Animal Psi

Masenga – ‘La Flor del Vaqueiro & Demo 2’
MASENGA, the Spanish dadaist industrial folk duo formed by Ignacio Estrada-Nora (Cotolengo, Corte Moderno) and Sergio Perez (Thelematicos, Svper), have published all their recordings in the cassette “La flor del vaqueiro”, released by the label Truco Esparrago. The tape collects six songs recorded in 2006 and 2007, with analog synthesizers, bizarre vocals, tape effects, reverb, rural inbreeding and certainly radical ideas. For those who like the old Defensa, Goodbye, the first Fasenuova, or more sophisticated proposals as Coágul. You can get the “La flor del vaqueiro” tape alone or accompanied by the Masenga’ so-called “Demo 2”, a sonorous object limited to only 13 units.

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DK042 Star Turbine – ‘Emissions’ C20 5€
Sindre Bjerga from Norway and Claus Poulsen from Denmark are a newly formed duo addicted to dense drone music.. Working mainly with electronics and prepared amplified objects, they have produced in a short time 6 albums. Both artists are also highly active as solo musicians and in other collaborations. The duo have toured Denmark, Germany, UK, Norway, Finland, Estonia and Latvia since March 2012. Ltd edition of 50 orange fluo cassette, images by Claus Poulsen graphic layout by mic_nodolby. SAMPLE

DK043 J. Soliday – ‘A Succession of Poisonous Breaks’ C46 5€
Chicago experimentalist Jason Soliday embraces different aspects of electronic music which go from big crashing waves of noise to nanometric clipping tones. .. what is more impressive is the richness of details, the meticolousness of sound chiseling that makes of Soliday one of the most interesting artist of american underground scene. “A succession of Poisonous Breaks” comes in a ltd.50 copies pro-dubbed tapes, artwork by Jason Soliday. SAMPLE

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Mumblr – ‘White Jesus Black God’
Mumblr consists of four friends who share a row home in the gritty neighborhood of Kensington in North Philadelphia. They dub their brand of noisy alternative rock “fuzz punk,” a made up sub-genre that will make sense after you hear their raucous songs full of heavily distorted guitars, clamoring drums, and impassioned shouts encouraging you to do whatever you want, whenever you want. Side A (White Jesus) contains their acclaimed EP White Jesus where the band “shows a knack for melody and a great ability to flick the switch between accessible and abrasive with ease” with standout songs like “Father’s Day,” an ode to an absent father that fluctuates from petulant introspection into flat out distorted rage; “Ape,” a pounding song about drugs with a nervous pace; and “Puke,” with its pensive one-liners followed by bursts of furiously emotive chants pleading, “I don’t know anything why do you lie to me?!” Side B (Black God) contains one of their most recent singles, “Philadelphia,” a portrait of the city they live in, followed by their even more frenetic and fuzzed-out 2013 EP Nutter. Full of fleeting 2-minute burners about teaching yourself to be a man (“Good Cop, Dad Cop”), meeting girls on the internet when you’re feeling lonely (“Yo, Nobody Gives a Feel”), and the end of days (“Space God”), Side B shows a band coming into their own and staking a claim on the urgent, angsty, and addictive new sub-genre: “fuzz punk.” We love Mumblr and are very excited to bring you this awesome double-banger! It will be available digitally and on cassette November 12th. Mumblr and another FYR band are currently setting up a release show for BOTH of their releases, so stay tuned for more info!

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Harold Norse – ‘Take a Chance In The Void: Harold Norse at the Beat Hotel’ C60
Historical recordings made by Harold Norse when he was living with William Burroughs, Brion Gysin and Gregory Corso at the notorious Beat Hotel in Paris during the early sixties. By the time Norse arrived in Paris he had traveled extensively in Morocco and Europe and his poetry was already championed by people like W. H. Auden, William Carlos Williams and Tennessee Williams.
Together with Burroughs and Gysin, Norse was one of the first to apply the cut-up method. He made the technique totally his own creating a hallucinogenic, irrational world of bizarre characters. His surreal stories were collected in ‘Beat Hotel’ and is one of the important novels of cut-up fiction. At some point Harold bought a tape recorder and recorded himself reading his delirious cut-ups and his translations of satirical, erotic and obscene sonnets by the 19th century Roman poet G.G. Belli. Also included are a few soundexperiments and ‘field recordings’. An essential document of a true visionary! Edition of 100 copies.

