{"title":"Liturgical","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"amirtha-kidambi-elder-ones-holy-science","title":"Amirtha Kidambi Elder Ones - Holy Science","description":"\u003ciframe style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=1632580698\/size=small\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/artwork=none\/transparent=true\/\" seamless\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/amirthakidambi.bandcamp.com\/album\/holy-science\"\u003eHoly Science by Elder Ones\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs Ben Ratliff wrote in the New York Times, “the aggressive and sublime first album by the band Elder Ones, Holy Science, is a kind of gauge for how strong and flexible the scene of young musicians in New York’s improvised and experimental music world can be. At the center of it are drones and phonemes. The group’s leader, the 30-year-old composer and singer Amirtha Kidambi, holds forth behind a harmonium, the small keyboard instrument with hand-pumped bellows; it’s commonly used in bhajan, the Indian devotional-singing tradition that was central to her musical experience while growing up in a South Indian family.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKidambi formally trained in classical music, singing works by avant-gardists including Nono and Stockhausen, but the pull of free jazz and Alice Coltrane drew her toward a different path. The influence of both Alice and John Coltrane is especially apparent on the new album, as is her work with composer and saxophonist Darius Jones, and her study of Carnatic music.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile in Darius Jones's a cappella group, Kidambi developed a language for wordless vocals, freeing her from being tied to syntax, a technique she uses through most of Holy Science. The music is anchored by bass-lines and drones on the harmonium, often doubled on the bass by Brandon Lopez. Matt Nelson on the soprano saxophone evokes the sound of the Indian double-reed nadhaswaram, and the playing of John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders, blending with and harmonizing her voice and the reeds of the harmonium. Drummer Max Jaffe’s ability to seamlessly pivot between complex grooves and timbrally explorative free-playing, completes the equation. Each musician was chosen for their unique improvisatory language on their instrument, ultimately informing Kidambi’s compositional approach.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReflecting on her various influences, Kidambi explained, “I grew up Hindu, but with a pantheist universalist bent, the idea that all religions are different paths to the same God or Truth. Not only is the music of John and Alice Coltrane so influential, they both practiced universalism. Alice's primary guru was the same one that my family followed, and she participated in the bhajan singing tradition. I grew up singing with the harmonium, and I know all the tunes on her Huntington Ashram records. She looms large for me as a figure who blended so many different styles and traditions, uncompromising in her vision and authentic to herself. She was, in a way, a universalist in her music, blending her influences of Stravinsky, gospel, free jazz, the avant-garde, world music, and her spiritual practice into a totally individual sound. I really relate to that way of thinking about music and the universe.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first piece composed in the suite was \"Dvapara Yoga,\" which began as a meditation on the death of Eric Garner. The album title derives from a 19th century text written by Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri, which scientifically explains the yugas, or eons of cosmic time in Hindu mythology. The four movements Sathya-Yuga, Treta-Yuga, Dvapara-Yuga and Kali-Yuga, explore themes of creation, destruction, and rebirth, with the final movement pivoting on the Vishnu Sahasranam Vedic chant, and ending with an apocalyptic reset of the time cycle.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Northern Spy Records","offers":[{"title":"CD + Digital","offer_id":44667150762207,"sku":"CD-NS-085","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"FLAC Download","offer_id":44667150794975,"sku":"","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"MP3 Download","offer_id":44667150827743,"sku":null,"price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/9256\/8543\/files\/a3849590726_10.jpg?v=1703788592"},{"product_id":"seaven-teares-power-ballads","title":"Seaven Teares - Power Ballads","description":"\u003ciframe style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=1330536508\/size=small\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/artwork=none\/transparent=true\/\" seamless\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/seaventeares.bandcamp.com\/album\/power-ballads-2\"\u003ePower Ballads by Seaven Teares\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003cp\u003ePower Ballads is the debut album from Seaven Teares, a New York band formed in 2010 featuring singer\/songwriter Charlie Looker (Extra Life, ex-Zs), experimental vocalist Amirtha Kidambi (Sequins and Skeletons), Robbie Lee (Howling Hex) on woodwinds, guitars and synth, and percussionist Russell Greenberg (Yarn\/Wire).