Overnight second approach

Limited-press series produced by Alessio Barletta!

150 copies

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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

At the age of 72, "Evil" Graham Lee, the legendary pedal steel pioneer and veteran of the iconic Australian band The Triffids, delivers his first ever album under his own name titled ‘I Think I’m Alone Now’. In addition to his work with The Triffids, Graham’s place in ambient history was cemented in 1990 when his evocative pedal steel became the soulful centerpiece of The KLF’s masterpiece, Chill Out (specifically on the highlight “Baltimore to Fair Play”).

I Think I’m Alone Now is a profound exploration of the instrument's emotional range, blending traditional country infused melodies with vast, reverb drenched ambient textures. The album spans six tracks, anchored by the Side B title track, a 15 minute textural piece that leans heavily into the ambient genre. From the delicate melancholy of "Seeking Beauty in Sadness" to the curious abstraction of "Nursery in the Beehive," Lee uses his pedal steel and an array of pedals to sculpt unique, haunting soundscapes that exist between tradition and the avant garde.

The connection is brought full circle with exclusive liner notes written by The KLF’s Bill Drummond. Reflecting on a forty year friendship that began when The Triffids served as the backing band for Drummond’s solo debut, The Man, Drummond provides a personal and poignant context for this long awaited solo bow.

A 180g pressing housed in a full sleeve designed by Bradley Pinkerton with metallic sticker and bespoke inner sleeve featuring liner notes signed by Bill Drummond.

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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

This is not a Ben Vida, Booker Stardrum, and Will Epstein record; it’s a Play Time record. That’s a subtle but important distinction, for a couple reasons. One, the sound of Magic Object—a polymetric blend of improv and pulse minimalism for saxophone, drums, and Moog—doesn’t really sound anything like any of their many other ensembles or respective solo projects. And two, it was only while making Magic Object, their debut album, that Play Time realized they were a band at all.

Let’s back up. The roots of the trio date to 2020-21, when Will and then Booker moved to the Hudson Valley, where Ben was already living. The three got into the habit of playing together at Ben’s house, and they soon realized that their hang sessions felt fundamentally different from making music in some falling-down studio in Bushwick. Where those experiences were rushed and cramped, a new sense of time and space now suggested itself. Where once they rat-raced the music, now they relaxed into it.

Early gigs yielded similar revelations. A booking at Tubby’s, the beloved Kingston venue, evolved into a kind of residency. Tubby’s is a small space, fitting around 100 people, with a bar in the front room and a stage in the back. Play Time decided that they didn’t want to play on the stage; they wanted to play in front, among the people in the bar. Rather than hogging the spotlight and overpowering the other voices in the room, they blended with the energy of their surroundings and emerged as a sort of minimalist-jazz-krautrock bar band.

Gradually, they discovered a newfound “elasticity”—Ben’s word—that reshaped the music from inside. “It’s this communal thing,” he says. “It’s vibes. And it’s embedded in the community up here, which feels really vital and nourishing.” They were jamming, but it wasn’t just a free-for-all; they found themselves listening to each other in new ways. “Ben and Booker joke that they’re always playing in different time signatures,” Will says. “We’re all going forward with our own ideas, but we’re open to each others’ as well, and they’re all sort of dancing together.”

“We all have our painterly solo projects,” Will says—where, Booker adds, “we do a lot of studio arranging and thinking and composition that takes shape over a period of time.” Play Time, on the other hand, is all about being in the moment. That spontaneity was key to the process of recording the album. They booked two days in their friend Joey’s studio, a converted wooden barn. “It’s just a live room,” Booker says. “There’s no separation or anything. So we’re all in the space together and it’s got this beautiful, woody sound, and that’s very much the sound of the record.” For two days, they just jammed, for seven or eight hours each day. When it was over, they went through, edited down the portions they liked, and added very judicious overdubs designed to enhance the original recordings without fundamentally altering them, staying true to the spirit of the sessions.

The result is something like a snapshot and a mission statement all rolled into one. “You’re hearing us discover the voice of the band in real time,” Ben says. “We finished those sessions and we were like, ‘Oh, that’s what our band sounds like now.’”

Now, with Magic Object, the rest of us get to find out too.

