V/A Melodii Tuvi: Throat Songs And Folk Tunes From Tuva (Dust-To-Digital) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
There is no more powerful form of vocalizing than Tuvan throat singing. Tibetan chants, opera, death metal grunts, they all pale in comparison to the gorgeous multi-toned 'whistle singing' that throat singers use to create two distinct tones at once, throat singing is one of the few truly mysterious singing styles, and one that still remains difficult to understand, with no real scientific explanation as to how it is actually done, merely educated guesses. The style has been popularized worldwide by the group Huun-Huur-Tu, who have been performing and recording for almost 20 years, in fact recently they performed here in SF. And speaking to the above mentioned power and mystery, we happen to know that in attendance were several local extreme metal musicians, who for years had been trying to learn to throat sing! We've even mentioned in a review or two how amazing a metal band with a throat singing vocalist would be. Maybe some day...
These recordings from 1969, originally only released in the Soviet Union, are only now being released worldwide for the first time. And like most of the Tuvan music we've heard, it's totally mesmerizing, utterly unique, and so beautiful. There are several distinct styles, but most involve the vocalist producing two tones at once, a low raspy buzz, and a high pitched whistle, the buzz acting as a background for the whistle like melodies. The sound is so completely unique, unlike anything you've ever heard, unless you've heard Tuvan throat singing before. Typically, the singes voices tend to sound a bit like Popeye, a raspy croak, that slips seamlessly into that haunting multi-toned whistle/buzz. Sometimes the sound is warm and shimmery, the two notes, the tones perfectly meshed, other times, the vocals are a long drawn out froglike croak, the whistle not in counterpoint as much as the two tone s being produced simultaneously, often as a harmony to an instrumental melody. And the instruments are quite unique too, lots of buzzing strings, Tuvan instruments, of one, two, three or more strings, much like a fiddle, or cello, various woodwinds and of course the Jew's Harp, which is the perfect accompaniment to throat singing.
The instrumental passages here convey the same sort of spirit even sans vocals, moody and melancholic, longing and wistful, the strings buzz and shimmer, long drawn out tones making up slowly unfolding melodies.
The final two tracks are perhaps the most unique. One features solo Jew's Harp, but with the player incorporating a throat singing style, turning the harp's unique sound into an even more unique, twisted melodic vocalized buzz. And the final track, is one of the few examples we've heard of female singing from the region, and while the woman here does not throat sing per se, her voice is lovely, and the melody haunting, the plucked strings perfectly intertwined with the emotive vocalizing. So lovely.
In fact this whole record is fantastic. Anyone who already loves the music of Tuva will want to add this to their collection, and anyone who is hearing this stuff for the first time, will, like most of us, probably become obsessed and need to track down everything they can. It's that powerful.
Includes a massive booklet with new liner notes, photos and an essay on throat singing.
MPEG Stream: OORJAK HUNASHTAAR-OOL "Reka Alash"
MPEG Stream: OORJAK HUNASHTAAR-OOL "Bayan-Kol"
MPEG Stream: SAT MANTSAKAY "TuvinSkiye Narodniye Napevy"
MPEG Stream: KARA-SAI AK-OOL "Uzun-Khoyug"

V/A Meme 001 (Meme) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Minimalist packaging for minimalist music. A stark white cover exercises its visual austerity while the delicate pulsings of CM Von Hausswolff, Stillupstyepa, Ryoji Ikeda, and Rehberg & Bauer (Mego) stand next to the melancholic Fahey strum of Jim O'Rourke and Loren Mazzacane Connors. This is the first release from this label and a very interesting one at that!

V/A Menagerie #1 (Blackest Rainbow) cd 16.98
Are you one of the many aQ customers just waiting for the perfect compilation of psych folk goodness from around the world? Well, illustrator Jake Blanchard and the Blackest Rainbow label have answered your call. They've complied 10 tracks from the most prominent psych-folk gurus around including MV & EE, the Skygreen Leopards, and Ben Nash! There's also a few tracks from some not-so-well-know folkies who are fresh to the scene and ready to impress, like Cam Deas (young solo guitarist from Manchester), Winter Drones (a member of Hush Arbor's live band) and Jerusalem and the Starbaskets. Also included are two live tracks from the hallowed Hush Arbors and Beequeen. Housed in super beautiful silk screened covers with illustrations by Jake Blanchard himself, Menagerie was pressed in a limited edition of 500 on cd and should NOT be missed!
MPEG Stream: CAM DEAS "Steel Gave Me Fire"
MPEG Stream: HUSH ARBORS "Gone"

V/A Menagerie #2 (Blackest Rainbow) lp 25.00
People have been clamoring for this long in the works compilation from UK label Blackest Rainbow, mostly for the two looooooong exclusive tracks from SF space kraut combo Moon Duo and French psychedelic dronefolk duo Natural Snow Buildings, and those tracks do rule, and are well worth the price of admission on their own, but there's way more going on, both sonically and visually. Eight exclusive tracks on the lp, including a handful of bands we had never even heard of, as well as a printed full color zine, featuring original artwork from 8 different artists, presumably with each artist's piece representing one of the tracks.
Let's start with the vinyl, and with Moon Duo, who offer up another fantastic, sprawling synth heavy psychedelic space groove blowout, looped, motorik and mesmerizing, the guitar and keyboard locked into pulsing fuzzed out melodies, the guitars buzzy and crunchy, the synths thick and spacey, heavily reverbed vox floating over the top, the whole thing laced with awesome super melodic, warped and woozy psychedelic leads. Murky, dreamy, druggy, a whole lot of Spacemen 3, a whole lot of krautrock, nods to fellow astral travelers like White Hills and the Heads, and like Moon Duo related outfit Wooden Shjips, a little Doors as well, albeit WAY more tripped out and abstract.
The other main attraction comes courtesy of Natural Snow Buildings, who offer up a gorgeous soundscape of luminescent layered guitars and sprawling epic slow motion melodies, the vibe dreamily dark and majestic, a little brooding and ominous, a smoldering slow build, that eventually settles and slips back into a more tranquil drift, an almost new agey haze, laced with soaring wordless vocals, steel string guitars and deep lush astral shimmer.
Beyond that, there's Akron/Family's warm soft sun dappled psychedelia, crystalline acoustic guitars, clouds of processed melodic drift, sweetly dramatic and lush, WAND's seventies style West Coast country folk pop, acoustic guitars, piano, simple percussion, and heartfelt vocals, Joanne Robertson and Matthew Ashworth's hushed doomfolk dronescape, all blurred buzz and spidery melodies, Married In Berdichev's dreamy washed out psychfolk, gauzy streaks of fractured melody, layered loops and jangly percussion, underpinning more dramatic vocals and finishing with a squall of soft noise, Seadog's poppy folky soft psychedelia, rife with lush strings and muted drones, sounding spacey and almost Pink Floyd-ish, and finally, The See See, who sound like they time traveled from the late sixties / early seventies, their sound total pitch perfect classic California country pop, the Eagles, the Byrds, Fleetwood Mac, gorgeous harmonies, and incredible arrangements.
The accompanying booklet/zine, is about DVD sized and includes all sorts of artwork, from a bunch of cool artists, most notably, long time fave Pete Fowler, the art ranges from super abstract and colorful, to stylized rock poster designs, to simple and cartoony, to druggy and seriously tripped out.
Pressed on nice heavy vinyl. Both the jacket and booklet printed on heavy stock. LIMITED TO 500 COPIES.

