovane's seminal IDM album 'atol scrap'
This is a bit of a classic for us at Rubadub and strongly recommended if you're into the recent Ampoule reissues, late 90's Autechre and the recent works of Exael, Ulla etc.
The story of each re-release begins with the original. In the late 90s, Uwe Zahn (Arovane), along with Robert Henke (Monolake) and Stefan Betke (Pole), began releasing music on Torsten Pröfrock’s (Dynamo) newly launched DIN label. This was a very inconspicuous undertaking, but fans of the flourishing IDM, glitch, and constantly evolving abstract techno genres quickly picked up on the quality of sound coming out of Germany. After a few successful EPs, Zahn began working on his debut full-length, Atol Scrap. The release was a success, at least in the underground circles, where followers of the melodic harmonies, stuttering off-beat rhythms, and, most importantly, advanced sound design feverishly consumed the imprint’s output. There was only one thing missing – the album was never pressed on vinyl, and for decades remained in the digital domain. The fans, of course, inquired. There were multiple offers on the table, but Zahn retained control until he was assured that it was properly attained. “I thought of taking everything into my own hands and releasing the record myself,” says Zahn, “but at the end of last year, Matthias from Keplar asked me to re-release Atol Scrap on vinyl.” The label and its owner revolve in the Morr Music universe, and so it made sense for Zahn to trust the platform to treat the record right.
Listening to Atol Scrap over twenty years later it is inane not to admit how well it has held up. Where other genres clearly aged, becoming stale, bland, and dull, the music on eleven tasty tracks still keeps the neurons tickled with each note. More than an echo of the past, the bottled sound truly has matured. Many of the newly evolving techniques are recognizable on the album. “I created the digital artifacts with a digital multi-track recorder, the Fostex D80,” recalls Zahn. “The thing had a scrub wheel with which I could achieve wonderful glitch effects by winding through the audio data. I have sampled and further processed these artifacts.” And this approach is still embedded in Zahn’s sound design. “I still use my 24-track analog desk from Tascam to mix my audio. I love to use hardware synths and samplers. I’ve definitely built upon my studio experience in the 90s.” From this debut to the most recent output, Arovane’s sound has evolved to become more intricate, detailed, and pronounced. “My music has become much quieter and much slower. But that’s probably also due to the noise in the world.” And just as Atol Scrap reminds Zahn of the past, retaining charm preserved in a container traveling through time, it also jitters memories of long ago, when we were twenty years younger, less experienced, and bold. For me, among the many records of the time, this album held a special place in life, my heart, and many CD boxes moved across the world. And now I’m only happy to restock the vinyl space, where Atol Scrap belongs among the beloved records. Welcome home. - Mike Lazarev
Remastered and cut to vinyl by Kassian Troyer @ D&M. Cover art by Jim Kühnel based on a photograph by Uwe Zahn.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
This is a bit of a classic for us at Rubadub and strongly recommended if you're into the recent Ampoule reissues, late 90's Autechre and the recent works of Exael, Ulla etc.
The story of each re-release begins with the original. In the late 90s, Uwe Zahn (Arovane), along with Robert Henke (Monolake) and Stefan Betke (Pole), began releasing music on Torsten Pröfrock’s (Dynamo) newly launched DIN label. This was a very inconspicuous undertaking, but fans of the flourishing IDM, glitch, and constantly evolving abstract techno genres quickly picked up on the quality of sound coming out of Germany. After a few successful EPs, Zahn began working on his debut full-length, Atol Scrap. The release was a success, at least in the underground circles, where followers of the melodic harmonies, stuttering off-beat rhythms, and, most importantly, advanced sound design feverishly consumed the imprint’s output. There was only one thing missing – the album was never pressed on vinyl, and for decades remained in the digital domain. The fans, of course, inquired. There were multiple offers on the table, but Zahn retained control until he was assured that it was properly attained. “I thought of taking everything into my own hands and releasing the record myself,” says Zahn, “but at the end of last year, Matthias from Keplar asked me to re-release Atol Scrap on vinyl.” The label and its owner revolve in the Morr Music universe, and so it made sense for Zahn to trust the platform to treat the record right.
