Category Archives: Avant Garde

BLACK MOON CIRCLE-FLOWING INTO THE 3RD DIMENSION.

Black Moon Circle-Flowing Into The 3rd Dimension. Label: Crispin Glover Records. In mid-2105, Trondheim-based psychedelic space rockers Black Moon Circle, announced that they planned to release a trilogy of studio jams. This was, without doubt, the most ambitious project of Black Moon Circle’s career so far. Just over two years later, and Black Moon Circle have …

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GALACTIC EXPLORERS-EPITAPH FOR VENUS.

Galactic Explorers-Epitaph For Venus. Label: Mental Experience. In October of 2016, Mental Experience, an imprint of Guerssen Records released Cologne Curiosities-The Unknown Krautrock Underground 1972-1976, which featured seven tracks from the Pyramid Records’ vaults. The compilation was a musical amuse-bouche, that allowed music fans to experience a tantalising taste of the music that Pyramid Records’ …

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MAGNETBAND-EXPERIMENTELLER ELEKTRONIK-UNDERGROUND DDR 1984-1989.

Magnetband-Experimenteller Elektronik-Underground DDR 1984-1989. Label: Bureau B. Between 1984 and 1989, a new D. I. Y. scene sprung up on both sides of the Berlin Wall. This new scene was inspired by both punk and post punk, and saw the participants in East and West Germany distribute their music on cassette. It was the ideal …

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MOGWAI-THIRTEEN NOT OUT.

Mogwai-Thirteen Not Out. As Scottish post rock pioneers Mogwai prepare for the release of their ninth studio album Every Country’s Sun, on  their own Rock Action Record, on ‘1st’ of September 2017, it’s hard to believe that twenty-two years have passed since they released their debut single. Since then, Mogwai have released eight, soon to be nine studio albums, four soundtracks. …

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MIKI YUI-DUAL (HOLLOW).

Miki Yui-Dual (Hollow). Label: Soft Error. For the best part of fifty years, Scotland has had a vibrant music scene, that has produced many successful artists and bands. They’ve enjoyed success both at home, and abroad. However, to make a breakthrough, many artists and bands had to move to London, which was where the major labels …

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DREADNAUGHT-HARD CHARGIN’.

Dreadnaught-Hard Chargin’.  Label: Red Fez Records. For over twenty years, high-energy power trio Dreadnaught have spent much of their time touring America, and have played in more than half of the states of the union. Audiences in each state have been fortunate enough to hear Dreadnaught play songs from the various critically acclaimed and award-winning …

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SOUL OF A NATION (AFRO-CENTRIC VISIONS IN THE AGE OF BLACK POWER: UNDERGROUND JAZZ, STREET FUNK AND THE ROOTS OF RAP 1968-1979).

Soul Of A Nation-(Afro-Centric Visions In The Age of Black Power: Underground Jazz, Street Funk and The Roots Of Rap 1968-79). Label: Soul Jazz Records. On the ‘4th’ of August 2017, Soul Jazz Records will released their eagerly awaited new compilation, Soul Of A Nation (Afro-Centric Visions In The Age of Black Power: Underground Jazz, …

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THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF MICHAEL ROTHER.

The Life and Music Of Michael Rother. During the early seventies, the German music scene was thriving, and  was one of the most vibrant in Europe. Some of the most influential and innovative music was being accorded released by German bands. This included the holy trinity of Can, Kraftwerk and Neu!. Along with Amon Düül II, Ashra, …

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ESMARK-MARA I AND MARA II.

Esmark-Māra I and Māra II. Label: Bureau B. On the ‘27th’ of July 2017, Esmark, the collaboration between sound architect Nikolai von Sallwitz and experimental artist Alsen Rau will join what is one of the most exclusive clubs in music. Its members include musical luminaries like Frank Zappa, Tom Waits, Guns N’ Roses, Bruce Springsteen …

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EBERHARD KRANEMANN AND HAROLD GROSSKOPF-KRAUTWERK.