V/A Merzbow - Frog - Remixed And Revisited (Misanthropic Agenda) 2cd 14.98
Ok, I know what you're thinking. A remix record?!?! A Merzbow remix record fer chrissakes?!?!? But c'mon, look at who's on this, it reads like an Aquarius who's who: Boris, When, Ulver, Fennesz, Sunn 0))), Hrvatski, Pita, House Of Low Culture and more! And they are remixing one of the best Merzbow records of recent memory, Frog. Surprisingly, all of the "remixes" are pretty cool, but the best results come from folks taking Merzbow's 'noise' in a decidedly more drony, dreamy, minimal direction, as opposed to making -his- noise sound more like -their- noise. Sunn 0))) offer up a gorgeously gritty, minimal rumble-scape, warm and languorous, with far-away guitars and slowly building static that threatens to, and eventually does, disrupt the murky ambience. Ulver minimalise as well, creating a grinding, lethargic rhythm from static, and slight blips of Merz-noise, all under a creepy, horror movie landscape of, ghostly theremin-like wails and warbly minor key melodies. And When take the noise, turn it way down until it's just soothing static, add distant carnival music, chirping cricket like sounds, a heartbeat like pulse, with occasional monster sounds (or maybe croaking frogs, but slowed down they sound like monsters!), rumbling, groaning and creaking ominously as proceedings build in intensity. But it's the Boris track that really makes this all worth while. An epic 20 minute dirge, with glacial guitars throbbing and moaning, creating a doleful, funereal threnody that sounds like Earth or Sunn 0))) buried under waves of shortwave static. The slow motion riffs stretch waaaay out, wailing mournfully almost like whale calls. So beautiful and haunting. Not bad for a remix record! Packaged in a gorgeous psychedelic fold out sleeve.
MPEG Stream: BORIS "Froggie Bee Baa"
MPEG Stream: ULVER "Denki No Numa (Frog Voice Mix)"
MPEG Stream: WHEN "Dark Side Of The Pink Frog"

V/A Message From The Tribe: An Anthology of Tribe Records: 1972-1976 (Universal Sound) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Similar in spirit to the AACM (the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) collective out of Chicago, The Tribe was a collective of free-spirited musicians in Detroit, some of them former Motown session players, who produced and distributed independent recordings by local musicians to foster their own community and have their own creative control of marketing and artistic freedom. Founded by Phil Ranelin and Wendell Harrison, the collective also included Marcus Belgrave, Harold McKinney and Doug Hammond. Musically, The Tribe leaned more to the soul and funk side of jazz, often sounding similar in vibe to Roy Ayers and Donald Byrd rather than the freer sounds of the AACM which included the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Philip Cohran. The Tribe were similarly community minded, but displayed a more activist bent politically, trying to arouse a sense of communal pride and self-reliance in a city beseiged by economic woes, first in the relocation of Motown from Detroit to Los Angeles, and then in the long decline of the auto industry. They did this not only by making and releasing music, but also through the monthly publishing of the Tribe magazine, "Detroit's first black awareness magazine" which featured articles on history, politics, business and culture. While the collective only lasted five years, their output has continued to inspire. In fact, Carl Craig recently brought Tribe members back together to record for the first time in thirty years. Universal Sound has done an amazing job of anthologizing their collective output and this release features a 60 page booklet of history, photos and articles form the Tribe magazine, complete with vintage advertisements from local businesses. Fans of the Sounds of Liberation release or that Spiritual Jazz compilation on Now Again should definitely check this out. So freaking cool!
MPEG Stream: PHIL/PHILIP RANELIN & TRIBE "Vibes From The Tribe"
MPEG Stream: TRIBE "What We Need"
MPEG Stream: MARCUS BELGRAVE "Space Odyssey"
MPEG Stream: DOUG HAMMOND "Wake Up Brothers"
MPEG Stream: TRIBE "Farewell To The Welfare "

V/A Message From The Tribe: An Anthology of Tribe Records: 1972-1976 (Universal Sound) 2lp 23.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Similar in spirit to the AACM (the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) collective out of Chicago, The Tribe was a collective of free-spirited musicians in Detroit, some of them former Motown session players, who produced and distributed independent recordings by local musicians to foster their own community and have their own creative control of marketing and artistic freedom. Founded by Phil Ranelin and Wendell Harrison, the collective also included Marcus Belgrave, Harold McKinney and Doug Hammond. Musically, The Tribe leaned more to the soul and funk side of jazz, often sounding similar in vibe to Roy Ayers and Donald Byrd rather than the freer sounds of the AACM which included the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Philip Cohran. The Tribe were similarly community minded, but displayed a more activist bent politically, trying to arouse a sense of communal pride and self-reliance in a city beseiged by economic woes, first in the relocation of Motown from Detroit to Los Angeles, and then in the long decline of the auto industry. They did this not only by making and releasing music, but also through the monthly publishing of the Tribe magazine, "Detroit's first black awareness magazine" which featured articles on history, politics, business and culture. While the collective only lasted five years, their output has continued to inspire. In fact, Carl Craig recently brought Tribe members back together to record for the first time in thirty years. Universal Sound has done an amazing job of anthologizing their collective output and this release features a 60 page booklet of history, photos and articles form the Tribe magazine, complete with vintage advertisements from local businesses. Fans of the Sounds of Liberation release or that Spiritual Jazz compilation on Now Again should definitely check this out. So freaking cool!
MPEG Stream: PHIL/PHILIP RANELIN & TRIBE "Vibes From The Tribe"
MPEG Stream: TRIBE "What We Need"
MPEG Stream: MARCUS BELGRAVE "Space Odyssey"
MPEG Stream: DOUG HAMMOND "Wake Up Brothers"
MPEG Stream: TRIBE "Farewell To The Welfare "

V/A Messthetics #101: DIY 78-81 London I (Hyped To Death) cd 14.98
Here's the first two promised discs in the revised, regionally-based Messthetics series. (Which is a MUCH BETTER way to do it than the old, alphabetically-organized Messthetics cd-rs!) Messthetics, if you don't know, is the Hyped To Death label's term for all the arty D.I.Y. kinda punk lo-fi amateur rock/pop goodness n' weirdness spawned in the UK during the late '70s and early '80s. Obscure bands that only made cassettes, or appeared on rare 7" vinyl comps, that sort of thing. A few of the bands developed cult followings or went on to evolve into more well-known, professional acts. But most of 'em were but brief blips, if that, on the cultural radar. However, thanks to the loving efforts that have gone in to compiling these and forthcoming Messthetics volumes, now 25 years later these otherwise lost gems can still be enjoyed. Both #101 and #102 are focussed on the heart of the Empire, bands hailing from the Big Smoke, London. Messthetics #101 (full subtitle: D.I.Y. and (very) indie post-punk from London and the Home Counties '78-81, pt I) includes The Homosexuals, George Harassment, Take It, Scissor Fits, and Milkshake Melon, Exhibit A, Different I's, Acid Drops, Funboy Five, Blue Screaming, Karel Fialka, Tiny Town, Grinder, The Door And The Window, Collective Horizontal, Jimmy Nipper Five, Rejects, Rich & Famous, Existence, Twelve Cubic Feet, and Outrageous Flesh. There's 22 regular audio tracks on the cd, and an additional five bonus mp3 tracks as well! Of course, some of these bands are better n' others... and everybody will have their own favorites. Plenty to chose from for sure. Messthetics #102 is indeed part II, another 23 tracks (no mp3s on this one) from Steve Treatment, London PX, Dry Rib, Vacants, Auntie Pus, Astronauts, Lines, Frank Details, Dad, Lines, Tea Set, Walking Floors, MLR, Restricted Hours, The Syrups, Metrophase, Nigel Simpkins, and Innerpropriates. Yeah, we haven't heard of many of these either (well, maybe we have but only in context of the old Messthetics cd-rs), but that's just the point!! Where the heck else are you gonna hear such weird ditties as "Marmelade Freak" and "Drive Your Car To The Middle Of Your Brain" and "I Don't Wanna Work For British Airways"?
Sure, for a more consistent track-to-track collection of pop smarts of similar styles, vintage and geographic origin, we recommend getting that recently reviewed 7" Up comp before these... but for the type of creativity that can only come when artists have ABSOLUTELY no expectations, Messthetics is the place to go. We're eagerly awaiting further volumes!
MPEG Stream: FUNBOY FIVE "Compulsive Eater"
MPEG Stream: RICH & FAMOUS "Machine Gun"

