Category Archives: UPDATE

The Uncannibals
With most bands, you can pretty much tell what the rest of a certain song (or indeed the rest of their album, or perhaps their entire career) is going to sound like by listening to the first 30 seconds of the first song you play. The Uncannibals are not that band. On their debut release EXPERIMENTS IN POPULAR MUSIC, each song is structured like a mini DJ set with all kinds of surprises cropping up that you will not see coming. Lead off track ELECTRIC CARS mixes Motown, Shoegaze, Neu!-style motorik krautrock and Augustus Pablo’s dub melodica. THE BEST THING sounds like RUBBER SOUL-era Beatles, until it doesn’t. SHABBY WALTZ comes across like a lost mid-’60’s collaboration between Ann Arbor noise pioneer Robert Ashley and Burt Bacharach. SLUMMING IT is Terry Riley or Steve Reich re-mixing My Bloody Valentine. SKYLINE BLUES is what the Smiths might have sounded like if they had been produced by Brian Eno. GLORY HILL is an experimental EDM mix compiled by Dj Scientist Sam from tapes sent to him from the band, with elements of Chic, Kraftwerk, New Age self-help tapes and bhangra. And the final track SHADOW WATCHING is a lo-fi space-rock jam recorded live in the drummer’s basement on a mono cassette recorder. In the course of 7 tracks and 45 minutes the Uncannibals go from pure pop to harsh noise to ambient soundscapes to minimalist avant-garde to shoegaze to dub to post-punk. As if that wasn’t enough, the B-side contains a mix compiled at random from a pool of over 100 songs and over 9 hours of music. Each mix will be completely different and unique to each cassette (100 C92 cassettes, 100 different 46 minute mixes). To be released on October 8th for Cassette Store Day.

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The Murmur Ring/A Death Cinematic split CS
Geweih Ritual Documents and Simple Box Construction present the Murmur Ring | A Death Cinematic split cassette. Each artist clocks around twenty minutes of desolate, lonely, ambient guitar drone and noise per side in this, the first part of a series of splits to come out on Geweih Ritual Documents. Murmur Ring with a 19+ minute track of bleak and beautiful guitar work called SKY CLAD, starts things off. A Death Cinematic contributes two post apocalyptic meditations, THE MORNINGS THAW THE EMPTY FIELDS, OUR BONES ABLAZE IN THE SUN and THEIR BROKEN JAWS SHIMMER, FANGS QUIVER IN BLOOD to finish things up. This release is limited to 150 numbered copies. Housed in a custom 100 lb. black card stock sleeve. Scored, cut, folded, and stamped completely by hand. The sleeve houses the cassette wrapped in two vellum prints, printed in house at the Simple Box Construction studio. Each cassette comes with a printed download card. All images, artwork, and cover design by Simple Box Construction. Manufactured by hand at the Simple Box Construction studio outside Detroit, Michigan.

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Hanging Tree Algorithm – ‘Machines’
Hanging Tree Algorithm’s latest release, Machines, is a showcase of his most inspired synth work and sampling to date, where an aural dichotomy of dark, brooding tones and light, radiant melodies share a common ground of gritty breaks guaranteed to make your head twirl. The album’s second track, Sun Generator, swaddles the listener in warm, lofi textures cascading across a melted landscape, where notes are lost on a whim and recovered only in memory, while the later Cathedral is something reminiscent of Nosdam, rife with bright, downsampled piano and drums to bob your head to. Algorithm demonstrates his dynamic nature throughout, where motion meets transience and the only sense of permanence is the assurance of change; nothing is constant and each track is entirely its own although distinctly Hanging Tree Algorithm. As the album draws near its end, A Lesser Being brings synths that practically cry out in agony and with them an overwhelming sense of pensive melancholy. The final track, Cruiser, is a fitting conclusion for Machines, leaving whoever hears it tripping over sound as layered synths and delays meander about an urgent bassline and break that perfectly capture the essence of Hanging Tree Algorithm’s unique style and influences from hip hop to electronic.

