25 years ago one of the most tumultous phases in German history reached one of it’s highlights with a call for Unity in East Germany (GDR) shortly after the Berlin Wall was open.
It took less than a year (November 9th, 1989 to October 3rd, 1990) until the German Democratic Republic dissolved – one year which caused plenty of emotions; the fear of German Third Reich fantasies, strong right-wing tendencies and the prediction of heartless capitalism, loosing wealth and security and more. 1990 was a very intense year for all, the feeling of living in historical times paired with big question marks. Many promises where made concerning a bright future for all.
Many decisions where made hastily and from some of them we still suffer today.
In June Solanaceae Tau released this tapework, now available in a new redesigned and remastered edition by the talented hands and mind of Maurizio ‘Noisebrigade’ Pustianaz.
Solanaceae Tau reflected most of these themes from Fascism, Opression to Industrial Production vs. Individual Human Needs (not for the first or last time) in their 1990 album including historical quoatatios and unfiltered lyrics and the imminent feeling of pressure and change.
Nihilistick Noise Archive proudly combined this reissue – which still feels very current concerning various global incidents and trends – with a 3 track single, featuring an exclusive edit and an L.H.D. Remix.
Sumac Dub is a project of Tom Dorne from Grenoble, France I stumbled upon already a few times while digging the French Electro Dub, Future Dub, Steppa and Modern Reggae releases. Promoted by the very interesting and active ODG Productions (On Dub Ground Prod.), Subsquad Prod who release a.o. an excellent City/Area themed compilation series not to forget the brilliant Mareé Bass label which also dives into bass music / drum and bass or many smaller ones or self-released Productions (thanks to the interwebs). Besides his collaborations which are common allover this scene with Ishiban, Full Dub, Kandee, Kanka and The Maucals to name just a few. He released already three full length albums and at least 4 EP’s since 2015. Very melodic stuff and a pleasure to discover. Also on soundcloud and youtube to find easily.
This is his latest single – live recorded while paragliding – Enjoy.
Video credits:
Artist: Sumac Dub
Venue: Lans En Vercors
Produced by: Yapouss Production and ODGPROD
Realization: Traym Production
Cameramen: Panot Prod, Arya Audiovisuel, Théo De Framond (Pastek Studio), Guilhem Sauvage, Gabriel Boulay.
Drone pilots: Théo De Framond (Pastek Studio)
Pilots: Etienne Lavarenne, Mélanie Forestier, Pierre Augier
Production team: Killian Hallier, Etienne Lavarenne, Tom Dorne
Bénévoles: Adrien, Antonin, Corto, Dean, Dorian, Emelieke, Louis
Partners: Alto, Arturia, Lans en Vercors
Mastering: Olo
Special thanks to Camille, Paul, Simon, Xris, La Tangente, Vercors Experience
“Sometimes it seems Human progression is a myth. We move forward only to be dragged back by the stupidity of individuals who infect with misinformation & false promise. Their numbers seem to grow & So…..
Dark Days are Here Again.”
Leer.
Released September 6, 2019 / Synthesizers, Sampler & percussion / Thomas Leer.
The third installment of the Solanaceae Tau Reissue series is “Epical Obscura“, originally published in July 2000 and heavily influenced by ecological activist Julia Butterfly who saved a giant and ancient redwood tree and surrounding forest in California by living on it as long as it took to get an eternal contract that it will be saved. Three of the tracks use lyrics by her and the all other lyrics are critical observing the state of the world by then too. One of the album tracks reminds me a lot of Algebra Suicide in a positive way;
Nihilistick Noise Archive aims to present the legacy of Solanaceae Tau as best as possible furthermore each album reissue is accompanied by a free single, in this case The Circle c/w Announcement Of Darkness. Get it here.
The original cover art can be seen archived on discogs, slightly altered but still blatantly taken from the innersleeve of an Grateful Dead record to underline the strength and unitiy of alternative culture but due to the re-working of the album it seemed approbiate to update and re-design this too.
As with the preceeding reissues (2007’s Novus Ordo Seclurum and 2003’s Voices From The Ground Behind) the tracks where professionally remastered by Maurizio Pustianaz of Noisebrigade honoring the late Axaxas aka Fenryr aka Andreas Kirchner.
I’ve been in contact with him again as I had the idea to publish some of this projects works on Klappstuhl because they where badly underrepresent anywhere online which was a shame… S.T. never managed to fit into one style be it experimental, electronic darkwave, industrial, neo folkish or cybergoth or whatever and had most likely because of this and limited distribution only a selected followship.
