Category Archives: Avant Garde

NAT BIRCHALL-COSMIC LANGUAGE.

Nat Birchall-Cosmic Language. Label: Jazzman Records.  Manchester-based jazz saxophonist Nat Birchall has come a long way since releasing his debut album The Sixth Sense in January 1999, and nowadays, is regarded as one of the leading lights of the vibrant British jazz scene. Nat Birchall is also one of the most talented and inventive British …

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SPIRITUAL JAZZ VOLUME 8 JAPAN: PARTS 1 AND 2.

Spiritual Jazz Volume 8 Japan: Parts I and II. Label: Jazzman Records. In 1998, Jazzman Gerald was one of a number of people who noticed that the demand for old jazz, funk and soul albums and singles was outstripping the supply, which meant that many record buyers were being priced out of the market. That …

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DEUTSCHE ELEKTRONISCHE MUSIK: EXPERIMENTAL GERMAN ROCK AND ELECTRONIC MUSIC 1972-1983.

Deutsche Elektronische Musik: Experimental German Rock and Electronic Music 1972-83. Label: Soul Jazz Records.  Nowadays, the period between 1968 and the early eighties is regarded as a golden period for German music, and is remembered as period when groundbreaking artists and groups like Amon Düül II, Can, Cluster, Deuter, Faust, Harmonia, Neu!, Popul Vuh and …

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DIE WILDE JAGD-UHRWALD ORANGE.

Die Wilde Jagd-Uhrwald Orange. Label: Bureau B. Release Date: ‘6th’ April 2018. Ever since the late sixties, Düsseldorf has always had a vibrant music and art scene, and that was the still the case in 2006 when Berlin born DJ Sebastian Lee Philipp first met Ralf Beck a local musician and producer in Salon des …

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BILL FRISELL-MUSIC IS.

Bill Frisell-Music Is. LABEL: Okeh-Sony Music. Sixty-seven year old American jazz guitarist, composer and arranger Bill Frisell was born in Baltimore, but grew up in Denver, Colorado, where his love of music blossomed. Bill Frisell’s  love of music is just as strong today, as it’s ever been, and proof of this is his new solo album Music Is …

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MOPO-MOPOCALYPSE.

Mopo-Mopocalypse. Label: We Jazz Records.  When a fight breaks out in a bar some people head for the door, as others look for a pool cue and join the fray, while some watch the action from sidelines hoping that nobody will spill their drink. However, not many people having just witnessed a bar brawl decide to …

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BIOSPHERE-THE HILVARENBEEK RECORDINGS.

Biosphere-The Hilvarenbeek Recordings. Label: Biophon Records. Back in 2013, Geir Jenssen a.k.a. Biosphere, was invited by the organisers of the Incubate Festival in Tilburg to spend a week doing field recordings at the organic farm in Boerderij ‘t Schop in Hilvarenbeek. This was an invitation Biosphere accepted and made the journey to Hilvarenbeek, in Holland. …

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SUN RA-“OF ABSTRACT DREAMS.”

Sun Ra-“Of Abstract Dreams.” Label: Strut. Nowadays, the inimitable Sun Ra is regarded as one of the true pioneers of free jazz and a truly innovative and influential musician who pushed musical boundaries to their limit, and sometimes, way beyond. Sun Ra was also a prolific artists who released around 125 albums during a career …

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NILS FRAHM-ALL MELODY.

Nils Frahm-All Melody. Label: Erased Tapes Records. Over the last two years, much of Nils Frahm’s time was spent building a new studio in his adopted home city of Berlin where he recorded his seventh studio album All Melody which was recently released by Erased Tapes Records. With All Melody released, Nils Frahm headed out …

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STEVE REICH-PULSE/QUARTET.

Steve Reich-Pulse/Quartet. Label: Nonesuch. Nowadays, the word innovative is often overused in journalism, especially by those who make a living writing about music. However, eighty-one year American composer Steve Reich, who was one of the pioneers of minimalist music in the late-sixties, has spent a lifetime creating ambitious,  groundbreaking and innovative music that has influenced and …

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LARAAJI: VISION SONGS VOLUME 1.