V/A Messthetics #102: DIY 78-81 London II (Hyped To Death) cd 14.98
Here's the first two promised discs in the revised, regionally-based Messthetics series. (Which is a MUCH BETTER way to do it than the old, alphabetically-organized Messthetics cd-rs!) Messthetics, if you don't know, is the Hyped To Death label's term for all the arty D.I.Y. kinda punk lo-fi amateur rock/pop goodness n' weirdness spawned in the UK during the late '70s and early '80s. Obscure bands that only made cassettes, or appeared on rare 7" vinyl comps, that sort of thing. A few of the bands developed cult followings or went on to evolve into more well-known, professional acts. But most of 'em were but brief blips, if that, on the cultural radar. However, thanks to the loving efforts that have gone in to compiling these and forthcoming Messthetics volumes, now 25 years later these otherwise lost gems can still be enjoyed. Both #101 and #102 are focussed on the heart of the Empire, bands hailing from the Big Smoke, London. Messthetics #101 (full subtitle: D.I.Y. and (very) indie post-punk from London and the Home Counties '78-81, pt I) includes The Homosexuals, George Harassment, Take It, Scissor Fits, and Milkshake Melon, Exhibit A, Different I's, Acid Drops, Funboy Five, Blue Screaming, Karel Fialka, Tiny Town, Grinder, The Door And The Window, Collective Horizontal, Jimmy Nipper Five, Rejects, Rich & Famous, Existence, Twelve Cubic Feet, and Outrageous Flesh. There's 22 regular audio tracks on the cd, and an additional five bonus mp3 tracks as well! Of course, some of these bands are better n' others... and everybody will have their own favorites. Plenty to chose from for sure. Messthetics #102 is indeed part II, another 23 tracks (no mp3s on this one) from Steve Treatment, London PX, Dry Rib, Vacants, Auntie Pus, Astronauts, Lines, Frank Details, Dad, Lines, Tea Set, Walking Floors, MLR, Restricted Hours, The Syrups, Metrophase, Nigel Simpkins, and Innerpropriates. Yeah, we haven't heard of many of these either (well, maybe we have but only in context of the old Messthetics cd-rs), but that's just the point!! Where the heck else are you gonna hear such weird ditties as "Marmelade Freak" and "Drive Your Car To The Middle Of Your Brain" and "I Don't Wanna Work For British Airways"?
Sure, for a more consistent track-to-track collection of pop smarts of similar styles, vintage and geographic origin, we recommend getting that recently reviewed 7" Up comp before these... but for the type of creativity that can only come when artists have ABSOLUTELY no expectations, Messthetics is the place to go. We're eagerly awaiting further volumes!
MPEG Stream: ASTRONAUTS "All Night Party"
MPEG Stream: RESTRICTED HOURS "Getting Things Done"

V/A Messthetics #103: DIY 77-81 Midlands 1 (Hyped To Death) cd 14.98
The Messthetics series marches on! Now we visit the grotty Midlands, where (we're told, we weren't there) the avant/pop/punk DIY scene of the late '70s and early '80s was meager in comparison to the rest of the UK on account of the NWOBHM explosion taking place there then. Yet, the industrious compliers at Hyped To Death have managed to dig up a whole disc's worth (and then some, as there are bonus mp3 tracks here as well) of interestin' rare tracks from kids making non-metallic (but still loud and often obnoxious) noise. The best-known of the slew of bands found here would be the Swell Maps, and also there's a band, the Versatile Newts, who was later on to become Felt. Also: Human Cabbages, The Shapes, Domestic Bliss, Cult Figures, School Meals, Hardware, Prefects, The Buzz, Famous Explorers, Digital Dinosaurs, 021, Lester and the Brew, Cravats, Cracked Actors, the Accused (not the Martha Splatterhead Accused, obviously), Dangerous Girls, Spizzoil, and Profile. 22 tracks in all plus 4 mp3s. And as always, there's copious liner notes and graphics in the booklet, chock full of information on all these weird bands. Once you get started on the Messthetics series, we're pretty sure you'll want 'em all, and #103 provides no objection to that notion.
MPEG Stream: THE SHAPES "(I Saw) Batman (In The Launderette)"
MPEG Stream: DIGITAL DINOSAURS "Aliens In Your Skies"
MPEG Stream: HUMAN CABBAGES "The Witch"

V/A Messthetics #104: D.I.Y. '77-81 South Wales (Hyped To Death) cd 14.98
This deep and delightful series of late '70s/early '80s UK post-punk DIY art school pop weirdness continues its ongoing region-by-region march. This volume, Messthetics #104, brings us 23 tracks (29 counting bonus mp3s) of super freakin' obscure tracks from South Wales bands circa 1977-81, with some emphasis on a scene surrounding the Cardiff indie label Z-Block. For what it's worth here's the lineup of bands: Czechs, Current Obsessions, What To Wear, Tax Exiles, Flying Brix, Immortal Invisibles, Spitfire Boys, Decadent Few, The Sane, Discount Chiefs, Table Table (now there's a name), Crash Action Winners (doing a Red Crayola cover), Reptile Ranch, Addiction, Boywonders, Hugh Volk, Ralph & The Ponytails, Janet & Johns, and Puritan Guitars (plus Autonomes, John Marlon, and Filmstars among the bonus mp3 tracks). Sounds range from fuzzed out aggro punkishness to naive, singsongy twee pop klutz stuff, all of it wonderfully eccentric and lo, lo, lo-fi. There's enough goodness here to make it tough to pick faves, though Reptile Ranch's "(Don't Give) The Lifeguard (A Second Chance)" stands out as sounding like the music from the scene in a psychsploitation flick when there's a montage of laughing mouths, hedonistic grape-crushing, and dancing girls.
You gotta hand it to Hyped To Death label owner and Messthetics compiler Chuck Warner. This is a true labor of love, and he knows his stuff. No slapdash, ill-informed compilations these! Instead, you get a bunch of brilliant (or at least entertainingly interesting) music you'd probably never ever hear otherwise, packaged with a thick 24 page booklet stuffed with detailed notes on each track, photos, 7" sleeve art, even a comic strip. Super informative, super fun. Warner points out that Wales was never given a lot of attention by the UK music industry, so the whole DIY thing really had an impact there, giving the Messthetics series plenty of treats to dole out this time 'round!
(PS also new in stock, to be reviewed next time: Messthetics #105, a Scottish volume.)
MPEG Stream: TAX EXILES "(I Don't Believe In) Miracles"
MPEG Stream: REPTILE RANCH "(Don't Give) The Lifeguard (A Second Chance)"

V/A Messthetics #105: D.I.Y. 77-81 Scotland I (Hyped To Death) cd 13.98
This deep and delightful series of late '70s/early '80s UK post-punk DIY indie pop weirdness continues its ongoing region-by-region march! This volume, Messthetics #105, brings us 24 tracks (33 counting bonus mp3s) of super freakin' obscure tracks from 7" singles and demo cassettes by Scottish bands circa 1977-81, with a focus on the extremely underground, art-school spawned "Sound Of Young Scotland". Best known band here is probably Fire Engines. And let's not forget Scrotum Poles. But for sure there's plenty of gems (as usual with these comps), in fact, track for track this may be one of the best so far. This also includes the likes of 35mm Dreams, The Exile, Fakes, Metropak, Radio Ghosts, Rapid Dance, Restricted Code, Brills, Dirty Reds (pre-Fire Engines), He's Dead Jim, and many more.
Lots of lo-fi bands that formed before they either owned instruments or knew how to play them. And they were only tangentially inspired by the '77 punk explosion down London way. The band Vertical Smiles even offer a critique of the commercial aspect of the punk movement on their sarcastic song "New Clash Single". Some of the acts here go for an energetic attack but we're most taken with the more moody, melodic, sometimes monotonic skinny tie new wavey ones...
As usual, this labor of love is packed to the max with photos, art, and well-researched, extensive track notes in the super thick cd booklet. This is the comp to pick up before you go getting anything else by, say, Franz Ferdinand.
MPEG Stream: VISITORS "Moth"
MPEG Stream: RADIO GHOSTS "My Room"
MPEG Stream: VERTICAL SMILES "New Clash Single"

