atlantis / tidal

atlantis ~ the institute of technology (chemical tapes, 2012)

"going back to where it all started for Chemical Tapes, Tim Diagram who's opening salvo for us was his excellent kosmische workout 'Maps And Diagrams ~ Red Moon Rising' returns under his Atlantis moniker with The Institute Of Technology. subaquatic synth soundscapes document the expedition into the deep. from the hazy tranquil moments at the surface to the curious glitched rhythms of the depths" chemical tapes

"eight tracks of submerged whooshes and blips and layered synth drones, hypnotic arpeggios, lots of celestial twinkle and flutter, some bubbly noises, quite a bit of echo in places. It’s quite varied actually, going from ambient, almost percussive bloopscapes to drawn out, healing dronechords of ‘The Otto Cycle’, and more of a synth-focused approach than with Maps & Diagrams. for music of this ambient experimental nature it’s quite fast paced and melodic and you really get swept up in the emotional narrative as it drifts and shimmers its way delicately into your subconscious. excellent stuff." norman records

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tidal ~ olympus (chemical tapes, 2012)

"...Is this a reference to soaring mountain peaks? If so this is the perfect soundtrack. 4 journeys spanning the c40 cassette take us on a trip of psychoactive shimmering ambience, there is a re-assuring warmth to the synth soundscapes across Olympus, keeping the listener engaged and locked into the eternal bliss." chemical tapes 

"Tidal's Jimmy Billingham makes murky cosmic music filtered through a blurry, drunken haze to give it that slight “Turquoise Hexagon Sun” disorientating vibe like that grizzly unmaintained old tape machine is about to gobble its contents. It’s very beautiful actually and comes across like the musical equivalent of soft sun rays streaming through tall trees in a forest glade on really good psychedelic drugs but with bits of wool soaked in olive oil stuck in your ears. aceness abounds..." norman records

fotos: alison scarpulla

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serfs

serfs ~ sha la la ~ la later on (cabin floor esoterica 2011)

"...'Sha La La - La Later On' presents two distinct sides of the Serfs spectrum. The first, a glossy sparse web of clean ringing guitar reminiscent of Loren Connors. Emotional without ever becoming melodramatic. It closes out with a wonderful cover of Jerry Garcia's 'Love Scene' from the Zabriskie Point soundtrack. The flip side is the grittier side of things - pure burned-out live works. The guitar has more growl, the recording more hiss. This side closes with another cover, this time as a duo with Beach Fuzz's Tom Settle, ringing out a ten minute all-over-the-place version of Curtis Mayfield's 'People Get Ready'. In an edition of 50 tapes in cardstock sleeves with an insert." cabin floor esoterica

"Despite its sunny sing-along title and the fact that it features covers of songs by Jerry Garcia and Curtis Mayfield, Jon Collin’s latest album of ambient-guitar music under the name Surfs is a pretty lonely and lackadaisical affair. Rather than using significant atmospherics or looping, Collin relies on a completely clean electric guitar and an empty room to create a beautiful and singular work... Great end of summer transitioning tunes. Purchase this, and the rest of Cabin Floor Esoterica’s gorgeously packaged new batch, direct from the label." zen effects

fotos: anna verlet shelton  / alison scarpulla

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(thanks to static encounters)

ilyas ahmed & liz harris

ilyas ahmed & liz harris ~ live at aquarius records (cdr 2010)

foto: alison scarpulla

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love cult

love cult ~ hope and promise (cdr 2010)

"One track reflecting how we sound live, minimum of guitar, maximum of positive energy, lots of singing. The other track is midnight double guitar meditation. 35 minutes of bliss." love cult

foto: alison scarpulla

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hammer of hathor

hammer of hathor • false treef [stunned records 2009]

"Mark E. Kaylor & Heather Vergotis are active members of the burgeoning Portland free music community, having busted their chops around town for years prior to forming the multi-instrumental beast Hammer of Hathor. Some duos in PDX can pull off jazz or punk, and some can pull off scuzz or folk, but HOH venture to ask “why not take it all on?” Their ‘False Teef’ begins at any number of disparate points to launch into super inspired jam mode, as we can testify after 40 such minutes of feedback meditation, string twang trance, surging tape loop, smoked out riffs, and a pair of rattling false teeth perched upon the amplifier. It’s also immediately apparent these partners are synched for optimal 4D pattern-weaving and burnt basement reach-out to the tangential points between the weird and weirder energies. Breathe in a whole new scenery, take on a whole new time — a soundtrack is here to assist the switch." Limited edition of 111 pro-dubbed & imprinted c40 tapes with double-sided color jcard and insert." stunned records

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fotola: alison scarpulla

robedoor

robedoor ~ exorcist blues (monorail trespassing 2009)

"Seems like the LA based doooom dronelords Robedoor have slowed their endlessly prolific output lately, pretty sure these guys are in a bunch of other projects and are busy running record labels and stuff, but either way we're happy to have a few copies of their brand new cassette on Monorail Trespassing. Exorcism Blues delivers four brand new tracks of mind-melting, ground ripping heavy drone that falls somewhere between the synth sorcery of the recent secret abuse lps and the dark, doom drone stylings of earlier Robedoor recordings. Slow trudging glacial ambience that melts beneath the paralyzing summer heat. Super killer and super limited, we've only got a handful of these so act fast in you want one, they'll be gone before you know it!" aquarius

"Transitional release that sees the group expanding on their previous incarnation with more control and composition. a peak effort of scorched amps and raw hands, voices still wailing in a desert somewhere" tomentosa

foto: más alison scarpulla

best coast

best coast ~ where the boys are (blackest rainbow 2009)

"OK, so there's been much talk about this tape. This is the debut solo release from Bethany Cosentino, who was formerly known as one half of Pocahaunted. Here Bethany heads solo style with some super sweet summertime lo-fi beach pop gems. There are some slight touches of Pocahaunted memories in there, with Bethany's total killer relaxed vocals and simplistic guitar jamming sounding as great as ever but in the new setting of late evening red sky beach bum bliss. 5 songs in just under 15 minutes to blast on the beach on your 80s ghetto blaster. Limited to 200 hand numbered copies, full colour covers, pro dubbed cassettes." animalpsi

photo: alison scarpulla

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yes i love you...

topaz rags

topaz rags - california ash cs (not not fun 2008)

"People in the West blame weird moods on a string of things: the wind (those Santa Anas), the end (of the country), the moon (crescent is cursed), even the movies. But it doesn’t matter which is right/real, because the effect is the same, freaked souls in a trapped environment, lotuses floating on a lake littered with bodies. Topaz Rags is a new late night downer trio devoted to mapping these sour times and long goodbyes, and California Ash is their 2-sided elegy for the Golden State’s darkest ghosts, the rich hills full of fire, the day after the kool-aid. Back-alley bass lines plod under smoky piano shadows, drums stalk a straight line in a house with the power out, a trumpet mourns from a warped 78 spinning in the basement. Wasted, grey, drug jazz lost somewhere between Bohren & Der Club Of Gore and some half-destroyed pre-Portishead demo. Gold-on-white pro-dubbed cassettes in spraypainted cases with doomed hippie chick portrait cover photo and bedecked with a hand-cut shred of neon palm tree fabric. Edition of 100." nnf

Topaz Rags son Amanda (Pocahaunted): drums & vocals; Britt: bass & trumpet y Ash: piano & vocals.

foto: ▼ A Fötos alison scarpulla

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