El Paraiso

"Astral TV is a new project from Causa Sui synth- and electronics-wiz Rasmus Rasmussen and fellow inner-space traveler Keith Canisius. On Chrystal Shores, they create fluctuating aural landscapes, ranging from subtle and earthy, to celestial and downright paranormal. Inspired in part by classic synth-scores, vintage European "kosmische", and modern drone, the duo has created the soundtrack for a heady, sonic trip. Like with the best new age music, these sounds can provide solace and regenerative energies...

“Rasmus Rasmussen (Aerosol, Causa Sui) and Keith Canisius present another delightful set of Astral TV tracks with Travelling The Circuits.
Since their debut album, Chrystal Shores from 2017, the Copenhagen-based duo have refined and perfected their approach to making semi-improvised synthesizer music. Musically it doesn't get much more pure than this. From their vast assemblage of synthesizers -- that is, vintage, modern, digital, analog, and modular synthesizers -- the two producers are squeezing...

"Black Cube Marriage is an ensemble consisting of legendary Chicago-based cornetist and sound manipulator Rob Mazurek (Tortoise, Exploding Star Orchestra, Isotope 217), members of his Brazilian connection São Paulo Underground, Austin-based freeform unit Marriage, and special guests Jonathan Horne (guitar, saxophone) and Steve Jansen (tapes, guitar).
Formed after shows in late 2015, this 11-person ensemble creates waves of sound that can best be described as cathartic. Astral Cube draws from...

"Black Cube Marriage is an ensemble consisting of legendary Chicago-based cornetist and sound manipulator Rob Mazurek (Tortoise, Exploding Star Orchestra, Isotope 217), members of his Brazilian connection São Paulo Underground, Austin-based freeform unit Marriage, and special guests Jonathan Horne (guitar, saxophone) and Steve Jansen (tapes, guitar).
Formed after shows in late 2015, this 11-person ensemble creates waves of sound that can best be described as cathartic. Astral Cube draws from

“Causa Sui's Free Ride is finally back in print after being sold out for more than a decade! The original single-LP version, released in 2007 on Elektrohasch, has been selling for ridiculous prices on Discogs and eBay. Even the CDs are sought-after collectors' items, almost impossible to find, until now. Imagine a tidal wave sweeping up from the 1960s through the 1970s, then cresting in the 1990s before finally crashing on the shore of the present; that's what Free Ride sounds like. This is the "heavy...

“On From The Source, Causa Sui's first new studio album since 2020, the band has created some of their most ambitious music ever -- simultaneously travelling through the sonic landscapes that has come to define the group's sound and pushing towards new horizons. With the four bandmember's ties to jazz, experimental and ambient music, Causa Sui is something of an anomaly in the ever-growing European psychedelic rock scene. Always following their own path. Never before has the group's wide-ranging...

“On From The Source, Causa Sui's first new studio album since 2020, the band has created some of their most ambitious music ever -- simultaneously travelling through the sonic landscapes that has come to define the group's sound and pushing towards new horizons. With the four bandmember's ties to jazz, experimental and ambient music, Causa Sui is something of an anomaly in the ever-growing European psychedelic rock scene. Always following their own path. Never before has the group's wide-ranging...

"Live In Copenhagen captures Causa Sui at two very special nights: at the release parties of Euporie Tide and Return To Sky. Since the band seldomly performs live, this may very well be the best chance to experience what the band are capable of at their best. One show was recorded at avant-garde institution extraordinaire, Jazzhouse, while the other captures Causa Sui at legendary underground venue Dragens Hule.
Both shows were recorded multitrack with an A-grade selection of mics. During these...

“Double LP set capturing some of Causa Sui's heaviest, most psychedelic tunes recorded live at Loppen -- a legendary Copenhagen venue, located in the famous (and infamous) Freetown Christiania commune. This is the sound of Causa Sui at their home turf, stretching out and exploring eight epic fan-favorites from their entire catalogue in front of a small crowd of 400 people in a packed sold-out venue. The show was recorded the first week that Covid restrictions were lifted on venues in Denmark, which...

