Tag Archives: experimental

Arvo Zylo & Hal McGee – The Bubblegum Variations (HalTapes)

Posted by John Lithium on

Label Description:

The Bubblegum Variations consists of more than 350 recordings by Arvo Zylo and Hal McGee mixed together in a chance process assemblage.

Arvo Zylo’s notes for The Bubblegum Variations:
— Hal McGee has been recording experimental music and noise since 1981. Arvo Zylo was born in 1981, and has been active since the year 2000. For this project, Arvo initially intended to contribute solely walkie talkie recordings of himself from 2014 and 2015; “Image streaming” in a free association, dream-like style. This audio has largely not been listened to by Arvo since shortly after it was recorded.
— That single creative spark gave way to other ideas, which included harmonium & toy pipe organ (thanks to Jason Lazer), and also stems from rare, long out of print tapes, unreleased recordings sometimes dating back to 2001, various field recordings, and occasional attempts at singing. Some of the recordings included a Yamaha RM1x Sequencer, a Casio SK-1 knock off called an “SS330”, some elements of the Korg Elektribe series, two Line6 Delay Pedals, A haunted BOSS Micro BR handheld recorder, a USB handheld recorder, a coronet, a belt sander, a sampler, a smart phone, and a laptop. Thanks Hal for your friendship!

Hal McGee’s notes for The Bubblegum Variations:
— I was quite happy in mid-May 2025 when Arvo proposed that we do a collaboration. I immediately started making recordings with two Sony ICD PX-470 stereo digital dictaphones, of sounds from my daily life, diaristic entries, my dog Stanley, my brother Mark McGee, circuit bent Casio SK-1, Stylophone CPM DS-2 analog synthesizer, KQ Unotone iPhone synth, Haltoid noise box, miscellaneous sounds from Apartment Music 54, and my friends Ben Keselowsky, Josh Tippery, and Alex Smith. I read aloud two texts by Lenny Pearlman.

Home-brewed CD-Rs of The Bubblegum Variations are available for sale and trade from Hal McGee — haltapes@gmail.com

IRM – Triptych (Industrial Distro Lithuania)

Posted by John Lithium on

Label Description: OCCD67 IRM – Triptych 3CD

Triptych brings together the celebrated post-industrial act IRM’s last conceptual studio recordings as one unity for the very first time. Being a duo, consisting of Martin Bladh and Erik Jarl, since the start in 1998, the EP Indications of Nigredo (2007), was the first record to introduce Mikael Oretoft as a third permanent member. With this recording and its follow-up, the band’s fourth full-length album ORDER⁴ (2010), IRM sought to push the envelope and move away from their early industrial/power-electronics beginnings by introducing new, radical track structures and a wide variety of instruments and sound sources. When the band’s swansong, the fifth full-length album and the third part of the trilogy, Closure…, was released in 2014, IRM felt that they had moved too far from their early roots and would never be able to evolve beyond the material without burying the moniker for good. The nameless voice which leads us through these three records is locked within a philosophical discourse, oscillating somewhere between the inevitability of Freud’s Death Drive and Bataille’s negative mysticism as Inner Experience. By inventing a corporeal language of self-negation, the protagonist is strongly determined to leave a terminal impression on the world by transgressing every possible and impossible frontier. By reaching for this black light, he seeks to get marked and immortalised in the same way as the biblical figure Onan, who Yahweh slew for his impure offence(sic). This is a work which doesn’t concern itself with catharsis, spiritual gold, or finding the Philosopher’s Stone. It remains firmly stuck in the mud, and it never had the intention of elevating itself above it.

Packaged in a limited gloss-laminated 6-Panel Digisleeve. The special edition is accompanied by an A5 30-page brochure and an A3 poster based on Karolina Urbaniak’s original artwork. 

Lagowski – The Telepathic Wheel (Self-Released)

Posted by John Lithium on

Label Description:

Just some thoughts and questions.

When our physical bodies die, do our souls enter the telepathic wheel?

Do you believe we even have souls….? Are the mind and soul conjoined?

Can we express our true soul via sound?

A hybrid collection, drawn largely from scattered jams which have been married together in Waveform 12. Except ‘Telepath 5′ which is a live improvised drone piece created using Bastl Instruments’ 1.5 Kastle, Bestie Mixer and Kastle 2 FX Wizard.

*Please play back on a system with good bass reproduction, otherwise I have no sympathy!

Giulio Fontana – FEEDBACK LOOP STUDIES (VLZ Produkt)

Posted by John Lithium on

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Label Description: VLZ PRODUKT will release two titles by No input mixer artists at the same time.

Giulio Fontana is an Italian artist living in Rome. He is active as a composer of high-quality retro-future synthesizer music.

“Feedback loop studies” is a report of the results of his daily acoustic experiments. While the sounds are reminiscent of technoise from the 90s, the very fluid and subtle rhythmic sounds continue to change dazzlingly. These are works that allow you to enjoy the delicate changes in tone and time that you would not think were caused by the mixer alone.

This collection of studies is a great album with a cool experimental music and a pop mood.

