astralasia arrival

It's been a month past it's initial release date with Fruits de Mer struggling to get the print run accurate for the new Astralasia vinyl album.

"a black and white optical image card sleeve housed within a optical image PVC outer sleeve -- so the images disappear when you put the two together

Bet Keith at Fruits De Mer won't be trying that too often. Still it's all come out in the printers wash in the end and is now ready to disappear before your very eyes.

Astralasia's Marc Swordfish remarks they made a departure from their usual approach for the new recording

"Wind On Water' mostly came about thru jams, a bit similar to our first cassette, rather than being sample-led; it kinda takes us to a more organic, free situation, especially to redo them live. It certainly makes it more exciting for us, even our full-on wig-outs. The current line up is so fluid, it's certainly a most exciting place. Vinyl releases matter to us more than anything and are still paramount, no matter how many people download it or cds,its not the same buzz or sound/art representation gratification, some magic disappears. we may be in a digital age but we are still real, let's keep it so

Krautrock style trance psychedelia. With some nice guitar.
Available from Fruits De Mer for around 20 quid in the UK and from Hey Day or Shiny Beast outside the UK.

astralasia vinyl on fruits de mer

Fruits De Mer summer albums have the unmistakeable quality the London independant label have been consistently releasing for some years now.
Astralasia, described by All Music as "mysterious ambient-dub and tribal house" are pretty much born from the New Age early 90's and have a good dozen recordings behind them by now.
Their latest for FDM 'Wind On Water' is exactly where they want to be.. on vinyl.
The bands Marc Swordfish...

'Wind On Water' mostly came about thru jams, a bit similar to our first cassette, rather than being sample-led; it kinda takes us to a more organic, free situation, especialy to redo them live. it certainly makes it more exciting for us, even our full-on wig-outs. The current line up is so fluid, it's certainly a most exciting place. Vinyl releases matter to us more than anything and are still paramount, no matter how many people download it or cds,its not the same buzz or sound/art representation gratification, some magick disappears. we may be in a digital age but we are still real, let's keep it so..."

In his usual open humour Keith Jones at FDM describes the sleeve as "black and white optical image card sleeve housed within a optical image pvc outer sleeve -- so the images disappear when you put the two together (that's the theory anyway, we haven't printed them yet!) "
Let's hope it all works out K and them printers get it matched.

Wind On Water is released in early June 2014 - more information here
One look at the artwork and you sort of know what's waiting in this excerpt of their track 'Rangoon'. High quality trance begins >

the electronic fantasy of klaus johann grobe

'Krautrock' is just not a good enough description for Klaus Johann Grobe. This Zurich duo have a crazy oblique way of describing their music, or is it that stupid translator again...
"Synthesizers, drums and bass cannot try to say what many do not understand".
But good sound is good sound and these guys don't need to spell it out. We get it.
"Koordinaten" (that's "Coordinates") is a remarkable piece of European electronica with all it's inherited sounds and the addition of some fantastic vocals. The video they've had produced for this track from their self titled EP is a stunning piece of high quality montage made by their friend and video artist David Elsener. Very few projects are so thrilling or so beautifully coordinated (as it were). Just do some more guys.
"Everything is Klaus Johann Grobe. Everything is Duo. Everything is modern. And everything is today."
You bet Klaus JG. And they've got loads more stuff on Soundcloud. Get it here.

papir's 4th psyche soundscape

The instantly recognisable sound of European psychedelia, and like the German psyche bands the Danish trio's sound is based in improvised instrumentals. Part stoner, krautrock, space rock and psychedelic this new track from their upcoming LP 'IIII' (as in 4th album) builds a sumptuous wide landscape of sound for guitar, bass and drums. These multi layered themes are beautifully woven and controlled to a dynamic and tough climax. Influences are obviously as much from electric jazz and progressive (just listen to that drummer work out) as rock's big guitar hitters. Superbly recorded, on vinyl it should sound a treat.
Released in February by El Paraiso Records.
Papir (Nicklas Sørensen, (guit) Christian Becher (bs) Christoffer Brøchmann (dr)) will be at the Roadburn Festival this year and how they translate this to live will be something to behold.
Here's the preview of track "I" (as in "one"... oblique band these Papir's).
This is 10 minutes of exciting progressive psychedelia and worth every bit of your time.

embryo & karnataka percussion

German band Embryo (not to be confused with Italian and Swedish death metal bands) filmed a tour documentary in 1979 of their nine-month tour to India by bus along what would have been known in the late 60's as the "hippy trail", from Europe to southern Asia, mainly India and Nepal.
In the 60's the journeys were carried out by hitchhiking, or cheap buses that travelled the routes, the subsequent tales and storyies that resulted from these almost mythical trips and characters are legion.
"Vagabunden Karawane". the documentary recorded by Embryo captures an idyllic setting where the band met and improvised with the local musicians from the Karnataka College of Percussion in Bangalore.
That meeting was obviously highly influential to the band, led by Christian Burchard and Edgar Hoffmann, as they then evolved to a world music style from their original jazz rock (think of a krautrock Soft Machine) which they have continually toured to this day.
A staggering 400 musicians have since been through the doors of Germans and krautrocks most esoteric group.

Here's a short extract from the film capturing what seems today, another world.