Listening to Atol Scrap over twenty years later it is inane not to admit how well it has held up. Where other genres clearly aged, becoming stale, bland, and dull, the music on eleven tasty tracks still keeps the neurons tickled with each note. More than an echo of the past, the bottled sound truly has matured. Many of the newly evolving techniques are recognizable on the album. “I created the digital artifacts with a digital multi-track recorder, the Fostex D80,” recalls Zahn. “The thing had a scrub wheel with which I could achieve wonderful glitch effects by winding through the audio data. I have sampled and further processed these artifacts.” And this approach is still embedded in Zahn’s sound design. “I still use my 24-track analog desk from Tascam to mix my audio. I love to use hardware synths and samplers. I’ve definitely built upon my studio experience in the 90s.” From this debut to the most recent output, Arovane’s sound has evolved to become more intricate, detailed, and pronounced. “My music has become much quieter and much slower. But that’s probably also due to the noise in the world.” And just as Atol Scrap reminds Zahn of the past, retaining charm preserved in a container traveling through time, it also jitters memories of long ago, when we were twenty years younger, less experienced, and bold. For me, among the many records of the time, this album held a special place in life, my heart, and many CD boxes moved across the world. And now I’m only happy to restock the vinyl space, where Atol Scrap belongs among the beloved records. Welcome home. - Mike Lazarev
Remastered and cut to vinyl by Kassian Troyer @ D&M. Cover art by Jim Kühnel based on a photograph by Uwe Zahn.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
Customers who bought this also bought this
Label:Tresor Records / BMG
Cat-No:TRESOR313EP1
Release-Date:13.10.2023
Genre:Techno
Configuration:12" Excl
Label:Tresor Records / BMG
Cat-No:TRESOR313EP1
Release-Date:13.10.2023
Genre:Techno
Configuration:12" Excl
1
Cybotron - Maintain 04:56
2
Cybotron - The Golden Ratio (Version) 04:43
Territory: WORLD
FORMAT 12” 180g vinyl, printed labels,
A4 printed inlay 170gsm, dl code,
black innersleeve, white outersleeve
TRACKLIST
A. Maintain 04:56
B. The Golden Ratio (Version) 04:43
INFO
Cybotron has re-emerged in our contemporary cybercultural age when artifactual futures begin a transition into a new era of
"Meta".
By combining their knowledge of philosophy, science fiction, and mechanical engineering, at a time when electronic instrument
companies were only just beginning to distribute their products to the masses, two prosumer audio technicians named Juan
Atkins and Rik Davis were able to re-engineer Cybotron – a combination of the words “Cyborg” and “Cyclotron” (an atomic
particle accelerator) – to be used as a home studio performance music that would change the course of independently produced
and distributed electronic music.
Dissolving the boundary between singer, songwriter, and producer, Juan Atkins named Cybotron’s future forward funkadelic
sound “techno” in reference to Alvin To ler’s concept of unlikely “techno rebels” against technocracy. Techno is music that
sounds like technology, and its purpose was to help society survive our collision with a universally felt “future shock” by inserting
an audio virus into the cultural matrix.
Techno’s blueprint spread across the Detroit-Berlin Axis between Metroplex and Tresor. As human society began its transition
from a post-industrial to an information-based market economy, Cybotron enabled a thorough system override of the human
senses towards a tangible man-machine hybridity and showed the world how to channel their emotions and imaginations into
new sound technologies and create new ‘sonic’ spatialities where listeners can transport themselves out of the physical world
into the future. The cover of their debut album Enter (1983) transmitted a fragmented view of a body in motion being digitized
mid-stride, dissolving physical and virtual reality into sonic fiction.
Today, the man-machine hybridity of Cybotron is still the truest form of techno, coevolving in conversation with the technological music they created and inspired. The latest data disk marks a new chapter that reflects a techgnostic musical expression of
the knowledge acquired during their decades-long hiatus. Unlike the dance music industrial replications of the Model 500
formula, acknowledging the content marketing expectations that segments music into specific, sellable genres, this techno
music is self-aware. Cybotron processes dance music tropes spawned from its very own blueprint with a meta-tactical precision
out of sync with our current rave new world.
Cybotron’s return demonstrates a studied engagement with what techno was and should be with a peerless update of Juan
Atkins’ initial inventive idea of do-it-yourself electrically reengineered music xeroxed onto both sides of the 12” – uploaded
directly into the alleys of your mind.
