I recently ripped some of my UKGarage vinyl for a friend so I figured I share one of the tracks here. I scored this at the mighty DnR Vinyl in East Croyden, UK. Check them out, they are without a doubt the finest Garage shop on earth. The track is by Genius (Capone, Shawn T & Trimmer) on Kronik Records from 1998.
One of the better electronic music albums I have heard in some time is Surgeon's 2011 LP Breaking the Frame. Unlike the punishing intricacies of his earlier records that defined the "Birminghmam techno" sound he is known for, this release is experimental and psychedelic in nature. You can download one of the more mental tracks below.
Out of the thousands of performances I have seen over the years, it is one by Polish electronic musician Zbigniew Karkowski’s that has made the most impact.
The scene: Recombinant Media Labs Compound, Hunters Point, South San Francisco, circa 2003/2004. The Compound was a space located on a desolate abandoned Navy ship yard. The land lay in the shadow of Candlestick Park that had been deemed uninhabitable due to a high toxicity in the soil that the Navy had left. We were instructed not to drink the water when there. Inside the one unaccompanied dilapidated building on the site was a tiny studio/control room overlooking a bigger space equipped with a 16.8 surround sound system with a performance area in the middle of the room. The speakers were arranged in a circle, 8 above and 8 below. RML was run by a character named Naut Humon (pronounced "Not Human") who apparently re-christened himself after a particularly heavy LSD trip in the 70s. Humon had used the space for decades as a research lab for his industrial music project Rhythm & Noise. RML and its record label, Asphodel, was generally the hub of all things weird in experimental music in San Francisco at the time. Most of the artists that played at the Compound used software my friend Peter had designed for the space that enabled one to spatialize the sound, meaning to bounce sound from speaker to speaker around the room: horizontally, vertically and diagonally; a technique first developed by Karlheinz Stockhausen. While rare to find such a system to play on, especially in 2003, Karkowski would forgo it to take his own approach on this particular night.
Those that knew had packed the room to hear the Polish visionary and were standing in a circle surrounding him. Karkowski had existing on the fringes of extreme new music for some time. After studying composition, sonology and computer music at various institutions he settled in Tokyo in 1994. He had composed for orchestra, chamber and opera but was largely concerned with the raw energy and power unleashed by sound at high volumes. Karkowski always worked entirely experimentally and experientially. I was standing behind him. The way I remember it, the music was basically one huge electronic tone emanating from his computer that got louder and louder and louder as it went on until it totally engulfed every part of your brain and body. Think about the deepest bass you’ve heard at a dance club, concert or rocket launch and multiply it by 16 and have it coming at you from every angle non-stop. This was beyond music and into the realm of pure sound, pure vibrational energy, a shamanic force being conjured from deep within the void. He was using a very old, beat up Macintosh that had code cascading down the left side of the screen and a mysterious black box on the right side. I don’t know if he was running Supercollider or MaxMSP but it was some kind of code he had written himself. This was, without a doubt, purely electronic music. The computer screen kept blacking out - I’m not sure if that was because it was old or because he was maxing out the processing power, he had to continually, violently, slap it to get it function, trippy colors would shoot across the screen when he did. As the music got denser he kept smacking the Mac and yelling at the engineers “louder, louder!” It was earth-shatteringly loud already but he was getting authentically upset that they wouldn’t turn it up. Over the sound Peter would try to gesture to him that he would blow the speakers if he turned it up more but Karkowski wouldn’t listen. He continued to intensely stare straight into the screen or scream for more volume. The engineers refused and it got so intense at one point I thought a fight would break out. All of this while 100 or so people are shoved into this tiny room perched on a forgotten wasteland while the heaviest sound ever was blasting away. I have no idea how long this went on, not long. The energy in the room surpassed any hardcore rock or punk show, was more transcendental than any rave, more enlightening than any new music masterwork and ultimately more exciting – and beautiful -– than anything I had seen before or since. Eventually Karkowski got mad enough he slammed his computer shut, stopping the music, and stormed out of the building. All I could think was “wow”. I had never heard of the guy before but I came away from that performance with a new hero.
