February 20, 2012

ferran fages | for pau torres

t16
cd edition
300 copies
€ 12 (including international postage)



also available as a digital download through bandcamp
(where you can also stream the music for a quick preview)

Ferran Fages: electric guitar and walkie-talkie
Composed, recorded and mixed by Ferran Fages from May to September 2009
Mastering by Pau Torres

Photography by Pau Torres
Layout by Kostis Kilymis

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It is hard getting away from the dedicatory title of this album. It’s not that it is unusual in itself, simply that a dedication like this usually implies a debt of some sort. On this occasion it is not hard to guess, given that Pau Torres is the person behind etude records, the label that put out quite a few discs Ferran has been involved in in the past years, most notably his two guitar cds ‘Cançons per a un lent retard’ and ‘Al voltant d’ un para/.lel’. So that’s reason enough for a dedication, at least in my book.

It wouldn’t be out of place to compare Pau Torres with the two guitar cds mentioned above. With them Ferran –known up until a few years ago mostly for his turntable and electronics skills- staked out a different territory for himself, one that involved melodic and chromatic explorations that were quite distanced from the textural nature of improvised music at the turn of the century. Now this new album removes itself quite a bit from the dissonant fields of the above works and delivers a thick slice of reverberating guitar explorations. Bracketed by two pieces of innovative feedback constructions, the main part of the record is Ferran at his most evocative, touching upon nocturnal tones and employing longer time structures than his previous work has gotten us used to. As such, Pau Torres is at its most effective at album length, tracing out the outlines of some invisible yet enveloping story and establishing its own and individual touch. And maybe that’s what the title is all about, maybe there is some untold story behind this, or maybe a whole story actually developed out of the two people involved -Pau’s pictures that accompany the album certainly tell their own tale alongside the music- but I’ll wager that in the 42 minutes of this disc, you won’t be needing any stories to be lending meaning to this music.

unan / nikos kyriazopoulos | mimus / skua

t17 / q12
split cassette / download edition
100 copies, on pink cassette
€ 8 (including international postage)



also available as a digital download through bandcamp
(where you can also stream the music for a quick preview)

a: unan – mimus [21:29]
[chris chondropoulos: vinyl, turntable, processing]
b: nikos kyriazopoulos – skua [18:06]
[nikos kyriazopoulos: analog electronics]

co-produced with a question of re_entry
a question of re_entry #12

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This split-in-two-sides cassette pairs two greek artists’ responses on the subject of birdsong. Some time ago Nicolas Malevitsis (of absurd fame) asked them to contribute a piece each, on the sole premise that the work would be based, or derive from, bird sounds. Unan (aka Chris Chondropoulos) brought back a curious collage work called ‘mimus’, built from the sounds and textures of scratchy vinyl culled over time by the artist from athens’ record shops. Focusing on structure and reflecting avian language on another medium, Chondropoulos delivers an unanticipated little gem of musique concrete . Of ’skua’, Nikos Kyriazopoulos only very cryptically says that he ”had no other choice but to tweak some knobs”. He was obviously not very interested in revealing methods and technical details, on a piece that speaks for itself by aligning its analog electronics uncannily close to birdsong in a creatively mimetic fashion. This side as well, isn’t any more lacking in thrills, and it makes for a perfect companion piece in this curious little ode to one of humanity’s most favorite muses.

Unan (Chris Chondropoulos) is an Athens based multi-percussionist and electronic music producer. Apart from his personal projects, he also appears as a member of the experimental band Xysm.

Nikos Kyriazopoulos works on a wide range of interests, from the sound of human invention to the natural landscape and hydrophony. He also designs atavistic soundscapes using filters, microphones and self-constructed electronics. Experiential hearing and the bodily felt sense is what characterizes his live performances.

January 19, 2012

slw live video

while we’re taking our sweet sweet time with the next releases (that will be the Ferran Fages guitar cd and the Mimus/Skua tape, both should be available mid-february -we’re currently just waiting for the boxes to drop), here’s an “oldie”. SLW (Beins, Capece, Davies, Nakamura) performing live at Les Halles, Brussels, back in 2006. Take note that the whole performance is available online, in four youtube videos, so why not click through and enjoy the whole thing. Following that, why not come back here and grab yourselves a copy of their cd, ‘fifteen point nine grams‘. It will make the wait for the Fages cd all the more bearable

October 17, 2011

aaand… we’re back

forthcoming editions:

ferran fages – for pau torres cd
pascal battus, alfredo costa monteiro – fêlure cd
christos chondropoulos, nikos kyriazopoulos – split cs
muura – cs

September 18, 2011

moving

I’ll be moving house in the next few days, so apologies for any delays in emails, order filling, etc. Rest assured, we’ll be back in action very soon

July 11, 2011

two new editions

I’m pretty happy (and relieved) to announce the two latest editions on organized music, one a cd the other a cassette. Both by Greek artists active in the local and intenational music scene and both find their creators in top form, fresh documents by two great emerging musicians. First is the ‘Honey’ cassette by Sister Overdrive, an eclectic 38min trip down electroacoustic and noise byways. Then there’s the solo debut by one Dimitra Lazaridou-Chatzigoga, titled ‘Stroke by Stroke’. Dimitra, who we first met in the ap’strophe duo with Ferran Fages (see their two albums on etude and another timbre), lays here a forceful statement using and mis-using a zither as well as objects she usually keeps around. Like her aformentioned duo, this is seriously uncompromising stuff, the kind that truly deserves to be labeled as a “personal statement”.

Please scroll down or click on the titles to see details on each release. Bandcamp downloads will be up soon (already up for ‘Honey’ actually) for those of you who are digitally inclined. Once again, thank you for your part in bringing forward this beautiful music.

dimitra lazaridou-chatzigoga | stroke by stroke

t14
cd edition
400 copies
€ 12 (including international postage)

also available as a digital download through bandcamp
(where you can also stream the music for a quick preview)

Dimitra Lazaridou-Chatzigoga: zither, objects
all the recordings were made at home in athens between june 2010 and april 2011
all tracks perfromed solo, with the exception of 05 and 17, which were performed with the aid of Michalis Kyratsous.
no electronic effects, overdubbing or processing used.

mastered by Ferran Fages
cover design by ourwork.is

http://www.strokebystroke.net/

Dimitra is one half of the duo ap’strophe, with Ferran Fages
http://www.apstrophe.net/

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sister overdrive | honey

t15
cassette / download edition
100 copies
€ 8 (including international postage)



also available as a digital download through bandcamp
(where you can also stream the music for a quick preview)

Giannis Kotsonis: electronics

photography by Kiko
recorded 2010-2011

http://soundcloud.com/manichope

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July 3, 2011

new releases imminent

after the usual delays, I can now properly announce the next two organized music editions, Dimitra Lazaridou-Chatzigoga’s solo cd, ‘Stroke By Stroke‘ and Sister Overdrive’s ‘Honey‘ tape will be available in the next few days. Audio previews and album details soon…

June 1, 2011

paypal glitch [update: problem fixed]

some people have experienced problems buying items directly from us. This is due to a small issue stemming from a reconfiguration of our paypal settings, that unfortunately has taken much longer than expected to resolve. I hope to have it fixed in the next few days, but for now I can ask only for your patience. Any issues, just email me at kkilimis || yahoo co uk

[update] paypal issues have been resolved and the shop seems to work again. Apologies to anyone who was affected

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