[click to listen]
Landscape pic by Dominik Scythe.
Skull pic by Max Kleinen, thanks to both.
Design & layout fd (full printable artwork included with dl).
Summer is gone finally, so the Dub Producers from Rootz Zombie found time to release a new album via Culture Dub Records and their own bandcamp simultanously. This one is more in the vein of their 2018 first collaborative release “Sounds From The House”, again with wonderful artwork from Legras Fist, a blend of harmonies and grooves enriched with prominent vocalists Sammy Gold, Thomas Anton (from Travelerz), Mista B, Little R and Bobby Surround.
While the download is free you can support the artists and label directly through a pay what you want option @ bandcamp and find more music in both cases, of course it’s just a tip of an iceberg but a good starting point into the current french dub scene as it can be.
Roots Zombie from Bordeaux are a great example because they’re not to strict stylistic and explore Bass Music, Hip Hop, House whatever makes them fancy but thankfully not all at once which makes it a pleasure to listen to.
Another dear tradition of the ever generous Pink Dots is the festive closure of the year with a special EP, sometimes more reminiscent of an audio play (Well actually two as there is a Halloween Special, too).
One of the great tunesmiths of our time, gardener and poet, well actually a relict of the jangling 60’s – Martin Newell from Wivenhoe, Essex has published this year’s “almost traditional Christmas EP” as usual as pay what you want / can release:
Listen and Enjoy.
He also overhauled his online presence after years and besides a new homepage and bandcamp he can be found on twitter, fb and instagram easily.
And while I’m at it; there’s also a documentary in the makes which should be published in one way or another next year – watch the trailer on yt;
Besides staying inside like what felt the whole year many re-mastered releases and nearly lost albums made it back in the limelight and to my pleasure the very first real Cleaners From Venus post 1980’s album, the excellent “English Electric” whose title was immediately snatched by O.M.D. found it’s way back in November too.
Kann eine Band mit Titeln wie “Normalitätsempfindungsanpassung” oder “Wollte, Würde, Hätte” schlecht sein? Warum jagt uns eine Krise nach der anderen? Was wurde aus Zero Moment Of Truth seit dem tollen Debüt von Anfang 2019?
ZMOT spielen live im Garten Ausschnitte aus ihrem neuen Album “Ökologisches Liedgut für junge Aktivisten”
Dazu Video-Erinnerungsfetzen an die Geschehnisse und Erlebnisse der letzen Monate.
[straight from youtube aktuell]
Das ganze seit kurzem auch als Download Album mit PDF booklet nach dem Motto reinhören, zuhören und zuschlagen (Trieb- und Gewissensbefriedigung durch Kauf von 100% wiederverwertbaren Bits und Bytes).
In Autumn last year Tom Ellard finally succeeded to get rid of the name “Severed Heads” which stuck to the group from 1979 onwards and even with him when the group started to evolve into a one man project beginning in the late 80’s.
He stated fair enough it was not his choice (Australian for Talking Heads?) but even with side projects and solo efforts he had just put to much energy into it to drop it like that. After all Severed Heads where rooted in the same Australian diy scene as S.P.K. and a well-known name (brand?) in early electronic experiments with tape, loops, found noises which continued with their constant use of available technology including video productions and screening containing defamiliarized images and a mixture of psychedelic mutations of electronics starting as early as 1982.
The audiovisual band featured Stephen Jones on Video Synthesizers and headed into their strongest phase starting with “City Slab Horror”. When they toured “The Big Bigot” in 1986 I had the luck to see them in Munich (together with Indie Rockers Inca Babies, Gaye Bikers On Acid and the then recently reformed Wire) and was heavily impressed of the futuristic sounds and graphics they produced. Distribution and licensing deals with Ink Records (UK), Nettwerk (USA) and Volition (AUS) where in place and all looked very promising until their gear was stolen. Slightly demoralised and back in Australia they started working on what became the ill fated breakthrough album “Bad Mood Guy” featuring the heavily promoted single ‘Hot With Fleas’.
This was the first of many attempts to create a hit single and please the labels.
“Rotound For Success” followed in 1989, aiming even more directly into the area of electronic dance music with pop appeal leading to a mediocre album where electro, ebm/industrial and experimental roots shone through only in the technical craftsmanship. The pointless Pumpkin on the cover nearly said all, I actually waited years until I got a cheap and perfect copy just for completion. No less than three 12″ singles had been issued surrounding this one to feed the happy dancing crowd – ‘Big Car’, ‘All Saints Day’ and ‘Greater Reward’ the best of the lot.
