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| Style: Ambient/Chill Out /Electronica Price Includes postage worldwide Track Listing The Orb, for years the most fearlessly fascinating sonic marauders on this or any other planet, return in January 2008 with a new album marking a long-awaited reunion between eternal mainstay Dr Alex Paterson and lifelong friend and original inter-galactic conspirator Youth. The Dream sees a return to the original spirit which spawned the first two classic albums, The Orb’s Adventures In The Ultraworld and U.F. Orb. Working with former Dreadzone studio-wiz Tim Bran and a gaggle of guests, Alex and Youth have created a work of stunning beauty and immediacy while never losing sight of The Orb’s original quest to homage personal musical obsessions while exploring sonic territories few dare to tread. One of those rare albums which weaves its own unique magic after repeated listens. The story of The Orb has been the proverbial long, strange trip. Alex and Youth went to school together, and made adolescent discoveries from drugs to punk rock. When Youth achieved notoriety as bassist in apocalyptic post-punk Killing Joke, Alex was the roadie, howling the Sex Pistols’ ‘Bodies’ or Stooges’ ‘No Fun’ during encores. In the mid-80s, Alex moved in with Youth at the Coach House on Wandsworth Common. For years, Alex and Youth had been enthralled and inspired by tapes of New York’s groundbreaking radio stations KISS FM, WBLS and WKTU where tracks were mashed up and edited into wild, extended soundclash masterworks which predated sampling and the aural anarchy of acid house. It was in Alex’s tiny bedroom that the germs of a musical project started sprouting in the acid house hurricane. By this time, old mucker Jimmy Cauty, who’d been in Youth’s post-Joke band Brilliant, was on board and joined Alex in marathon DJ sets in the chillout room at London’s earliest acid house clubs like Land Of Oz and Trancentral. Alex and Youth started the W.A.U.! record label. 1989 saw The Orb’s Kiss EP: proto-acid with hints of the aural mayhem to come before ‘A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld’ slapped its hallucinogenic hosepipe on the table and squirted a delirious nation down the trouser-legs with widescreen Orb-style musical rule-breaking. After Jimmy departed to the KLF, Alex signed to Big Life and worked with, among others, engineer Kris ‘Thrash’ Weston and Youth on the first Orb album. This trio’s first outing was the monstrously-successful ‘Little Fluffy Clouds’, created in a buoyant atmosphere of rampant invention. Alex and Youth collaborated again on the ensuing U. F. Orb, which surprised many by steaming straight into the album charts at number one. Although remaining friends, the pair saw each other less often as their careers followed their own trajectories. By this time, Youth was busy on a string of other projects which included building his Butterfly studio and Dragonfly record company, both ambitious projects which later ran aground. Meanwhile, Alex was dealing with his new chart-rider status, leaving Big Life in 1993 to sign with Island Records. He then spent the 90s wilfully steering The Orb into whichever strange waters he felt like taking it, sometimes with dark and twisted consequences. The music became more low-key and relaxed after Alex greeted the 21st century working with respected Berlin producer Thomas Fehlmann on albums like 2005’s Okie Dokie It’s The Orb On Kompakt for Cologne’s mighty Kompakt imprint. Two years ago Youth started building another studio at the end of his garden, across Wandsworth Common from the old Coach House: The Dreaming Cave [maybe referencing the transcendental Aboriginal dreamstate which inspired Kate Bush on The Dreaming]. Alex popped round and the pair started hanging out again. Inevitably, this turned into throwing musical ideas around like in the bedroom of the Coach House. Alex and Youth discovered that, although trends and technology have changed immeasurably, the bond between them was still as strong, along with the thrill of throwing together disparate elements and drawing from mutual inspirations to forge something startling and, indefinably, The Orb. During that period, Youth produced albums including Primal Scream’s Riot City Blues and, most recently, the return of The Cult. Tim Bran, who was with Dreadzone from their early 90s inception until 2000 and has a solo album under the project name of Subsonar which was also digitally released recently (full release in early 2008) on Youth’s Liquid Sound label, was his studio partner on these projects and slipped into working on what would become a new Orb album. Alex describes it as the follow-up to U.F. Orb. The Dream was created without pressure from record companies or the studio. As with previous albums, the basic Orb nucleus is joined by guest singers and players, including System 7’s Steve Hillage, who goes back to the earliest recordings, Battersea toaster-singer Eric Walker aka The Corpral and vocalists Aki Omori [the Japanese singer who appeared on 2001’s Cydonia], singer Andy Caine from the W.A.U.! days, and renowned soulstress Juliet Roberts who, according to Alex, is ‘the cherry on the cream on the gateau on the bed of Smarties.’ And who says dreams don’t come true? |
