Archive for February, 2009

Portable Madness Mix #1 2009-02-22

Posted in Experimental on February 22, 2009 by ajc

I’ve made a few CD compilations of tracks recently, and have messed around with Audacity enough to figure out how to mix them.  So, here’s the first in a series of podcasts that I hope to produce. This one is a continuous mix of about an hour, with a cool jazz/conga/dub vibe goin’ on…

The basic flow is much the same as I used to attempt on the Portable Madness radio program back in the 80’s.  Some of the music is of course updated, but expect a healthy dose of obscure tunes from a quarter century ago.

The archive is split into two parts – use the excellent 7zip program to unzip. Hope you enjoy – here’s a tracklist and index, a text file of which is included in the archive.

00:00 01 George Russell – Chromatic Universe – Part 2
03:41 02 Lisa Carbon Trio – jazz device
11:30 03 Pigbag – Wiggling
16:33 04 Propellerheads – History Repeating
20:29 05 Doctor Abstract – Struck on Jazz
26:08 06 Soul Coughing – Sugar Free Jazz
30:00 07 Carvin Knowles – Big Top
33:35 08 Liquid Liquid – Groupmegroup
36:51 09 Kip Hanrahan – Whatever I Want
42:33 10 Snakefinger – Beatnik Party
46:04 11 Yello – Downtown Samba
48:33 12 Flying Lizards – Crab Claw
53:00 13 Dub Syndicate – Must Be Dreaming

Download Part 1

Download Part 2

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Jill Kroesen – Stop Vicious Cycles

Posted in Experimental on February 20, 2009 by ajc

Here’s one of the great peripheral no wave LPs, Jill Kroesen’s Stop Vicious Cycles from 1982 on Lovely Music. Kroesen has worked solo and as part of Robert Ashley’s ensemble. One of these tracks was picked up recently for Soul Jazz’s New York Noise series of CD reissues, which prompted me to pull out this LP and re-realize how good it was.

Featuring a plethora of NYC skronkers (Peter Gordon, Blue Gene Tyranny, George Lewis, Tony Machine, David van Tieghem, and two thirds of the first Massacre lineup in Fred Maher and Bill Laswell, plus none other than Arthur Russell on one track), this LP runs from rhythmic excursions ala Material to solo piano/voice excursions that showcase Kroesen in full-throated blooz, almost in a Tom Waitsian mode.

Recommended most highly…

Jill Kroesen – Stop Vicious Cycles

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Idio Savant – Shakers in a Tantrum Landscape

Posted in Improv on February 20, 2009 by ajc

Here’s another obscure improv gem, peripherally related to the last post.  Idio Savant are another group of noisemakers from the Southern US (Virginia, not quite as far south as the Raudelunas crew).

This quartet of Pippin Barnett, Dan Finney,  Martin McCavitt, and Paul Watson put out this LP in 1979 on the Artifacts label.  Three quarters of this group would go on to found the more song-oriented Orthotonics, and other members worked with the Famous Actors from Out of Town, Curlew, the Ululating Mummies, Nimal, and others.  Members also teamed up with LaDonna Smith and Davey Williams from Raudelunas to make the Trans-Idio lp Alchemical Rowdies ( a great improv effort still available as new vinyl from Forced Exposure and others).

The liner notes describe this as ceremonial music – “The drums and percussion work linking rhythms.  Deep and high, far and wide, exist; long sustained screetches and noble hums search out dimensions, crashes force collapse, sudden gibbering energies from plain workings, voices spread, water runs, seeds rattle.  This music is invisible, and cannot be paralyzed; it is as genuine as a frog, though not as currently popular as the cockroach.”

True enough – download below:

Idio Savant – Shakers in a Tantrum Landscape

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Blue Denim Deals (without the Arms) – Armed Forces Day

Posted in Improv on February 20, 2009 by ajc

Here’s a rarity, sparked by a discussion on the Up-Tight yahoo list ( as fine a collection of musical esoterica as can be found anywhere on the Internets).

This record features members of the legendary Tuscaloosa, AL avant scene of the 1970’s, collectively known as Raudelunas. This troupe included the utterly idiosyncratic members Ron ‘Pate (taking his name from Alfred Jarry’s philosophy) and the Reverend Fred Lane, plus improvisors like Davey Williams, LaDonna Smith, Anne Lebaron, and more.

Lane and ‘Pate got exposed to a wider audience when Shimmy Disc issued a couple of their records in the mid-80’s (From the One that Cut You, originally Say Day Bew 4, and Car Radio Jerome). Now a collectible, you can get hold of it over at the Direct Waves blog.