Zbigniew went on to collaborate with RML in the following years but he Compound closed shortly after that. RML now occasionally takes its show on the road doing a version of the old system, with more video incorporated, calledCinechamber. No recording ever will
reproduce a Karkowski live experience but he has some amazing releases
nonetheless. For extreme noise there is
the “ALBUM” release with Peter Rehberg under the name POP (Product Of Power). In
2005 he released a sweeping 40 minute epic titled One and Many. You
can buy that along with his new piece for cello and computer called nervecell_0 at Sub Rosa. He takes a subdued, heavy approach on the LP Choice Points for the Application of Force. There is also an amazing set of releases with Tetsuo
Furudate called World as Will, of which you can hear the piece Mix White below. It’s a Karkowski composition from World as Will 3 performed by
the Zeikratzer orchestra in Switzerland
in 2004. If you know of any music that sounds more apocalyptic than this please
let me know. Finally, if you want to dive
into the man’s mind here is an essay he wrote titled The Method Is Science the Aim Is Religion.
Mind melting Spanish modular synth music from 1982. Every song on this LP is amazing but I ripped the one that really grabs you on first listen. Play loud.
A fantastic low fi pop tune from 1982. Recorded with no amps direct to a 4 track in a London kitchen. Originally confined to a self-released cassette but recently re-released by Captured Tracks.
Here we have an excerpt from a piano composition by John Cage, written for a Merce Cunningham dance play that was performed once in August of 1944. No recording, script or program survived from the performance- just the score. Cage wrote the music to be played by another performer and the recording here is by Richard Bungler in 1979. For me, the piece hangs heavy with the burden of world war, in full swing at the time. But Cunningham’s play was apparently about a dysfunctional family. The piece runs over an hour and is mostly solo piano played in the diatonic scale (white keys only) with a short vocal phrase in the middle. I find it to be excellent music to play loud in the dark on a rainy night. I have combined the final six scenes that comprise Act 2 to make one 25 minute long file that quietly builds in intensity before the final devastating minute. Enjoy, this is a master at work.
Click to download or stream below. Four Walls Act II Scene IX - XIV
I’ve been meaning to post something by Frusciante since I started this site, as he is one of the few songwriters I can fully get behind. His lyrics are always intriguingly tripped out and his body of work is second to none. His 2001 LP To Record Only Water For Ten Days is one of my favorite records of all time. But here I am posting the first song from his 1997 experimental masterpiece, Smile From the Streets You Hold. Famously pulled from the shelves when Frusciante sobered up from his heroin and cocaine addiction, this album is essentially a series of prayers to the gods of intoxication. Indeed, videos of him in this phase are pretty heavy. The LP is full of incredibly powerful songs straight from the mind of a creative madman- this is quite possibly the greatest musical document of addiction ever recorded. He screams, yelps, sings and smokes his way through one of the most diverse and musically satisfying albums I’ve ever heard. The raw intensity of his voice will make your spine tingle. Within the dementia are some very beautiful songs performed with such intense emotion it’s astounding (John Frusciante - More). It belongs in the canon of crazy psychedelic solo albums like those of Syd Barrett and Daniel Johnston… Highly recommended if you can find it (this CD may have recently been bootlegged as I am seeing copies pop up here and there. For the last 15 years it was extremely rare…)
Click the link to download or stream below.
The first time I heard this song I thought my record was warped or my stereo was broken. The upfront pounding kick drum and the wavering sound of the guitars totally threw me off. I made sure everything was working correctly and listened to it a few more times and finally realized it was supposed to sound that way and that OMD were just completely radical. The rest of the LP doesn’t sound this abrasive; it must have been a surprise for fans back in the day to hear this opening track, especially after the mellower vibe of their previous record, Organization. If you’re not familiar with this band, they made some amazing electronic music in the 80’s. Check out these tunes on Youtube: Julia's Song The Misunderstanding Sacred Heart
This track is taken from their classic LP Architecture & Morality; Strangely enough this album isn’t available on iTunes so buy the vinyl.