"Pewt'r Sessions 1-2 collects two limited vinyl-only Causa Sui albums, originally released in 2011. The two albums, released in April and August respectively, both feature American musician Ron Schneiderman and both sold out immediately after release...

Another great one from a band with two previous killer releases! This is great, space/stoner/kraut rock for the modern age. Highly recommended!

"This Danish four-piece unashamedly reference such esteemed cosmic talents as Blue Cheer, Guru Guru...

Another great one from a band with two previous killer releases! This is great, space/stoner/kraut rock for the modern age. Highly recommended!

"This Danish four-piece unashamedly reference such esteemed cosmic talents as Blue Cheer, Guru Guru...

While our limited quantities last, you can get this brand new album for $6.00 off the regular price! But there's a set number and when they are gone, they're gone!!

Jonas Munk: guitars and electronics; Jess Kahr: bass; Jakob Skøtt, drums and percussion; Rasmus Rasmussen: keys and electronics.

"Causa Sui are back with Return To Sky, the successor to 2013's Euporie Tide, which consolidated the band as a crucial underground force in the European psych scene and spread their unique...

“Who are these guys? Where did this come from?”, I asked myself and you 15 years ago when this first showed up; a Danish band on a German label! Now we know a bit more and this is as good (or better) than I remembered it!!
Causa Sei are a Danish who started life as a heavy/stoner rock band, but for this album they pared down to an instrumental guitar/bass/drums trio and added a keyboardist and a saxist. These albums seem to be a distillation of a huge number of recordings that the band made over a...

“Who are these guys? Where did this come from?”, I asked myself and you 15 years ago when this first showed up; a Danish band on a German label! Now we know a bit more and this is as good (or better) than I remembered it!!
Causa Sei are a Danish who started life as a heavy/stoner rock band, but for this album they pared down to an instrumental guitar/bass/drums trio and added a keyboardist and a saxist. These albums seem to be a distillation of a huge number of recordings that the band made over a...

“Szabodelico represents a different side of Causa Sui. While the band always had one foot in heavy psychedelic rock, the other one stood deep in a wide variety of esoteric styles. On this release that other dimension of Causa Sui gets explored full-scale. 'Szabodelico' paints with a colourful palette, both compositionally and sonically, and digs deep into an assortment of cultures, eras and sounds with a true crate-digger mindset.”

"Each of these four epic tracks is a testament to the fact that Causa Sui have carved out a singular niche for themselves, where vintage Sabbath-isms are filtered through a distinctively post-modern ethos. Causa Sui's brand of rock conveys everything that's so great about fuzzed-out heaviness, yet there's something about it that makes the listening experience far from trivial. In stark contrast to the standards of the stoner/doom scenes, Causa Sui manage to be weighty and peaceful at the same; forceful, yet

Rob Mazurek – cornet
Jeff Parker – guitar
Dan Bitney - drums and percussion
Matt Lux – bass
Brian Keigher – percussion
Jonas Munk - guitar, electronics
Jakob Skøtt - drums, percussion

“Chicago Odense Ensemble is a unique collaboration that came together in the winter of 2008 while Danish musicians Jonas Munk and Jakob Skøtt stayed in Chicago.
Via mutual friends, and a support gig for Isotope 217 in Millenium Park, a studio session was arranged for the two to impr

“On their second album, Edena Gardens manifests itself as a permanent fixture in the El Paraiso catalog. Edena Gardens could have flickered and disappeared in true El Paraiso fashion with a single session album, but the trio emerges with both a new studio album as well as a live album. It's part of the band's DNA: it contains multitudes. There's always a variation or open path, shifting with ease from heady cosmic stoner folk-vibes, to the scorched earth of 12-minute centerpiece, "Veil". "Halcyon Days"...

“On their second album, Edena Gardens manifests itself as a permanent fixture in the El Paraiso catalog. Edena Gardens could have flickered and disappeared in true El Paraiso fashion with a single session album, but the trio emerges with both a new studio album as well as a live album. It's part of the band's DNA: it contains multitudes. There's always a variation or open path, shifting with ease from heady cosmic stoner folk-vibes, to the scorched earth of 12-minute centerpiece, "Veil". "Halcyon Days"...