—

Balmat is a label with a cloudy outline. Jointly shepherded by Albert Salinas and Philip Sherburne, two friends living in Cardedeu, Catalonia, and on the Balearic island of Menorca, Balmat grew out of Lapsus Radio, a weekly show born almost ten years ago. Balmat’s mission is simple: to foster new ideas, expand upon personal obsessions, and put enveloping sounds out into the world.

“Balmat” means “empty” or “void” in Catalan. But quite apart from any negative connotations, we prefer to think of it in terms of possibility: a space waiting to be filled.

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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

New repress from Hot Mule.In the early 1970s, Guinea-Bissau was fractured by ethnic divisions and a war for independence. By reviving traditional genres like Gumbé and singing in Guinean Kriol, José Carlos Schwarz & Cobiana Djazz created a powerful bond with the people. Through politically engaged lyrics and groundbreaking music, the band helped shape the social and political consciousness of the masses, influenced groups like Super Mama Djombo, and restored a strong sense of cultural identity to Bissau-Guineans.Cobiana Djazz’s rise also sparked political turmoil. Schwarz joined urban guerrilla activities linked to bombings in Bissau, leading to his imprisonment and torture between 1972 and 1974. Following Portugal’s April 25, 1974 revolution, Guinea-Bissau gained independence. A major figure in the liberation struggle, Schwarz played an important role in the democratic transition, using his popularity as an artist. But his criticism of opportunism and irresponsibility within the new regime made him a target, and authorities distanced him from the public by assigning him to the embassy in Havana.José Carlos Schwarz died tragically at 27 in a plane crash upon arrival at Havana’s José Martí International Airport on May 27th, 1977. Praised by artists such as Orchestra Baobab, Letta Mbulu and Miriam Makeba — with whom he recorded his only solo album — “Zé Carlos” secured a lasting place in Guinea-Bissau’s history, though these recordings remained largely unknown outside the country and its diasporas.Produced in close collaboration with the Schwarz family, this official vinyl reissue is remastered and pressed on heavyweight vinyl.

A1 - Indicativo
A2 - Estin
A3 - Po Ka Ta Bida Lagartu
A4 - Lua Kata Kema
A5 - Dispus Ke E Lebal
A6 - Tiu Bernal
B1 - Na Kolonia
B2 - Mindjeris De Panu Pretu
B3 - Pintcha Kamion
B4 - Pena De Galiña
B5 - Amigos Cabali

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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

Splayed Werks markiert einen deutlichen Wendepunkt im Werk von Tyondai Braxton. Das fünfte Soloalbum des US-Komponisten und Produzenten ist zugleich sein erstes Full-Length-Release seit dem symphonischen Telekinesis (2022) und der Auftakt einer neuen Zusammenarbeit mit dem renommierten britischen Label Erased Tapes. Auf über 70 Minuten entfaltet Braxton eine dichte, hochpräzise Welt aus Elektronik und Sounddesign - fragmentierter und unmittelbarer als seine bisherigen, oft großformatigen Arbeiten. Die 15 Tracks sind überwiegend kompakt gehalten und bewegen sich zwischen minimalistischer Komposition, experimenteller Clubmusik und installativer Klangkunst. Rhythmisch komplexe, rau strukturierte Stücke stehen neben beatlosen Passagen von fast ekstatischer Intensität. Splayed Werks ist gleichermaßen intellektuell anspruchsvoll und körperlich erfahrbar - handgemacht, intuitiv und klanglich kompromisslos. Braxton zählt seit über zwei Jahrzehnten zu den prägenden Figuren zwischen Neuer Musik, Elektronik und Avant-Pop: Mitbegründer von Battles, Kollaborateur von Philip Glass, Komponist für führende US-Ensembles und regelmäßiger Gast großer Festivals und Institutionen weltweit.

Tracklist
1.1Bell Smear
1.2Multiplay
1.3Dia
1.4Vali
1.5UnFS
1.6Salt Point
1.7Oslo
1.8Realistic Water
1.9Multiplay II
1.10Phonolydian
1.11Piiano
1.124 Zones
1.13Nimble FX
1.14Clouds Of
1.15K Space

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