Click to download: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - The New Stone Age
Here we have a beautiful version of Gene Clark’s Strength of Strings by one of the best studios groups of all time, This Mortal Coil. The original version appears on Clark’s mystical 1974 solo record No Other. This version features the powerful vocals of Dominic Appleton and is taken from their double LP masterpiece Filigree & Shadow. While the song doesn’t work as well out of the context of the album, it’s still worth listening too, especially on a good sound system or in headphones. I highly recommend buying the LP. Click the song title for download.
This is one of my favorite records: the India 12” by Pink Rhythm. It's a beautifully produced 4 track EP from 1985 by John Rocca and Andy Stennett, the same gentlemen that brought you the Pictures LP. This track is a bit of a blue-eyed soul number and one of my all time favorite Rocca tunes. Ripped from my vinyl collection. Stream below or click here for download.
Here's a track by Kenji Takimi who owns Crue-L Records in Japan. This is one of his weirder projects under his Luger E-Go guise. This is a ten minute experimental dance record he released as a one sided 12" in 2004. If you think it sounds low-fi/distorted/compressed I assure you thats just how the record is, as I recorded a clean vinyl rip. It's just a crazy record. Enjoy.
Here we have something a little bit special. John Rocca is one of my favorite artists- the prolific diversity of his work from roughly 81- 91 is nothing short of genius. This LP is an obscure album he made with Andy Stennett, his collaborator in the incredible bands Pink Rhythm and Freeez. It was recorded in 1983 for Editions EG and has never seen a CD or digital release... so I thought I'd rip the vinyl and share it here for prosperity's sake. The music itself is out there. For those familiar with Rocca- this is miles away from his dance classics, techno 12s, and early funk workouts. The music is experimental, ambient and dark with heavy electronics and Rocca's voice ruminating on weird childlike fantasies. The best way to hear this is at home with some spare time as this record definitely envelops and grows upon multiple listens. Rocca retired from music at 33 and I've heard he lives in southeast Asia somewhere- no one really knows... Stennett gave an interview about the record on the only other website i can find about the album. If John or Andy read his please get in touch I'd love to find out more about creating the Pink Rhythm records and everything else.
Side One:
A1 Lullabye
A2 Nursery Rap
A3 Dancing Mind To Mind
A4 Skrahs
A5 Battle Of The Leaves
Side Two:
B1 Black Tiger
B2 Loneliness
B3 Child In A Sweet Shop
B4 Adventure Lost
B5 Voodoo
Here we have two forgotten gems from the druggier side of the 1980's Los Angeles rock scene. Thelonious Monster were a live music staple back then along side bands such as Fishbone, Jane's Addiction, Chili Peppers, Pygmy Love Circus, Liquid Jesus, and so on. I never saw them live but i remember seeing their name in the Calender section of the LA times each weekend as a young teenager. Very cool band. Below are a couple songs ripped from the LP Baby, You're Bummin' My Life Out In A Supreme Fashion. (Click the "share" button to for access to download).
Try:
Union Street:
This is a cool little clip of Bob Forrest back in '93:
This song is a poignantly timeless track from David Crosby's 2nd LP from '89, Oh Yes I Can, his "recovery" album. He recorded this after falling hard once a 20+ year cocaine bender eventually landed him in jail and left him with nothing but his sailboat, his wife, his life, and his music. Some of the tunes on the LP are diluted by semi-cheesy 80's production but the quality of the material shines through. Check out his first autobiography, Long Time Gone- definitely the best rock bio I have read. And of course his first solo LP from '71- one of the best records ever made. This is the LP version version ripped from my vinyl collection.
Here is a really, really nice French tune from 1985. The gentleman that sold it to me said it was a minor hit in his country back then. Imagine living in a world where this is popular music... The production is top quality and on the shorter side lengthwise- so the link is to a WAV file instead of the usual 320mp3.
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