Bride of the Holy*Ghost (Holywarbles/Ghostcapital Mix, Summer 2011 *No. 2)

Welcome to Ghostcapital. The blog is an effort to share the love of rare, under-appreciated and oddball music of many kinds mostly ripped from vinyl.

As this mix attests, oddball it is featuring some familiar artists but unfamiliar songs with a hodgepodge of other stuff from all over the world mixed in that just flows together perfectly.

In other words, you need this in your life.

Well worth investigating the rest of the site if you wish to discover music that is guaranteed never to have been heard by your ears. 

Just when it seems that the well is drying up you realize that we sometimes in shallow waters. So much beautiful and brilliant music to discover...

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Pop Goes The Ambient

A primer for those who may not be familiar with this series.

Cloudy With A Chance Of Mist(er)

One of the more, if not the most, prolific of new 'dub techno' artists. There is a slew of other artists within his orbit, many of whom are featured on the releases shown below, who add some depth and some variety to what is, to those not baptized into the sound, music for the head. 

While there is nothing radical, new or mind altering about his stuff, there is a steadiness and a sameness that is comforting. I could listen to this music, mostly in the background at a volume just loud enough to add some atmosphere to the otherwise silent humming of life, all day long. 

Both of these were issued on labels now gone or in hiatus and provide good insights into his sound, the sound of dub techno circa 2009 or so and an introduction to the rabbit hole of other artists crafting similar sounds.

If you love the sound, check out his full discography and add some bliss to your brain.

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Variant - Falling Stars

Variant, for those who don't know, is the alter ego of Steven Hitchell (aka Echospace, aka Intrusion) with his more "ambient" side. The project has evolved and has moved beyond mere 'ambient' into more ghostly atmospherics extracted from the machines.

This was quietly released originally as a three track digital release and it contained the 52 minute "Falling Stars" that soon disappeared once released on CD and was replaced with a few new tracks. Due to fan interest, the long deleted track "Falling Stars" track was re-issued as a stand alone CD in 2011.

Originally slated to contain remastered versions of two tracks from the original digital release, the final release version has only the original track remastered but with an additional 10 minutes added on.

The biggest difference, and the reason this is posted here, is to highlight the difference in the remastering of the original. Sometimes 'remasters' are just a way to milk cash from an already exhausted release but in this case, the remastering is audibly mind blowing.

The top is the master; the bottom is the original. For those who know how to read these the audible is strikingly visual as well. Pick up a copy from the BC page or track down a used copy of the sold out CD. Once you've heard the remaster there is no going back. Worth every penny.

There are five variations of The Setting Sun/Fallings Stars release that exist:

1) Original digital version 

2) CD release ("Falling Stars" replaced with 4 new tracks)

3) Second digital version currently on boomkat (originally was the same track listing as the original digital release with the notable exception of the "Falling Stars" track cut down to 44 minutes but now matches the CD version tracklisting)

4) Falling Stars promo (limited pressing, 25 copies in existence, not officially released)

5) Falling Stars (official released version; one track, 62 minutes in length, remastered)

Pretty cool that an artist listens at the level of re-releasing something due to fan interest.

As has been my mantra for some time now: support the artists and support the independent labels.

Eponymous

Early 80s hair metal when it still had some bite before veering off into posing, primping and preening and got ridiculous. As happened often in the 80s, artists left other bands and combined to form other bands as can be seen from the chart below. Some other bands were within its orbit as well.

I had an original  cassette of this album long since lost that had the extra blues track as the last song which disappeared from future releases and finally showed up again years later on the CD.

I had a mix tape, also long since gone, with this track on it that had been copied from the cassette onto another cassette with its Basinski-like degradation of audio in the process that made it sound like it was recorded inside of a pillow case.

Putting this on brought back the memories of having this jamming in my car with way too much treble and made me smile for a moment. I am also realizing that many of the stories here all relate back to the physical artifact used to transport the sound. Wonder how McLuhan's prophetic words about our media (in the physical sense) will play out in our stories 20 years from now.

