Animal Psi

Peter Kris — ‘Rim Of The World’
There is a massive region in Southern California, just east of Los Angeles, that’s known as the Inland Empire. Comprised of two of the biggest counties in the nation, Riverside and San Bernardino, the 27,000 mile spread is a dramatic mix of wealth-driven development and hopeless decline. Prospering communities, such as Redlands and Rancho Cucamonga, border economic failures like the City of San Bernardino. And beyond these suburban dwellings exists an entire landscape of dying cities that are fast becoming ghost towns. As the cost of living in Los Angeles continues to rise, a number of former Angelinos are seeking refuge in the lower income areas within the Inland Empire, specifically San Bernardino County. The population in this area has surpassed 2 million. As that number continues to grow, job opportunities dwindle. City budgets have been cut, public services have been limited and most residents struggle to make a living. The only things not in decline are crime rates and the population of homeless and the discarded mentally ill. Peter Kris has lived in this region most of his life. He’s dedicated himself to exploring the vast landscape in an effort to photograph and document what’s left of the forgotten and crumbling infrastructure before it vanishes. Rim Of the World is a sonic and visual documentation of this decline and disintegration. The release includes an 8 song cassette and a zine that documents modern ruins as photographed by Peter Kris. Each cassette will feature an original, one-of-a-kind instant film photograph cover. These photos were selected from a batch of one hundred shot over the course of a day in and around San Bernardino. Peter Kris is the founding member of German Army. THIS TAPE IS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW TO HELP COVER PRODUCTION COSTS. ORDERS WILL SHIP IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS. This cassette is a limited edition release. Only 100 copies will be available.

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M. Mucci – ‘Secret Midnights’ C70 $7
Guelph, Ontario-based master guitarist M. Mucci has graciously agreed to let us reissue two of his out-of-print cassette albums on one C70 volume. Both The Secret is Knowing When to Close Your Eyes and Midnights are featured here in their entirely, the former with previously unreleased bonus material included. Mucci is one of the most exciting instrumental guitarists working today and we’re deeply honoured to be able to make these titles available in a physical format once again. In the vein of Loren Mazzacane Connors, Sir Richard Bishop, Jack Rose and the like.

Lost Trail/Door – ‘Split Tapes Series Vol. 12‘ C60 $7
LOST TRAIL is the ambient/dronegaze/experimental noise project of husband-and-wife duo Zachary Corsa and Denny Wilkerson Corsa. Based in the mysterious small city of Burlington, NC, The Corsas utilize lo-fi and obsolete recording technology in their music, aiming to capture a sense of atmosphere and landscape in both man-made and wild environments. Working primarily with second-hand analog equipment, their work is a vivid patchwork collage of damaged cassette loops, field recordings, primitive percussion, layers of ethereal guitar drones, wailing feedback and static, and skeletal traces of antique piano and organ. The themes of Lost Trail’s work often include a sense of the otherworldly or supernatural, strong ties to nature, human calamity, and a fascination with the concept of passionate belief systems. The songs themselves are raw, broken, minimalist, imperfect, emotionally resounding and chaotically unpredictable, all composed in the spirit of reckless, heedless improvisation. DOR is a more mysterious affair. Zachary of Lost Trail, who brought them to our attention, had this insight: They’re two dudes (John Rutherford, Jacob Worden) from Charlotte, NC, our biggest city, about 90 minutes south of where Denny and I live and that’s about all I know about ’em! They’re mysterious. And, really, does anyone need to know more about them than that?

Partli Cloudi – ‘Watermelon Cauliflower‘ C30 $7
Mild-mannered librarian by day, by late-afternoon Vancouver Island’s Stephen Wolf turns into the mild-mannered bedroom recordist named Partli Cloudi. “”Watermelon Cauliflower is a delightfully rotten treat. An odd pleasure come to haunt your weirdest nightmares.” Delving deep into his library branch’s audio-book collection, Wolf weaves detailed audio tapestries, adding his own acoustic flourishes and electronic embellishments to a secret world of woozy found-sound.

Hazy Montagne Mystique/Ylangylang – ‘Studies In Trance (Split Tapes Series Vol. 11)’ C30 $7
Hazy Montagne Mystique and Ylangylang two Montreal artists who excel in druggy, electronic trance music — but not that type of trance. The pair are long-time students of trance-inducing tones as evidenced by their collaborative project A Sacred Cloud (whose album ENSOLEILLÉ, 1972, we had the pleasure of releasing in 2013). Those familiar with A Sacred Cloud (and their label Jeunesse Cosmique) will already know that when they say “Trance” they’re talking “Transcendental” and not the late-90’s house music craze associated with the island of Ibiza. Trance as in drone. Trance as in cosmic youth and cosmic spaces.

