Tony Carey (aka Planet P Project)

Of all the formative albums of my youth (and there were many...), two have always stood out from Tony Carey's alter ego Planet P Project.  Unlike many albums of that time, I still revisit these on occasion.

The first was the self-titled album that originally went by Planet P until he was forced to change the name due to a legal conflict.  Though it certainly has an 80s feel (especially with the space theme), it has held up incredibly well.  "Why Me?" and "Static" still sound amazing.

However, it was "Pink World" that blew me away.  Conceptually similar (double LP, saviour/Messiah theme, concept album, backwards messages, etc.) and inevitably compared to Pink Floyd's "The Wall" the album stands on its own and remains a hidden gem from the 80s.

Carey all but disappeared from the scene for a while and suffered some serious health complications.

For the longest time I've wanted to purchase the physical copies of the final Planet P Project trilogy called "Go Out Dancing" but they were never really distributed stateside, except perhaps the first part. 

His work has been tough to get on CD stateside.  My first copy of "Pink World" was an unofficial CD from Russia which was just a high quality copy of the vinyl burned on to CD.  If you listen closely as the album ends you can hear a faint hiss as the needle heads toward the run out groove...

It probably goes without saying that I still have vinyl copies of the self-titled release (one as Planet P and the other after the name change to Planet P Project) and two copies of "Pink World" on vinyl (one pink promo and one regular issue). 

Anyhow, in order to get the physical copies, I'd have to cough up roughly $100 for all of them.  Ouch.  Someday maybe but I still wish to promote his work.  He's been in the game a long, long time and has released some amazing music over the years.

I confess I've heard the trilogy and they are amazing, especially the final one (which is after his health scare).  The "Hallelujah" track will catch you by surprise (as will his album of Christmas Hymns).

So aside from listening to "Pink World" as I type I stumbled across a free download on his site I thought some folks might be interested in.

You can get the download HERE.

Enjoy.

Ya Ji (2008)

Some experimental music from Anders Peterson under various guises along with some other lesser known artists to introduce you to the Kwan Yin label.

Not exactly rare but certainly not mainstream.

Try

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The fallout continues...

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Megaupload...

So Megaupload has been shut down and the tentacles of the media conglomerates show themselves to be more treacherous than anyone realized.

On the flip side, the man behind Megaupload was a bit too ostentatious and drew the ire of many.  Subtlety was certainly not a trademark M.O.

HFS has shut itself down, whether in protest or fear.  The landscape is certainly changing.

I realized today that the intent of SOPA and PIPA is so that media moguls don't need to bother with such silly things as due process. 

Rather than months of "investigation" and millions of dollars spent, a simple flick of the switch is all that will be needed.  Justice?  Waste of time and money.

So many files here are now suddenly gone and with the RS account expiring (and daily reminders of the same), more will also be disappearing.

I'm still here but have moved on to other landscapes and things on a personal level have radically changed over the past few months and a big change is coming this week so I'm not quite sure where this will all lead. 

Sometimes, drastic change leads to an evolutionary leap in the way things happen. 

Stay tuned...

P.S. Support your independent artists and labels and the giants will see that we don't need them and their over processed and manufactured cultural substitutes.

If you can't support the indies, at least don't throw your money into the belly of the beast.

Echospace...

For those who have followed this blog for a while you'll know of my indulgence, if you will, of Echospace/Deepchord and all variations these guys put out.  I haven't really followed any one particular artists for a long, long time but with these guys I am enjoying music in a way I haven't for quite some time.

My first true purchase from their label was an original issue of Brock van Wey's White Clouds Drift On And On which, if you don't have a copy of it yet, is one of the more essential releases of the past few years. 

Better known as bvdub, this is so far his only release under his real name.  A second batch of these discs has made its way into the marketplace so if you're interested, snap up a copy at a reasonable price.

Since then I've picked up every CD release (as well as some vinyl) and will probably continue to do so. 

There are no direct d/l links to the new releases here but, as is the way today, these aren't too hard to find if you want to hear them.

Currently on heavy rotation:

Seconds To Forever [Extended Live Excursion] (2011)

I've always been a fan of the long players, as Rod Modell called them, those tracks that you wish would go on and on forever, thus my early love of the remix, the DJ mix and, nowadays, releases such as this one.

This one kind of worked in reverse.  Over at discogs there is a pretty solid group of fans who have been noticed by the artist and over the course of some time and the prompting of an intern who had been working for the label, this saw the light of day. There have been a series of releases driven primarily by this fan interaction. 