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Serenity Dub

Have the first one, did not realize there were three more. Actually there is a fifth but it's vinyl only as far as I can tell so if anyone ever comes across a rip you know what to do!

From one of countless labels that popped in and out of existence during the late 90s when electronic music was splintering into millions of directions and genres. For those who knock digital (and, for that matter, file sharing) it is mainly because of digital (and file sharing) that many of these labels and artists are being given a second life as electronic music has reached popular critical mass and is now moving backwards to 'discovering' its roots.

Has enough time passed that we now have 'classic electronica'?

1.1 a.m.

2.1 p.m.

3.1

4.1

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Michael Kandel (aka Tranquility Bass) RIP

Michael Kandel, aka Tranquility Bass, had emailed me about the original posting of this on my blog back in 2013. Always cool to hear from an artist. He was actually ok with me giving this away as he said he never saw any royalties from it from the label which issued it and he was appreciative of me not giving away the stuff on his Bandcamp page.

I emailed him today about one of the songs and received an email back from his sister announcing that he had passed away in May of 2015. My heart skipped a beat at the news. His music was often on repeat and always transported me back to the state of electronic music circa 1994 and made me realize the shortness of this thing we call life.

A great tribute to him can be found here. 

As a tribute from HTCIS the post has been re-upped. Be sure to check out the link below and discover some of the other items on his BC page that have been unearthed. He was truly ahead of his time.

Let The Freak Flag Fly (1997)

Makes me think of the Grateful Dead meets Sly Stone channeling the hippy vibe of an alternative consciousness filtered through electronic beats.

On the Astralwerks label, though not sure that helps any, unless you factor in Spacetime Continuum's Alien Dreamtime with Terrence McKenna.

A gloriously strange album.

Enjoy

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Beep!!! (1998)

Bonus which I didn't know existed until I discovered this through some virtual digging. Two tracks get the remix treatment, most notably one by Fatboy Slim and two featuring DJ Z-trip on the turntables.

Enjoy

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Broadcast Standard Series (2011)

And, while digging further, stumbled across this gem:

The back catalogue of all pre "Freak Flag" tracks released between 1991 and 1994 with a few bonuses included.

Digital files (any format up to, and including, FLAC) for $8?  Sent mine in this morning, looking forward to diving in.

Plus, he has even more releases that aren't in the discogs database.

It's like a drug.

Can't beat it.

Show some real support:

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Letting Go

Sigh. The day finally came, I had to let it go. Part function, part cleansing, part therapy the vinyl is gone. Found a local guy who will take these and maybe discover new music or release them to the world through the local flea market(s) and will hopefully better himself just a little because of it. Call it good karma.

They were mostly common albums from younger days along with standard thrift store staples. 

Here is what that spot looks like now. Dug out some cases of mixtapes, some old floppy disks and my old Roadstar amp from my first car. 

Don't get me wrong, I thinned it out before letting it all go (notice the vintage 1980s Fisher cabinet). Kept the ones that are valuable, yes, but mostly these are the ones that are meaningful in some way. After all, why else would I keep 14 sealed copies of the Miami Vice Soundtrack?

Then there is this little section. What bounty lies within? There is this one and these and a host of other goodies. I always have moments of 'Oh, yea, forgot about that one' when I browse them.

Perhaps I'm not quite ready to completely let go.

Certified Dope

Always sounds good and always sounds real, a nice check for when we forget.

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Temiong Recordings - Year End Compilation

A label that has offered up some of standout albums over the past few years has, as have many others labels, released a Year End Compilation representing the sounds of the label. 

Though worth buying this one is offered up for free. As these are new tracks from artists such as Coppice Halifax, Orson Throb, Owen Ni and others there is no reason to miss it.

Track down the other releases as well if you aren't familiar with the label.