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeaven Teares’ mostly acoustic sound brings together a number of disparate influences: dark post-Industrial folk (Death In June, Current 93), 1960’s co-ed pop folk groups (Mamas and the Papas, Ian \u0026amp; Sylvia), the drones and textures of modern composition and experimental improvisation, and the cold alien vocal harmonies of Gothic era liturgical music. The seven slow-burning songs shift between abstract raga-like meditations and straight melodic hooks, set against acoustic guitars, dark synth ambience, vibraphone, bells, and occasional harsh electronics, as well as authentic Medieval pump organ and recorders.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRadically reimagined cover songs are an important part of Seaven Teares’ repertoire. In addition to five originals, Power Ballads includes dismantled versions of Alice in Chains’ 1992 classic “Them Bones”, (featuring Dutch lutenist Jozef van Wissem) and depressive Renaissance composer John Dowland’s 1596 classic “Flow My Tears”.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Northern Spy Records","offers":[{"title":"LP + Digital","offer_id":44667164491999,"sku":"LP-NS-034","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD + Digital","offer_id":44667164557535,"sku":"CD-NS-034","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"FLAC Download","offer_id":44667164524767,"sku":null,"price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"MP3 Download","offer_id":44667164590303,"sku":null,"price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/9256\/8543\/files\/a0276415812_16.jpg?v=1703789070"},{"product_id":"charles-gayle-streets","title":"Charles Gayle - Streets","description":"\u003ciframe style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=3110169150\/size=small\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/artwork=none\/transparent=true\/\" seamless\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/charlesgayle.bandcamp.com\/album\/streets-2\"\u003eStreets by Charles Gayle\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCATALOG #: NS 018\u003cbr\u003eSTREET DATE: February 14th, 2012\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.spotify.com\/album\/2VckzfY9mMSt5iDShwhu9b?play=true\u0026amp;utm_source=open.spotify.com\u0026amp;utm_medium=open\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-384 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/9256\/8543\/files\/1488265623_spotify.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"34\" height=\"34\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/nz\/album\/streets\/id600699281\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-389 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/9256\/8543\/files\/1488265723_apple-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"35\" height=\"35\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Streets-Charles-Gayle-Trio\/dp\/B006UREQQG\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-386 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/9256\/8543\/files\/1488265661_amazon.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"35\" height=\"35\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/charlesgayle.bandcamp.com\/releases\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-390 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/9256\/8543\/files\/1488265553_bandcamp_v2-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"35\" height=\"35\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/music\/album\/Charles_Gayle_Streets?id=Bl4hog4pbhcmqj53u57qtromfyi\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-388 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/9256\/8543\/files\/1488265803_5345_-_Google_Play.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"35\" height=\"35\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Northern Spy Records","offers":[{"title":"CD + Digital","offer_id":44667169505503,"sku":"CD-NS-018","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"FLAC Download","offer_id":44667169472735,"sku":null,"price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"MP3 Download","offer_id":44667169538271,"sku":null,"price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/9256\/8543\/files\/charlesgayle_streets.jpg?v=1703789214"},{"product_id":"4plus1equals5formay25","title":"Melvin Gibbs - 4 + 1 equals 5 for May 25","description":"\u003ciframe style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=2718459143\/size=small\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/artwork=none\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/music.melvin-gibbs.com\/album\/4-1-equals-5-for-may-25\"\u003e4 + 1 equals 5 for May 25 by Melvin Gibbs\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eComposer, musician, artist, and writer Melvin Gibbs today released\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e 4 + 1 equals 5 for May 25,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e an EP of incredibly affecting material reflecting on the murder of George Floyd from various points in time over the past year. Alongside the music, Melvin Gibbs issued the following personal statement:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eI've been to holy sites all over the world. I've been to Zen temples in Kyoto, Japan. I've been to