C Joynes et son Ensemble – ‘Portland Arse’ C40
A true man of the world guitarist C Joynes travelled extensively through Pakistan, Sudan, Kenya, Uganda and Eritrea. Not surprisingly his playing is influenced by African music, especially on these recordings with the Ensemble which add a bunch of exotic instruments to his English folkmelodies for maximum alien ritual effect. Edition of 70 copies.

Frankensteins Ballet – ‘Barca Beach’ C60
Live recordings from Barcelona, summer 2009. Frankensteins Ballet features Mik Quantius (Embryo) speaking-in-tongues and Thomas Hopf on drums. Other members have played with Damo Suzuki, Michael Karoli, Michael Rother etc. Some serious damaged krautrock jams happening on this one, not to mention the weird dub space some of this is floating into. Edition of 70 copies.

Von Himmel – ‘weltraumrückführungsübereinkommen’
Third vinyl release by the mysterious Von Himmel commune. Some of these guys go back a long way into Sloow’s history and their classic ‘Space Communion’ tape from way back received the vinyl treatment by Humito. ‘weltraumrückführungsübereinkommen’ has more of those awesome serious zoned and mind melting fractals spider webbed into shining diamond stars mirroring inner and outer space. There’s the obvious nods to the kraut gods but Von Himmel seem to exist in their private spacetime continuum of abstract floating synths, delayed percussion, drugged guitarwah and ethereal flutes. Moonmilk alchemy! Art by Bart Sloow, silkscreened by Jelle Crama. Edition of 250 copies.

Flamen Dialis – ‘Symptôme Deï’
flamendialiswebsiteFirst ever vinyl reissue of this legendary French masterpiece named after the high priest of Jupiter. Not surprising there’s an often ritualistic quality to the music, with endless repetitive synth melodies, solemn wordless chanting and brooding layers of mellotron spacing out in an overall eerie occult atmosphere. The lysergic vision of Flamen Dialis recalls like-minded French outcasts as Archaïa, Spacecraft, Verto etc. A truly unique album which was first rescued from obscurity by Mio Records, who reissued the album on cd back in the day, but this has also been long out of print. Mastered from a pristine LP copy as the original masters got lost in the mists of time. Includes pro-printed insert detailing the band’s history. Limited to 500 copies on 180gr vinyl.

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Giant Claw – ‘Max Mutant’ C22 $7.5(US)/$11.5(CAN)/$14.5(WORLD)
Half of Cream Juice and Orange Milk Records as well as one hell of a visual artist, Keith Rankin has shred his way across many cassetes and several vinyl releases over the past few years as Giant Claw. An unbelievably nimble musician on many different instruments, Rankin applies his techniques and throws some choice genres into a blender on Max Mutant. Dashes of library music, minimal techno, and sci-fi soundtracks are tossed into the mix, but a heavy element of free jazz dominates throughout. Rankin adds sampled and live drums as well as other percussive elements to the synth onslaught for ferocious results. Each track unfolds at a breakneck pace, barely giving the listener a moment to breath as Rankin twists keys and skins together into an intense stampede of sound that can stop and start on a dime. The release couldn’t be more aptly named, as this is truly music at its most maxed out and mutated…served up for your pleasure. Pro-dubbed and imprinted chrome cassettes, featuring designs by Caroline Teagle. Edition of 100.

Seth Graham – ‘Creaky Clumsy’ C18 $7.5(US)/$11.5(CAN)/$14.5(WORLD)
The other half of Cream Juice and Orange Milk Records, Seth Graham used to record as Henry Dawson but now goes under his birth name. Creaky Clumsy finds him refining his unique style even more and showcasing a distinct ability to do a lot in a relatively short amount of time. By manipulating samples from both analog and digital sources through modular filters and effects, Graham creates a wondrous world of sound within each track. Moving quickly between moments that are alternately beautiful, gross, hilarious, and confusing, the tracks come together as a whole to convey so many of the conflicting feelings ecstasy and awkwardness that are encapsulated within the human condition. Remarkably, Graham does this without any grand, sweeping gestures, but instead through short, bursting movements that feel intimate, personal, and relatable at once. His music is moving, but, perhaps even more importantly, it’s also extremely fun. That’s certainly no small feat. Features guest appearances by Foodman and Giant Claw. Pro-dubbed and imprinted chrome cassettes, featuring designs by Caroline Teagle. Edition of 100.