Dens concludes a trilogy of albums, aptly spelling out the last third of the group's name. And true to form, the band turns inwards rather than outwards, drawing on deep shades of ambient, slowcore, and the ghost of Mark Hollis. While maintaining their psychedelic edge, the trio weaves the lines between genres in a way that's becoming a signature of its own. Never in a hurry, but always moving somewhere. Causa Sui drummer Jakob Skøtt and Martin Rude's bass and baritone guitar lay out a robust yet...

Dens concludes a trilogy of albums, aptly spelling out the last third of the group's name. And true to form, the band turns inwards rather than outwards, drawing on deep shades of ambient, slowcore, and the ghost of Mark Hollis. While maintaining their psychedelic edge, the trio weaves the lines between genres in a way that's becoming a signature of its own. Never in a hurry, but always moving somewhere. Causa Sui drummer Jakob Skøtt and Martin Rude's bass and baritone guitar lay out a robust yet...

“Members of Papir and Causa Sui travel through new musical realms. Three musicians with their own compass: Martin Rude and Jakob Skøtt have shared a wide range of musical quests: from Causa Sui's "Bitches Brew of stoner rock" crossing the folk meditations of Sun River and arriving most recently as members of the pre-fusion electric dealings of the London Odense Ensemble.
Papir guitarist Nicklas Sørensen is not merely adding a new layer to an established duo, but his presence to the party have....

“Members of Papir and Causa Sui travel through new musical realms. Three musicians with their own compass: Martin Rude and Jakob Skøtt have shared a wide range of musical quests: from Causa Sui's "Bitches Brew of stoner rock" crossing the folk meditations of Sun River and arriving most recently as members of the pre-fusion electric dealings of the London Odense Ensemble.
Papir guitarist Nicklas Sørensen is not merely adding a new layer to an established duo, but his presence to the party have....

Brian Ellis: Fender Rhodes piano, Hammond L-122 organ, Wurlitzer electric Piano, Minimoog, Moog Subphatty
David Hurley: congas and percussion
Michael Hams: drums and percussion
Patrick Shiroishi: alto and soprano saxophones (of Corima and Upsilon Acrux)
Paul Marrone: drums, percussion, guitar
Trevor Mast: bass

Solo endeavor by the guitarist / vocalist / keyboardist in Astra! This is definitely different than Astra, and, like it implies below, is more an electric jazz/rock alb

"Rarely has the feeling of late summer twilight been captured as well on record as on this collaborative effort by Southern California native Brian Ellis and South Carolina ambient producer Brian Grainger. This is the sound of two offbeat musicians zoning out with acoustic guitars, hand drums, flutes, and an array of vintage synthesizers and tape machines, brewing a mysterious, mellow kind of acid folk like it's never quite been brewed before. Though psychedelic in nature, this isn't yet another...

“Three of Norway's most vital musicians got together for a unique session, that places Fra Det Onde (From Evil) on the shoulders of the great American masters of improvisation, as well as the sleek European tradition of electric jazz poetry. There's a deep level of pure skill present -- they have travelled these roads many times before and the mileage behind them is frankly astonishing. Drummer Olaf Olsen, all hippie hair and broad smiles, from renowned prog-ensemble Bigbang. Rickenbacker bass plough

“First new sounds from Futuropaco in five years. Futuropaco, a.k.a. Justin Pinkerton from Oakland, California creates colorful psychedelic music -- a pan-cultural cratedigger's delight that welcomes in a wide range of elements -- from Afro-beat and post rock to Italian library music and heavy psych. The title translates to "The Glass Fortress" and is a reference to the fragility of the superpowers of the world, such as the US: "As we witnessed in the height of the pandemic and it's after effects, it...

“First new sounds from Futuropaco in five years. Futuropaco, a.k.a. Justin Pinkerton from Oakland, California creates colorful psychedelic music -- a pan-cultural cratedigger's delight that welcomes in a wide range of elements -- from Afro-beat and post rock to Italian library music and heavy psych. The title translates to "The Glass Fortress" and is a reference to the fragility of the superpowers of the world, such as the US: "As we witnessed in the height of the pandemic and it's after effects, it...