mahasamadhis, places where Hindu holy men are buried, and dargahs, places where Sufi masters are buried, in India. I’ve been to the Church Of The Holy Sepulchre, the place where Jesus was crucified, and the Temple Mount, the holiest site of Judaism, in Israel. I’ve been to churches in Europe where holy relics are stored. I've been to African religious houses in Brazil and Voodoo ceremonies in Brooklyn. The vibe I felt in June of 2020 when I was standing in George Floyd Square, at the intersection of 38th and Chicago in Minneapolis, is something I’d only felt once before. That place was the grove outside of the A-Bomb Dome in Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima Japan. The A-Bomb Dome is a skeletal structure, a remnant, that marks Ground Zero, the place where Little Boy, the first atomic bomb, landed. So, when I say that the intersection of 38th and Chicago in Minneapolis is the American Ground Zero, I’m not using hyperbole or metaphor. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe vibe I felt at Peace Memorial Park is the vibe that fits the name of the location. In fact, I felt more peace there than in most of the Zen temples I've been to in Japan. The vibe I felt at George Floyd Square was that same vibe, but amplified. Amplified enough to send a Wave of Peace equal to the cataclysm that had occurred at the Square across America and across the world. That peace doesn't erase the cataclysm, but it provides a path to balance it gives a possibility of tempering it.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe vibration at the square was one vibrational cluster. The vibration of the physical and psychological aftermath of Mr. Floyd’s murder was another. My challenge became to create music that I felt captured both.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe 38th and Chicago music needed to manifest Peace while facing up to cataclysm. It needed to be improvisatory. It needed to be built in a way that transcended cultural borders and breached mental boundaries. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe aftermath music, on the other hand, had to be a reflection of what was going on in the streets. It needed to manifest through the rhythms that were ricocheting in the streets at that moment. But it also needed to relate the generations that have struggled and set the stage for the moment and the movement to have the effect that it did. It needed to reflect the emergent structure that was unveiling itself, the hatchling emerging from the cracking egg.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAnother important consideration was my role as a trusted advisor, as Uncle. The music had to speak, and speak with the youth that put their bodies on the line, not to them. It also had to take the health of the community as a whole into account. That meant I couldn't just address the concerns of the moments and events that occurred in the immediate aftermath of Mr. Floyd’s murder. I and my music also had to be there for the murder’s trial and be capable of addressing the outcome of that trial, whichever way things fell.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe forced return to The Essence at the age of 46 of a man from Houston, Tx. named George Floyd at the hands of an MPD officer is one event that has happened on May 25th. Another is a completed emergence from The Essence, an emergence which signifies the creation of a family. This date also marks the emergence out of the body of Olivia Gibbs nee Law of a newborn, a child who she and her husband Rufus decided to name Melvin. The fact that the celebration of one event and the memorialization of the other will be forevermore coincidental is why the EP “4 + 1 equals 5 for May 25” was made.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWhen the day of May 25th, 2020 became the night of May 25th, 2020, my circle’s low key celebration of one human’s survival of another revolution of the Earth gave way to anger at yet another African - American’s demise at the hands of the police. Footage of the event captured on a witness’s cell phone was graphic and undeniably powerful. As this footage flowed from screen to screen across the internet it caused an exponential emotional cascade. The anger it created grew past the point of containment and caused a spontaneous eruption in cities across the globe.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eOne of the striking things to me about this turn of events was the total uselessness of celebrity as a concept and celebrities as people to the movement that took hold in the streets. The movement was a truly bottom-up one, and celebrities and the hierarchy they represented weren't needed, and in fact, they probably would have been a hindrance. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAnother thing that was striking to me as a person who creates cultural objects was that there didn't seem to be any music out there that actually captured the moment. The music of past eras of protest and the movements they engendered just didn’t rise to the occasion. There was no music that captured the complexity of the current cultural moment. Here in New York, as well as in other major cities, the protesters in the streets ended up repurposing popular songs as a means of motivation and creation of group cohesion. In particular Pop Smoke, a Brooklyn drill artist whose music voiced the thoughts of a braggadocious trapper provided the main soundtrack of the protests. His “Dior”, with the name of the designer replaced with the name George Floyd, was the song chanted by the crowds. And his “Christopher Walking” was one of their major motivational materials.