Loud & Sad – ‘Whale Fall Volume Two’ C40 $7.5(US)/$11.5(CAN)/$14.5(WORLD)
Two accomplished solo musicians in their own right, Nathan McLaughlin and Joe Houpert have been performing collaboratively as Loud & Sad since 2006. The music they make together embodies the powerful adjectives that make up the project’s name and so much more. Back in 2010, Digitalis Limited issued the first volume of their five-part Whale Fall series, named after ecosystem that develops on the ocean floor after a whale dies and the carcass decays. ‘Whale Fall Volume Two’ finds the duo drifting deeper into the state of decay, with an engrossing mix tape loops and synthesizer murk that mix textured drips and deep, cavernous drones with subtly expanding melodies. It’s music that is almost felt as much as it is heard. Though it is a logical extension of the previous release in the series, it should also be noted that it can be fully enjoyed and appreciated on its own. This is your opportunity to join McLaughlin and Houpert on their journey all the way down to the abyssal zone. Pro-dubbed and imprinted chrome cassettes, featuring designs by Caroline Teagle. Edition of 100.

Witchbeam – ‘Shadow Musick Vol. 1’ C30 $7.5(US)/$11.5(CAN)/$14.5(WORLD)
As a member of Telecult Powers, Hex Breaker Quintet, and other groups, Witchbeam has been involved in releasing some of the most freaked out and zoned in synthesizer music in recent times. Though he doesn’t have many solo releases to his own name, that is no indicator of how productive he has been as a solo artist over the years. Collecting recordings made while Witchbeam lived in New Orleans, LA, ‘Shadow Music Vol. 1’ offers up a wide variety of truly stunning and deeply personal work. Buzzing oscillators mix with site-specific sounds ranging from relaxing wind chimes to intense voodoo drumming. Witchbeam is deeply engrained and incredibly knowledgeable about all things occult, and corresponding themes run deep throughout the release, with clever nods to alchemy, UFOs, Discordianism, and more. It’s powerful stuff, and though the sounds can be dark and chaotic, Witchbeam’s agenda is crystal clear. As the artist himself says, “Hopefully you can use this cassette to smash your ego a bit, get your head straight, and get back to the source.” Pro-dubbed and imprinted chrome cassettes, featuring designs by Caroline Teagle. Edition of 100.

All Four New Tapes: $24(US)/$30(CAN)/$35(World)

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IF23 – EMACIATOR – ‘FINALITY AND CONTRADICTION’ C34
Edition of 100. Emaciator is the long-running project of Los Angeles native, Jon Borges (Pedestrian Deposit, Monorail Trespassing). Over the past decade Emaciator has evolved from its early industrial beginnings into the psychedelic bliss it emits today. The first Emaciator release in four years finds Borges crafting ambient columns of sound with masterful attention to texture and depth.

IF24 – TOM WHITE – ‘CORRUGATED’ C61
Edition of 100. Tom White is a London-based artist working in the areas of sound, installation and film. Following recent releases on Chocolate Monk and My Dance The Skull, White presents an intricate collage of manipulated found and appropriated sounds taken from a series of concrète reel to reel tape experiments recorded throughout 2012 and 2013.

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Big Bill/Basketball Shorts split CS
On Fleeting Youth Records’ first official release, two emerging bands from Austin, Texas unleash their contagious debut EPs. The A-side features foursome Big Bill’s A Hard Day’s Bill EP, a “fast, frenetic, infectious, and off-kilter” unveiling where spurts of new wave, 70s punk, surf punk, and alternative rock commingle with oddball vocals and lyrics. Lead singer Hot Salad’s distinct voice sounds like Violent Femmes’ frontman Gordon Gano bugged out after a high-voltage shock, and is easy to fall in love after you recover from the initial jolt. Combine this with the band’s darting rhythms and you’ll hear why Austin Town Hall calls Big Bill “weird…irresistible…one of the freshest bands we’ve ever posted about in the Austin scene.” Basketball Shorts gets the party going on the B-side with their fun and energetic Total BS EP, which features sing-a-long party anthems about celebrity drinking fantasies (Peter Venkman), undelivered pizza (East Side Lies), and the brutal reality of ending up at a party with no beer (Six Pack None the Richer). Basketball Shorts capture the fun, vital energy of the Austin house party scene where the trio has played non-stop to crowds eager to drunkenly shout back their catchy choruses. This split release will be available digitally and on cassette via Fleeting Youth Records on October 29th and is available to pre-order now.