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日本 - Home Normal Label

Home Normal, a tiny giant of a label who I discovered due to being the home of several of Brock Van Wey's releases under his various aliases, has offered up a sampler of its 2015 releases in honor of its move from Japan to the UK.

Not free but high cost to value ratio to introduce the listener to a new world of artists and evolving sounds. Definitely worth the support.

Features a bonus photo book by label curator Ian Hagwood.

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P.S. 日本 (i.e. Nippon, aka Japan) literally translates as 'sun's origins' for those who want to know.

Burial Better Than Burial?

I hate comparisons when it comes to music but sometimes 'influence' is far too obvious to miss. However, with an open mind we come to realize that the foundation is not the last word. Foundations are meant to be built upon and it often pushes those who laid the foundation to innovate.

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Ren Mix Collection

Another 'back in the day' post as I clean up the archives. 

The first is the the one that truly started it all. Can't say it's dated and there is no doubt that it instantly transports the listener back to 'that time' but even today it still sounds incredible. 

With the state of electronic music today and the ubiquity (and annoying cheese) of the celebrity DJ it is easy to miss just how revolutionary this mix was.

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Sleepy Time

Had the 60 minute version this morning, fading in and out and picking up glorious snippets of the songs on the mix included here. May very well have been the best random 1 Hour Sleepy Time Mix ever.

Best played at a volume just above the threshold of hearing once you have turned off the incessant humming of the computer so that it becomes your background ambient noise.

Nap time.

Enjoy

Switchstance Recordings

Quick one today. The label tags itself as "Quality Grooves Since 2001" and though their output is not frequent, the stuff they put out lives up to their tag line.

Infectious grooves from a highly recommended label.

Free compilation to introduce you 

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Brown Punk

One of Trip Hop's almost mythical heroes and one of reggae's best friends for reaching wider distribution throughout the world team up for an almost virtual (as in quantum field theory) label.

Seems to have had a brief shining moment and disappeared into the void leaving only this compilation in its wake.

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To Each His Own

Side project of one half of this duo. Pure analog. Play loud and dust off the senses.

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Cup Of Tea

A Bristol based label riding the wave of the experimental genre-smashing sound collages emerging from the underground that defined music in the mid to late 90s and disappeared as did many labels once the 90s rolled into the 00s and the majors latched on and the spirit of that time sought the underground again. 

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Christmahanakwanzika

In honor of the holiday season so forced upon us, willingly and without resistance by most.

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Depth Perceptions

Originally posted back in 2010 a long out of print edition of 100 copies from a label long gone has been upgraded:

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P.S. Thanks TM!

e to the m to the t

I don't normally associate 'cult' and 'ambient' but so this label has been tagged.

By request.

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Vinyl rip, just for fun.

Enjoy. 

TTT

By request. Classic indeed.

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Morner - Kaisa Remixes EP (2015)

One of my favorite discoveries over the past few months has been the SenseNet label. The artist that goes by morner/mourner appeared on a few of the early compilations followed by actual album releases that really got my interest. There is a melancholy, an aching, a seeking in the music that hooked me right away.

A few of the tracks, including the one posted here, have women's names and the tracks have a certain sadness of unrequited love or longing unresolved that drives them. The remixes here range from drum n bass to dubstep to just about everything in between and they all carry the vibe.

Not free but pretty close. Show some love and dig into the IMMINENT label and prepare for some solid musical discoveries

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A Musical Statement

Excited to have stumbled across this one again. Truly incredible podcast/mixtapes originally featured on a Russian-ish website, was looking for it again while reviewing some of the older posts here and realized I had no copies of any of them.

A quick search yielded a blog with all of them updated. Gonna take a while to DL but well worth the time and effort. Thematic in nature these feature treasure troves of music, much of it that I've never heard which renders a new music education with each listen.

Most recent update was March of 2015 so I'm hopeful that more will come. In the meantime, episodes one to current can be found

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