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAs an artist, I saw the fact that there was no music that accurately captured the vibration of the moment as both a challenge and an opportunity. What did the music of the moment sound like? What sounds should this music encompass? What moods and motivations should it encapsulate? It was obvious to me that the only way to really solve this was to go to Ground Zero, to Minneapolis, to George Floyd Square, and spend time there so I could see and feel for myself exactly what the vibe needed to be. I needed to imbibe the cultural oscillation that was vibrating America while sending its wave across the planet at the source.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIt so happened that the verdict that was eminently justified by the circumstances surrounding Mr. Floyd’s death was given, and some measure of closure was granted. But, the very day the verdict was read a teenager was murdered by the police in a suburb directly adjacent to Minneapolis. We were given an unneeded reminder that the cycle continues and there's more work to be done.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eI’d like to acknowledge the voice of the Uncle on this EP. It’s Washington D.C.’s own Kokayi, who is the Uncle of the DMV rap community. When I told him what I was setting out to accomplish he imbibed the concept, then embodied it. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e4:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e1) Holy Ground \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThis is the George Floyd Square vibe.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e2) Oh My\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThis is the aftermath vibe.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e3) 3’ 27”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThis is peace striving to balance cataclysm while (hopefully) bringing Compassion. This piece was inspired by jazz musician and healer Milford Graves’ (RIP) insight that the life situation of African - Americans requires us to be inherently Zen - whether we are consciously aware of the teachings or have been made aware of the teaching or not. The title is a riff on John Cage’s 4’ 33”. You can think of it as the BLM remix of that.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e4) Get Some\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eUncle reflects on the verdict.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e+1:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e5) Message from the Streets\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eEmergent synthesis - a structure that bridges the peace\/cataclysm duality. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Northern Spy Records","offers":[{"title":"FLAC Download","offer_id":44667187265759,"sku":"","price":6.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"MP3 Download","offer_id":44667187232991,"sku":"","price":5.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/9256\/8543\/files\/Floyd-FIST-cropped_1-e1646413963386.jpg?v=1703789870"},{"product_id":"jason-lescalleet-archaic-architecture-c40","title":"Jason Lescalleet - Archaic Architecture","description":"\u003cp\u003e“Archaic Architecture” is the latest work from Jason Lescalleet, one of New England’s most talented and dedicated modern sound artists. Over the past couple of decades, Lescalleet has released highly-regarded and quality works on labels such as Kye, RRR, Erstwhile, Chondritic Sound, and most recently on his own Glistening Examples imprint, as well as collaborating with like-minded explorers of sound such as Aaron Dilloway, Graham Lambkin, and Joe Colley. On this new full-length cassette, Lescalleet turns his ear toward extended, hypnotic melody, combining it with his own personal variety of tape-damaged concréte noise. On “An Archaic Code”, overlapping sheets of lush choral organ and synthesizer meld into each other, rising and falling in consequence, sweeping and pulsing through all fields of frequency. Blanketed underneath is a subdued, purring storm of crumpled tape collage, where found sounds, microscopic textures, and incidental debris delicately scratch at the melody above with coarse piano shards. With his primitive electronics and careful pacing, Lescalleet is able to inject an incredible amount of active detail and depth into a seemingly minimal body. “Organ Music #3” is a hand-played piece of deep and lush organ chords, gothic and powerful in their magnitude. Shifting back and forth between light and dark, the melodies fall into an emotive purgatory, with a consequential production of unusual overtones can feel both strangely disorienting and holy at the same time. The sound has a bold and tangible warmth via tape saturation, built with what seems like the amplified air of a cathedral-like space, making for a raw and enveloping listening experience.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"NNA Tapes","offers":[{"title":"Digital Download (WAV)","offer_id":45567652298975,"sku":null,"price":8.