Anyhow, for those who enjoy the regular issue releases, this is a dream of an album, a behind the scenes treat of sorts as it contains the live record from which the 12" of the same name was released and gives a hint at the process of an artist at work.

Highest recommendation.  Though it's out of print on CD, if you are intereseted in the physical release it is not too inflated in price compared to what some other limited edition releases fetch.

Release Info

Also on heavy rotation:

Variant - Falling Stars  (2011)

Variant, for those who don't know, is the alter ego of Steven Hitchell (aka Echospace, aka Intrusion) with his "ambient" side.

There are multiple versions of this album.  The original release was digital and contained a 52 minute epic of analogue ambience that soon disappeared once released on CD.  I posted the original release a while back for those who are interested.

Again due to fan interest, the long deleted track was re-issued as a CD.  Originally slated to contain remastered versions of two tracks from original digital release, the final version has only the original track remastered but with an additional 10 mintues added on. 

For those who have the original digital version there is something magical about having it on CD (as has been the trend over the last several releases, I purchased a copy) and the fact that 52 mintues of analogue bliss is now 62 minutes makes this one to own.

So there are five variations of this release that exist:

1) Original digital version (no longer available online)

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

3) Second digital version (same track listing as the original digital release except the "Falling Stars" track has been cut down to 44 minutes)

4) Falling Stars promo (limited pressing, contains remastered versions of 2 long players from the original digital release; changed for final release)

5) Falling Stars (released version)

How often is it that an artist listens at that level? As has been my mantra for some time now: support the artists and support the independent labels.

Entropy Records

Happy New Year to everyone.  Hope that everyone has peace of mind as the year gets under way!

If you are into electronic music, especially the "dub techno" variety, producer and DJ David Ya's Entropy Records out of France is one of the best labels out there right now, hosting artists such as Mr. Cloudy, Zzzzra, Axs and more.

To introduce you to the label, here are a couple of free downloads (scroll down on the link and enter your email address for the code):

Download

Download

Killer compilations.  

Browse around the site and check out the artists.

Their catalogue is impressive.  

Shades of Love (1989)

Haven't posted any 'classic rock' type stuff here in quite some time (probably because I don't listen to it any more...).

Been cleaning out the archives in my basement, getting ready to unload a bunch of CDs (Goodwill, ebay, haven't decided yet...) and wanted to place them in the public archives. 

Old compilation from Silver Eagle Records, now defunct, purveyor of, in hindsight, all things schmaltz.

For the longest time I was into "mellow" tunes, creating illusions of what love should be based on sappy love songs such as these (though 'Black Water' and some others on here are odd choices for love songs).  I'd drive around at night for hours on end creating a false sentimentality that could never be.

However, if you dig tunes from the 70s and early 80s, this is a great compilation.

This isn't the usual download (hint: see post below) 'cause I'm too lazy to rip it to an mp3 and upload but with this file (hint: just under 1 GB) you'll never need to buy the CDs and you can choose your kbps.

Here

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The RIAA and Congress have pirates in their midst...

For those not up on the news, new legislation has been proposed call SOPA for short to stop what is commonly referred to as online piracy (funny how words are created as weapons devoid of any real substance).

But there are no saints among us, not even among those very organizations that seem to be the purveyors of purity when it comes to how music and movies make the rounds.

"Representatives and/or their staffs have been engaging in online piracy themselves, using computers located in the House office building, the website TorrentFreak.com, which tracks BitTorrent usage, reported on Monday.

“We found more than 800 IP addresses assigned to the U.S. House of Representatives from where content has been shared on BitTorrent,” the website said. Among the illegal downloads, it noted, were a number of self-help books, including, “Crucial Conversations — Tools for Talking when Stakes Are High;” TV shows like FX’s Sons of Anarchy; software including Windows 7; and even porn movies like Gangland Cream Pie (“just the tip of the iceberg,” said TorrentFreak)." (Source)

And from the report that not even the almighty RIAA is free from such a tarnish to their illustrious name:

"A few days ago [Torrent Freak] reported that no less than 6 IP-addresses registered to the RIAA had been busted for downloading copyrighted material. Quite a shocker to everyone – including the music industry group apparently – as they are now using a defense previously attempted by many alleged file-sharers. It wasn’t members of RIAA staff who downloaded these files, the RIAA insists, it was a mysterious third party vendor who unknowingly smeared the group’s good name." (Source)

And the battle rages on...stay tuned.