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The Orb virtually invented the electronic genre known as ambient house, resurrecting slower, more soulful rhythms and providing a soundtrack for early-morning ravers once the clubs closed their doors. Now they invite you to join them to sit back, relax, and drift into ‘The Dream’. It’s been a busy year for the orb, recording the album, playing Bestival, and seeing the seminal number 1 album, UFOrb getting a re-release. ‘The Dream’ sees Alex Paterson and Youth at their blessed, and melodious best. Their history speaks volumes, and the future is certainly bright!…… (Australia version distributed by Psy-Harmonics)FM3 – Buddha Machine
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| Price Includes postage (Australia Only) International Customers please click here to order Format: Music Player Genre: Experimental / Ambient / Avant GardeSorry this release is currently sold out! Founded by Christiaan Virant in Beijing in 1999, FM3 pioneered avant-garde electronic music in China. Virant works closely with computer musician Zhang Jian, distilling the FM3 sound from traditional Chinese instruments and home-made electronic loop boxes called Buddha machines.The Buddha Machine is a small soundbox made in China which comes with an integrated speaker, a volume control, mini jack-out and a switch to choose between nine different loops which are stored on a small chip and can be directly played by this mini soundsystem. ‘As music becomes increasingly robbed of physical form and reduced down to a series of file extensions, there’s something undeniably appealing about the actual-factual ownership of a physical entity. Whether this be the pleasure of handling a new 12″ or copping a good sniff on a glossy CD booklet (it takes us back to our sticker collecting days, ok!?), music has always been about more than mere vibrations flooding down your cochlea. It therefore shouldn’t come as any surprise that The Buddha Machine has gained such widespread admiration – simultaneously giving people something more to fetishise, whilst providing a lo-tech alternative to the opaque comfort-nipple of a playlist-addled iPod generation. You could say it’s spiritual…’
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This is a quite unbeleivable, utterly unique soundbox from China, which is causing quite a stir worldwide – the Sun City Girls / Sublime Frequencies main man Alan Bishop bought twenty four of these on sight and Brian Eno bought eight! (how’s that for apocalyptical math?). FM3 are a duo of Christiaan Virant and Chinese keyboardist and computer musician Zhang Jian – based in Beijing. The Buddha Machine is a hardware loop player, built kind of like a little AM radio, playing 9 different built-in loops on an endless cycle, with one simple button allowing you to fade between them – something that creates an oddly compulsive effect on the senses. Available in 6 different colors,(shipped randomly), comes with 2 x AA batteries. Simple and beautifully bizarre – the perfect christmas gift you’ll want to keep all to yourself.
Snog – City EP/CD
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| Style: Electronic Price Includes postage worldwide Track Listing “Snog is the greatest band in the world at the moment. Sorry that’s it, that’s all.” |
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So what is it with these SNOG guys? Just when we have them all figured out as agit-prop electro propagandists they go and drop a brand new CD-EP the title track of which (City) is an electro “power ballad”. And a strangely affecting and even touching electro “power ballad” at that. Don’t they know that electronic bands are meant to just make the same record and over and over again? Sheeesh. This could really upset the apple cart. And what’s with those new collaborations with those denizens of the dubstep deep Monster Zoku Onsomb? Are they weird but kinda catchy or what? And Thrussell (if it really is Thrussell?) now he sounds a bit like a mutant Berlin cabaret singer from the 1920s over an elastic mashed-up beat. This really is too much. And then they bring out the remixes, The Calculator’s svelte dancefloor killer,Curse Ov Dialect’s straight-up insanity and to top it off right near the end of the record there is some guy sounds like he is singing songs around a camp fire to a bunch of Girl Guides. ….What the freak is going on here?