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital Download (320 MP3)","offer_id":45567652331743,"sku":null,"price":8.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/9256\/8543\/files\/NNA062.jpg?v=1714759395"},{"product_id":"je-suis-le-petit-chevalier-those-vermillion-sands-c34","title":"Je Suis Le Petit Chevalier - Those Vermillion Sands","description":"\u003ciframe style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=3314809021\/size=small\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/artwork=none\/transparent=true\/\" seamless\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/nnatapes.bandcamp.com\/album\/those-vermillion-sands\"\u003e'Those Vermillion Sands' by Je Suis Le Petit Chevalier\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003cp\u003eA brand new offering of bristling electronic vignettes from French sound and visual artist Félicia Atkinson. “Those Vermillion Sands” is largely based around Atkinson’s hypnotic vocal work accompanied by tense and skillfully-layered electronics. Massive blocks of throbbing buzz and distortion swerve in and out of rhythm, shifting and unfolding at their own volition against other more organic sound environments. A contrasting soft, pulsing low end purrs along throughout in complex patterns and tones, creating inventive dynamics that burn down slowly into a smoldering, white-hot ember. Plodding, sludgy percussion comes in to establish a ritualistic tone and carry the sound further into deeper territory. Above all else hovers vocal mantras, where delicate French and English spoken word dances with repetitive singing chants, creating layers of abstract narrative and an air of premonition. Melody is used sparingly throughout the recording, acting as a torch in the darkness. It guides the listener along, until the closing title track which ends the journey on a more uplifting note, with bright keyboard lines shining through and casting light into the shadowy corners. All of these elements come together tastefully to captivate the listener, suspending both space and time around them in a tantalizing web of electronics and voice.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"NNA Tapes","offers":[{"title":"Digital Download (WAV)","offer_id":45567655379167,"sku":null,"price":8.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital Download (320 MP3)","offer_id":45567655411935,"sku":null,"price":8.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/9256\/8543\/files\/NNA061-COVER-WEB.jpg?v=1714759422"},{"product_id":"kid-millions-the-sanguine-cadaver-c54","title":"Kid Millions - The Sanguine Cadaver","description":"\u003ciframe style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=3903875308\/size=small\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/artwork=none\/transparent=true\/\" seamless\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/nnatapes.bandcamp.com\/album\/the-sanguine-cadaver\"\u003e'The Sanguine Cadaver' by Kid Millions\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The Sanguine Cadaver” is a new expedition through the percussion-centric world of drummer John Colpitts, better known as Kid Millions. Known for his driving force as the drummer of experimental rock outfit Oneida, as well as his personal conceptual percussion project Man Forever, Kid Millions is also a key player in a long list of amazing collaborations with artists such as William Basinski, Laurie Anderson, the Boredoms, Akron Family, Jim Sauter (of Borbetomagus), and many more. Throughout both sides of “The Sanguine Cadaver,” Colpitts expresses his complete devotion to the act of percussion, embodying and luxuriating in the physical and spiritual connection between human and drum kit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first piece, “Begging Attire,” creates a cavernous sound world with the assistance of additional musicians on guitar, keyboard, and added percussion. A dense, dynamic wall of droning resonance is constructed, powerfully covering all corners of the frequency spectrum. Each musician’s respective sound flows in and out of focus, creating subtle shifts that alter the mood of the piece. Every instrument plays a specific role, never overpowering one another but instead working in a ritual unison, lending to the billowing, impenetrable qualities of the resulting sonic environment. Although rooted in static minimalism, “Begging Attire” is a far cry from peaceful ambiance. Instead, it sprawls forth in a menacing, ominous storm of deep tones and percussive metallic textures, eventually locking into a howling, almost Industrial ceremony of buzzing, churning squalls and slow, plodding rhythms.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the second piece, “For Jerry,” we find Kid Millions in a personal, exploratory space. This is the sound of one man and his drums, a complete physical immersion in rhythm through a catharsis of primal energy. Colpitts blazes forward relentlessly, never resting on one pattern or tempo but instead seemingly playing multiple ones simultaneously. “For Jerry” is, however, more than just an impressive display of chops. It is a document of a human reaching elevated levels of consciousness through intense, sustained interaction with his instrument. Wordless vocal chanting and tonal incantations make their way through the maelstrom, suggesting altered states of spiritual transcendence. The extended technique of the piece is not only a feat of strength and a challenge to the performer, but the listener as well. When Kid Millions plays, it’s clear that he puts his entire being into it, a quality that translates magnificently throughout all moments of this cassette.