"Futuropaco's debut album is the shape of things to come: it's a wet, enigmatic cocktail of part 1970s Italian library music, part kraut-alicious, beat-galore, and part riff-driven heavy psych. Justin Pinkerton, from Oakland, California, is the one-man army behind the opaque merge of seemingly different forces: from mad fuzz guitar breakdowns à la Morricone at his most intense, to the syncopated drum learnings of Jaki Liebezeit, Justin weaves a blanket of sound that's simply loaded with deep vibes: From...

"Futuropaco's debut album is the shape of things to come: it's a wet, enigmatic cocktail of part 1970s Italian library music, part kraut-alicious, beat-galore, and part riff-driven heavy psych. Justin Pinkerton, from Oakland, California, is the one-man army behind the opaque merge of seemingly different forces: from mad fuzz guitar breakdowns à la Morricone at his most intense, to the syncopated drum learnings of Jaki Liebezeit, Justin weaves a blanket of sound that's simply loaded with deep vibes: From...

“Kanaan from Oslo, Norway is back with their second album in 2020. Following the impromptu Odense Sessions with Causa Sui guitarist Jonas Munk released, Double Sun is a different beast all together: Treading the same path as their 2018 debut Windborne, Double Sun is a studio effort in the best sense of the word. Perfectly balanced on the edge of dynamic improv, throbbing beats sizzled in scorching fuzz and topped off with deeply layered soundscapes. This album sees Kanaan reach a new plateau. Kanaan...

“With their 2018 debut album, Windborne, Oslo based trio Kanaan quickly established themselves as one of the most important groups in the youngest generation of psychedelic impro-rockers. As accomplished players -- all three educated in jazz -- they marry fiery energy with musical intricacy, and possess a rare ability to balance power and delicateness. They devote as much energy to exploring airiness and atmosphere as they do to intensity.
On this set, the trio join forces with Causa Sui guitar...

“Windborne is the debut album from young Norwegian power-trio Kanaan. With components from jazz, fusion and post-rock they have created six extended pieces of blazing free-form psychedelia.
While the band is rooted in the same spirit that gave birth to Mahavishnu Orchestra and Larry Coryell's The Eleventh House in the 1970s, there's a distinctive modern flavor to Kanaan. Their Scandinavian genealogy is apparent as well; their intricate song structures seems to be branching off the same stem as...

Hey! 20 year anniversary congratulations to these very fine lo-fi spacerockers from my wife's home state, which feature guitars, synthesizers, bass, drums, electronics, etc. all heavily processed into a very pleasing bunch of shoegazer soundscapes!

"Groups like Stars of the Lid and E.A.R. have wandered this same misty plane in search of the perfect drone, but Landing incorporates Bardo Pond's jam aesthetic into the journey, imparting a welcome communal feel to their lengthy, meandering...

"Connecticut's Landing have specialized in a mild and rural kind of psychedelia since the late '90s; they have since moved closer to post-punk and shoegaze territory, but Third Sight -- recorded specifically for El Paraiso Records' Impetus series -- builds on the hallucinatory soundscapes of the band's earliest days. There's a unique sense of motoric drift to these four long pieces, and an organic blend of rock instrumentation and analog electronics that brings to mind Eno's best collaborations in the...

Excellent sort of retro / kozmigroov kinda jazz/rock thing vibe going on here!

“The second installment from London Odense Ensemble digs deeper into the group's vision of what modern psychedelic jazz should sound like. Cut from the same sessions as Jaiyede Sessions Vol. 1, released last summer, Vol. 2 presents a more nuanced approach to the material. On this set the ensemble focuses on shorter, layered pieces -- traveling from deep spiritual jazz grooves to gorgeous free-flowing minimalism to...

Excellent sort of retro / kozmigroov kinda jazz/rock thing vibe going on here!

“The second installment from London Odense Ensemble digs deeper into the group's vision of what modern psychedelic jazz should sound like. Cut from the same sessions as Jaiyede Sessions Vol. 1, released last summer, Vol. 2 presents a more nuanced approach to the material. On this set the ensemble focuses on shorter, layered pieces -- traveling from deep spiritual jazz grooves to gorgeous free-flowing minimalism to...