Snog – The Last Days Of Rome EP CD
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| Style: Electronic Price in Australian Dollars & Includes postage worldwide Track Listing Produced by The Calculators Tracks 1, 2, 3 and 7 written by Thrussell/Beattie/Arkley-Smith/Fischer (Mushroom Music/Control) Original Painting by Chris Woods |
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Just when you thought contemporary music had nothing new and exciting to offer here come SNOG to save the day!!! ‘The Last Days of Rome’ is the new SNOG single (and the first single from the forthcoming album of the same name). Is it Leonard Cohen (with its perversely apocalyptic lyric and delivery) or is it Public Enemy (with its slinkey hip-hop beat and grinding guitar motif)? Well, what it really is, is something completely new! Sliding between genres like they slip between hot-tubs. ‘The Last Days of Rome’ is dark, powerful and totally catchy, a sleek meaningful beast.
Snog – The Last Days Of Rome (Album ) CD
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| Style: Electronic Price in Australian Dollars & Includes postage worldwide Track Listing Australian edition CD also contains 4 bonus tracks not available in any other territory Album Released 28th September 2007 The album opens with the epic majesty of ‘One Grain Of Sand’, an ode to the pyramid builders of ancient Egypt and an excellent place to begin our journey. Our title track follows with its grinding beats and tumultuous slave-galley motifs. The third track on the album ‘Lost At Sea’ tells the quaint tale of a group of reckless pirates who jettison their map overboard and find themselves perilously close to the rocks. Will they survive, or will that hungry maiden the ocean devour them? Again any fevered imaginings of a comparison to current events would be the height of foolishness. Track four ‘It’s All Lies’ bears no connection to today’s responsible global citizens known as the mass media conglomerates, instead it is a parable told from the point of view of a Roman centurion who witnesses the dust of an enemy infantry approach but dare not believe the end is nigh. ‘City’ does not carp on about contemporary urban alienation and disenfranchisement but actually tells the heroic story of those visionaries who built the great middle ages city of London out of the most picturesque pre-loved timber available and cluttered its streets with refuse in a bold attempt to kick-start what is today known as urban renewal. And so it goes. Other highlights include the heartfelt metropolitan psalm ‘Christmas Everyday’ and the tender down-under nursery rhyme ‘Go To Sleep (Little Australia)’. All these pieces are skillfully presented in the agitated and rhythmic manner that today’s youth find so attractive yet they are also carefully crafted so as to never actually say anything at all thus avoiding any needlessly dangerous or uncomfortable moments. After almost forty live dates around the USA, Europe, Russia and Australia in 2006 Snog return to the recording studio in 2007 (unlike the Romans of which they sing) victorious. Produced by The Calculators (The Faint, Adalita) and recorded in Melbourne, Australia and Renswoude, The Netherlands 2007 AD |
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As should be obvious to any erudite observer there are no parallels here with the contemporary world stage at all. And so it is that Snog turn their back on their most recent outings of barbed satirical electro-punk and instead offer a new brand new album of historical narratives and charming tone poems set in palatable electro-pop surroundings, The Last Days Of Rome.
Rip Van Hippy & Rie Lambdoll – Searching For Love (Digital Release Only)
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| Track Listing: 1. Peace Song 2. Searching For Love 3. Keep On Dancing 4. There’s A Light 5. Kyouki Wa 6. Ideal Song 7. Real Me 8. Rei’s Song 9. Dont Explain Cover art by S.H Morgan @ drunkentengu.com |
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Rip Van Hippy teams up with Rie Lambdoll from Osaka, Japan for a Digital only album release.