Their first recording, the Raudelunas ‘Pataphysical Revue (Say Day Bew 1) is a raucous affair that enjoyed a CD reissue a couple of years ago. This second effort (Say Day Bew 2), is almost as noisy, yet considerably less likely to enjoy such treatment. You can get it at the link below.
Blue Denim Deals without the Arms – Armed Forces Day

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AK Reynolds – Greatest Hits

Posted in Minimal on February 20, 2009 by ajc

Here’s the LP by Ambrose Kelly Reynolds, entitled Greatest Hits. AK Reynolds was a founding member of Pink Industry, the seminal Liverpool minimal electronic wave group from the early 80’s. Their LPs and even a CD reissue command collectors prices these days – this LP (Zulu 3) is arguably more scarce than any of those.

The title of the LP is full of black humor – instead of the ethereal vocals of Jayne Casey, the voices here are tapes of various political assassinations, such as JFK, RFK, MLK, plus recordings of Richard Nixon and the Kent State incident. Very spooky a lot of the time…

Download it here:

AK Reynolds – Greatest Hits

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Art Fleury – The Last Album

Posted in Experimental, Minimal on February 20, 2009 by ajc
Art Fleury was an experimental band from Italy in the late 70’s/early 80’s. Their first album, I luoghi del potere, was a sought-after gem for many years, commanding hefty sums before its recent CD reissue. Conceived as a soundtrack to an imaginary film, the album recalls Faust or Nurse with Wound in places – very moody and atmospheric, broken up by heavy processing, tape noises, and unusual textures. A highly recommended reissue.This LP, their second from 1981, showcases a more song-oriented format while keeping many of the same experimental techniques. Lots of processed instruments, vocals, and tape work make this a great fusion of Italian prog with more coldwave elements. Add to this the stellar production of Etienne Conod and Robert Vogel (who also play on various tracks) from Sunrise Studios, recording home to such artists as Cassiber, Art Bears, Univers Zero, and many more of the genre.

To my ears, it’s sort of like Picchio dal Pozzo meets Gravity-era Fred Frith at the Cabaret Voltaire, if you will. Several reviews around the web denigrate them as devolving to mere new wave, but that certainly didn’t happen prior to this release…

Get it here:

Art Fleury – The Last Album

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John Bender – Bender (fan page CD compilation)

Posted in Minimal on February 20, 2009 by ajc

Ah, the sublime Mr Bender. His LPs are still highly sought by minimal synth collectors worldwide, even as MP3s turn up at places like this (and also this.) Gamelan-esque in places, whispered vocals that occasionally recall Robert Ashley, this music is at once distinctive and seductive.

This CD is a compilation from his three records, a compilation album, and his cassette only releases from the dawn of the 80s. Now scarce as hen’s teeth, I still have catalogs from Wayside Music (founders of Cuneiform Records), which list them for a sub $10 pittance. It’s 2007 – where’s my damn time machine??!

The fan page from which I obtained this CD can be found here. Plenty of info still there, but you can’t get the CD any more. You can, however, download it below.

John Bender – Bender part 1

John Bender – Bender part 2

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DDAA – Bruit Son, Petit Son

Posted in Experimental, Minimal on February 20, 2009 by ajc

Here’s the 3″ mini CD by Deficit Des Annees Anterieures, Bruit Son, Petit Son, on Kill Your Idols from 1991. Track 1 is a Faust cover, and the CD has several little inserts as does the original Faust – So Far LP from which the cover originates.

DDAA has a long and varied discography, and were the kings of the avant compilation during the 1980s. Very French, very strange, and very worthwhile.

This package finds the CD between a couple of wooden slabs held together with a metal nut and bolt (which goes through the middle of the disc). This particular artifact is #208 of a limited edition of 560.

DDAA – Bruit Son, Petit Son

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Polka Dot Fire Brigade – Sky Full of Red Petals

Posted in Experimental on February 20, 2009 by ajc

Here’s the 2nd LP by Mizutama Shobodan (Polka Dot Fire Brigade) on the Kinniku-bijo label, out of Japan in 1985. Featured on the groundbreaking compilation Welcome to Dreamland, the five-woman band was fronted by the dynamic Japanese singer Tenko. She later went on to work with Fred Frith, David Moss, Ikue Mori and other such improvisors.

This is a truly strong jazzpunk record of the time, full of noise and energy.

Polka Dot Fire Brigade – Sky Full of Red Petals

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Nick Didkovsky – Now I Do This

Posted in Experimental, Improv on February 20, 2009 by ajc

Here’s the first recorded effort by Dr Nerve frontman, Nick Didkovsky. Released on Punos Music in 1982, it is very experimental in nature, nothing really like Nerve at all. This was largely recorded at the MacColl Stuido for Electronic Music in Providence, Rhode Island and at the Punos Music studio in Connecticut, and has never made it to CD.

Lots of fun stuff at Nick’s homepage, http://www.punosmusic.com/

Nick Didkovsky – Now I Do This

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