Eberhard Kranemann and Harald Grosskopf. Label: Bureau B. Ever since The Beatles released Love Me Do in 1962, many musical luminaries have talked about collaborating on an album. Sadly, that is often as far as it got. Egos got in the way of the project, and what could’ve been a historical collaboration was shelved.  Other …

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SCHNEIDER KACIREK-RADIUS WALK.

Schneider Kacirek-Radius Walk. Label: Bureau B. As 2015 dawned, a new musical partnership prepared to release their debut album. This new partnership featured two experienced, talented  and pioneering musicians, who were, and still are, among the leading lights of Germany’s thriving music scene.  Stefan Schneider was based in Düsseldorf, while Sven Kacirek called Hamburg home. …

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OTE MALOYA-THE BIRTH OF ELECTRIC MALOYA ON REUNION ISLAND 1975-1985.

Oté Maloya-The Birth Of Electric Maloya On Reunion Island 1975-1985. Label: Strut. Nothing ever stays the same. That is certainly the case in music. It has been since the birth of rock ’n’ roll just over sixty years ago. Since then, every musical genre has continued to evolve and reinvent itself, in an attempt to …

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SPACE, ENERGY AND LIGHT-EXPERIMENTAL  ELECTRONIC AND ACOUSTIC SOUNDSCAPES 1961-88.

Space, Energy and Light-Experimental Electronic and Acoustic Soundscapes 1961-88. Label: Soul Jazz Records One of the most eagerly awaited compilations of recent months is a collection of soundscapes from Soul Jazz Records entitled Space, Energy and Light-Experimental Electronic and Acoustic Soundscapes 1961-88. These fourteen soundscapes were all created by musical pioneers.  The story starts in …

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VOIGT/465-SLIGHTS UNSPOKEN.

Voigt/465-Slights Unspoken. Label: Mental Experience. The story of Voigt/465 is a case of what might have been. They were formed in Sydney, Australia in 1976, and spent the next three years trying to make a breakthrough. By May 1979, things were looking up for Voigt/465 and they looked on the verge of a breakthrough. Their …

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CAN-THE SINGLES.

Can-The Singles. After releasing eleven albums in eleven years, Can called time on their career in 1979. By then, Can were rightly regarded by critics as one of the most important, influential and innovative bands of the Krautrock era. However, like many of the Krautrock bands, Can hadn’t enjoyed the commercial success that their music …

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Arve Henriksen-Towards Language.

Arve Henriksen-Towards Language. Label: Rune Grammofon. Currently the most overused word in the English language is innovative. Especially, it seems by certain music journalists, who recently, have developed a tendency overuse and misappropriate the word. However, there are a few groundbreaking musicians whose music deserves to be called innovative. This includes the Norwegian jazz trumpeter …

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Katharina Grosse and Stefan Schneider-Tiergarten.

Katharina Grosse and Stefan Schneider-Tiergarten. Label: TAL. Nowadays, musical collaborations are much more commonplace than ever before. Partly, that is because of the new musical technology that is available to artists. This has totally transformed the way that albums are now recorded.  It’s now possible to record an album on a laptop using just a …

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WILD HONEY-TORRES BLANCAS.

Wild Honey-Torres Blancas. Label: Lovemonk Records. Just over four years ago, Wild Honey released their much-anticipated sophomore album Big Flash in April 2013. This was the followup to Wild Honey’s 2009 debut album Epic Handshakes and A Bear Hug. While it was released to plaudits and praise, Big Flash marked the coming of age of …

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NON BAND-NON BAND.

Non Band-Non Band. Label: TAL In the summer of 1978, a musical revolution took place in Japan, which changed music forevermore,..punk. The Japanese punk rockers were christened Tokyo Rockers, and initially were disregarded by the mainstream music industry. Record company executives made the mistake of thinking that the Japanese punk movement was just a passing …

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ADDICTIVE TV-ORCHESTRA OF SAMPLES.

Addictive TV-Orchestra Of Samples. Label: K7! Recording and producing Addictive TV’s debut album Orchestra Of Samples has been a labour of love for production duo Graham Daniels and Mark Vidler. They spent five years travelling far and wide, visiting over twenty-five  countries to record with hundreds of local musicians to create the source material for …

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