Semen Priest – ‘ Third Testament‘ C50 $7
“A grinning, skeletonized and sunglass-eyed Right Said Fred strutting through strobe lit hell-waste, lava sloshing to the groovy thrust.” THIRD TESTAMENT is, fittingly, the third album by Canadian post-punk/electronic art project SEMEN PRIEST. Evolving from the “industrial vapor wave” of their debut, the duo’s previous tape, Disco Horribilis, dallied with EBM tones. On their latest outing Epididymis Rex and Zsa Zsa La Borg dilly with a harder-edged sound inspired by classic ’80s and ’90s Wax Trax! records bands. An excellent foray into a dark underbelly of Canadian electronic music

TRANZMIT – ‘Neue Übertragungen von einer Totenwelt’ C60 $7
Toronto-based TRANZMIT creates audio bricolage from live transistor radio sampling / looping and various electronics. Other sound sources include internet videos and thrift store cassette tapes. Neue Übertragungen von einer Totenwelt features soundbites from Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, John Lennon and feminist spoken word artist Anna Binkovitz along with a myriad of anonymous radio waves.

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Ando Laj – ‘Diagonal Rotation’ CD
Ando Laj has been a staple in the Hacktivism sound since the beginning; in our continuation of firsts with Ando, we are proud to release our first CD “Diagonal Rotation”. This release is a culmination of everything that Ando has worked with on his prior releases. From the early almost chillwave works to the super accessible “Miriam Transmission” that we released earlier this year. You can really hear how Ando has grown as an artist. On the first single, “Pyra Fora”, Ando shifts through several different styles of electronica with an almost Krautrock-like structure. As a whole Diagonal Rotation is more of a dense and flowing beast than its predecessors, akin to electronic ambient greats like Global Communication’s “76:14”. Let yourself glide through 80+ minutes of beautiful electronica.

ƸC†OPL∆SM – ‘Worthless Plastic’ cassingle
The second VHS single in our series features IDM/Glitch Producer ƸC†OPL∆SM’s “Worthless Plastic”. Comes as a C10 cassette stylized as a re-recordable VHS cassette from the 80s and 90s. Nostalgic of your childhood fantasies. Previously self-released digitally and sold out on Mini-CD, this collection of future beats and glossy synthesis soundtracks the volatile dance scene of our post-apocalyptic future days. Undoubtedly this release will be the hit single of 2083 so it’s best you get your hands on one today! All singles come with gloss print-out of liner notes and Hacktivism business card.

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ALIZTER JAMES – ‘BERNing Down the House Vol.1’
TB’s latest is a new collection of music from electronic musician/composer Alizter James titled BERNing Down the House Vol.1. The set is inspired by the current presidential campaign of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. James’ music doubles as a method of fundraising, as we will be donating 100% of the proceeds to the Sanders campaign. James would like to help spread the word about the candidate he believes in as of now. The 12-track album is a pay what you want download.

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STRAIGHT PANIC – ‘Life During Wartime’ $5
Five new tracks of filthy power electronics from the front line / behind the wall / within the occupation, and complete audio documentation of LIVE AKTION at MADAME OV THEE ARTS, MPLS. Pro-dubbed, pad-printed crimson ink on black cassettes with pro-printed, 2-sided insert in norelco jewel case, shrinkwrapped. FMLR-020, edition of 50.

FAMILY PLANNING s/t $5
Slowly growing fetal tracks, mainly composed from tape-loops and field recordings. Cut-up, destroyed, aborted. Pro-dubbed, pad-printed silver ink on aquamarine cassettes with pro-printed, 2-sided insert in norelco jewel case, shrinkwrapped. FMLR-017, edition of 50.

METH PREDATOR – ‘Bootleg’ $5
The only studio recording ever finished in Meth Predator’s brief existence, plus three live recordings. Crushing, no-holds-barred, total noise fury from this on-again/off-again Minneapolis noise quartet. Black cassette with b/w paper labels, b/w insert in norelco jewel case. FMLR-BL0, edition 0f 50.

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Nick Forté – ‘Overdoes It’
Coming along almost concurrently with his recent Primordial Forms LP, Nick Forté’s Overdoes It is another bewildering and potent solo shot from this underground mainstay. Forté previously appeared on Obsolete Units years back with his drone/noise ensemble Hells Hills, and much like his intrinsic talent for tackling numerous forms of music (he was an original member of legendary hardcore ensemble Rorschach and currently plays in acclaimed black metal/punk project Raspberry Bulbs), Overdoes It operates by its own uncommon logic. A scrupulously crafted series of vignettes recalling luminaries such as Pierre Henry, Steven Stapleton, and Christina Kubisch, Forté’s command of his intermingling synth, tape, and voice (to name a few) sources is astonishingly faultless. An unshakable and mindful masterpiece. Edition of 100.

