3/4HadBeenEliminated - "Theology"

Experimental group 3/4HadBeenEliminated originate from Bologna, Italy, having been operational first as a trio and later as a quartet, recording for labels like Bowindo and Hapna. Theology is released simultaneously with the LP The Religious Experience, presenting two separate albums under a similar conceptual banner. In musical terms, Theology takes the form of a two-part excursion into electroacoustic improvisation, 'I Am Daughter' travels between splurges of acousmatic clanking and manipulated recordings and musty piano and vocal drifts. It's a hypnotic, thoroughly engaging half-hour that feels oddly very soulful for all its experimentation. The second piece tends to be a little more abstract, scuttling between jarring noise exchanges, near-silent instrumental interludes and all-round uneasiness. This is strange stuff, but the album's jam-packed with ideas, even supplying moments of outright beauty.

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Alvin Curran / Domenico Sciajno - "our ur"

Sciajno, Domenico (Say "Shah-eeno") comes from an ancient Sicilian jewish family closely related to the Kabbalists and mystics of the 13-14th centuries. When these mystics decreed electronic music unfit for Jews, the Sciajnos said "to hell with that" and converted to Christianity - enabling them to continue their work in live electronics. In a word, Domenico is carrying on a very ancient family tradition. He and I met by pure chance at an international conference of sound smugglers organized by the Palermo "cupola", held annually in a remote seaside hotel outside of the Hague in the Netherlands. At the time, he was a contrabassista.....whose job was to look out for the cops, when the others went into action - stealing sounds from ports, train stations, markets, landscapes, banks and even people. This is as close to the truth, as the avantgarde is to the Marx Brothers. Our real meeting at the Royale Konseravtorium of the Hague, where he was an excellent student, was the beginning of a long friendship and many fruitful collaborations, among them: A giant sound installation in the magnificent baroque park of Donaueschingen 1999; performances in" Brute Beat Brut Bruit" with the Alter Ego Ensemble and Frankie Hi NRG; as founding member of the Alvin Curran Filharmonia; a collaborative sound and video work SINKING PIANO of a floating and slowly sinking piano- for the Taktlos Festival 2002 and numerous sound designs for my radio works like UN ALTRO FERRAGOSTO, and WOLFINGS-- after a duo performance at the University in Florence (2001) we realized as improvisers that our musical sensibilities were in absolute alignment. Domenico is wild fennel.. without which half the wonderful dishes in the Sicilian cuisine could not exist - totally unpredictable but never late, he approaches everything with a master's imagination, and outside of women, there seems to be no artistic or technical problem he cannot solve.. It was natural that we should make a CD of Duo Projects, and went about recording a few sets just one year ago in my studio near Genzano di Roma. The best of those sessions are included here as well as two other works- one based on my piano improvisations (here brilliantly processed by Dome) to sound like it was played on an ancient piano about 5 kilometers from the microphone. The other "Rue de la Gare" was a pure sound collaboration we made in an attempt to win a prize. We did not win, but like everyone else, felt that we should have. Most of the electronics is derived from my extensive sample archive and keyboard performance style - much passing through Max/MSP patches of Dome's and Ali Momemi's. Like my own story, un-necessary to tell here, the rest is fiction. Alvin Curran

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Eliane Radigue - "Chry-ptus"

“CHRY-PTUS” (1971) :
Originally two tapes which are to be played simultaneously, with or withour synchronisation, which does not affect the structure of the work, but creates changes in the game of sub-harmonics and overtones. Three variations on this piece were performed at the New York Cultural Center in 1971, with variations of amplitude and location modulation as well as synchronisation.
Realised on the Buchla Synthesizer at the New York University.
The booklet contains a text by painter Paul Jenkins, who also realised the watercolor on the front cover, written on occasion of Radigue’s first concert in New York, April 6th, 1971.

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Ronin - "Ep"

When he is not slicing his guitar strings in a wild Ovo jam , Bruno Dorella reveals his passion for laid back and traditionally oriented music in the incarnation of Ronin. Dorella is quite a character,running one of the most extreme labels with such deranged acts like Allun , Pin Pin Sugar and his own Ovo , but still able to find a soft spot for tender music such as Ronin’s. With echoing spaghetti western guitars , mournful accordion , light drumming and deep distant bass , this E.P starts as a sad and instrumental alternative country dirge , reminiscent of early Calexico , 16 Horsepower or Ennio Morricone , but the upcoming tracks "Canzone D'amore Moldava" and "Ronin Theme (Storm Reprise)" are much more Dynamic , still keeping a sorrowful mood that is mixed with a vivid and Italian temper .Next are the 39 seconds of Ronin's “outro” , with the gentle guitar of Brunno Dorella. All in all , this beautiful piece clocks in less than 14 minutes. I only wish it was longer and I'd love to hear a full album by these guys who succeed in keeping the true spirit of spaghetti western music that reinvent itself in Italy in the early 60’s and left her input on the highly acclaimed American alternative country scene of today.

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Maurizio Bianchi - "Dicembre 1980"

Very rare tape material made by Maurizio Bianchi in 1980!
This is the version reprinted on cassette by Tulip in 2010.

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Amps For Christ - "Thorny Path"

Conceptually, Amps for Christ originated in 1996, when Barnes met recording enthusiast and The Dull bandmember Enid Snarb. Barnes decided that he wanted to combine his experience with experimental noise and extreme metal with his love for traditional folk music, classical composition, and jazz. Barnes and his friend and fellow Man is the Bastard veteran Joel Connell started Two Ambiguous Figures, in which Barnes played the sitar and Connell played the tabla. Fiddling with the traditional Indian instruments led to the creation of Amps for Christ, which is known for its esoteric and geographically diverse instrumentation. Barnes also wanted to add an element of technical sound making to the project. Barnes and his collaborators often modify or create their own musical instruments in order to get specific sounds for their tracks. Some examples of these instrument and sound creations include stringed instruments, pre-amps, amplifiers, and other acoustic instruments. Barnes is reportedly fascinated with waveform manipulation, another theme that is prominent throughout Amps for Christ.

Myspace

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Stefano Pilia - "Last Days Vol. II"

Recorded in New York, Last Days vol. II is the second part
of a three chapters project (1st release was a one sided 12" by 8mm Rec.) by the iitalian electro-acoustic composer and multi-instrumentalist Stefano Pilia.

On this new 7” we are going to discover another graceful face of Pilia’s electric guitar work: warm fingering on a buzzing amplifier carpet, slowly built emotions and deep compositional awareness

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