In the meantime, don't believe the hype that they care about the artists being paid. By and large they only care about protecting their own, uh, assets in a declining business model that is evolving into something they fail to understand.

Power resides with the people.

Don't be afraid of the thought police. You know what's right.

Mixmaster Morris & Jonah Sharp - Quiet Logic (1998)

This collaboration between Mixmaster Morris (aka Irresistible Force) and Jonah Sharp (aka Spacetime Continuum) is everything you'd expect and then some.

Why is this so very out of print?

Enjoy

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Chill Out Or Die

Re-up with VBR V0 rip rates as well as a bonus surprise in each file (links on bottom).

For chill fans, some of these names will be quite familiar, others not so much, but these are great compilations.

The first volume was compiled and edited by Mixmaster Morris.

Chill Out Or Die! (1993)

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Chill Out Or Die II (1994)

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(look closely at the cover...)

Chill Out Or Die III (1994)

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Chill Out Or Die 4 (1995)

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Chill Out Or Die America (1995)

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LINKS

Aufgang (2009)

No longer an experiment for "old school" electronic artists, younger artists are more intentional when it comes to experimenting with crossing classical and electronic music.

"Formed of classically trained pianists Rami Khalifé and Francesco Tristano, who met ten years ago while they were studying at the world-renowned Julliard School in New York, who, beside sharing a common interest in their study, also enjoyed the club scene that the city had to offer, and drummer Aymeric Westrich, also a classically trained musician who studied percussions at the Conservatoire de Boulogne in France, Aufgang became a proper entity in 2005 when they played at the Sonar festival in Barcelona." (Source) 

Good stuff.

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Francesco Tristano - Not For Piano (2007)

I stumbled across Francesco Tristano during Murcof's FACT mix.

Turns out he's made quite a name for himself at a very young age.

"Tristano is one of the last students at New York’s Juilliard School to complete Bach legend Rosalyn Tureck’s master class. He also studied at the music academies in Brussels, Riga, Paris and Luxembourg as well as the esmuc in Barcelona...

Not for Piano (2007), presented his own compositions as well as versions of techno classics at the piano. Idiosynkrasia, his third album on the label inFiné, recorded at Carl Craig’s Planet E-communications in Detroit, was released to critical acclaim in 2010."

Shows the far reaching effects of electronic music...

Couple of bonuses included here as well.

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Saite An Saite (A String Based Compilation) (2009)

Not really "classical" but it has "strings" in the title so close enough...

Found this one because of the track by Relapxych.0 (aka Anders Peterson). It was his music that first captured my interest but over time I have come to realize how often his production/mastering work graces recent releases. If you see his name, you know the caliber of the release is high.

Here's the details on this one:

"Guitar-based CD with long tracks from Aidan Baker (Nadja), Relapxych.0 and M. Sandbleistift (Licht-Ung). Sandbleistift's gauzy drones hover above a thick amplifier hum, coupled with metal-on-metal scrapes, electrical interference directed into the pick-ups, and spidery textures that wiggle into the mix as he plucks away at the bridge of his guitar...

Aidan Baker steals the show on this album. Even with his esteemed catalogue of ethereal ambience and doomdronedirge excursions, "One Step Ahead, One Step Behind" is pretty exceptional. A desolate guitar melody repeats throughout the entire track, alluding to the doom of Nadja had he kicked on the distortion pedals. But without, there's a sadness which permeates the track, accompanied by ghostly flickers of complimentary drones, bursts of static, and a slow-burning roar of distant distortion that eventually consumes the entire piece.

Relapxych.0 holds his own in creating a series of guitar-meets-the-laptop abstractions that looks to Fennesz and Tim Hecker for inspiration, and does a pretty good job in the way of an homage." (Aquarius).

Limited to 300 copies.

Try

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Akira Rabelais - Spellewauerynsherde (2004)

Tagging on to the "modern classical" vibe...

This is one of the tracks that captivated me on the Reflections compilation posted earlier.  The story of this album adds depth to the music much like the story of Basinski's Disintegration Loops.

"Undertaking a project to transfer from tape to digital some old tape recordings of Icelandic vocal lament songs presumed to have been recording in the 1960's Akira claims to have been completely obsessed by them to an extent where he wished to incorporate the vocals into his own music." (Source)

Has a Johann Johannsson/Sigur Ros kind of feel to it (something about Iceland I suppose...) but it is quite unique and is quite moving.