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LUCIERNAGA – ‘Sleeping/Wandering’ 7″
“Sleeping/Wandering” is Luciernaga’s vinyl debut. This limited edition 7″ EP contains extended and alternate versions of the tracks “Sleeping Green-Eyed Girl”, from the recent “To The Centre…” limited edition cassette released by UK label Invisible City and “Wandering June”, from the self-released and now sold out “Tile II” limited edition cassette. The alternate version of “Sleeping Green-Eyed Girl” showcases Luciernaga’s penchant for constructing beautifully expansive work from a core of shimmering drones and occasionally dissonant passages. Gorgeous music stretches out above a hypnotic loop as he carefully layers delicate, crystalline feedback-like sounds atop. The result is a song that glistens away in a beautiful slumber befitting its dream-like title. On the flip side’s extended “Wandering June”, Luciernaga again builds from a foundation of gentle, but not necessarily delicate loops of sound, to which he adds a heavier, bowed string like drones and hints of feedback. This almost meditative loop evolves with time, and with him processing the sound at times into what could be a jaunty whistle, there is a whimsical subtext to his overall serious composition. Luciernaga is the experimental ambient music project of Chilean-Brazilian by way of Brooklyn artist Joao Da Silva. A former hardcore punk front man, guitar player, and zine editor who took an active role in Santiago, Chile’s hardcore-punk scene during the early 90’s (there’s even a full-length documentary about it!). Joao turned to “droning guitar electronics that can vacillate significantly between dark terrors and bright, shimmering expanses of sound” (Brainwashed.com) after moving to NYC in 2008. He has since released a series of limited edition cassettes and CD-R’s on various labels in the U.S. and abroad. Luciernaga’s music was recently featured in “Circle In The Rock” a short-film directed by Ellis Bahl and starring Brandon Sexton III. The 7″ comes in a hand-numbered edition of 100 copies on transparent vinyl with letter-pressed covers. There are four different variants of the album cover using a different photograph. Includes free mp3 download of Sleeping/Wandering 7″ EP + extras.

DAVID FIRST – ‘Same Animal, Different Cages Vol. 1: Études for Acoustic Guitar’ LP
Fabrica Records is very excited to announce that we are working with American composer and improviser David First on a series of releases under the name “Same Animal, Different Cages”. The first album in the series, Volume 1: Études for Acoustic Guitar, is now available for pre-order. On Études for Acoustic Guitar, First twists and bends notes from his steel-string acoustic guitar, an instrument traditionally associated with American folk, country and blues music. And in fact, those genres are central to First’s explorations here, constituting portions of a palette that also encompasses jazz and Indian classical music. The result is a series of stylistic hybrids in which an expansive tonality is propelled with rhythmic authority. The effect on the listener is similar to that of tape manipulation, or to the challenges posed to the inner ear by Phil Niblock’s shifting dissonances. It’s almost as if the room itself speeds up and slows down as First performs in it, anchoring himself in three humble dimensions and letting time do what it will. The “Same Animal, Different Cages” series serves as the latest chapter in the oeuvre of a musician whose defining quality is arguably his curiosity. David First asks the right questions, and there are no wrong answers. Limited Edition of 300 w/download card. 100 on Transparent Green Vinyl. 200 on black vinyl.

ROBERT TURMAN & AARON DILLOWAY – ‘Blizzard’ 2LP
Recorded in the midst of an actual extreme winter weather event, Blizzard conjures the early synthesizer experiments of Popol Vuh and Tangerine Dream combined with the gritty reel-to-reel tape manipulations long employed by both Aaron Dilloway (Hanson Records / ex-Wolf Eyes) and Robert Turman (founding member of the pioneering industrial outfit NON and a celebrated solo artist in his own right). As the story goes, Blizzard was recorded in January 2009 during an Ohio snowstorm which hit on the very day that Dilloway was preparing for a move to Michigan. Alone, his wife and child already settling into the new place, and stranded in a cold and empty house, he was welcomed into Turman’s home. They decided to make the best of the occasion and hunkered down for a few days of late-night recording. Crawling synth drones and looped effects keep things bleak throughout. The wind gusts outside are strangely regular. Snow scratches at the windows more rhythmically than seems natural. Are those woodwinds or animal calls? Are the streetlights obscured by blown branches, or are they slowly strobing? Suddenly a normal house in a common Midwestern blizzard feels like a house stalked by a sentient storm, bearing down for a final freeze. Throw another log on the fire and make yourself comfortable for the last time. Limited Edition of 500. 150 on Transparent Blue Vinyl. 350 on black vinyl. Mastered for vinyl by Timothy Stollenwerk of Stereophonic Mastering.