Anla Courtis – ‘El Raspiarero’
One of the most prolific and multifarious musicians within the avant underground, Argentinian artist Anla Courtis has constructed an uncompromising and uninhibited body of work since the early 90’s, whether through his involvement in the legendary outsider-rock outfit Reynols to his impressive array of solo missives. El Raspiarero finds Courtis deep into the nether-reaches of hazy, hissing analog fidelity, presenting two long-form pieces ambiguously generated from remnants of warbling tape, mangled guitar, and other as-yet-unidentified instruments of dissonance. It’s an unrepentantly delirious presentation, the queasy yet confident sensory treatments generating action most acute. El Raspiarero maintains Courtis’s place as an endlessly captivating presence in experimental sound. Edition of 100.

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M.E.S.H. — ‘Piteous Gate’ LP/CD
Alongside fellow members of Berlin’s Janus collective, recently behind nights at Berghain and Corsica Studios, M.E.S.H. is known for his futurist approach to club dynamics and production. On Piteous Gate, tightly gridded and sculpted sound juts up against loose-wristed improvisation, automated processes, and collage. Standard club synco- pation is twisted by sliding tempos, cut and paste time signatures, and indeterminate pacing. Its sound design and compositions are ornate, even courtly, with neo-feudal moods offset by the recurrence of hydraulic hiss and flanger. A synthetic fuel injector revs opener ‘Piteous Gate’ to life. Drawing from action-scifi film trailers and the sound design of festival trance, its hardcore synthlines shatter into ‘Optimate’—stately, spatial, and whiplash-luxurious, with meandering cybernetic drumming. ‘Thorium’ sends a slow-motion camera through a melting test reactor: all burnt VSTs and synthetic theorbo and loose drums. ‘The Black Pill’ smears high-end renaissance sample libraries through arcs of static. In ‘Epithet,’ temple sewer atmospheres are ruptured by ‘Scythians’-style cut-up drums. ‘Jester’s Visage’ indulges a minute-long baroque guitar improv, and territorial youths air their beef in ‘Kritikal & X.’ Closing out the album, ‘Methy Imbiß’ is a machinic rhythm track, and ‘Azov Seepage’ mingles birdlike granular noises with rusted steel clanging. The album was recorded in Berlin in winter 2015, mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at D&M, and pressed on 140g LP and CD.

ACRE & FILTER DREAD — ‘Interference’ 12″
Interference is the first joint release from PAN and Visionist’s Lost Codes, which is re-baptized here as PAN sublabel Codes. Two of Visionist’s key discoveries, Mancunian hybridist Acre and Cambridge’s transplant Filter Dread both cut their teeth on UK soundsystem culture and have appeared on vital outlets like Tectonic and Ramp. The pair’s EP updates 8-bit grime, warehouse rave, and dark bass with hyper-modern sound design and bastard club rhythms. Rather than rely on mimicry, they contort familiar aesthetics, giving rise to the baroque, processional gloom of “Drumz 34″ to “Flash Speed”‘s bassbin elasticity and the modem drones of “Trashed” (for the steppers). The EP is mastered by Matt Colton at Alchemy, and features artwork by PWR Studio & Bill Kouligas with additional art by Max Shannon.

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Sinking Swimmer – ‘Face First EP’ $10
Heavy and hard hitting. Face First EP is the next chapter of John Pain and Egadz’s collaboration “Sinking Swimmer”. Dirty drums terrorize the cassette tape with 4 new tracks of experimental hip hop and psychadelic beats. The smashing sounds from their history find new life on the B side with 6 different artists take a moment to create their own grime on 6 different remixes.. Featuring Tenshun, Walter Gross, Sick Balloons, Dreas, Pete Sasqwax, and Elektro4. Limited to 250 well produced cassettes on some original cardboard cases.

maticulous – ‘The maticulous LP’ $8
Brooklyn by way of PA producer maticulous returns with his first full length project “The maticulous LP.” Soulful, lush beats with booming drums provide the backdrop for a diverse line-up of emcees that include: Your Old Droog, Blu, Masta Ace, Lil Fame, Rah Digga, Guilty Simpson, yU, Rock (Heltah Skeltah), and more. It is evident that maticulous stays true to the classic hip-hop sound while moving it toward the future. Rare gold tapes with black screws limited to only 100 made.

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HDSPNS – ‘/’EN(D),GĀM/’ C40 £5
Auckland 4 piece HDSPNS are releasing their debut album, /’EN(D),GĀM/ on C40 cassette through brand new UK-based label PRISON TAPES. Expansive, soundscapey post-punk, amid washes of noise and angular synth and guitar melodies.

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WOS009 Wild Cow – ‘The Present’ CS $3
Sultans of the psychedelic summer, Wild Cow, present The Present. With swirling guitars, lush melodies, and deep Moog bass engulfing your ears, Wild Cow takes psychedelic pop to the realm of the real endless summer. Edition of 50 on white Chrome Plus cassettes with full color j-cards. The Present is also available as a free download.

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