“In recent years, Southern California has proved to be fertile ground for heavy psych, prog, and free rock. The amount of excellent bands growing out of the San Diego soil is simply unparalleled. Among the youngest generation of these bands are the five-piece Monarch, a band rooted in psychedelia and experimental prog, with a view towards broader horizons. There's something refreshing about Monarch's take on psychedelic rock: they aren't afraid to weave Allman Brothers-esque dual guitar lines with...

"No other band channels the color, warmth and energy of the coastal SoCal scenery as well as San Diego's Monarch. Their debut album Two Isles was recorded and produced by local glitterati Brian Ellis. It's full of breezy Allman Brothers guitar leads gliding effortlessly on top of gentle, and sometimes not so gentle, prog-rock structures. With supreme musicianship, they somehow connect the dots between classic California rock, prog, pastoral pop and the vivid, expansiveness of early 1990s British shoegaze...

"Second solo LP from Causa Sui guitar player and producer Jonas Munk. This is pattern music, characterized by slow builds and subtle, but refined transformations, where gradual tectonic shifts and tiny harmonic gestures generate vivid emotional...

“Jonas Munk and Nicklas Sørensen team up for a genre-defying record that explores American minimalism, psychedelia, and electronic music -- both vintage and contemporary. On a foundation of interlocking guitar and synthesizer patterns, the duo constructs lengthy pieces that are experimental yet welcoming in nature, precisely executed yet with room for soaring improvisation. Always Already Here pays homage to the masters of classical minimalism (Steve Reich, Terry Riley) and the pioneers of electronic...

"If Mythic Sunship aren't the shape of psychedelic music to come, it's in no small part because there are so few out there who could hope to match what they do."-The Obelisk

“Mythic Sunship played three shows at the 2019 edition of Roadburn. Changing Shapes documents the most ferocious and courageous of the three.
It follows 2018's Another Shape Of Psychedelic Music. Changing Shapes is a continuation of those ideas, not just a live performance of previous material (only two tracks from...

Excellent release of modern-day psych; at times you'll swear you are listening to a keyboardless Agitation Free session. Hugely recommended!

"On their third album, Upheaval, Mythic Sunship take their deepest dive yet. Their own brand of wobbly boogie doom reaches new dimension of pure Sabbath-like proportions. Yet there's also a new state of re-fined inner space. Mythic Sunship don't only know how to let it rip and let loose -- they are also masters of knowing when to turn down and zone out...

"After four studio albums, Papir unleash their first live album. It's surprising it took so long, since the band's shows have long been revered among fans. Recorded at the 2014 Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands, where Papir were asked to...

"After four studio albums, Papir unleash their first live album. It's surprising it took so long, since the band's shows have long been revered among fans. Recorded at the 2014 Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands, where Papir were asked to...

"Copenhagen's Papir are arresting. Their guitar, bass and drums mesh powerfully in an intense, jazz-inflected instrumental rock. Voyaging through post-rock Tortoise terrain, it nods towards Hawkwind's freakouts and employs liberal dollops of wah-wah...

“California native Justin Pinkerton, aka Golden Void drummer and the man behind El Paraiso Records' own Futuropaco project, delivers a full-length album of playful synthesizer music. In contrast to a lot of the other projects Justin has been involved in over the years, Aak'Ab radiates slowness and tranquility. There's a rare sense of calm in these pieces. It would, however, be a mistake to categorize it as ambient or new age -- the intricate pattern-work and the raga-like structure of these pieces avoid...

"Despite the rumors, pre-fusion acid jazz-rock is alive and well, living it up in Southern California. Psicomagia is the joint forces of leading members of noted prog and stoner-rock outfits Astra and Radio Moscow. The band serves up a mixture of the...

"You wouldn't really call this free jazz, any more than you would suggest the Danes are trying to communicate the same feverish, Southern Baptist Christian-inspired devotions that gripped Coltrane... Which isn't to say that this is a hollow forgery. Spiritual significance resides in the ear of the beholder. Ragged energy can plunge any soul that's ready into the light. If Shiggajon's joyous noise gets you there, why fight the feeling?"-The Wire

"It's tempting to categorize Danish collective....