VLZ PRODUKTは、No input mixer アーティストを2タイトル同時リリースする。

Giulio Fontanaはローマ在住のイタリア人アーティスト。良質なレトロフューチャーなシンセサイザーミュージックの作曲家して活躍する面を持つ。

「Feedback loop studies」はそんな彼の日々の音響実験結果の報告である。90年代のテクノイズを想起させるサウンドでありながら、非常に有機的で微細なリズミックなサウンドがめくるめく変化をし続けていく。ミキサーのみの音の変移とは思えない繊細な音色変化と時間の移行を堪能出来る作品となっている。

実験音楽的なクールさと、何処かポップなムードを携えた好盤である

Dylan Houser – Goth Luau (Self-Released)

Posted by John Lithium on

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Label Description:

Goth Luau was recorded during some enchanted evening with a fractured knee in Novembe of 2024 at Nullis Pretii ov Lakeland Residential Studios, and then road tested over the next few months via the Nullis Pretii Mobile Studio

In memory of the Safety Harbor pier, the edge of the universe

Thanks: Spookstina, Bizarre Charlie Alien, WSLR, Liz, Joe and Maggie, Damon Nobles, Surprise Sidney, Lord Dealwithit and The Day Odin Got Stoned (two princes), Jerry Kranitz, Collector of Dust, Nathan James Carter, Corvid Canine, CJEANCRY, Jake Joyce, Illuminated Paths, Hal McGee, workers comp, Craig and Ashley

Get well soon, Glaive

Anatoly Grinberg And Mark Spybey – Crop-Dusting (Ant-Zen)

Posted by John Lithium on

Label Description: for this, their fourth release, the duo of ANATOLY GRINBERG and MARK SPYBEY continue to carefully straddle the blurred lines between electronic and acoustic music and on a more personal level, the difficulties imposed by the political landscape and climate that separates and divides nations and people. friends, united in a common language. to create art.

Cousin Silas & Eisenlager – Absentia (The Cousin Silas Emporium)

Posted by John Lithium on

Label Description:

It was a few years back that myself and Eisenlager created our first collab album. We always promised ourselves we would do another one, hence the title of the last track from the original release: “Believe Me, More Is Coming.”. Sadly he passed away before we managed it, but he did send me several pieces to consider. I thought it was time to dust off those pieces, add my bits, and refit some of his solo tracks he sent for the various Emporium Projects.

I guess this resulting album is both a tribute to the man, and a promise upheld that indeed more did come.

For Nobby, a good friend, supporter and above all, the man behind one of the best compilation series, Midnight Radio. It was these that helped me gain a little self confidence back in the day. I miss the guy.

OvO – Split (Artoffact Records)

Posted by John Lithium on

Label Description: OvO and Mai Mai Mai, two essential figures of the Italian experimental underground, join forces for an exceptional split album. These artists have continuously pushed the boundaries of musical genres, exploring extreme and uncharted sonic territories.

Formed in 2000, OvO is a noise rock duo consisting of Stefania Pedretti (guitar, vocals) and Bruno Dorella (drums). Their music—both tribal and apocalyptic—is a relentless sonic assault, an audacious fusion of noise rock, sludge metal, industrial rock, and avant-doom. Renowned for their intense live performances and strong DIY ethos, OvO remains a unique force in extreme music.

Mai Mai Mai is the project of Toni Cutrone, a Rome-based musician and sound explorer. Blending traditional Southern Italian folklore with industrial drone, proto-techno, and heavy sonic textures, Mai Mai Mai crafts immersive performances that transport audiences into a ritualistic exploration of ancestral sounds.

After making a strong impression at Roadburn Festival 2023, OvO and Mai Mai Mai now unite for a one-of-a-kind split vinyl, merging their singular sonic worlds. On Side A, OvO unleashes four new tracks, raw and abrasive, pushing the limits of their chaotic and untamed noise rock. On Side B, Mai Mai Mai delves into experimental and electroacoustic realms, weaving an immersive and dense atmosphere filled with ritualistic sounds and electronic manipulations.

The visual identity of the release is enhanced by a striking cover artwork by tattoo artist Arthur Tête de Mouton, perfectly complementing the explosive encounter between these two visionary forces.

Ivan Black – Concrete Island (Petroglyph Music)

Posted by John Lithium on

Label Description:

“Concrete Island” is a novel by J.G. Ballard, first published in 1974. The story explores themes of isolation, survival, and the impact of urban environments on human psychology. It is often classified within the genre of speculative fiction, reflecting Ballard’s keen interest in the relationship between humanity and the modern world.

Main Themes

1. Isolation and Alienation: The setting of the concrete island serves as a metaphor for modern urban life, where people often feel disconnected despite being surrounded by others. Maitland’s isolation forces him to reflect on his life and the choices that led him to this predicament.

2. Survival and Adaptation: The novel delves into the human instinct for survival. Maitland’s journey showcases his physical and mental struggles, highlighting the lengths people will go to endure and adapt to extreme situations.

3. Urban Decay: Ballard’s depiction of the concrete island reflects a critique of modernity. The stark contrast between the vibrant city surrounding the island and the desolation within it underscores the neglect and decay present in urban settings.

4. Psychological Exploration: As Maitland grapples with his circumstances, the narrative explores his psyche. The isolation prompts a deep introspection, raising questions about identity, purpose, and the nature of reality.