- The Rhythmanalyst
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
FORMAT 12” 180g vinyl, printed labels,
A4 printed inlay 170gsm, dl code,
black innersleeve, white outersleeve
TRACKLIST
A. Maintain 04:56
B. The Golden Ratio (Version) 04:43
INFO
Cybotron has re-emerged in our contemporary cybercultural age when artifactual futures begin a transition into a new era of
"Meta".
By combining their knowledge of philosophy, science fiction, and mechanical engineering, at a time when electronic instrument
companies were only just beginning to distribute their products to the masses, two prosumer audio technicians named Juan
Atkins and Rik Davis were able to re-engineer Cybotron – a combination of the words “Cyborg” and “Cyclotron” (an atomic
particle accelerator) – to be used as a home studio performance music that would change the course of independently produced
and distributed electronic music.
Dissolving the boundary between singer, songwriter, and producer, Juan Atkins named Cybotron’s future forward funkadelic
sound “techno” in reference to Alvin To ler’s concept of unlikely “techno rebels” against technocracy. Techno is music that
sounds like technology, and its purpose was to help society survive our collision with a universally felt “future shock” by inserting
an audio virus into the cultural matrix.
Techno’s blueprint spread across the Detroit-Berlin Axis between Metroplex and Tresor. As human society began its transition
from a post-industrial to an information-based market economy, Cybotron enabled a thorough system override of the human
senses towards a tangible man-machine hybridity and showed the world how to channel their emotions and imaginations into
new sound technologies and create new ‘sonic’ spatialities where listeners can transport themselves out of the physical world
into the future. The cover of their debut album Enter (1983) transmitted a fragmented view of a body in motion being digitized
mid-stride, dissolving physical and virtual reality into sonic fiction.
Today, the man-machine hybridity of Cybotron is still the truest form of techno, coevolving in conversation with the technological music they created and inspired. The latest data disk marks a new chapter that reflects a techgnostic musical expression of
the knowledge acquired during their decades-long hiatus. Unlike the dance music industrial replications of the Model 500
formula, acknowledging the content marketing expectations that segments music into specific, sellable genres, this techno
music is self-aware. Cybotron processes dance music tropes spawned from its very own blueprint with a meta-tactical precision
out of sync with our current rave new world.
Cybotron’s return demonstrates a studied engagement with what techno was and should be with a peerless update of Juan
Atkins’ initial inventive idea of do-it-yourself electrically reengineered music xeroxed onto both sides of the 12” – uploaded
directly into the alleys of your mind.
- The Rhythmanalyst
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
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Kraftjerkz solidifies itself as america's east coast electro label with the 6th volume of the popular series. Brooklyn's ALONZO gets the party started with a bass-heavy track which picks up where Pretty Tony left off. Daniel Savio's contribution is perfect for street dance or cruising the highway. Deroboter comes with a hard, distorted kraftwerkian production. Kid Ginseng delivers an electro/scratch song featuring Questosahn reminiscent of Knights of the Turntables. Finally, the UK's Cybereign concludes with a passionate, melodic banger that blends nicely with a technobass record. The boom is here to stay!"
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VERY LIMITED 180GM VERSION OF THE MADLIB ALBUM ON TEXT WITH DIFFERENT ARTWORK.
SIDE A 1. There Is No Time (Prelude) 2. The Call 3. Theme De Crabtree 4. Road Of The Lonely Ones 5. Loose Goose 6. Dirtknock 7. Hopprock 8. Riddim Chant.
SIDE B 1. Sound Ancestors 2. One For Quartabê/Right Now 3. Hang Out (Phone Off) 4. Two for 2 - For Dilla 5. Latino Negro 6. The New Normal 7. Chino 8. Duumbiyay.
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SIDE A 1. There Is No Time (Prelude) 2. The Call 3. Theme De Crabtree 4. Road Of The Lonely Ones 5. Loose Goose 6. Dirtknock 7. Hopprock 8. Riddim Chant.
SIDE B 1. Sound Ancestors 2. One For Quartabê/Right Now 3. Hang Out (Phone Off) 4. Two for 2 - For Dilla 5. Latino Negro 6. The New Normal 7. Chino 8. Duumbiyay.
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
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1
Machomovers - Jaegermeister ( Oliver Dollar Remix )
2
Machomovers - Jaegermeister ( Original Mix )
3
Machomovers - Jaegermeister ( Dj Jauche Klappfix Mix )
4
Machomovers - Smooth Operator
White Vinyl Repress of FR 006!