V/A Messthetics #106 - The Manchester Musicians Collective 1977-1982 (Hyped to Death) cd 14.98
These Messthetics comps are so great. Truly a labor of love. So meticulously researched, pretty much ever single collection chock full of bands we've never heard of, with liner notes that read like a book about whatever scene or band is the focus of the comp. So here we go again, number 106 collects a bunch of rarities from The Manchester Musicians Collective. Heard of it? Neither had we. The Fall and Joy Division were the focal points, but this comp proves there were amazing things happening outside of the limelight. According to the liner notes, the four reasons that the MMC scene was different from the various other scenes were as follows:
1. The Buzzcocks, who inspired the scene to make it happen, to get involved, pick up instruments and start bands, set up shows and release records.
2. Live performances. The various meetings of the group helped fledgling bands get their shit together live and on stage, performing in front of their pals and peers, getting tight and honing their sound.
3. The MMC was not just for rocker dudes, there were plenty of gay teenagers and women making just as much noise as the guys in a scene predominantly male. And finally:
4. Incorporating more than just guitars into the sound, keyboards, synths, electronics, effects, all giving the bands a unique sound.
There's plenty more about the history and the development of the MMC, but as with anything it's all about the sound, and the songs, and the groups, and starting with the MMC's stars: Joy Division, The Fall and the Buzzcocks, you can get a pretty good idea of where they were coming from. But then there's groups like the Mud Hutters, who combined angular post punk guitars, with yowled throaty vocals and lurching tribal rhythms, with sheets of insectoid buzz. Or Grow-Up, who adding horns to their new wave, and wrapped it all around jangly guitar and funky rhythms, or Liggers, a punk rock band made up of three Catholic school girls who obsessed over Patty Smith but sounded more like Toto Coelo, or Passage, who tangled up simple rhythms with buzzing low end synths and spoken / sung vocals, or Bee Vamp, whose sound was very Devo, jagged jangle guitar, skronky synths, tribal drumming, and killer glammy vocals... and on and on it goes. So many amazing bands, one hit wonders (minus the hit), and groups who barely existed outside of the MMC scene, and who essentially don't exist at all outside of this comp. Hyped To Death should get some sort of grant, preserving musical history, like a punk rock Smithsonian. As will all of the Messthetics collections and pretty much everything on Hyped to Death, totally recommended.
MPEG Stream: MUD HUTTERS "Water Torture"
MPEG Stream: LIGGERS "Deathwish"
MPEG Stream: PASSAGE "16 Hours + Time Delay"
MPEG Stream: BEE VAMP "Valium Girls"

V/A Messthetics #107 (Hyped To Death) cd 14.98
At this point in this fantastic on-going series, with us having already reviewed Messthetics #101-106 plus both Messethetics Greatest HITS and Messthetics Greatest HISS, we probably don't have to introduce you to the whole Messethetics concept, that being archival anthologies of DIY recordings by obscure post-punk bands from the UK, circa 1977-1983 or so, some noisier, some poppier, some weirder, some cruder... You know what we're talking about - if not, please look up all our reviews of the previous installments in this series, you're in for a treat!
So, here's #107, subtitled "D.I.Y. '78-81 London III", meaning it's the third collection of London-based bands in the series, returning to the city previously documented by #101 and #102. Of course, there's a been lot of great bands from there! There's 23 audio tracks on the cd, plus 7 bonus songs in mp3 format included here. Here's the lineup of bands: Stepping Talk, Jelly Babies, Avocados, Occult Chemistry, Patterns, Six Minute War, Demon Preacher, Methodishca Tune, Jangletties, Stolen Power, Flags, Steppes, Disco Zombies, Insex, 49 Americans, The Milkmen, Design For Living, Twilight Zoners, and Club Tango, with a few more only on mp3. Not too many household names there, eh? But you will find, if you peruse the incredibly extensive liner notes in the thick cd booklet (filled also with photos, fliers, and 7" artwork), that folks participating in some these acts also played in the likes of Alien Sex Fiend, Flying Lizards, A Certain Ratio, and others.
More of a recommendation, really, is simply that it's another volume of Messthetics - they're ALWAYS awesome, so collect 'em all! As usual with a Messthetics volume, this disc is packed with long-unheard gems that are so charmingly THEN but also so perfectly NOW considering the sort of retro influenced stuff we've been hearing from the current DIY pop scene. Naive shambolic pop rubs shoulders with machine-driven punk angst, dubby rhythms mix it up with melodic jangle and skronky guitars... off kilter lo-fi avant garde action abounds! If we had to pick a fave, we'd say the Disco Zombies for some reason jumped out at us when we gave this the first of several spins thus far. But you'll doubtless latch onto your own faves here if you give it a few listens yourself.
Another great addition to the Messthetics library, as always we give big thanks to Hyped To Death for performing this valuable service for all music lovers whose collections aren't quite vast enough to already contain all these obscurities.
MPEG Stream: SIX MINUTE WAR "Weatherman"
MPEG Stream: STEPPES "God's Got Religion"
MPEG Stream: DISCO ZOMBIES "Greenland"
MPEG Stream: METHODISHCA TUNE "LFD"

V/A Messthetics #108 (Hyped To Death) cd 14.98
Hey Messthetics fans! Here's the latest volume in this very worthwhile series of comps of way underground UK music from the late '70s/early '80s. This one is specifically devoted to "South Coast 'D.I.Y.' and (very) indie postpunk '77-81" though we find that their geographic organization of these discs means very little to us. Each one is always awesome, full of gems we're glad to get to hear (and probably never would have otherwise). If you're into Messthetics, this one's another quality comp, featuring 24 songs (plus even more mp3-only bonus tracks and one bonus video), from almost as many bands, here's the lineup, for what it's worth ('cause you probably HAVEN'T heard of any of 'em, that's the idea after all): Chimes, Chiefs, Bloated Toads, Again Again, Objeks, Greeting No. 4, Poison Girls, Lillettes, Renaldo & The Loaf (ok, there's one we'd heard of!), Thought Police, April & The Fools, Vitamins, Pink Flamingos, Joe Dash, Relatives, Legendary Tenfoots, Attic, Indifferent Dance Centre, Almost Cruelty, Mike Malignant & The Parasites, Right Profile, 3D, Forward Edge, Intestines, The Passengers, Venus In Furs, and Butcher, who run the gamut from distorted punk stomp to stark drum machine mope. If the usual run of Messthetics bands are obscure, these are even more so 'cause according to the always-expert liner notes the South Coast scene was generally ignored by the London labels & press. And speaking of liner notes, the thick cd booklet is practically a little 'zine all by itself, each band's super detailed write-up often including a mini-interview! And lots of vintage photos and graphics. As always, a true labor of love.
For those just tuning in, H2D and their Messthetics series is like the Sublime Frequencies of reissue labels. Rather than backpack the world looking for far out field recordings, H2D delves into the past, excavating long lost cassettes and rare vinyl 7"s from the post punk weirdos found in such out of the way corners of Great Britain, such as what's documented here, bands from Bournemouth, Brighton, Southhampton, Portsmouth. The text on the tray card of this cd says "Between 1977 and '83, hundreds of bands in the UK put out their own records and cassettes..." The Messthetics series, now on its umpteenth installment has not only proved that assertion many times over, but also demonstrated that many of those bands were pretty great besides! Check 'em out.
MPEG Stream: OBJEKS "Negative Conversation"
MPEG Stream: VITAMINS "Newtown"
MPEG Stream: JOE DASH "Surgery"
MPEG Stream: INDIFFERENT DANCE CENTRE "Flight & Pursuit"