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PHR-100 BALINESE BEAST/WHAM JAH split LP
Co-released w/ BB. A long time in the works, we finally drop off a true early 10’s Athens underground artifact. Two of the most active Greek bands, Balinese Beast (the cut-up stomp-punch destruction duo of Ilan Manouach and Giorgos Axiotis) and Wham Jah (the free-form rambunctious electrical mayhem of Pavlos Gkousios, Kostadis Michail and Panagiotis Spoulos) deliver two sides of an eye-sparkling platter filled w/ energy, persistence, baffle and soothing noise. Two entirely different approaches, one strong heart endorsing in musical poodle-like affection. Edition of 300 copies w/ stamped labels, offset covers and offset obi-strips housed in a heavy duty poly sleeve.

PHR-105 N.213 – ‘Meat Sweats’ C42
Nic Hughes (of Shearing Pinx and Isolated Now Waves fame) offers his latest homemade analog bouquet, filled with experimentation, twisted pop tunes and soul sucking confessions. Both sides bloom w/ lo-fi noir humid intimacy, groove with multi-instrumentalism freedom and yell that not even the bedroom ceiling is the limit. Let your astral ears explode into void. Limited edition of 50 copies w/ full color j-cards.

PHR-106 DEAD GUM – ‘Sleepy Town’ CDr
Blurry, multi-layered, dreamy imagery for a dark city at a summer night which almost looks like a ghost town. Numb emotions and gentle touches guide you to a private wandering where materialism cannot be felt. It’s a delirious battle inside your dream warrior head. Drift around without touching the ground, smell the transparent fumes, hear the city’s most intimate secret noises, make your very own narrations until the death of night finally comes. It’s meant to be listened as one piece at the recommended track order. Limited edition of 50, packaged in jewel case w/ full color artwork on textured paper.

PHR-107 BRIAN RURYK – ‘Weird Doods’ C31
We always listen to new releases from our favorite Canadian destructionist, Brian Ruryk, with awe and impatience. He goes a step forward every time and that always makes you wonder from which direction this ultra violent metal screeching, glass breaking, frequence growl and intergalactic feedback zap will invade your head. Of course, this album is no exception. It sounds like the household explosion in the final sequence of “Zabriskie Point” playing in double speed. Plus more takes of it, reoccurring w/ asynchronously delay repeats causing pile-up crashes and demolition derbys. Limited edition of 50 w/ full color artwork printed on metallic paper.

CHRISTOS CHONDROPOULOS – ‘Fingerpainting’ 1-sided LP
Limited edition 1-sided LP by Christos Chondropoulos (XYSM). Recorded in Athens, Greece, May 2011, using drums, cymbals, nipple gongs, 28” symphonic gong, tam-tams, sheep bells, cow bells, alumunium bells, singing bowls, crotales, woodblock, polystyrene, bows, brushes, sticks and mallets.

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VATICAN SHADOW – ‘Remember Your Black Day’ LP/CD
Remember Your Black Day is the debut album proper from Vatican Shadow, the first material conceived and produced as a full-length by Dominick Fernow for the project following almost a dozen tapes (mostly released on Hospital Productions) and vinyl editions (released by the likes of Blackest Ever Black, Modern Love, and Type) over the last three years. None of the eight tracks included have been released before on any other format. At a time when the scene is saturated with “noise techno,” the album is almost celebratory by contrast, balancing caustic licks of distortion and oppressive bass with cleanly mixed synth tones and ricocheting claps in a shell-shocked, surreal soundsphere. With production assistance from Juan Mendez (Silent Servant), the album includes the most direct and propulsive Vatican Shadow material yet, continuing an evolutionary shift away from the complex, collage-based narrative of those cassette releases into more visibly direct contact with the listener. There is a functional connection to dance music here, honing in on the human element embedded within a subject matter so fraught with inhumanity.

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The Original Flowering Earth– ‘Hosshin’
Kyle Wade (Goldtimers Tapes) presents a compelling synthesis of environmental sound and song craft. Melody emerges from an afternoon haze. Longform electronics slowly rise, charged with aching joy of fleeting moments and resonant memory. ((Cave-22))

Dmitri Zherbin
Dmitri Zherbin (Jozik Tapes) takes us deep into the life of machines as they intone their alien mantras. Ghosts of destroyed tapes spool and hum exhumed sound, but mostly it’s raw ferrite, motors, and malfunction contributing to this oddly compelling tape.

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