This Remix Ep was original released in 2018.
Great House Record with some of Berlins best Producers DJ Jauche & Oliver Dollar. And dont forget the great cover version of an instant classic!
Must Have for House headz!
Including remixes by Oliver Dollar & Dj Jauche and the "Smooth Operator" Cover by Machomovers.
TRACKLISTS:
A1 Machomovers - Jaegermeister ( Oliver Dollar Remix )
A2 Machomovers - Jaegermeister ( Original Mix )
B1 Machomovers - Jaegermeister ( Dj Jauche Klappfix Mix )
B2 Machomovers - Smooth Operator
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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This Remix Ep was original released in 2018.
Great House Record with some of Berlins best Producers DJ Jauche & Oliver Dollar. And dont forget the great cover version of an instant classic!
Must Have for House headz!
Including remixes by Oliver Dollar & Dj Jauche and the "Smooth Operator" Cover by Machomovers.
TRACKLISTS:
A1 Machomovers - Jaegermeister ( Oliver Dollar Remix )
A2 Machomovers - Jaegermeister ( Original Mix )
B1 Machomovers - Jaegermeister ( Dj Jauche Klappfix Mix )
B2 Machomovers - Smooth Operator
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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1
Filmmaker - Outermost
2
Filmmaker - Bitting Void
The Columbian veteran brings his signature electro punk style to Lifeforms for his debut on Lifeforms and first ever 7” release.
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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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1
RLGN - Olonkho
2
RLGN & Locked Club - - Betrunkener Hund
3
RLGN & DUMMFO¨UND - - Mahaut
4
RLGN & Stelmakh - - Thriller
5
RLGN - Rain in Kyoto
RLGN joins forces with a series of collaborators on his new Romantichrist EP, on Macceo Plex’s Lone Romantics. Russian innovator RLGN has a rough and ready techno sound that has come on Boysnoize Records, Private Persons and Don't Recordings. He is part of the experimental wave of post-Soviet artists mixing up scruffy basement techno with acid-laced modern electronics. Here he works solo on two tracks as well as with frequent collaborator Locked Club - a fellow Russian electronic punk, DUMMFÖUND - a Middle Eastern melody master who does everything from disco edits to house, breaks and techno, and Stelmakh - a musician, pianist and composer from Russia. The solo cut 'Olonkho' opens up with heavily filtered and guttural vocalisations looped over bristling breakbeats. It's a fizzing, caustic cut with snappy kicks and explosive hits that will blow up any dance floor. RLGN & Locked Club then join forces for 'Betrunkener Hund' which is a grizzly and frosty mid-tempo techno cut. The synths are twisted, the mood dystopian and the atmosphere edgy. RLGN & DUMMFÖUND's 'Mahaut' spins out on more busted bass and visceral drum programming with Middle Eastern vocal wails adding a sense of tension to the machine madness. RLGN & Stelmakh's 'Thriller' is a distorted and brain-frying mix of rusty synths and yelling vocals over urgent, broken techno drums and blizzard-like pads. RLGN shuts down the EP with the second solo track 'Rain In Kyoto', a punchy electro-techno workout with busy synth modulations, lush bell melodies and turbocharged basslines. These are five fierce and formidable techno fusions that take no prisoners.
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Germany
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1
Parbleu - Elios
2
Parbleu - Pour Cette Liberté
3
Parbleu - Si Tu Veux Vivre Ou Pas
4
Parbleu - Sababa
5
Parbleu - J'Entends Pas
6
Parbleu - Je Le Ferai
7
Parbleu - La Guillotère
8
Parbleu - Calima
For their second LP ‘Elios’ on Periodica Records, musical collective “Parbleu” - led by Andres Balbucea and Andrea De Fazio - reach towards realms both astral and ancient to present a solar sonic suite of sky-seeking exotica inspired by the mythological adventures of Helios. Elemental grooves anchor textures of cosmic magic and faraway fantasy, wherein panoramic conga and bongo displays lead to limbo line hysteria and fat-bottomed bass grooves slide through layers of galactic grease. Phaser riffs and flangers arps fly in unison, lyrical runs dart and dash through flourishes of baroque Turkish psychedelia, and as moonbeam lasers fire over thrilling balearic escapes, Iberian reeds dance joyously amidst jangling six-string sunstrokes.
