DAIS087 Body of Light – ‘Let Me Go’ LP
Formed roughly 5 years ago in the wasted sands of Tempe, Arizona, electronic dance faction Body of Light have proven to be a teeming creative force within the present-day electronic landscape. From the archaic drones and abstract measurements of their earliest collections, to their prodigious cinematic pop ballads and darkwave compositions, the two brothers, Alex and Andrew Jarson, are no strangers when it comes to blurring the compositional lines that confine underground music. Having worked together and separately over the years within the folds of the co-founded Ascetic House collective, both Alex and Andrew have given life to a variety of projects such as Otro Mundo, Blue Krishna, Somali Extract, and Memorymann, whilst unveiling over a dozen visual, audio, and written works under a variety of monikers in a shortened period of time. Body of Light is simply another extension of that exercised method of immediate and natural experimentation. Let Me Go frames the band as a project that has run the circle of practiced ideas to a fully-realized vision of synth pop sensibility and erotic aesthetics. Previous releases on Chondritic Sound and Ascetic House show both members grappling with sound and art as both a tool of mechanical reproduction and lawless spiritual hedonism. But after half a decade has marched on under the Body of Light banner, the project has solidified itself in its current mature state as one of the most transcendent dance music mediums today. Hesitant to define themselves strictly as a “synth-pop” collaboration, the brothers incorporate a wide variety of commodities as they attempt to formulate a direction, unique with decaying, warped tape loops, aging VHS home-movie sound samples from their childhood, primitive waveforms, and processed vocals tinged with harmonic means. Their notion is to utilize past and present technologies in a way that feels unique, honest and sensible. With multiple cassette releases to date, including Follow The Current, Lustre, Universal Sin, Volantà Di Amore and Limits of Reason, the project has established a sound and iconography that seem unusual in conjunction, though aesthetically and sonically opulent. Recorded during the afterglow of 2015, the song list that would form the groundwork of Let Me Go finally came full circle under the production guidance of engineer Ben Greenberg (Uniform / Hubble). The synth-pop anthems of songs such as “How Do I Know?” and “Tremble” relay a sense of dance floor incitement in the way that the zeitgeist of 1980’s Manchester forced the dull masses to get up and move, by any means necessary. “Moving Slowly” reminds the listener of their personal fantasy of life in the afterhours haze of Eastern Europe’s discothèques that sadly never took place. Each song follows the next into a lucid moment of cathodic synergy and romantic relevance that pulls from their self-reflected mysticism and projects itself forward during their masterful live performance. Dais Records proudly releases Body of Light’s “Let Me Go” on July 22, 2016 featuring artwork by artist Collin Fletcher (Halcyon Veil).
DAIS091 The Cakekitchen – ‘Time Flowing Backwards’ LP
Multi-instrumentalist Graeme Jefferies is the given name of the fabled underground counterculture icon hailing from New Zealand, and his mainstay project, The Cakekitchen, has its roots firmly grounded in the pages of 1980’s New Zealand garage storybook which featured countless innovative artists, all of which huddled under the umbrella of labels such as Flying Nun Records, Propeller, and Pagan Records. After performing in the revered gothic punk act, Nocturnal Projections, and after the collapse of his previous Flying Nun group, This Kind of Punishment, The Cakekitchen emerged as an amalgamation of gloomy and introspective post-punk and indie, with a stronger focus on structured studio songwriting and thoughtful compositional approach – producing some of the most expressive and unique music to come out of New Zealand during the early 90’s. Originally released in 1991 on Homestead Records, Time Flowing Backwards, the debut album by New Zealand art rock outfit The Cakekitchen, coupling the entire self-titled EP material released by Flying Nun Records in 1989 along with 6 new songs recorded for the album. Mastered at Abbey Road by Steve Rooke (who would later remaster The Beatles catalog), this debut full length would go on to solidify and promote the growing underground New Zealand rock scene and spawn a generation of devoted followers of Jefferies’ exceedingly graceful, atmospheric, and poetic songs, led by Jefferies’ unmistakable commanding baritone voice. A diverse and inspiring album, “Time Flowing Backwards” has been out of print and difficult to obtain since its original vinyl pressing in 1991. Dais Records is proud to reissue on vinyl in limited edition “Time Flowing Backwords” along with the The CakeKitchen’s sophomore LP (released the same year) “World of Sand”, in remastered editions of 500 copies making these albums available once again to old fans while introducing these classics to new listeners. Underground indie/post-punk for fans of The Chills, Flying Saucer Attack, Velvet Underground, Joy Division, The Clean, The Verlaines, Nick Drake, Felt, Sonic Youth, JPS Experience, Tall Dwarves, etc…
DAIS086 The Cakekitchen – ‘World of Sand’ LP
Originally released in 1991 on Homestead Records, “World of Sand” is the second full length album by The Cakekitchen, highlighting the first live line-up of the band featuring the drumming of Robert Key (Expendables / Lanky), and Rachael King (3Ds) on bass. This formation existed for roughly two and a half years and these compositions were considered by many to be the height of the groups’ creative potential, with musical comparisons to the early material by This Kind of Punishment…pounding piano, maddening viola, numerous tape splices and oddball musical passages – along with several pieces recorded at home on a four track, lending a lo-fi, dark, and intimate feel to the album. Led by Jeffereies’ distinct baritone voice, the album is layered, complex, and darkly beautiful. Long sought after by collectors and fans alike, “World of Sand” has been out of print and difficult to obtain since its original pressing in 1991. Dais Records is honored to reissue on vinyl in limited edition “World of Sand” along with the The CakeKitchen’s first LP (released the same year) “Time Flowing Backwards”, in remastered editions of 500 copies making these albums available once again to old fans while introducing these classics to new listeners.