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Jad Fair + Hifiklub + kptmichigan – ‘Don’t Give Up’
American singer & guitarist Jad Fair, French free-rock open quartet Hifiklub, and Anglo-German producer and musician Michael Beckett (aka kptmichigan) first came together for their Bird House EP, released in 2012 via Joyful Noise Recordings. Eager to continue their reflections and sound exchange, the three parties meet again in a new framework, this time for a longer format constituting their first album Don’t Give Up. Don’t Give Up has been developed in a particular way: in one weekend, Hifiklub composed and recorded a series of 18 musical pieces, which were then completed remotely by Jad Fair, over the Internet in just a few hours. The crude set was subsequently deconstructed and reassembled by kptmichigan, resulting in the eight tracks of weird pop found on Don’t Give Up.

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CANTO 04 LUCA GARINO – ‘THE WOODCARVER’ one-sided C22
  An acousmatic track based on field recordings mainly collected on the mountains of Northern Italy during two different phases of a wood harvest work. Luca Garino (Italy, 1978) is an Italian composer active since 1996 in the fields of electronic and concrete music. He started as self-taught and then continues his research at computer music at LaSDIM (Laboratorio per la sperimentazione e la didattica dell’informatica musicale). Previously active under the moniker of AHV and Psalm’n’Locker, “The Woodcarver” is his first release under his own name.

CANTO 05 DANNY CLAY & GREG GORLEN – ‘BRITTLE’ C40
A delicate requiem for tape loops and synth. A charming exploration in the world of disintegrated sounds. Danny Clay is a composer and sound artist from Ohio, now based in San Francisco, drawing upon elements of American folklore, genealogy, art education, children’s theater, improvisation, digital media and everything in between to make music. Greg Gorlen is an experimental musician living in San Francisco. He produces music and noise using junk, found tapes, and home made cassette loops. He runs the cassette label Turmeric Magnitudes and writing about music for demagnetization blog.

CANTO 06 ABSENT OUTFIT – ‘UNTITLED’ C20
Gently unpredictable successions of concrete, electronic and instrumental sounds that chime, shudder, and wrinkle. Seven sequences salvaged from meandering recording sessions, self-collages from the remnants of forgotten ideas and intentions. Matthew P. Hopkins (Australia, 1978) is an artist based in Melbourne, working with sound, visual art, and writing. His audio work sits loosely within the realm of concrete music. Tim Coster (New Zealand, 1980) is a musician from Auckland, now living in Melbourne. He plays textural keyboard music using synthesisers, effects and cassettes.

CANTO 07 VIDEOBASIC – ‘UNTITLED’ C40
A music magma of junk-electronics, abstract tape loops and proto industrial drones. An acid mix of the early electronic experiments of Pauline Oliveros, the noisy static wall of Maurizio Bianchi and the DIY American weird touch like Nate Young and Aaron Dilloway. Michele Mazzani is one of the most “pure” representative of the Italian underground music scene. In the strangest places you can image as show locations (bivouacs lost in the mountains, crumbling houses, garbage dumps) he organizes live sets that are an unmissable cult for the few people who follow him. His legendary DJ sets played only with tapes recovered in charitable organizations run by the Church is also a must. He lives in an old Romagna-style farmhouse where he frequently organizes shows, festivals and happenings. The farmhouse is also Lonktaar headquarter, his label, which now counts more than thirty releases, ranging from battered psychedelic and rotten noise to Indian travel sound reports. Gabriele Gotini is a master in the art of circuit bending and tape loops. Besides playing in Videobasic and other more or less extemporaneous projects, he runs the music project: Trashsound