Laraaji: Vision Songs Volume 1. Label: Numero Group. During a career that has spanned five decades, American multi-instrumentalist Laraaji has released around thirty albums and countless collaborations. Many of these albums were self released by Laraaji on cassettes, and feature his unique and inimitable genre-melting sound. This best described as a fusion of ambient, avant-garde, …

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ELEPHANT9-GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH.

Elephant9-Greatest Show On Earth. Label: Rune Grammofon. After releasing two critically acclaimed albums with legendary Swedish guitarist Reine Fiske, a new chapter began for Elephant9 in October 2017 as they began work on their fifth studio album Greatest Show On Earth at Studio Paradiso. This was the first album that the core trio of Elephant9 …

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BEATCHILD AND THE SLAKADELIQS-HEAVY ROCKIN’ STEADY. 

Beatchild and The Slakadeliqs-Heavy Rockin’ Steady. Label: BBE. While many of Byram Joseph’s classmates at junior school  Sarnia, a small city in Southwestern Ontario, in Canada were interested in sport, the future Slakah The Beatchild was much more interested in music. He already had a small record collection which his parents had given him, and …

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THE BEST VINYL RELEASES OF 2017 PART 1

The Best Vinyl Releases Of 2017-Part 1.. Bettye Swann-The Money Masters. Label: Kent Soul. Bettye Swann had the talent and potential to become one of the greatest soul singers of her generation. A remainder why can be found on The Money Masters which covers Bettye Swann’s time at Money Records, and includes singles, B-Sides and …

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THE BEST VINYL RELEASES OF 2017 PART 2.

The Best New Vinyl Releases Of 2017 Part 2. Eric Clapton-Slowhand-Vinyl. Label: Polydor. When November 1977, Eric Clapton released his much-anticipated fifth album Slowhand, the reviews were mostly positive. Critics were won over by an album where Slowhand’s playing was much more subtle and understated on an album where he sometimes laid bare his soul. …

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THE BEST VINYL RELEASES OF 2017 PART 3.

The Best Vinyl Releases of 2017 Part 3. Motörhead -What’s Worth Words. Label: Big Beat Records. When Motörhead released What’s Worth Words on the ‘5th’ of March 1983, critics called the album one of the greatest live albums ever release. That was no exaggeration. What’s Worth Words featured a barnstorming, speed fuelled performance from Motörhead …

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THE BEST VINYL RELEASES OF 2017 PART 4.

The Best Vinyl Releases Of 2017 Part 4. The Monkees-Summer Of Love. Label: Rhino. Even today, The Monkees divides the opinion of many critics and record buyers. Partly that is because of the perception that The Monkees were a manufactured band that was the brainchild of television executives. Despite that, The Monkees went on to …

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HIROSHIMA-EAST AND PROVIDENCE

Hiroshima-East and Providence. Label: BGO Records. By 1989, Hiroshima was preparing to release their much-anticipated sixth album East, which was the followup to 1987s Go, which was the most successful album of the band’s ten year recording career. For Hiroshima, East and Providence which was recently reissued by BGO Records as a two CD set, …

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BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2017-PART 1.

Best New Albums Of 2017-Part 1. At this time of year, the lists of the best albums of the previous year are published. This year, I’ve delved deep into the all the releases from 2017 and picked my 100 Best New Albums Of 2017. 1982-Chromola. Label: Hubro Music. Norwegian power trio 1982 celebrated their tenth anniversary with the release …

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BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2017-PART 2.

Best New Albums Of 2017-Part 2. Ben Lukas Boysen and Sebastian Plano-Everything. Label: Erased Tapes Records. When it came for games designer David O’Reilly to commission composers to produce the score for Everything, he turned to German composers Ben Lukas Boysen and Sebastian Plano who were tasked with producing a sprawling four-hour, immersive soundtrack. This would …

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