Further attempts to popularize the band – meanwhile Ellard and Jones – where made in 1988 with the “Bulkhead” Compilation which lead to a first revival of ‘Dead Eyes Opened’ and in 1991 with the newer Remix collection “Retread”. The last proper Album for Nettwerk followed with “Cuisine (with Piscatorial)”. While it started great with ‘Pilot In Hell’ everything that followed went downhill with only a few exceptions. The balance between commercial appeal, wierdo Pop and interesting electronica of the times was just too much too handle. Ellard later said in interviews we tried to make club music for drugged party people while we never went to clubs or took drugs – so it basically could’nt work. Nettwerk dropped them afterwards (I guess the extra experimental section Piscatorial at the end of the CD did not help) in favour of female singers and rappers while distancing from the whole ebm/electronica acts which made them big. The European distribution via PIAS got lost along the way.
1994 saw Severed Heads (now Tom Ellard solo) return with “Gigapus” on Volition in Australia, with ‘Heart Of The Party’ issued as single on the heels of the ‘Dead Eyes Opened’ Remixes by long term collaborator Robert Racic. 1995 a Carlos Perón remastered version in Europe and 1996 an USA version. Several versions include VHS, CDRom content etc. Again a hell for collectors but nothing helped to increase the fading popularity and the crash of Volution Records ended basically their career with the music industry for good.
Back to basics Tom Ellard as always interested in technical progress was one of the first musicians to embrace the DIY of home-burned CD-R’s and perhaps the first to offer downloadable music from his SevCom pages. The new found freedom had it’s price, loads of equipment was sold, full time jobs etc. The Music Server series was started (Muzak to create working atmospheres 1998 – 2002) followed by the idea of an ever evolving Magazine like release (OP 2002 – 2007) and more. The first of these was licensed as soundtrack for the Australian movie “The Illustrated Family Doctor” and Parts used as Soundtrack won the ARIA, the Australian Music Industry Award in 2005.
‘Haul Ass’ in 1998 and ‘Under Gail Succubus’ (2006) where the only regular Studio Albums issued and they showed a return to form.
The later, coupled with the first of the Barbara Series led to another series of (including this) 4 releases up to 2018, the other volumes credited to Tom Ellard. A highly welcome work crossing all borders.
Besides LTM issued a Heads Live CD, a double Best Of called “Commmerz” and the collectors label Vinyl On Demand a Box with old and oldest recordings, revised and supervised back in 2008. So the first Ending hat not really a chance to stand. Severed Heads stepped out of the grave once more….
These activities lead to a revival in reissues, performing and reworking releases and videos. Also some solo stuff. Also free stuff. Side Projects and remasters. Installing an ever-changing bandcamp site and facsimile reproductions on Vinyl. Besides the usual strange stuff, Tom Ellard Solo & a dive into new and unusual concepts and formats whenever possible.
As a final goodbye there was a limited CD available (now digitally available) to elaborate on what he felt like performing the ‘greatest Hits’ over and over again:
‘The Living Museum’ features the tracks in their final updated versions as performed on the last live Shows in Europe, US and Australia during 2019. This is the 2nd serious and most likely final attempt of Ellard severing ties with Severed Heads and progress actively forward.
The new banner which greated visitors of the SEVCOM home over a period of months announcing his new organisation :
As my thoughts go to the catastrophe in progress which hardly leaves anyone unaffected now I like many others found more time than usual to takea look how some of the musicians I follow react to it and deal with the situation of quarantine and isolation.
Not sure if this ambient experimental work by DsorDNE with Onda Lunga was recorded in hindsight of the current overall mood but it’s quite impressive transmitting a special mood;
Due the unforeseen time he had on his hands Maurizio Pustianaz aka Gerstein remastered some of his elder recordings and reissued them via his bandcamp. Two fine examples are shown below.
Also the gorgeous “Colonna D’Aria” Compilation from Snowdonia (Reissued as SP 002 several years ago) is now professionally remastered online @ Klappstuhl Records – featuring exclusive Gerstein and DsorDNE tracks hidden in one long flow of early late 80’s Italian eclectic underground music.
Ex-Italian ‘Superstars’ PANKOW are giving away their latest re(re-)leases on the Canadian Artoffact label as “pay what you want” for the time being, as do most of this label’s artists currently, among them the incredible and unforgotten Nash The Slash (R.I.P.).
Directly responding to the current pandemic is Amplify 2020 -an online action initiated by Jon Abbey of Erstwhile Records – free downloads of musical pieces created especially during this time as direct reaction. Submissions are still open for those interested to participate.