FM3 -Buddha Machine 2.0
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| Price Includes postage Worldwide Format: Music Player Genre: Experimental / Ambient / Avant Garde * Colours Shipped Randomly Sorry this item is currently Sold OutSince its release in 2005, the original Buddha Machine has sold more than 50,000 units worldwide and has won praise from artists as diverse as Daft Punk, Gorillaz, Low, Monolake, Sunn O))), Blixa Bargeld and Mike Patton. Legendary producer Brian Eno was the first customer for the original Buddha Machine and nearly 3 years later told FM3 he still “cherishes” his purchase! Similar in shape and design to the original Buddha Machine, but boasting more robust construction and improved sound quality, the 2.0 comes in three colours: Burgundy, Grey and Chocolate. For those who haven’t experienced the pleasure of the original, the Buddha Machine is essentially a small plastic box that plays ambient loops. The loops repeat endlessly until the “track” is switched or the two AA batteries (not included) run out. The machine has its own built-in speaker and there is also a headphone jack for a more personal experience. But the charm of the device isn’t nearly as specific: The Buddha Machine has a calming presence in today’s fast paced world. It’s charm mixes with FM3’s innovative music to provide the owner with an experience that is hard to define. Essentially, It’s a box with a life, a tool for living, and to many, it’s a friend.Founded in 1999 by Christiaan Virant and Zhang Jian, FM3 are considered pioneers of electronic music in China. Inspired by Buddhist prayer boxes found at temples around Asia, the duo released the original Buddha Machine in April 2005, winning acclaim in publications including BoingBoing.net, the New York Times and avant-rock Arthur Magazine. Every so often a gadget comes around that manages to transcend the cheap plastic frame in which it’s encased. Gearlog Haunting, bent and hypnotic. boingboing |
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Beijing-based duo FM3 is back with an all-new version of their wildly successful 2005 release, the Buddha Machine. Introducing Buddha Machine 2.0 – Nine new loops. 3 new colours. Pitch bend. Blurring the line between music box and musical instrument, the Buddha Machine 2.0 is an interactive album that lets users customise the listening experience. Drop the pitch and the music ebbs in a low ambient drone. Boost the speed and suddenly its alive with melody. Add a few more machines, set them at different speeds and you have an evolving audio perfume. Plug it into a mixer, add some beats or vocals or guitar… FM3 won’t mind. In fact, they encourage people to use the Buddha Machine as inspiration SOLD OUT
Black Lung – Full Spectrum Dominance CD
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| Style: Techno / Electronica Price Includes postage worldwide Track Listing March 2008, in one of the most unusual events in contemporary music history, notable electronic/alternative musician David Thrussell is commissioned by DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency — a funding body of the U.S Government and the Pentagon) to produce a recording that reflects the ideals and reality of Vision 2020, a futuristic military strategy program that first saw the light of day in May of 2000. “The design was twofold,” Says DARPA media liaison Thomas Steel, “to deliver to the men and women working in some of the Pentagon’s most challenging fields an inspiring soundtrack to their daily working lives, but also to present to the general public information and a view hitherto unconsidered of some of the lesser known branches of our military.” Working with a sizeable budget and unprecedented access to defense installations and personnel, Thrussell took over a year to complete the project and wove many field recordings as well as the sounds of sensitive hardware and technology into the final product. One of the greatest thrills for me,” says Thrussell, “was setting up a full P.A. inside one of the ICBM silos at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California to run and record the final mix on the title track Full Spectrum Dominance — room ambience and all!” Incorporated also are actual recordings of top secret military activities in the upper ionosphere generated from the HAARP base in Gakona, Alaska, “If I told you what they were up to there, not only would you not believe me, but I’d still have to shoot you!,” chimes in Thrussell with a wry smile. Asked if he sees any conflict between his latest project and his past stance as a sometimes critic of government and military activities Thrussell is quick to retort, “No, not at all. I see my role first as a musical journalist — to present the information — there’s plenty of time for editorialising later. And….,” he continues enthusiastically, “I’ve even invented my own sub-genre to describe the album’s unique, crunchy, downbeat sound — Grave-step…..” He smiles another beatific smile without the faintest trace of irony. The project, comprised as it is of both motivational tunes and immersive soundscapes, has already been deemed a success by the personnel at Vandenberg, if play counts on iPods and over the base address system are anything to go by. The DARPA Arts Liaison Fund is proud to present the new Black Lung album Full Spectrum Dominance. Available to the general public June 15th 2009. Check www.myspace.com/blacklung01 for audio samples and info |
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‘Full Spectrum Dominance’ is the Ninth studio album from BLACK LUNG, aka David Thrussell , perhaps best known as Australian electronic music’s quietest over-achiever. As SNOG, or in other guises as SOMA (with Pieter Bourke of Dead Can Dance) or BLACK LUNG, he has gained an international cult reputation for innovation in electronic music production .This album features a unique and powerful mixture of electro textures perforated by sudden breaks and lashing aural outbursts. Pounding synthetic and acoustic beats carry a heavy load of variety ranging from clicks’n’cuts, cinematic soundscapes and dub-oriented sub basses up to complex sequential patterns qualified for any kind of motion.