V/A Messthetics Greatest Hiss (#110) (Hyped To Death) cd 14.98
What an awesomely punny title, Messthetics Greatest Hiss. Meaning, these are all tracks (circa 1979-'82), representing from the DIY cassette culture only, not taken from vinyl singles and 12" comps, as underground as they may be. Which means the stuff here is maybe even more "outsidery" than the usual run of Messthetics treats, as DIY got -really- DIY when the cassette culture thing took off. So, you can expect lots of fantastic -and- really weird tracks here, possibly more so than usual with a Messthetics comp. And the timing of this release is perfect too, as funnily enough cassettes have been making a bit of comeback. Maybe it's that kids today find 'em to be more of novelty than cds and cd-rs, or it's part of an analog backlash against digital, we've certainly been selling limited run cassette tapes like crazy here at AQ lately. Cassette tape, the new (old) cd-r!
Listening to this, you'll definitely have a flashback to your own home taping experiences. The clicks of the cassette deck starting and stopping as edits are made - such as at the start of Funhouse's track "Teenage Bedrooms", which begins with someone yelling "Roight! Enough of this pratting about [click], this song's called 'Teenage Bedrooms'"... and then what follows almost could be the Frogs.
The clicks, the whir, the (yes) hiss. Of course, production values vary from half-decent to practically non-existent. But that lo-fi-ness is all part of the charm. As is the creative, anything goes aesthetic of these bands and "bands". Some "well-known" names (relatively speaking) here and some less-so, from this most underground of underground scenes. Some of 'em quite "pop", others more experimental/industrial/electronic, many combining both.
Thee artists: The Jelly Babies, Danny & the Dressmakers, Storm Bugs, Colin Potter, Event Group, The Get, Instant Automatons, Missing Persons, Gravity Craze, Farming Jim & his Hepcat Groovstas, 391, The Chromosomes, Mike Jones, The Living Dead no. 5, Digital Dinosaurs, The Twizlers, Aconite, Casual Labourers, Midnight Circus, Milkshake Melon, Funhouse, Cultural Amnesia, Stripey Zebras, Chimp Eats Bananas (pre-Chumbawamba we're told), and Dean Johnson.
Everything from crunching electronic distortion to percussive jams (The Event Group) to sub-sub-sub New Wave. Talk about "noise pop", try Cultural Amnesia's track on for size! So much great stuff.
As usual, bursting with value. 25 songs on the cd, plus five more mp3 bonus tracks! A thick, info-packed 24 page cd booklet! And of course it's but volume 1. Bring on volumes 2, 3, 4, etc. we say!
MPEG Stream: 391 "Jet Plane"
MPEG Stream: STORM BUGS "Car Situations (Nasal Passage)"
MPEG Stream: ACONITE "The Truth About Cable"
MPEG Stream: CULTURAL AMNESIA "Repetition For The World"

V/A Messthetics Greatest Hits: The Sounds Of D.I.Y. 1977-1980 (Hyped To Death) cd 11.98
Maybe you remember some years back we used to stock compilation cd-rs in an amazing series called Messthetics, devoted to all kinds of cool tracks by obscure British DIY artpunk outfits from the late '70s/early '80s? Well those cd-rs are long gone now, but at last here's a real cd collecting a bunch of the "greatest hits" from that series! Since almost by definition these bands didn't really have "hits", it's really more the complier's choice. We're sure it was tough to pick and choose from all the good stuff (there were like eight cd-rs in the series) but definitely not hard to make this disc a good 'un, and they've certainly included quite a few of our favorites: Scrotum Poles, Instant Automatons, Steve Treatment, Take It, Thin Yoghurts, Danny & The Dressmakers, and more, 22 tracks in all, from rare singles, cassette comps and other dusty sources. Styles range from distorted new wave dance tracks to twee pop to utter experimental punk n' electronics. Some others on here include such bands as Anorexia, Digital Dinosaurs, Puritan Guitars, Mud Hutters, Reptile Ranch, O Level, and pre-Homosexuals formation the Rejects.
Seminal DIY outfit The Desperate Bicycles oddly enough aren't on here, but they are in spirit, as all these productions hold true to or were inspired by their slogan (a lyric from one of their songs), "It was easy, it was cheap: go and do it!" Yeah! The tracks compiled here remain equally fun and inspirational even today, twenty+ years later. As with the original Messthetics cd-rs, this release includes copious small-print liner notes about each band/track, as well as an essay about the whole messy aesthetics of the DIY movement, explaining how it differed from (and was a reaction to) the mainstreaming of the punk rock boom of '77. And there's full-color (but still mostly black and white xerox style) reproductions of flyers and singles cover art included too.
There's several full-length discs from Messthetics bands either already out or coming soon from this label, as well as an upcoming series of geographically-based Messthetics comps also on regular cds like this one. So stay tuned...
MPEG Stream: SCROTUM POLES "Pick The Cats Eyes Out"
MPEG Stream: TAKE IT "How It Is"
MPEG Stream: THIN YOGHURTS "Girl On The Bus"

V/A Metal Injection (Bad Posture) cd 11.98
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Death to False Metal! say the ten bands contributing to this underground true metal compilation. As with any comp, there's some less-than-valuble tracks (like Iron Rainbow's cover of Iron Maiden's "Man On The Edge"--what were they thinking?!
Maiden wrote lots of songs worth covering, but that's not one of them!) but the traditional metal fan should get some mileage out of the rest of the disc, especially the cuts by Shine (new band of Wino from The Obsessed/St. Vitus), Deceased side-project October 31, Japan's Vanguard, and SF's own The Lord Weird Slough Feg. You'll also hear from Gothic Knights, Sorcerer, Twisted Tower Dire, Internal Void...

V/A Metalheadz Presents Platinum Breakz II 2cd 19.98
Hardcore drum'n'bass on Goldie's label features Source Direct, J-Majik, Ed Rush, Peshay, Dillinja, Adam F and more.

V/A Miami Sound: Rare Funk & Soul From Miami, Florida 1967-1974 (Soul Jazz) cd 21.00
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This release seeks to recognize the Florida studio T.K. Records/ Tone Distributors and their roster of artists as a regional force in the funk & soul world, with its grouping of talented in-house musicians, songwriters and producers paralleling the succesful recipes of labels like Motown in Detroit, Stax in Memphis and Philidelphia International. "Miami Sound" collects big hits and regional rarities by artists like Gwen McCrae, Timmy Thomas, Little Beaver, and Clarence Reid-- who many people might know better as nasty comic Blowfly (the funky backing music on the Blowfly records being played by the same T.K. in-house musicians as appear on "Miami Sound"). Highlights include both Frank Williams & The Rocketeers and Helene Smith's versions of "You Got To Be A Man," a total funky gem of a hit that never was; the smooth n' sexy vibe of George McCrae's "I Get Lifted;" mellow grooviness laced with string arrangements infusing Gwen McCrae's "90% Of Me Is You;" and the sweet sadness and motown heartbreak of "A Woman Will Do Wrong," another cut from Helene Smith. This collection sticks to 1967-1974, before many of these same artists went on to have disco hits. Some sweetly soulful tunes and seriously funky shit is unearthed in another winning compilation from Soul Jazz!
MPEG Stream: FRANK WILLIAMS & THE ROCKETEERS "You Got To Be A Man"
MPEG Stream: DELLA HUMPHREY "Don't Make The Good Girls"

V/A Miami Sound: Rare Funk & Soul From Miami, Florida 1967-1974 (Soul Jazz) 2lp 24.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Vinyl now in stock... This release seeks to recognize the Florida studio T.K. Records/ Tone Distributors and their roster of artists as a regional force in the funk & soul world, with its grouping of talented in-house musicians, songwriters and producers paralleling the succesful recipes of labels like Motown in Detroit, Stax in Memphis and Philadelphia International. "Miami Sound" collects big hits and regional rarities by artists like Gwen McCrae, Timmy Thomas, Little Beaver, and Clarence Reid, who many people might know better as nasty comic Blowfly (the funky backing music on the Blowfly records being played by the same T.K. in-house musicians as appear on "Miami Sound"). Highlights include both Frank Williams & The Rocketeers and Helene Smith's versions of "You Got To Be A Man," a total funky gem of a hit that never was; the smooth n' sexy vibe of George McCrae's "I Get Lifted;" mellow grooviness laced with string arrangements infusing Gwen McCrae's "90% Of Me Is You;" and the sweet sadness and motown heartbreak of "A Woman Will Do Wrong," another cut from Helene Smith. This collection sticks to 1967-1974, before many of these same artists went on to have disco hits. Some sweetly soulful tunes and seriously funky shit is unearthed in another winning compilation from Soul Jazz!
MPEG Stream: FRANK WILLIAMS & THE ROCKETEERS "You Got To Be A Man"
MPEG Stream: DELLA HUMPHREY "Don't Make The Good Girls"

V/A Michigan Mixture Volumes 1 + 2 (Particles) 2cd 25.00

V/A Microfunk: Klickhouse (Neutron Music) 2cd 19.98

V/A Microsolutions #1: Microsolutions To Megaproblems (Soul Jazz) cd 21.00
Microsolutions To Megaproblems is the electronica imprint of the esteemed Soul Jazz label, which has been mining a particular groove that ties together Philadelphia soul, New York leftfield disco, UK post-punk, and the best that Coxsone Dodd produced at Studio One, amongst many of their fine releases. As many of the Soul Jazz releases relish the forgotten aesthetics of the past, it's not surprising that their ventures into contemporary electronica would share not only an appreciation of a mighty funk but also embellishments that harken back to those earlier periods which Soul Jazz has so successfully mined. Over the past two years, Soul Jazz released a handful of 12" singles through the Microsolustions To Megaproblems sublabel from artists like Kit Clayton, Daedelus, Kid 606, Sutekh, Rekid, Ammon Contact, Tim Exile, Hu Vibrational, and other retro-active beatheads; and this compilation features many of the cuts from those singles as well as exclusive mixes of other tracks. Expect dub effects, slap basslines, and acid squiggles bouncing across mid-tempo, post-new wave, breakbeat electronica and blip house.
MPEG Stream: KIT CLAYTON "Humbaba"
MPEG Stream: REKID "Tranzit"
MPEG Stream: SUTEKH "Mouth Party"