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"NNA Tapes","offers":[{"title":"Digital Download (WAV)","offer_id":45567661605087,"sku":null,"price":8.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital Download (320 MP3)","offer_id":45567661637855,"sku":null,"price":8.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/9256\/8543\/files\/NNA080-COVER-WEB.jpg?v=1714759518"},{"product_id":"battle-trance-blade-of-love","title":"Battle Trance - Blade of Love","description":"\u003cp\u003eTenor saxophone quartet Battle Trance is proud to announce their sophomore album Blade of Love. The follow-up to their widely acclaimed debut Palace of Wind (2014), Blade of Love is an elemental composition that aims to fulfill the tenor saxophone's expansive potential as an ensemble instrument. Working within the intimate intersection of the human body\/breath and the saxophone, Blade of Love is a spiritual and enigmatic work with a deep emotional resonance.Since forming in 2012, the four saxophonists in Battle Trance (Travis Laplante, Patrick Breiner, Matt Nelson, Jeremy Viner) have spent hundreds of hours deepening their musical connection with each other, maturing as an ensemble through relentless touring everywhere from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, Montreal to Vancouver, and most places in between.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe three movements of Blade of Love were composed by Battle Trance leader Travis Laplante in a wooden room with soaring ceilings in the Vermont forest. Blade of Love was recorded after two years of rigorous rehearsals working to perfect the array of extended techniques, both virtuosic and primal, required to bring the challenging piece to life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBlade of Love's central focus is on the physical and spiritual intersection of the saxophone and the human body. The saxophone is one of the few instruments that literally enters the body of the person playing it, and Blade of Love is a medium for this sacred meeting place, with each member of Battle Trance using the saxophone as a vessel for the human spirit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSinging has an inherent power, but that power is heightened in the context of Blade of Love.  At times, the four players sing while exhaling through the saxophone tubes, using the instrument's keys to shift the timbre of their voices. Laplante also integrates non-traditional mouth articulations, using the saxophone as a resonant chamber for these inventive sounds.  Laplante explains:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"There were certain specific sounds that I imagined being in Blade of Love, but I couldn't get close enough to them using traditional saxophone tone — sounds like arrows flying through the air, birds singing or flying overhead, bombs, water running, the wind, the sound of fire, singing in church, making love, killing, waves crashing, fighting for your life, thunder, the sound of rage, howling, crying, laughing, the sound of my last breath… So I began working on different ways for the saxophone to get closer to these sounds, and the resulting techniques became part of the fabric of Blade of Love.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTravis Laplante describes composing Blade of Love as \"the most torturous and demanding compositional experience of my life.\" He continues: \"It's painful for me to try to explain what this music 'means,' because in a sense it has no meaning — and at the same time, it means everything.  I just hope Blade of Love will release something in both the listener and the performer's hearts.  It doesn't ask for anything in return.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVinyl LP comes packaged with digital download coupon.\u003cbr\u003e\nCompact Disc \u0026amp; Digital versions released by \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/newamrecords.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003eNew Amsterdam Records\u003c\/a\u003e (NWAM080)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom now until supplies last...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first 100 people who pre-order Battle Trance's upcoming vinyl LP \"Blade of Love\" from nnatapes.com will receive a FREE limited edition cassette tape, @ Roulette, featuring a truly hypnotic and beautiful 46-minute Battle Trance live performance, recorded at the Roulette artspace in Brooklyn, NY. This recording wonderfully captures the essence of the tenor saxophone quartet's notoriously intense and moving live performances.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e@ Roulette is strictly limited edition with no digital release. It contains full color artwork featuring the art of Daniel Seiders, housed in metallic gold cassette tapes. @ Roulette will not be sold separately, it is only available with the first 100 orders from nnatapes.com and will not be re-pressed.