Captured in part at the West Hill Studio, the album is an evocative and polychromatic display of sight and sound, one where Arabian strings riding a desert wind dub skank give way to passages of cinematic folk funk, or elsewhere to sections of pompous progressive rock and angular jazz fusion. And as with Parbleu’s first LP ‘Danse Cette Zik,’ there is an awe-inspiring display of vocal talent across ‘Elios,’ as soft-soul seances, choral pop communions, 60s soundtrack spirituals, Italo diva poetics, and intoxicating call-and-response spells rain down over the mystical melodies and dancefloor dynamite.
A1 - Elios
A2 - Pour Cette Liberté
A3 - Si Tu Veux Vivre Ou Pas
A4 - Sababa
B1 - J'Entends Pas
B2 - Je Le Ferai
B3 - La Guillotère
B4 - Calima
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Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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Captured in part at the West Hill Studio, the album is an evocative and polychromatic display of sight and sound, one where Arabian strings riding a desert wind dub skank give way to passages of cinematic folk funk, or elsewhere to sections of pompous progressive rock and angular jazz fusion. And as with Parbleu’s first LP ‘Danse Cette Zik,’ there is an awe-inspiring display of vocal talent across ‘Elios,’ as soft-soul seances, choral pop communions, 60s soundtrack spirituals, Italo diva poetics, and intoxicating call-and-response spells rain down over the mystical melodies and dancefloor dynamite.
A1 - Elios
A2 - Pour Cette Liberté
A3 - Si Tu Veux Vivre Ou Pas
A4 - Sababa
B1 - J'Entends Pas
B2 - Je Le Ferai
B3 - La Guillotère
B4 - Calima
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Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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1
Maenad Veyl - Bleak
2
Maenad Veyl - Unhealed
3
Maenad Veyl - The Adversary
4
Maenad Veyl - They Belonged with the Others
5
Maenad Veyl - From Body to Body
6
Maenad Veyl - Silent Blood
7
Maenad Veyl - Twelve Regions
8
Maenad Veyl - Out of Sight
9
Maenad Veyl - Heart of a Machine
10
Maenad Veyl - Solipsism and Other Comforts
11
Maenad Veyl - Like a Locust
12
Maenad Veyl - Permanent Disrepair
2023 REPRESS / 2LP + GATEFOLD + WHITE/BLACK SPLATTER VINYL + DOWNLOAD
Tracklist:
A1 - Bleak
A2 - Unhealed
A3 - The Adversary
B1 - They Belonged with the Others
B2 - From Body to Body
B3 - Silent Blood
C1 - Twelve Regions
C2 - Out of Sight
C3 - Heart of a Machine
D1 - Solipsism and Other Comforts
D2 - Like a Locust
D3 - Permanent Disrepair
Release Note:
REPRESS OF MAENAD VEYL’S DEBUT ALBUM. LIMITED GATEFOLD AND SPLATTER VINYL EDITION.
Veteran producer Thomas Feriero graces us with his first album in years and his debut LP as Maenad Veyl.
Hosted inside a sleeve designed with Tomaso Lisca are twelve tracks made of the same contained abrasion
we fell for on his EPs for Death & Leisure, Veyl and Pinkman. A full-on workout devoid of fillers, ambient
interludes and other mindless garbage, ‘Body Count’ is as relentless as the name suggests.
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Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
Tracklist:
A1 - Bleak
A2 - Unhealed
A3 - The Adversary
B1 - They Belonged with the Others
B2 - From Body to Body
B3 - Silent Blood
C1 - Twelve Regions
C2 - Out of Sight
C3 - Heart of a Machine
D1 - Solipsism and Other Comforts
D2 - Like a Locust
D3 - Permanent Disrepair
Release Note:
REPRESS OF MAENAD VEYL’S DEBUT ALBUM. LIMITED GATEFOLD AND SPLATTER VINYL EDITION.
Veteran producer Thomas Feriero graces us with his first album in years and his debut LP as Maenad Veyl.
Hosted inside a sleeve designed with Tomaso Lisca are twelve tracks made of the same contained abrasion
we fell for on his EPs for Death & Leisure, Veyl and Pinkman. A full-on workout devoid of fillers, ambient
interludes and other mindless garbage, ‘Body Count’ is as relentless as the name suggests.