V/A Microsolutions #1: Microsolutions To Megaproblems (Soul Jazz) 2lp 24.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Microsolutions To Megaproblems is the electronica imprint of the esteemed Soul Jazz label, which has been mining a particular groove that ties together Philadelphia soul, New York leftfield disco, UK post-punk, and the best that Coxsone Dodd produced at Studio One, amongst many of their fine releases. As many of the Soul Jazz releases relish the forgotten aesthetics of the past, it's not surprising that their ventures into contemporary electronica would share not only an appreciation of a mighty funk but also embellishments that harken back to those earlier periods which Soul Jazz has so successfully mined. Over the past two years, Soul Jazz released a handful of 12" singles through the Microsolustions To Megaproblems sublabel from artists like Kit Clayton, Daedelus, Kid 606, Sutekh, Rekid, Ammon Contact, Tim Exile, Hu Vibrational, and other retro-active beatheads; and this compilation features many of the cuts from those singles as well as exclusive mixes of other tracks. Expect dub effects, slap basslines, and acid squiggles bouncing across mid-tempo, post-new wave, breakbeat electronica and blip house.
MPEG Stream: KIT CLAYTON "Humbaba"
MPEG Stream: REKID "Tranzit"
MPEG Stream: SUTEKH "Mouth Party"

V/A Midnight Soul - Compiled By Tom Thump (Kinkysweet) 2cd 17.98
Veteran SF DJ Tom Thump is one tireless on-the-go fellow, and here are the fruits of his latest club culture endeavours. A deeply groovy, sexy soul and house music compilation for latenight livin'. He's selected twenty two tracks for this double disc set -- a perfect evening's soundtrack for either stayin' out or stayin' in. He kicks things off with the well-known artist Roy Ayers, then moves into more unfamiliar territory (at least for us!), introducing us to the likes of Unforscene, Faze Action, Yam Who?, Kaskade, Mark de Clive-Lowe, Mark Rae, Platinum Pied Pipers, Lizz Fields, Boca 45, Only Child, Peter Malick, Roy Davis Jr, Alison Crockett, Fat Freddy's Drop, Renaissance, JT Donaldson, Alice Russell, Fertile Ground, Linn and Crazy Penis! Released on the appropriately named label Kinkysweet Recordings.
MPEG Stream: CRAZY PENIS "3 Play It Cool"
MPEG Stream: FAT FREDDY'S DROP "Bluesy"

V/A Midnight Soul 3 (Kinkysweet) 2cd 17.98
Now, we admittedly don't carry a whole lotta house and soul tracks here at AQ. It's simply not our area of expertise. When it does cross our paths though we defer to the expert dancefloor packers such as Bay Area veteran DJ Tom Thump -- definitely a name you can trust in that department. He delivers the uninhibited goods once again on this the third installment of the Midnight Soul compilation series. He's filled the two discs with the likes of Choklate, Rich Medina, The Rebirth, Break Reform, Kid Sublime, Liquid Spirits, Black Gold Massive, Maya Azucena, 3D, Kim Hill, Deborah Bond, and Platinum Pied Pipers. Sure to have you gettin' down and gettin' busy way into the wee hours.
MPEG Stream: "Set You Free"
MPEG Stream: "Nutshell"

V/A Midwest Funk (Jazzman) cd 16.98
Back in the late sixties, early seventies, young blacks (and a few whites too) were sweatin' it out in basements and bars all over the US of A, making the funk happen. North, South, East...and Midwest, in this case. Yep, following up their Texas Funk comp, the DJ/detectives at Jazzman now present this collection of super rare (and even unreleased) funk singles from the US midwest. They've unearthed a slew of one-shot gems, 23 of 'em on this here cd. All the tracks are pretty cool, it was hard to pick which ones to make into sound samples! Most of this is serious JB-styled funk, with a few cuts revealing some psych-rock influences more in the George Clinton/P-Funk mode. A bunch are instrumentals, but there's quite a few with male vocalists who've got the James Brown down, and you'll hear from some soul sisters as well. A killer comp for funk fans for sure. And the compilers must be praised for their *extremely* thorough liner notes: almost ridiculously, pedantically so, as when they inform us that "The state of Ohio is nicknamed the Buckeye State, in reference to a native tree" and suchlike travel-brochure detail. But it gets interesting when they get to the stories behind the bands and labels, the nitty-gritty of trying to make it big in Dayton, St. Louis, Detroit, Wichita...
MPEG Stream: MARKUS KELLY & THE IMPASSIONS "Pushin' To The Top"
MPEG Stream: MESSENGERS INCORPORATED "Soulful Procalmation"
MPEG Stream: EPITAPH "Epitaph Movement"

V/A Migrating Bird (Honest Jon's) cd 17.98

V/A Milky Disco (Lo) cd 14.98
Over the past few years, disco has gone from being popularly accepted as a big, kitschy mistake to some sort of golden idol for the nerd intelligentsia. The New York funk of labels like West End and Prelude, the soul of Philadelphia's Salsoul records, and even the cosmic disco of Italy's very own Daniele Baldelli have all suddenly gained a very devoted following. More importantly, a healthy handful of newer artists have been hard at work recontextualizing some of the aesthetics and the various sound palettes of disco and its sub-genres. Milky Disco is a compilation from Lo Recordings that showcases some work from a handful of new disco's brightest stars; from Morgan Geist to Lindstrom to Black Devil Disco Club. Among these familiar and welcome faces are a few lesser known artists, like Johan Ageborn and Sally Shapiro, Daniel Wang, and San Francisco's own Sorcerer -- formerly one-half of Call & Response. If you can handle a little dance with your synths and a little prog with your dance, Milky Disco is a great place to check out disco's newest wave of innovators. Definitely recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Johan Ageborn - Spacer Woman from Mars"
MPEG Stream: "Jersey Devil Social Club - Child 13"

V/A Milky Disco 2: Let's Go Freak Out (Lo Recordings) 2cd 14.98
The first volume of Milky Disco came out a couple years ago, right when disco was really getting discovered by a whole new generation of electronic music makers, using cosmic disco as the launching point for their soaring, silky slow burning sound odysseys. That record proved be a serious grower as we still listen to it a LOT, and the sequencing from start to finish really makes for a great coherent late night album.
Round two finds Milky Disco upping the ante even more, with a really impressive collection of sound makers, both folks we already dig a lot and new names that we'll for sure be on the lookout for in the future. Hatchback (one half of Windsurf) start things off so nicely with a rolling jam that would be right at home on the new Lindstrom & Prins Thomas record. Soft Circle show off their new focus on dance floor delights, Glass Candy sound as cold and sultry as ever, Nite Jewel have a track from their Italians Do It Better 12" that we could listen to on repeat for ever, Expanded Head Band make their recorded debut (it's a new project featuring Alexis from Arp and The Alps) and it's so good! Other stand out tracks come from CFCF, Black Devil Disco Club and Secret Circuit. But what makes the Milky Disco comps so pleasing is how they really do flow as a proper record, one you would actually want to listen to from start to finish. And there isn't just one reference point for all these tracks, we hear the influence of not only early disco's cosmic voyages but also early '90s house, ambient techno, and a healthy dose of prog(!). Long drives, blurry late nights, foggy morning afters, slightly buzzed and cloudy dance floor moments... this is your perfect soundtrack!
MPEG Stream: SECRET CIRCUIT "Roll"
MPEG Stream: CFCF "Raining Patterns"
MPEG Stream: EXPANDING HEAD BAND "Sound Of Breaking Glass"

