* A custom-made MP3 player in compact-cassette format. MP3s can be played by plugging headphones directly into the tapeless “cassette” shell and using the on-shell buttons. The MP3 files can also be played by inserting and “playing” the TAP3 device into a standard tape deck. In addition, a custom 2gb SD-card, with album tracks pre-loaded, is inserted into the top of the shell.

Product Description

The two musicians who sit, sequence, dream and programme at the centre of /dadahack/, are James Banbury and Pete Davis. They have existed, professionally, as technicians, programmers, producers, consultants, mixers, arrangers, players, theorists in a number of polyglamorous popmusic contexts – The Auteurs, Gwen Stefani, U2, Art of Noise, New Order, Human League, Infantjoy. As /dadahack/ they sent each other musical ideas that they played on traditional musical instruments, on computers, samplers, on rewired electronic toys, and via various contemporary forms of communication, file sharing, time dilation and system exploitation.

Plugged into their personal systems and lifestyles, /dadahack/ blended, bled and blasted together various elements of musical form and content to produce their compositions. Occasionally their writing process involved travel, and the pair would actually meet, somewhere, in one mysterious place or another, that was for a moment the home of /dadahack/. The routes to completing a piece of music therefore combine the mental, the physical, the metaphysical, the airport, the train, the car, random architectural spaces and the studio. Their music is very much a soundtrack to such a combination, the idea of a music that solidly exists in everyday reality and also tentatively vibrates around the edges, a music that is made up using bits and pieces, parts and remants of the past, present and future which are pieced together.

‘TAP3’ is both an album and not an album, and will therefore be available as both a thing and a thing that is not a thing. You will be able to download the finished sounds to add to your play lists and you will be able to buy it as an innovative piece of product that looks as though it is a cassette – to celebrate the mysterious, practical type of physical formats that electronic music was once released on. ‘TAP3’ the physical thing you can hold in your hands and explore is a combination of romantic found object and specialised industrial product that took many months to conceive, design and manufacture. It appears to be something that might appear in a 23rd century museum of Earth’s pop culture history that got it slightly wrong – /dadahack/ have created a personal history as though the cassette was invented after the iPod.

Indeed the physical piece of /dadahack/ can be played as a cassette, although, as if it is a cousin once or twice removed of Dr.Who, and something he would have as part of his collection inside the Tardis, it also plays itself. It needs no machine for the ‘TAP3’ sounds to be heard – by pluging in headphones and utilizing it as a digital music player. ‘TAP3’ is a souvenir of a fading time when music was only finished when it appeared on an actual object, and an acceptance of a future where music is finished as soon as it is let go into the cloud above/below/all around us.

Tracklisting:
1 Unwell – 6:13
2 Burnt Fox – 5:02
3 Fuzzy Dunlop – 5:53
4 Hello – 7:23
5 Pattern Recognition – 6:06
6 Made In China – 6:40
7 The Strong One – 11:04

This has really been a long time in the making. It’s great to finally see this project reach the light of day. Originally conceived as a 7″ box set, ‘Tsuki No Seika’ will now be offered up as a subscription only 7″ series in four installments. Each 7″ will be a split, and each artist has contributed an a capella track. That is to say, vocals only! In addition, all of the artwork is done by the artist. Copies will not be sold in stores, or via mp3 download sites, and we have no plans to re-release this material in another format in the future. The contributing artists are: * Grouper * Christina Carter * Richard Youngs * Islaja * Xela * Zelienople * Hisato Higuchi * Valet

Tracklisting:
A Islaja – Unessa Et
B Christina Carter – Will Of The People

Recorded and produced in Tokyo and Brisbane, this edition is an exchange of mutual curiosity and open ended possibility. Rather than setting out with prescriptive or didactic ideals for their meeting, the musicians looked further afield for influences to shape their interactions. Field recordings, for example, played an important role in contouring the albums qualities and atmospheres. Locations removed and refocused, moments captured and redeployed.

Drawing on Minamo’s sense of pace and sonic spatiality, English devised a number of arrangement
strategies to compress, accentuate and expand Minamo’s initial sketches. Carefully editing and adding to the refined and measured contributions, the record took shape over two years of gradual process led production.

A Path Less Travelled collects distant sonic smoke signals passed between one island and another.

PRESS (various)

“(Minamo) consistently creates beautiful music with compositional daring and instrumental aplomb. If you adjust your ear to Minamo’s peace and quiet, you’ll discover a whole world of bustling sound.” – Stylus

“It is a rare thing to hear an album that is so engaging and stimulating…” – Brainwashed on Kiri No Oto

Tracklisting:
1. The Path
2. Headlights
3. Glimmer
4. Springhead
5. Fireworks

The sound queuing a vast, abstract and unconscious awareness, as though a tone had been struck deep within the self, harmonized, resonating in key, with one’s sense of mortality. Ogata’s epiphany, rather than a looking inward, as morbid obsession on the self as finite, was to instead to see out; to ‘hear’ the massive near-silent symphony who’s volume dwarfs all things, on a scale that is the vocalization of all things in their totality, with the self recognized as an aspect of one’s place within it, yet expressed unto oneself as their own.