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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
1
Surgeon - Preview 01:57
2
Surgeon - Golden 05:56
3
Surgeon - Circles 04:38
4
Surgeon - The Heath 06:02
5
Surgeon - Pnuma 05:53
6
Surgeon - Set One 02:49
7
Surgeon - Set Two 05:32
8
Surgeon - Box 04:31
9
Surgeon - Dialogue 04:10
10
Surgeon - Dinah’s Dream 05:39
Territories: World minus UK & US
2023 repress
FORMAT 2x12" 180g vinyl, full printed sleeve, dl card
TRACKLIST
1/A1. Preview 01:57
2/A2. Golden 05:56
3/A3. Circles 04:38
4/B1. The Heath 06:02
5/B2. Pnuma 05:53
6/C1. Set One 02:49
7/C2. Set Two 05:32
8/C3. Box 04:31
9/D1. Dialogue 04:10
10/D2. Dinah’s Dream 05:39
Release Info:
Tresor Records is fortunate enough to be sitting on a catalogue of past releases that no other label in electronic
music would turn down. Three of the finest in this collection were contributed by Surgeon;
“Basictonalvocabulary”, “Balance” and “Force + Form”, which all came out between 1997 and 1999.
Surgeon’s inimitable combination of Detroit techno and post-industrial sounds emanating from his British
homeland found its fullest expression in these masterful trio of releases.
Following the release of Surgeon's first album in 5 years "Crash Recoil" earlier in 2023, Tresor Records have decided
that its high time to give these seminal albums another airing.
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Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
2023 repress
FORMAT 2x12" 180g vinyl, full printed sleeve, dl card
TRACKLIST
1/A1. Preview 01:57
2/A2. Golden 05:56
3/A3. Circles 04:38
4/B1. The Heath 06:02
5/B2. Pnuma 05:53
6/C1. Set One 02:49
7/C2. Set Two 05:32
8/C3. Box 04:31
9/D1. Dialogue 04:10
10/D2. Dinah’s Dream 05:39
Release Info:
Tresor Records is fortunate enough to be sitting on a catalogue of past releases that no other label in electronic
music would turn down. Three of the finest in this collection were contributed by Surgeon;
“Basictonalvocabulary”, “Balance” and “Force + Form”, which all came out between 1997 and 1999.
Surgeon’s inimitable combination of Detroit techno and post-industrial sounds emanating from his British
homeland found its fullest expression in these masterful trio of releases.
Following the release of Surgeon's first album in 5 years "Crash Recoil" earlier in 2023, Tresor Records have decided
that its high time to give these seminal albums another airing.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
1
DMX Krew - Still Got It
2
DMX Krew - Still Got It Dub
3
DMX Krew - Paranoia
4
DMX Krew - Cold Dub
The Rephlex alumni and Rinse.fm resident DMX Krew channels Prince’s spirit in this new electro-pop maxi on Cold Blow.
Picking up his electro-pop and synth-funk hat from where it was laid on 2022’s Party Life LP, Ed DMX is switching gears and picking up the pace with four dance-inducing tracks. Another one of the brilliant releases that we’ve become to expect from the consistently hot Cold Blow! The titular track “Still Got It” is a brand new production with vocal and dub versions of driving bassline and Linn fills, exclaiming “I still got the music in me, and it sets me free!” amidst heartbreak. Teardrops on the dancefloor, anyone?
On the flip side, we are treated with an archive gem from the Rephlex era! The Telex-like pacey vocoder synth pop “Paranoia” was recorded around the time of “We Are DMX” album in 1999, and what a treat it is!
The closing track is the only previously released one. A dub version of “Cold Love” borrowed from the Japan-exclusive, CD-only 2005 album “Kiss Goodbye” which Cold Blow has announced to be reissued soon!
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
Picking up his electro-pop and synth-funk hat from where it was laid on 2022’s Party Life LP, Ed DMX is switching gears and picking up the pace with four dance-inducing tracks. Another one of the brilliant releases that we’ve become to expect from the consistently hot Cold Blow! The titular track “Still Got It” is a brand new production with vocal and dub versions of driving bassline and Linn fills, exclaiming “I still got the music in me, and it sets me free!” amidst heartbreak. Teardrops on the dancefloor, anyone?
On the flip side, we are treated with an archive gem from the Rephlex era! The Telex-like pacey vocoder synth pop “Paranoia” was recorded around the time of “We Are DMX” album in 1999, and what a treat it is!