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"NNA Tapes","offers":[{"title":"12\" LP (With Digital Download)","offer_id":45567664324831,"sku":"LP-NNA-092","price":18.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital Download (320 MP3)","offer_id":45567664357599,"sku":null,"price":8.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital Download (WAV)","offer_id":45567664390367,"sku":null,"price":8.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/9256\/8543\/files\/NNA092-cover.jpg?v=1714759674"},{"product_id":"subtle-degrees-a-dance-that-empties","title":"Subtle Degrees - A Dance That Empties","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Dance That Empties\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e is \u003cstrong\u003eTravis Laplante\u003c\/strong\u003e's latest album-length composition, written for \u003cstrong\u003eSubtle Degrees\u003c\/strong\u003e, a new two-musician ensemble consisting of Laplante (tenor saxophone) and \u003cstrong\u003eGerald Cleaver\u003c\/strong\u003e (drums). The duo's uncategorizable sound evokes everything from contemporary classical music, avant garde jazz, minimalism, technical metal, and sacred world music. Laplante is also the founder\/composer of saxophone quartet \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/nnatapes.com\/artist\/battle-trance\"\u003eBattle Trance\u003c\/a\u003e and the ensemble Little Women.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA Dance That Empties\u003c\/em\u003e is the culmination of a very long musical relationship. In 2001, when he was only 18 years old, Laplante played a concert at New York’s Knitting Factory, then a pre-eminent mecca for adventurous music of all kinds. Cleaver was in the audience, and came up to Laplante afterwards, handed him his phone number and said they should play together sometime. They soon did, “and I felt a very intimate and spiritual connection with Gerald that feels more alive than ever today,” Laplante says. “I’ve learned a tremendous amount from Gerald and have long considered him one of my favorite living improvisers.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe two have performed together various times over the ensuing 17 years, but Laplante never felt he was quite ready to record with Cleaver. “It got to the point where I took a multiple-year break from playing with him because I felt like I didn’t have enough to bring to the table,” says Laplante. “I needed to practice so I could have more to give to our musical relationship.” Then, in the fall of 2016, Laplante received a commission to compose a piece to be performed at Roulette in Brooklyn the following spring. “I knew that this was the perfect opportunity to return to this relationship with Gerald.” And so Laplante began composing an epic-scale work with Cleaver’s rhythmic virtuosity in mind.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInspired by the longer durational forms of spiritual ceremonies, \u003cem\u003eA Dance That Empties\u003c\/em\u003e is a continuous journey that unfolds over 43 minutes, with musical motifs that foreshadow, recur, and evolve. The piece refines sonic territory that Laplante has pioneered in his celebrated saxophone quartet Battle Trance, as well as his solo saxophone work, utilizing long passages of circular breathing and other extended techniques to create specific and yet ineffable emotional and sonic resonances. \u003cem\u003eA Dance That Empties\u003c\/em\u003e, as the title implies, adds the distinctly new element of complex rhythmic pulses precisely and expressively executed by Cleaver, that compel listeners to lose themselves in the hypnotically repetitive yet subtly shifting grooves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith \u003cem\u003eA Dance That Empties\u003c\/em\u003e, Laplante and Cleaver throw themselves into unknown territory, delving further into the devotional intensity that has long distinguished both their work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTravis Laplante\u003c\/strong\u003e on \u003cstrong\u003eSubtle Degrees\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Playing in this duo with Gerald is by far the most exposing musical experience I've ever had. I think it feels so raw and vulnerable because it has a similar nakedness to playing solo, while at the same time I'm completely relying on and needing to stay connected with Gerald, no matter what. It requires 100% trust in another person, as well as myself. Our respective parts in A Dance That Empties are so meticulously interwoven that it can potentially be disastrous if one of us makes even a tiny mistake. It feels like the riskiest piece I've ever written in terms of the psychological, emotional, physical and sensory demands.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVinyl LP comes packaged with digital download coupon.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"NNA Tapes","offers":[{"title":"12\" LP (With Digital Download)","offer_id":45567667011807,"sku":"LP-NNA-109","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/9256\/8543\/files\/NNA109-cover-border.png?v=1714759881"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.northern-spy.com\/collections\/mood-liturgical.oembed","provider":"Northern Spy Label Group","version":"1.0","type":"link"}