Highly recommended (preferably in a quiet listening environment and/or with headphones).

Try

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Carl Craig + Francesco Tristano + Moritz von Oswald

Lately my interests seem to have found a hybrid between dub techno in all its varieties and modern classical.  If you listen closely to the last compilation posted (and follow the link to Murcof's FACT mix) you'll hear a tune by a young wunderkind named Francesco Tristano.

I  stumbled across him through the Murcof mix.  He overtly blends the classical with the club as can be seen by his reworking on piano of Derrick May's "Strings of Life."  He is a member of the group Aufgang, another electronic/classical hybrid with some other classically trained artists, and recently released an EP with Moritz von Oswald reworking his track "Bio."

Does this elevate electronic music?  Does it dilute the classical?  Or is it just the collision of traditional forms opening up new worlds, kind of like splitting the atom?

Not a big fan of labels, tags or other superimpositions on what music is "supposed" to be, I choose the latter.

Couple of posts to come but in the meantime, here's a taste of some of the masters of the form:

XVI Reflections On Classical Music (2009)

Tagging on to the last Murcof post, this is a killer compilation of "modern classical" music.

If you don't think you're a fan of classical in the traditional sense (and if you aren't, give these a try) then you might just find these just what the doctor ordered. 

Put this on, open your mind and let go.

Or give Murcof's FACT mix a go.

Wonder if in 200 years this will drop the "modern" tag and just be considered "classical" as well.  

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Rapidshare bye-bye...

After November 28th, all posts on the blog that have links to RS will be under the "delete if inactive" status meaning that if they are older than 30 days with no activity, the files will be deleted.

This will not affect posts within the last year or so as I have generally stuck with MF and MU. Most of the older files are either active enough that this won't happen or they've already disappeared even if the posts remain.

Just send updates if you find anything that needs fixed and I'll do what I can.

Thanks for sticking around!

Fernando Corona (aka Murcof aka Terrestre)

The Tijuana Sessions Vol. 1 (2001)

"The term Nortec is a conjunction of Norteño ("of" or "from the North") and Techno, but mainly describes the collision between the music, style and culture of electronic music with those of norteño and tambora, two popular music genres from the North of Mexico [to] create a sound that is very Tijuana." (Source)

A group of various producers came together under the Nortec Collective banner and the result was this album. The collective achieved a healthy level of recognition in Mexico and beyond.

Though it seems to still exist in some form or other, all the original members have moved on to other individual projects.

Fernando Corona's "Terrestre" project has two tracks featured here.

Tijuana Sessions

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Secondary Inspection (2004)

The last project under the Terrestre name has taken the syncopated dissection of sounds found on Murcof's essential Martes album and has added a distinctive, hypnotic beat pattern.

The first two tracks are the show stealers but the whole album is a nice adjunct to those familiar with his more modern classical leanings as of late.

A very pleasant surprise if you haven't heard it.

Secondary Inspection

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Futur[e]cho

1. Coppice Halifax – Royal Acre
2. A. Mayer – Sky
3. Soap – Syncro Fall
4. Dublicator – Vibronic Transition
5. Spiral Dub – Axiom Dub
6. Textural Being – Homage à Maurizio
7. ISA – Filtered
8. DeepWarmth – Cold Cities
9. As If – Rose From Above
10. Spaceci – µ2 Receptor
11. Fingers in the Noise – l’Acrobate [Ambient Version]

While listening to the Variations in Height comp, I was instantly hooked by the first track by Spaceci.

Like all junkies I go where all junkies go to get the next fix and stumbled across this one.

Dub tech goodness...

Info and free download

Moby - Destroyed (Deluxe)

Moby has been one of my favorite artists since circa 1994. Yes, I know all the criticisms leveled against him. Don't care. Love the music he makes. Respect his views and the fact he really has basically done it his way.

Anyhow, if you've got the time, I've got a story (some of you may have already heard it...).

Around the time when this album was first released, I had escaped from the 9 to 5 grind by going on a road trip to one of my company's suppliers which, in reality, was more an excuse to get out of the office for a few days. I was really struggling with feeling overworked (or, more accurately, feeling like work was getting in the way of figuring out what’s gnawing at me), fretting over being trapped by the stuff of the world and a longing for a sense of freedom. Working upwards of 80 hours every week, I was bugging out, swimming toward the deep end.

Over 900 miles of driving in two days was exactly what the doctor ordered.