The closing track is the only previously released one. A dub version of “Cold Love” borrowed from the Japan-exclusive, CD-only 2005 album “Kiss Goodbye” which Cold Blow has announced to be reissued soon!
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
1
Grauzone - Eisbär
2
Grauzone - FILM 2
3
Grauzone - Ich Lieb Sie
2024 repress
The First Authorised, Official Re Edition of this Electronic, New Wave, Cold Wave, Pop, Synth, Post-Punk Classic, Personally Overseen by Stephan Eicher, Everything Original: Art, Tracklist, Cut on 45 rpm - Printed on 350 GSM Paperstock incl. Sticker!
WRWTFWW Records is very honored to announce the official reissue of Grauzone’s essential 1981 maxi single with timeless classic "Eisbär", proto-techno beast "FILM 2", and romantic synth ballad "Ich Lieb Sie", just in time for the 40th anniversary of the Swiss band’s formation. The three-track vinyl is sourced from the original reels, cut at 45rpm, and comes with its iconic artwork on a 350gsm sleeve.
Tracklisting:
A1. Eisbär
B1. FILM 2
B2. Ich Lieb Sie
Info:
WRWTFWW Records is very honored to announce the official reissue of Grauzone’s essential 1981 maxi single with timeless classic "Eisbär", proto-techno beast "FILM 2", and romantic synth ballad "Ich Lieb Sie", just in time for the 40th anniversary of the Swiss band’s formation. The three-track vinyl is sourced from the original reels, cut at 45rpm, and comes with its iconic artwork on a 350gsm sleeve.
Ich möchte ein Eisbär sein…Written by Martin Eicher after a nightmare in which he saw talking polar bears on the walls, and with music by the Grauzone crew consisting of Martin and his brother Stephan Eicher, Marco Repetto, Christian "GT" Trüssel, and Claudine Chirac (on saxophone), "Eisbär" is the most recognizable title from the band, a sublime mix of ingredients reflecting the transitional era it comes from - the raw energy of punk music still palpable, combined with the audacity of early electronics, the warm groove of a disco gem, beautifully fragile lyrics, and one of the best basslines ever. It became a mega hit, totally unplanned, but how could you resist such a track?
"FILM 2" is the ultimate b-side monster, a menacing all-instrumental pre-techno masterpiece, slowly building to a magnetizing frenzy. An instant underground favorite, it was famously heard played at both speeds depending on the scenes and DJs you were frequenting, 45rpm as it was first intended, and 33rpm for the cosmic experience (search Daniele Baldelli’s Cosmic C75 1982 mixtape online for a great example of this).
The maxi single ends with "Ich Lieb Sie", a synth-pop meets doo-wop ballad, a true love song oozing with innocence. Simple, stylish, and just right.
At the crossroads of post-punk, new wave, pop, and electronic experimentation, the Eisbär maxi offers three songs that are technically different but hold the same spirit, the perfect embodiment of Grauzone’s music - wild, unpredictable, and youthful, yet sophisticated, catchy, and ingenious. The magic recipe for the good stuff.
Stephan Eicher went on to be, arguably, the most successful Swiss musician ever, with an international career extending from pop chanson to experimental escapades and collaborations with Moondog, artists Sophie Calle and John Armleder, and author Martin Suter among many other luminaries. Marco Repetto flourished as a techno and ambient producer, releasing multiple projects including releases on Aphex Twin’s Rephlex label.
Grauzone and WRWTFWW will continue to collaborate on the band’s 40th anniversary reissue campaign, with numerous projects planned for the year, including a vast selection of music, visuals, and literature never available before.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
The First Authorised, Official Re Edition of this Electronic, New Wave, Cold Wave, Pop, Synth, Post-Punk Classic, Personally Overseen by Stephan Eicher, Everything Original: Art, Tracklist, Cut on 45 rpm - Printed on 350 GSM Paperstock incl. Sticker!
WRWTFWW Records is very honored to announce the official reissue of Grauzone’s essential 1981 maxi single with timeless classic "Eisbär", proto-techno beast "FILM 2", and romantic synth ballad "Ich Lieb Sie", just in time for the 40th anniversary of the Swiss band’s formation. The three-track vinyl is sourced from the original reels, cut at 45rpm, and comes with its iconic artwork on a 350gsm sleeve.