It’s the rare work that adeptly chronicles the inward tunings of that awareness. The reciprocation of the ‘tone’ struck within the self and the expression outward to the natural living world; not a simple matter to dedicate to canvas, celluloid, printed page, magnetic tape or the plethora of digital recording formats. The North Bend depicts a deeply personal, and at once universal resonating of/with that world, impressing sound upon it and charting what comes back; valleys, mountains, the nearly endless sea of trees – like furrows, peaks, dynamic points on the soundwaves. The vast natural splendour of the pacific northwest of the United States may just be the most sublime sounding board for such a dialog. Deeply rich in lore both ancient and current, that of the native Snoqualmie and Wenatchee people, David Lynch’s television narrative redefining Twin Peaks, this is a region that has long-inspired these very same ‘resoundings’. The North Bend being a continuance of, and contributing a new form to those traditions, that of neoclassical, spectral and ambient sublimity. Irisarri’s depiction of that process, in the form of this recording, is a chronicle of just such a dialog between the self impressing sound on the natural world and it’s resounding response expressed through the work in turn.” – Jefferson Petrey

PRESS (Various)

“Irisarri stretches the boundaries of pop music to flirt with much more openly experimental angles; investigating desolate territories and bringing them to life by subtle melodic touches…a complete master at his art” – THE MILK FACTORY

“These expansive instrumental epics start out icy, but melt easily enough with proper application of the human ear.” – WIRED

Tracklisting:
1 Passage – 6:46
2 Blue Tomorrows – 7:48
3 A Great Northern Sigh – 5:11
4 Traces – 10:36
5 Deception Falls – 10:16

John Butcher: tenor or soprano saxophones – plus feedback (1), motors (1, 3, 4), embedded harp speaker (5)
Rhodri Davies: pedal harp, lever harp with embedded speaker and electric harp. Aeolian electric harp (7)

Tracks 1-6 recorded by Andrew Mills at Elipse Studio, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, May 2, 2008
Track 7 recorded by Angharad Davies and Rhodri Davies at Crear, Kilberry, Argyll, UK, August 21, 2007 (aeolian electric harp); and by John Butcher in London, April 8, 2009 (soprano saxophone)
Edited, mixed, and mastered by John Butcher
Design by Hirozumi Takeda
Photographs used by kind permission of Newcastle Libraries and Information Service
Packaged in a cardboard jacket

John Butcher is one of the leading sax players on the free improvisation scene. Rhodri Davies transcends conventional ideas about the harp–an instrument rarely associated with improvised music–in his wide-ranging projects. The two British musicians have worked together in a variety of contexts since 1997 and gave their first duo concert in 2000. As a duo they toured the UK and the U.S. in 2002, and Japan in 2004. In their performances they draw upon extended and unique playing methods mastered over the course of their careers, leaving far behind the imagined limits of their respective instruments. Carliol contains 7 tracks studio-recorded between August 2007 and April 2009. With its multi-hued timbres and textures, sonic beauty, conceptual freedom, experimental spirit and sophisticated structure, this CD dazzles on many levels. While the 2001 album Vortices & Angels (on the UK label Emanem) includes duo tracks by these two artists as well by Butcher and Derek Bailey, Carliol is the first all Butcher/Davies duo album to be released since the start of their duo collaboration a decade ago.

Tracklisting:
1. Pandon Bank (9:17)
2. Losh (5:01) – MP3
3. Gallow Gate (3:16)
4. Scrogg (1:58) – MP3
5. Ouse Poppy (9:17)
6. Garth Heads (5:44)
7. Distant Leazes (9:33) – MP3

After 1 year from their 2nd mini album “Symmetoronica” cinema staff comes back with their long anticipated 3rd effort “Blue, under the imagination”.

The band used the word “Blue” as a metaphoric representation meaning “what lies ahead”, as they recently graduated college and will be moving on to start their new stages in life. The word “Blue” also stands for their determination for their ongoing effort of “creation through imagination” and “actively performing through instincts”.

The mini album comes in a double CD, featuring 6 hot new tracks and a bonus CD, which consists a total of 9 of the best live recordings handpicked by the band from the March 22 show at Shibuya O-nest and the March 28 show at Nagoya CLUB ROCK’N’ROLL — both of which are their very first solo performance.

The band has a tour titled “‘Blue, under the imagination’ Release Tour – An Imaginary Tsuji” planned, and are scheduled to play 27 dates, and is also scheduled to play a solo performance at Daikanyama UNIT for their tour final.