V/A Milky Disco Three: To The Stars (Lo Recordings) 2cd 14.98
We loved the two previous comps in Lo's Milky Disco series, and this new installment might be our favorite one yet! This time out they get super spacey on us, more spacey than ever before even, it's like the Milky Disco meets the Milky Way, way out in the deeps of space amidst glittering stars, as the subtitle suggests. Driving that point home, they've included two tracks by AQ fave synth-scapers Oneothrix Point Never, at the end of each disc here, but before you get to those kraut-channelling blissout fadeouts, you gotta get down to the main blippity buzzity bizness, mostly instrumental rhythmic contributions from Leo Zero, Ghostape, Hatchback, Ichisan, Soft Rocks, Telespazio, Brassica, Black Devil Disco Club, Cos/Mes, Moscow, Jonny Nash, In Flagranti, NDV, Coyote, Weirdo Police, The Flying Sapphire, and Black Mustang. No, we weren't all that familiar with lot of those, aside from Bernard Fevre's BDDC and a few others, but that's sorta the point of digging into a comp, and we liked 'em all, as you will too if you like cosmic disco awesomeness (fans of minimal wave, Italo-disco, Prins Thomas, Lindstrom, labels like Italians Do It Better and DC Recordings, etc.).
Pulsating beats brings this most definitely to the discotheque dancefloor, of course, though some trax thump house-like more than others, while some are mellower and focus more moodily on minimalist throb and the sizzle of the synth, but they all groove. Disc one is unmixed, disc two mixed, but it hardly makes a difference, as Lo have selected likeminded artists for sure, so on both discs this flows freely from one futuristic funk workout to the next, each of 'em somehow shimmering with cosmic stardust and incorporating similar softly zappin' video arcade FX... While we're hardly ravers, we could stay up late to dance (or sway) to this stuff. Be good to hear DJ'd in a planetarium. And great at home too. Ultimately, utterly hypnotic! Another great Milky Disco odyssey, where to next we wonder? Since they've already gone so far out, to the stars...
Also, let's commend Lo on the handsome design job on the trifold sleeve. We especially like the stylized roman numerals, and alphabet letters, made out of squares, triangles and circles.
MPEG Stream: JONNY NASH "Metabolic"
MPEG Stream: SOFT ROCKS "Bobby's Revenge"
MPEG Stream: TELESPAZIO "Closer Space"
MPEG Stream: MOSCOW "Deep Heat"

V/A Mimicry (Web Of Mimicry) cd 3.98
Where are you gonna find such an awesome deal like this? This compilation features seventeen challenging songs by some truly ass-kicking unconventional bands (many of them Mr. Bungle-related) such as Secret Chiefs 3, Dengue Fever, Faxed Head and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum... AND it's less than four dollars!!! Who's the generous man behind this Web Of Mimicry label? Why it's noneother than the astounding talented gent Mr. Trey Spruance of Secret Chiefs 3 and Mr. Bungle fame!

V/A Mind Expanders Volume 1 (Past & Present) cd 17.98

V/A Mind Expanders Volume 1: In Search of the Orgiastic Flashtastic Psychspastic Groove (Grey Past / Waterpipe Records) picture disc 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
From the wonderful folks who brought us Turkish Delights comes a crazy-psychedelic picture disc of "Psychedelic Sitar Trash Go-Go". Though the name implies there will be a good deal of sitar to be had here, in actuality this isn't entirely the case. There is a bit of it here, but the collection seems to take a broader definition of "Psychedelic Sitar Trash Go-Go". Perhaps title implies more a general exotic nature of psychedelic sounds. The groups on this album hailed from Spain, France, U.K., Belgium, Germany, U.S.A., and Canada. While some of the cuts here could have easily been culled from Vampyros Lesbos, others are just straight up fuzzed out and fucked up garage punk instrumentals. Then there's Les Paul-meets-moog synth musings coupled with bizarre string and percussion sound effects. There's Los Diablos, basically a heavier version of Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass plus guitars. There's even a fuzzed out psychedelic version of "Baia" which sounds like a pissed off Martin Denny. This is definitely a must have for anyone who's interested in the off kilter history of psychedelia. Features rare gems by Los Diablos, The Jokers, The Jim Sullivan Sound, The Dave Myers Effect, Guy Pederson & Son Grand Orchestre, Blue Phantom, La Voix Psychedelique, Crazy Elephant, The Sound Of Lane, The Morgans, Horror Charly, Les Apollo & La Danse Cosmique, The Rowdies, Sun Rock Rodeo Round Up, Lord Sitar and Clubman.

V/A Mind Expanders Volume 2 (Grey Past / Waterpipe Records) picture disc lp 25.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Second volume of psychedelic, exotica, go-go, groovy tunes from the people who brought us the beloved Turkish Delights compilation. Much like the first, there's lots of strings, fuzzed out guitars, sexy eastern-esque tabla-clarinet duets, sitar, hammond organs and even steel drums. Cover tune award on this one goes to The Soulful Strings for their sitarred and feathered version of the Beatles "Within You Without You". This album is a must for fans of Vampyros Lesbos and sundry other exotic porn soundtracks. And like the last volume of Mind Expanders, this one comes on a beautiful picture disc and -- maybe more importantly -- is also a very limited pressing... ie: so don't hesitate. This one features tracks by such obscurities as: The Stradivarius, The Flying Guitars, Mr. Acker Bilk, Emery Deutsch & the Astro Sounds, The Scottmen, The Dynatones, Bauer Productions, Shell Steel Orchestra, Didier Vincent, The Renegades, Robert Gretch, Jaime Perez, Timezone, The Soulful Strings and Thomas Natschinski und Scine Gruppe.
MPEG Stream: PEREZ, JAIME "Tema Arabe"
MPEG Stream: TIMEZONE "Spacewalker"

V/A Mini A Go-Go (Khmer Rocks) cd-r 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
One of the latest (and the second to be reviewed by us) in the budget line of CD-Rs from the always wonderful Khmer Rocks label, all of them go-go tunes -- which means that all, but a few have the unifying element of the chorus "ah go go". One would think that would get a little monotonous, but the tracks are sufficiently different from one another that one hardly notices the redundancy of lyrics. The sprightly tempoed numbers on this collection begin with Sinn Sisamouth's "Navy". Over a backdrop of surfy, reverb-laden guitar, the Elvis of Cambodian rock -- Sinn Sisamouth -- croons a with a healthy dose of slapback echo that seems requisite in all the tracks of this era. There is at least one overlapping song here, "Monkey", which was also on the second volume of Cambodian Rocks. Lots of 60's garagey psych tracks make this collection resemble the Parallel World comp. more on the whole than the three Khmer Rocks versions. It's pretty much a stripped down rock setup on all the songs here, which means not so much keyboard on this one. The guitar's the thing here and each track seems graced with at least one guitar solo. As you might have guessed from the "name dropping" above, this collection does include the English translations of the artists' names and song titles (no lyrics though). About 75 percent of the 13 tracks are Sisamouth's, four are from Pan Ron and one is by Ros Sereysothea.
MPEG Stream: PAN RON "Mini Ago-go"
MPEG Stream: SIN SISAMOUTH "Sony Ago-go"

V/A Miniatures One + Two (Cherry Red) 2cd 21.00

V/A Minima-List (List) cd 14.98
The "Minima-List" compilation of contemporary electronic minimalism could have easily fallen into the banalities of so many of the microsound compilations. Fortunately, the new French label List had enough sense to put together a collection that celebrates the diversity and experimentality of minimalism and not its homogeneity or hero worshipping propensities. While Komet, and Taylor Deupree are the 'big names' on this compilation, neither of their tracks reverse the aesthetic downward spirals indicative of their most recent work. Otomo Yoshihide appears with 8 minutes of brutally caustic sinewave manipulation, and Alan Licht adds a surprisingly nice track of delicate tremolo guitar tones. *0 and Richard Chartier offer only the extremes of the sonic spectrum for some tracks that near complete inaudibility. But it is the unknown factors that make this compilation so nice, with Matthieu Saladin providing sustained notes on an oboe (or some sort of reed) transformed into a statospheric eerie drone with a thick haze of tinny distortion, Sol smearing layers of whirring tone fuzz into an uncomfortable drone track, and Speakering and Fabriquedecouleurs both transforming guitar distortion that has been digitally fragmented into gritty bits 'n' bytes. It's a promising start for this label, hopefully they won't blow it down the line by trying to sound like every other microsound label.
RealAudio clip: FABRIQUEDECOULEURS "Ninjiski"
RealAudio clip: ALAN LICHT "Retrograde"