Tracklisting:
A1. Eisbär
B1. FILM 2
B2. Ich Lieb Sie
Info:
WRWTFWW Records is very honored to announce the official reissue of Grauzone’s essential 1981 maxi single with timeless classic "Eisbär", proto-techno beast "FILM 2", and romantic synth ballad "Ich Lieb Sie", just in time for the 40th anniversary of the Swiss band’s formation. The three-track vinyl is sourced from the original reels, cut at 45rpm, and comes with its iconic artwork on a 350gsm sleeve.
Ich möchte ein Eisbär sein…Written by Martin Eicher after a nightmare in which he saw talking polar bears on the walls, and with music by the Grauzone crew consisting of Martin and his brother Stephan Eicher, Marco Repetto, Christian "GT" Trüssel, and Claudine Chirac (on saxophone), "Eisbär" is the most recognizable title from the band, a sublime mix of ingredients reflecting the transitional era it comes from - the raw energy of punk music still palpable, combined with the audacity of early electronics, the warm groove of a disco gem, beautifully fragile lyrics, and one of the best basslines ever. It became a mega hit, totally unplanned, but how could you resist such a track?
"FILM 2" is the ultimate b-side monster, a menacing all-instrumental pre-techno masterpiece, slowly building to a magnetizing frenzy. An instant underground favorite, it was famously heard played at both speeds depending on the scenes and DJs you were frequenting, 45rpm as it was first intended, and 33rpm for the cosmic experience (search Daniele Baldelli’s Cosmic C75 1982 mixtape online for a great example of this).
The maxi single ends with "Ich Lieb Sie", a synth-pop meets doo-wop ballad, a true love song oozing with innocence. Simple, stylish, and just right.
At the crossroads of post-punk, new wave, pop, and electronic experimentation, the Eisbär maxi offers three songs that are technically different but hold the same spirit, the perfect embodiment of Grauzone’s music - wild, unpredictable, and youthful, yet sophisticated, catchy, and ingenious. The magic recipe for the good stuff.
Stephan Eicher went on to be, arguably, the most successful Swiss musician ever, with an international career extending from pop chanson to experimental escapades and collaborations with Moondog, artists Sophie Calle and John Armleder, and author Martin Suter among many other luminaries. Marco Repetto flourished as a techno and ambient producer, releasing multiple projects including releases on Aphex Twin’s Rephlex label.
Grauzone and WRWTFWW will continue to collaborate on the band’s 40th anniversary reissue campaign, with numerous projects planned for the year, including a vast selection of music, visuals, and literature never available before.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
1
Mystic Jungle - Don't Stop Your Love
2
Mystic Jungle - Get Down On It
3
Mystic Jungle - Hold On Your Dreams
4
Mystic Jungle - Money Wonder
5
Mystic Jungle - Keep Alive This Fire
2024 Repress!
Mystic Jungle makes a much-awaited return with Deviant Disco, a new 12” of sun-soaked groovers released through Periodica Records. A culmination of several years of writing, vibing, and influence mining, these compositions represent the producer’s most varied and expansive works yet, and to fully realize his vision, Mystic Jungle invited the entire West Hill Studio crew to contribute narcotizing layers of pop vocal mesmerism, and additional touches of guitar, bass, percussion, and synth.
Strains of Italo disco, balearic boogie, and freaky funk are interspersed amidst passages of Nigerian highlife, soft focus AOR, kinetic Hi-NRG, and exotic lover’s rock, resulting in a personalized voyage through a paradise of sound, one that is unmoored from the concerns of modernity, and celebrates instead a hedonistic naivety, and a desire to dance all day in spiritual ecstasy.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More
Mystic Jungle makes a much-awaited return with Deviant Disco, a new 12” of sun-soaked groovers released through Periodica Records. A culmination of several years of writing, vibing, and influence mining, these compositions represent the producer’s most varied and expansive works yet, and to fully realize his vision, Mystic Jungle invited the entire West Hill Studio crew to contribute narcotizing layers of pop vocal mesmerism, and additional touches of guitar, bass, percussion, and synth.
Strains of Italo disco, balearic boogie, and freaky funk are interspersed amidst passages of Nigerian highlife, soft focus AOR, kinetic Hi-NRG, and exotic lover’s rock, resulting in a personalized voyage through a paradise of sound, one that is unmoored from the concerns of modernity, and celebrates instead a hedonistic naivety, and a desire to dance all day in spiritual ecstasy.
Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More