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LXV & Karmelloz – ‘Runner’ CS
Runner finds two of the avant-electronic underground’s boldest and brightest minds teaming up for a series of long-distance collaborations. Philadelphia musician David Sutton has led a prolific run of addled textures and synthetic, meditative edits under his LXV moniker, as well as formerly under the name Current Amnesia and Car Commercials (with Daniel DiMaggio). Recording as Karmelloz, Oregon-based producer Matthew Pepitone creates elusive, genre-agnostic bouts of rhythm for a variety of forward-thinking labels, including 1080p, Cleaning Tapes, and Hoko Sounds. Born out of a mutual appreciation of each other’s work, the partnership began with a series of messages before naturally evolving into a full-blown project. Together, Sutton and Pepitone’s respective approaches and sonic traits blur into a cohesive collage of sound. Opener “Trapwire” sets the stage with unhurried curiosity, listening to the space between each artist and letting each piece fall into place. The song’s whispered, alien vocals eventually dissolve into darker, slightly more grotesque and clipped drones. Those haphazard and beautifully disfigured vocals later return on “Cost of Caring,” intermixed with a dizzying display of agile production and hued malignancy of “Guitar Store” and “Runner.” Elsewhere, “Mr. Untouchable” and closer “Crypto” emphasize the open-ended, potential of this still-young collaboration. We can only hope this is the beginning of a long and prolific pairing. Clear cassette with white imprint. Fold-out j-card and download code for digital copy.

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STRATA13 Lost Trail – ‘A Retreat More Than A Surrender’ C40 $7.5
Edition of 50 on pro dubbed, chrome, imprinted black cassettes. Two sided, multi-panel j-cards and a slipcover.

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Sean Kelly – ‘Mankid 2’
New York musician Sean Kelly takes a sonic leap forward with his latest unnerving, anxious work as Mankid. An enigmatic interview serves as the backbone of the record, while he presents his signature electronics and obliterating but intricate percussion on top. In 22 minutes “Mankid 2” paints a full picture composed of gloomy, borderline cavernous soundscapes and crushing, yet tasteful noise.

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AUJX-8 ALAN COURTIS/SOMNOROASE PASARELE/CRANK STURGEON/DIRECTIVES/OBJET PLASTIK – ‘NOOSPHERTILIZER IV’ 2xC60
With plastic resin art Objet. The 5 artists included in this split release are based in disparate geographical regions of Earth: Romania, Argentina, Massachussetts USA, San Francisco USA, and Normal IL USA. One of Aubjects’ central interests is to juxtapose calculated-technological and intuitive-organic notions. This collection of works from several remarkable creative perspectives is another unique iteration of this aim. Two 60 min. cassettes come in an oversized jewel case designed to fit 3 tapes side-by-side; the space for the 3rd tape is taken up by a unique resin art piece by Rik Leipold aka Objet Plastik. J card artwork and info inserts designed by D. Petri. Alan Courtis is an experimental guitarist / multi-musician based in Argentina, whose discography is in the triple digits, as is his luminous list of collaborators. Courtis’ work is intuitive and adventuresome, often utilizing unusual instruments, tools, tunings and treatments. He stated in an interview from 2015, “the most interesting music happens when we’re not completely in control.” His work is always intriguing, likely because of his fearlessness to try new combinations of musical elements and collaborators. Somnoroase Pasarele is a Romanian duo dealing in abstract electronics. Their name (Sleepy Birds) comes from a bed time poem written by Mihai Eminescu, national poet of Romania. Our first awareness of them came from a recording released by Czech label Baba Vanga called ABECD. They’ve since had other equally fascinating recordings released on Tymbal, Czaszka, and Magical Garage Taste. Their style is distinctive, utilizing atypical synth sounds and asymmetrical rhythmic elements. Often there is no rhythm at all, and strange textures predominate. The feel of much of their music is strangely unsettling. Interruptions, hiccuping sounds, discordances, and other artifacts of chaos / chance (improvised or scripted) fill each moment with immediacy. Their sound constructions shape-shift through time, coaxing the listener insistently through winding pathways of tension, release and other dynamics. Crank Sturgeon has been exploring “the unwieldy commingling of noise and performance art” (from his bio) since the early 90s. He has worked heavily in sound, performance, sculpture, photography, and installation (Hoboplane is of note); faithfully positing disciplined madness in all his creations. He tends to overlap mediums. He is a sound-searching electro-acoustic gear-builder, who creates unique sound instruments, plays and records them. Mr. Sturgeon’s work is spontaneous and inspired. His performances interweave sculptural, visual, and sound information with an intriguing theatrical flair which flows freely off-the-cuff. D. Petri has been working with Dog Hallucination since 2006 as editor, musician and idea contributor, and has worked heavily with close friends in Amalgamated, Homogenized Terrestrials and Gushing Cloud. He also owns / operates the Aubjects label in pockets of available time. This initial work as Directives is based in experimentation with guitar sound, utilizing approximately 5/1 pre to post processing ratio. Equipment malfunctions and analog artifacts resulting from primitive recording techniques are captured and digested into software, where they are subsequently enhanced, reconstructed, edited and manipulated. Intuition and primitiveness characterizing the original solo guitar performances (recorded on junky old cassettes with low fidelity microphones) is digested into a webwork of digital mixing, manipulations and occasional sound additives. Rik Lee Leipold is an artist and resident of the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco. Over the last six years, he has been using resin as a material to embed objects in works of art. Recently, he was awarded a grant from the Wildflowers Institute to help fund larger projects. One project has been filling pot-holes in the sidewalk with clear resin and street detritus.
Ltd. 24 copies.