Tracklisting:
1. Imagination
2. I Want To Be You
3. Truth under the imagination
4. I Am Punished
5. Nitro
6. Vital Sign

LIVE CD – 3/22@Shibuya O-nest -
1. AMK HOLLIC
2. 12th Sense
3. Boys Will Be Scrap
4. Rolling
5. Delusion Circuit
6. Cycle
7. Change Up
8. Don’t Be Nice
9. KARAKURI in the skywalkers

Incl artists by Luminous Orange / COALTAR OF THE DEEPERS/ te’ / texas pandaa / antelope / bitcrush / lights out asia / guitar

Tracklisting:
1. Luminous Orange – Walkblind
2. guitar – HOUSE FULL OF TIME
3. COALTER OF THE DEEPERS – UNLIMBER
4. lights out asia – Ring Of Stars
5. texas pandaa – Sway
6. Antelope – A Perfect Morning
7. bitcrush – an island, a penninsula
8. te’ – Do not look for a meaningful encounter, but look for the “meaning” in each encounter

islaja is the recording alias of merja kokkonen, a musician and visual artist from helsinki, currently based in berlin. a regular contributor to the more psych / folk and improv oriented kemialliset ystavat and avarus, islaja’s recordings are by contrast almost entirely self-contained,
reflecting the more personal nature of her music, and a natural affinity towards an independent / diy aesthetic. her fourth album for fonal (following 2008’s excursion on ecstatic peace for the live document blaze mountain recordings), ‘keraaminen paa’ (or ‘ceramic head’) contains many shades of black. it also bears witness to a shift in perception and execution; yet the thread that weaves it’s way through all islaja’s work remains resolute, visible

Tracklisting:
01 Joku toi radion
02 Suzy sudenkita
03 Dadahuulet
04 Pimeytta kohti
05 Otakun uhkaus
06 Rakkauden palvelija/14. kasky
07 Ihmispuku
08 Ajanlaskun aatto
09 Yovalo

“The albums that Finnish auteur Jan Anderzén and his collaborators have crafted under the name are remarkable for their energetic, magpie eclectism: The Incredible String Band’s surreal acid folk, via the alien tape manipulations of Ghédalia Tazartés, as re-jigged in the mind of Maurice Sendak. But Ullakkopalo, three years in the making, takes the projects colour-rich maximalism to a whole other level.” – The Wire / Nick Richardson

Jan Anderzén is one of the few Finnish musicians to achieve renown on the international experimental circuit. In the case of Anderzén (who also plies a trade as a visual artist), this is not a matter of juxtaposition between the experimental and the mainstream, or a calculated career choice. Using music and images, he is busy creating a world that is a law unto itself, a world of exceptional freedom and beauty.

KY albums have been peppered with contributions from individuals such as Islaja, the members of Avarus, and Sami Sänpäkkilä. It’s not easy to tell who plays what on Kemialliset Ystävät recordings. Rather than being a project consisting of solo parts, the band is an eco-system within Anderzén’s reality.

One of the essential techniques applied by Anderzén is collage, in sound as well as image. He is no conventional instrumental virtuoso; his music is created with a fluctuating array of instruments and equipment. The focus is less on instrumental prowess and more on the overall sound and impression, as well as the tension between the various materials. As a manipulator of these elements, Anderzén is in a league of his own. His sampler based solo performances as Tomutonttu have left no doubt about that.

A close listening of Anderzén’s music reveals its near architectonic precision. He is known for an exceptionally painstaking approach to creating his music. All this hard work is readily evident in the finished product, not as an over-emphasised complexity but as a clearly independent fully realised vision.

Kemialliset Ystävät is like a natural phenomenon. It is difficult to imagine anyone having consciously constructed it, such is the ease with which it presents itself to us. To be in the presence of Anderzen’s work is captivating in the same way it is to stare into the fire – simple, yet inexplicable. It truly takes a master to create such an experience, but listening to the new Kemialliset Ystävät album evokes just that: a feeling of lightness.“ – Kimmo Modig

Tracklisting:

1. Kajastusmuseo
2. Kivikasan Rauhassa  ••LISTEN ••VIDEO
3. Kohde Haihtuu Ilmaan
4. Niitty Veden Alla
5. Surullinen Kohta Seinässä
6. Maksaruohoja
7. Suosikkiorjalleni
8. Ystävälliset Miekat  ••LISTEN
9. Älä Koske Lintuja
10. Mestari Ei Väsy
11. Muuttujat/Saattajat
12. Palava Puolukka  ••LISTEN
13. Suohuuruja
14. Lyön Häntäni Vetoa

islaja is the recording alias of merja kokkonen, a musician and visual artist from helsinki, currently based in berlin. a regular contributor to the more psych / folk and improv oriented kemialliset ystavat and avarus, islaja’s recordings are by contrast almost entirely self-contained,
reflecting the more personal nature of her music, and a natural affinity towards an independent / diy aesthetic. her fourth album for fonal (following 2008’s excursion on ecstatic peace for the live document blaze mountain recordings), ‘keraaminen paa’ (or ‘ceramic head’) contains many shades of black. it also bears witness to a shift in perception and execution; yet the thread that weaves it’s way through all islaja’s work remains resolute, visible

Tracklisting:
01 Joku toi radion
02 Suzy sudenkita
03 Dadahuulet
04 Pimeytta kohti
05 Otakun uhkaus
06 Rakkauden palvelija/14. kasky
07 Ihmispuku
08 Ajanlaskun aatto
09 Yovalo