This is a great set of music with a fascinating story. In brief, Harry Bertoia was a jeweler, sculptor and furniture designer (among other things) who, staring in the 50s, began to sculpt sculptures which produced sound, made of tall vertical rods.

In the late 70s, there were 11 privately released recordings made and released by Bertoia. Now for the first time anywhere, all 11 of them are reissued taken from their original master tapes.

This is a must for fans of experimental sounds....

“In 1970, Harry Bertoia had been developing his sonic sculptures for over ten years. He had only been composing/recording for two years and the four long pieces chosen for this CD find him starting to arrive at the sonic forms he had been searching for. Hints Of Things To Come is one of the most unique and melodic pieces discovered so far in the Bertoia tape archive. In this piece, you hear him slowly create and articulate a musical riff. Bertoia builds this phrase patiently until the composition reaches...

Quite, quite rare album of electronic and electro-acoustic music from this composer, written for theatrical performances and originally released in 1979.
The material here was recorded between 1972-1979 and there is a lot of interesting bonus material that was left off of the original album's release due concerns about sales in 'the market'.

"Besombes, the French musique concret composer and electro-acoustic musican, supported himself for a number of years in the ‘70s writing music for...

Fanny L’Héritier: Lyrics & music, vocals, pianet Hohner & analog keyboards
Guillaume Médioni: Guitars, bass, banjo, rythmic arrangements, recording, music production & mastering

Charming songs from two women who remind me of the artiest of electro-pop of the late 70s / early 80s but brought into today; this would have been completely at home on Rough Trade next to Young Marble Giants 40 years later...

“Passing through this extraordinary and tormented trip, you particularly come...

"A mainstay of the Radical Jewish series since their first release in 2000, Jaroslaw Bester is one of the most consistently creative and imaginative musicians in the New Jewish Renaissance. Here he approaches the classic compositions of Cracow-born...

First-ever reissue on CD from the master tapes of the second album by this improvisational/folk/world music, formed in 1970 by Peter Michael Hamel on keyboards, and also featuring guitar, oboe, guitar, percussion, electronics and bamboo flute. Definite...

Just what you want from “the E17 psych guru.” - MOJO

“Harking back to the liberating songcraft of The Beatles, but with a jagged edge.” - Classic Rock

“Still mixing pop, punk and psych to giddy effect.” - The Guardian

“Little Eden glows with vintage McCartney-esque couplets before rolling out a chiming signature riff on ‘As I Lay Down To Die’ and adopting Jimi-like phrasing on ‘And Away We Go’.
A psychedelically-hewn panoramic take on brutalism Britain punctuated with pure..

If you are even remotely interested in world music, this stunning set is a must-own.
Cloth bound cover with four CDs: 45 pages of photographs and 50 pages of detailed recording notes.

"...I think my playing is probably more derived from the folk music records that I heard; Middle Eastern music, Indian music... for years I had something called Music On The Desert Road, which was an album with all kinds of different ethnic music. I used to listen to that all the time."-Frank Zappa....

Out of print world-wide for years, this makes a welcome, very limited re-appearance in Japan at a reasonable price.

Nice to have their 2nd, early 1980's studio disc available again from this very King Crimson-influenced Japanese ensemble. This adds guests on keyboards, violin, cello & trumpet to the basic guitar/bass/drums lineup. For me and my avant-progressive tastes, this is by far their best work and is one of the very best 80s Japanese progressive albums ever!

Yeah, you can tell who.

Carlos Bica, double bass / Frank Möbus, electric guitar / Jim Black, drums and percussion.

"The fifth album by Carlos Bica’s Azul, the double bassist and composer’s trio with the colourful guitarist Frank Möbus and the drummer extraordinaire...

Carlos Bica double bass
Daniel Erdmann tenor saxophone
Dj Illvibe turntables

"Double bassist and composer Carlos Bica has carved out a jazz niche for himself with his inventive style of lyrical-indie-jazz. Among the several musical projects he leads, his trio AZUL has become his showcase as a bass player and composer. For more than twenty years Bica’s trio AZUL with Frank Möbus and Jim Black has fascinated its listeners. Living in Berlin, Portuguese Bica again and again creates a music...