AUJX-9 ODD PERSON/MIGUEL A. GARCIA – ‘NOOSPHERTILIZER V’ C60
With b/w art booklet by D. Petri. August Traeger may be known to some through his label Bicephalic Records, or his projects Somnaphon, Nipple Stools, and Food World. His work is overtly electronic; often software and glitch-based. His pieces are full of sounds pulverized beyond recognition and reorganized to form wobbling tonal-rhythmic riddles. His pieces here cover a wider-than-average range of electronic territory, consisting of minimal analog synth melodies warbling in verby haze, sharp soft-synths and hypnotic arrhythmic glitchworks. Odd Person music is not merely a hobbling digital-fetish cacophony, though. There is a specific flavor of tonal and melodic logic among his obtuse musical forms which stimulates like caffeine and fine reading materials. Some people have said Odd Person music makes you smarter when you listen to it. Miguel A. Garcia is a sound artist based in the Basque country of Spain. To describe his audio work, some words from his bio say it best: “He uses sounds taken from electronic devices residues, often interrelated with field recordings or acoustic instruments, in the search of an intimate, intense and immersive experience.” Miguel has worked in the past with August Traeger (notably on Pixel Hexing, a DVD collection of experimental video works released on Bicephalic Records), and works in similar territory with digital destruction and reconstruction of sound from varied sources. Garcia creates cinematic noise-sculptures in time through his wise usage of dynamics, timing and treatments. The pieces included here are in flavors of white and pink digital / overload, rumblings, and other textures sculpted by careful direct-signal manipulations. Tape & booklet come in oversized poly case similar to DVD case. Ltd. 30 copies.

AUJX-10 HOMOGENIZED TERRESTRIALS – ‘E TISTULA NO. 2’ C60
With full-color art booklet by the artist. Homogenized Terrestrials’ Phillip Klampe returns to his cassette roots; this is his first full-length release on tape since the early 90s. e tistula no. 2 is an album of obscure emotions in electronic tones and textures, blurred, agitated, and emphasized through use of processing, pacing and juxtaposition. The results are, as usual, strangely beautiful. Klampe’s vision is further clarified as of late by surges in his video work. In his video imagery he brings to life poetic and often inscrutable images, sensations and events corresponding to his work in sound. Stills from recent video works make up the included booklet of full-color imagery. Tape & booklet come in oversized poly case similar to DVD case. Ltd. 30 copies printed and assembled by the artist.

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