V/A Ministry of Shit (Spasticated) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Just what the world needs right? ANOTHER electronica compilation. Well, you might actually need just one more. A few household names Knifehandchop, Wobbly, Kevin Blechdom but mostly unknowns (at least to us) this is a wild and wooly, fun and funky, mashed up pisstake of all things MTV and top 40 radio. The sound is glitched out, punishing, big beat, dancehall, drill and bass madness, but the songs are all (barely) recognizable chunks of hits you know and love (or hate). And as much as maybe I wasn't prepared to, I ended up digging this a lot. And listening to it all the time. A sped up/chopped up version of that Eminem song from Eight Mile, Old Dirty Bastard and Mya's Ghetto Superstar with a DHR dancehall makeover, Madonna's James Bond theme run through the sonic shredder and tons more. Pretty fucking great!
MPEG Stream: DSP WANKER "Lost In Glottal Stops"
MPEG Stream: KNIFEHANDCHOP AND KEVIN BLECHDOM "Superstars"

V/A Misery Loves Company (Ersatz Audio) cd 13.98
I think this marks the official end of the electro revival. When the usually stellar, true electro vets like Ersatz Audio start releasing diluted, pale imitations, it's a sad sad day. With labels like Ministry Of Sound capitalizing on the electronic pop genre (which by the way, is a much broader and fitting tag for a lot of the current hip sounds that are being lumped excessively and incorrectly under the genre "electro". Ladytron, The Faint, Le Tigre, Peaches and Fischerspooner are NOT electro!) with K-Tel style compilations like "This Is Tech-Pop", everyone is trying to get in on the money-making action. Releases from this label are always eagerly anticipated with high expectations, but everything on this (except possibly the DMX Krew track that jumps out of the pack, highly reminiscent of Devo here!) sounds tired and weak. There's no spark or sense of excitement. The normally irrepressible Gold Chains' contribution is titled "Could Care Less"... and it sounds like it (actually it sounds like he's gone all beat poet!). What the heck's goin' on!? The songs just drag, and even the Adult. track is wack! And, trust me, I really, really like Adult. A lot. Maybe I've become jaded, but I know my tolerance for repetitive electronic pop is higher than most here at AQ. Boo, Ersatz, boo. Very disappointing.
RealAudio clip: DMX KREW "Touch Me"
RealAudio clip: ADULT. "Paranoid Vision"
RealAudio clip: KITBUILDERS "Tell Me"
RealAudio clip: GOLD CHAINS (W/ ZEEK SHECK) "Could Care Less "

V/A Misery Loves Company (Ersatz Audio) 2lp 13.98
I think this marks the official end of the electro revival. When the usually stellar, true electro vets like Ersatz Audio start releasing diluted, pale imitations, it's a sad sad day. With labels like Ministry Of Sound capitalizing on the electronic pop genre (which by the way, is a much broader and fitting tag for a lot of the current hip sounds that are being lumped excessively and incorrectly under the genre "electro". Ladytron, The Faint, Le Tigre, Peaches and Fischerspooner are NOT electro!) with K-Tel style compilations like "This Is Tech-Pop", everyone is trying to get in on the money-making action. Releases from this label are always eagerly anticipated with high expectations, but everything on this (except possibly the DMX Krew track that jumps out of the pack, highly reminiscent of Devo here!) sounds tired and weak. There's no spark or sense of excitement. The normally irrepressible Gold Chains' contribution is titled "Could Care Less"... and it sounds like it (actually it sounds like he's gone all beat poet!). What the heck's goin' on!? The songs just drag, and even the Adult. track is wack! And, trust me, I really, really like Adult. A lot. Maybe I've become jaded, but I know my tolerance for repetitive electronic pop is higher than most here at AQ. Boo, Ersatz, boo. Very disappointing.

V/A Miss Kittin On The Road (Terminal M) cd 16.98
Miss Kittin, as huge as she has become in just the past few months, has decided to treat her salivating fans with a continuous mix of some of her favorite techno house tracks (and, of course, two tracks featuring herself -- a remix of Miss Kittin & The Hacker's "Frank Sinatra" and Felix Da Housecat's "Silver Screen Shower Scene"). Also featuring Plastikman, Plaid, Laurent Garnier, Sven Vath, DJ Rush, Vitalic, Umek, Heckmann, Killabite, Gary Martin, James Ruskin, Samuel L. Sessions, Makaton and Pink Elln. Nothing super exciting, but a good, fast paced house mix.

V/A Mission Two: Connecting Electronix Network (Nature) cd 18.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
NOW AVAILABLE ON CD!!! This is a brilliant compilation of a lot of electronica outfits which are pretty obscure... Only V/VM and D'Archangelo are the really familiar artists here. Nonetheless, the tracks (which are mostly Italian in origin) share a similarity to Skam's or Rephlex's output of nu-skool electro and warped electronica. As a result we've been tracking down singles from A Credible Eye Witness, Phoenecia, and Vendor Refill.

V/A Mission Two: Connecting Electronix Network (Natural) 2lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A brilliant compilation of fucked electronica, with tons of outfits none of us had ever heard of. Only V/VM and D'Arcangelo are the familiar names here. Mostly Italian, the tracks sound quite similar to SKAM's output in Manchester, and Rephlex in London. Nu-skool electro and warped electronics. If you like Autechre or Aphex, pick this up, you won't regret it!

V/A Mission Two: Connecting Electronix Network (Natural) 2lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A brilliant compilation of fucked electronica, with tons of outfits none of us had ever heard of. Only V/VM and D'Arcangelo are the familiar names here. Mostly Italian, the tracks sound quite similar to SKAM's output in Manchester, and Rephlex in London. Nu-skool electro and warped electronics. If you like Autechre or Aphex, pick this up, you won't regret it!

V/A Mission Voices (Southern Exposure) cd 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This hiphop compilation is part of Horizons Unlimited, the San Francisco DJ Project devoted to - as the cover states - "empowering youth through the arts". Students took the creative reins: writing, sampling, sequencing and mixing their own tracks as well as collecting field recordings. Includes an introductory shout out from Vast Aire of Cannibal Ox.
RealAudio clip: DJ SPAZECRAFT / IRIS "DJ Quest Scratch Demo"
RealAudio clip: SPAZECRAFTE / JAG 1 "Workin' Magic"

V/A Modular Systems (Eighteenth Street Lounge) cd 15.98
"Modular Systems" is the latest ESL compilation of trip hop from Thievery Corporation, Nicola Conte, Thunderball, Blue States, Ursula 1000, Desmond Williams, and a few other Thievery Corporation-like groups. This also features a few remixes from Thievery Corporation, was compiled by Thievery Corporation, and released on Thievery Corporation's label. For fans of Thievery Corporation.

V/A Modulations and Transformations 4 (Mille Plateaux) 3cd 27.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Mille Plateaux's 4th in the series is a weighty collection, serving as an encyclopedia of minimalist electronica... From the clinical pulsing of Philus (aka Mika Vainio of Pan Sonic) and Thomas Brinkmann... to the neo-jazz for iMac users from Mouse on Mars and Blue Byte... and back to the theory laiden clicks of Achim Wollscheid and M.Behrens.
Also features Techno Animal, DJ Spooky, Kerosene, Pluramon, Ryoji Ikeda, Scanner, Thomas Koner, Panacea, Noto, Kim Kascone, Lithops, Gas, etc...

V/A Modulations and Transformations 4 (Mille Plateaux) 3lp 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Mille Plateaux's 4th in the series is a weighty collection, serving as an encyclopedia of minimalist electronica... From the clinical pulsing of Philus (aka Mika Vainio of Pan Sonic) and Thomas Brinkmann... to the neo-jazz for iMac users from Mouse on Mars and Blue Byte... and back to the theory laiden clicks of Achim Wollscheid and M.Behrens.
Also features Techno Animal, DJ Spooky, Kerosene, Pluramon, Ryoji Ikeda, Scanner, Thomas Koner, Panacea, Noto, Kim Kascone, Lithops, Gas, etc...