Carlos Bica, double bass / Matthias Schriefl, trumpet, flugelhorn, melodica / João Paulo, piano, keyboards, accordion / Mário Delgado, electric guitar / João Lobo, drums, percussion.

"'Carlos Bica + Prima Matéria' confirms Bica as one of...

"When UK Prog Rockers Big Big Train released their last album “Grand Tour” in 2019, they had their sights set on international exploration, if not exactly domination. Branching out beyond the quintessentially English stories that defined previous albums, “Grand Tour”’s lyrics were primarily inspired by greater European history and the wonders of travelling. Unfortunately, their hopes of applying this ethos moving forward were held up by the global pandemic, which not only forced the band to cancel their...

At this point, for my money, Big Big Train are one of the very best modern day 'prog' bands in existence. They are absolutely a prog rock band, but unlike so many modern prog bands, they have a strong sound that is their sound.
In addition to already impressive players Dave Gregory (XTC!) and Nick D'Virgillio, this album includes Rikard Sjöblom, of Beardfish!
Their 10th album Grimspound follows swiftly after their last, Folklore, as the band found themselves with a wealth of new material and...

"Merchants Of Light includes the best performance of each song played at Big Big Train's sold out Cadogan Hall shows in 2017."

"The 16 track set is pulled from the band’s last 4 albums, Grimspound, Folklore, English Electric, and The Underfall Yard. The show opens with a string overture before kicking into a rocking version of “Folklore.” It is a perfect way to get things off to a glorious start as each member introduces himself with showcase solos. From there we meet “Brave Captain” the...

"The single features a live recording of Swan Hunter and a 2018 remix of the studio version of the song which originally featured on the English Electric album.
The single also includes two previously unreleased tracks: a new version of Seen Better Days which features Tim Bowness on vocals alongside Big Big Train’s singer, David Longdon, and a live studio recording of Summer’s Lease."

“For their large and growing fan base, the imminent arrival of a new album, particularly one that wasn’t actually expected is something joyfully anticipated but… and let’s say it… our hearts are broken because of the unexpected and tragic passing of David Longdon. Web and print media has seen a torrent of grief, expressed in many ways, telling many stories of this amazing man who was taken from us all too soon. Much has been said, and no doubt will be said… but I feel the best tribute I can give is to...

I dunno. I always thought Big Brother got a bum rap. Were they the best San Francisco band? No. Were they the best musicians of that scene? No. But they were fun and joyous and genuinely psychedelic and whoever it was that dragged Janis away from them by telling her that 'she could do better than them', obviously never heard the inferior albums that she made without them. Both recordings are very, very good, professional sounding live recordings for rock concerts of over 50 years.

"Big Brother...

“Conceived in near darkness in a garden on Titwood Road during the late summer of 2018, 'Pageant Of Beasts' is perhaps the first ‘true’ Big Hogg album, being almost entirely planned, written and arranged by the whole group, and also self-engineered and produced at The Space in Glasgow's east end.
Recruiting ace electric and double bass wizard Martin Beer proved the first step on the journey into a Canterburian world of magic and madness, his supple jazz lines paving the way...

"A Chaos Of Flowers is an album that builds on their ferocious 2023 album Nature Morte. BIG|BRAVE's music has been described as massive minimalism. Their fusillades of textural distortion and feedback emphasize their music's frayed edges as much as its all-encompassing weight. The potency of the trio's work is their singular artistry combining elements of traditional folk techniques and a modern deconstruction of guitar music. Gain, feedback, and amplitude are essential.
For A Chaos Of Flowers...

Another one-shot Italian band with a classic heavy keyboard-driven progressive disc. Their name translates as "Ticket To Hell"! Dual keyboards, guitar, vocals/flute, bass & drums. Some great interplay between the keyboards & the guitar. One of their tw...

Beautifully packaged in a mini-lp sleeve with a booklet and a number of color photos of the band that I had never seen before. That's the good news. The news that you were all expecting, I suppose, is that the sonics are strictly bootleg quality. It is...