On the way home I was listening to this album for the first time. I pulled off for gas at an exit in the middle of northern Michigan on the way from Muskegon to Toledo. I spotted a Goodwill. Didn't know it was there...it just seemed to materialize out of nowhere.

Now you have to understand that for many, many years I was a thrift store junkie. Any new town was a chance to scour the thrift stores (primarily looking for vinyl). I passed up more than a few Goodwills on my little walkabout, er, business trip. Yet I was drawn to this one. It had a "glow" to it.

What did I find there? Moby's Play DVD. So what, you may say. I have always been guided by signs or signals that "someone" is watching over me. For the most part these have always had to do with music.

Perhaps the most significant one I can recall was Melissa Etheridge's first album. Late 80s, school, lots of personal trauma, her first album on non-stop repeat, a balm to a wounded soul.

Six years later, at the apex of my trip to Seattle circa 1994, on the last stretch of the 2,300 mile journey home, crashing and burning all the way, I passed the same exit to the school I attended and on the radio was a Melissa Etheridge song from that very same album.

Her music by this time was just a memory for me as I was fully immersed in the burgeoning electronic music scene, Moby being pivotal in this regard. She was no longer all over the airwaves, her star slowly fading, and this song was not one of the "hits" from the first album ("Late September Dogs" I believe it was...).

Yet at that moment, at that exit, that song from that album was too obvious to miss. Coincidence? Not by my definition. It was closure. I could move on.

Anyhow, I knew immediately that this was another one of those moments. All the doubts, frustrations and fatigue I had been feeling were replaced with a moment of joy. I was excited about the DVD, certainly, but the odds of finding this DVD at this thrift store while a Moby album played in my car at this point in time hundreds of miles away from my home was no mere coincidence.

As I hopped back on the highway feeling pretty good, the album continued to play. By the time I got to "Lacrimae" at about 70 mph I was in bliss. It was one of those rare, memorable moments of sober ecstasy. I was exactly where I was supposed to be and my troubles evaporated.

Everything past was laid to rest, no regrets. Moving forward was not really on my mind. It was quite "Zen" in the sense that I was in the moment enjoying the feeling of the speed of the car, the sounds in my ears and the sensation of being guided.

Try listening to “The Right Thing” through “Lacrimae” in one sitting, either undistracted or completely absorbed in doing something like driving. It may just take you into one of those deep, personal states of being where you just know. No thinking, beyond feeling, beyond mere reminisce...just a knowing.

Why do I bring this up? Happened to have another one of those moments today with this very same album (and Florence + The Machine's "Shake It Out"...). Thought I'd share.

If you got this far, thanks for listening. May you find your bliss in those rare, pristine moments that make up a life.

This album is out in about a billion versions and I'm sure everyone has at least one version but just in case...

Here's a link to one of 'em.

Here's a photo of mine:

Land of Baboon

Volume 1 is an essential smattering of the illbient sound.

On Volume 2 that Middle Eastern illbient vibe laid over some killer basslines never sounded sweeter...

Volume 3 spins in alternate musical territory adding a jazzy kind of touch with a roster of new artists.

Try

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Try

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Try

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Zoo Rave 1 and 2

Also by request...

Hate to say it but it's "old school" but man does it bring back memories of when the rave was about, well, raving.

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Links

Assemblage Compilations - Extreme

By request...

Assemblage Volume One (1994)

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Assemblage Volume Two (1996)

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Dub Gabriel - Ascend (2003)

By request...

Hint: soulseek

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P.S. Good stuff. Thanks for the recommendation.

Angelo Badalamenti in the fog...

My drive to work this morning in the fog was with music in the spirit of Angelo Badalamenti hovering around me...simply perfect, especially the Terminal Sound System track...

1 Robert Curgenven - Acciaccatura Amplificata
2 Biosphere - Iberia Eterea
3 Circle - Bakkis
4 Terminal Sound System - Duchamp Falls
5 Pjusk - Dempet
6 Æthenor - Untitled
7 Stars Of The Lid - Music For Twin Peaks Episode #30, Part 2
8 Julien Neto - V (Rivers)
9 Yoga - Dreamcast
10 Zelienople - Aging
11 Philip Samartzis - Gut Bucket Blues
12 Windy & Carl - I Have Been Waiting To Hear Your Voice
13 Jasper Tx - Black Sleep Pt. III
14 Pluramon - Log

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For more info, go HERE (gotta register...it's worth it).