Miss Mondo

400 BLOWS …If I Kissed Her I'd Have To Kill Her First… (1984)

noreply@blogger.com (Double Avenue) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:24:00 +0000

Formed in London, 1981, 400 Blows gained a considerable cult following throughout the years, mostly due to a few almost danceable tunes that brought so-called coldwave tactics closer to the dancefloor regime. An eclectic first LP, If I Kissed Her kicks off with two bass-driven tunes that won't disappoint the beat-oriented crowd, but soon opens up to other sonic possibilities: ambient-like pieces that might recall Zoviet France in a lighter and less turgid mood, audio collages with radio and tv/film snippets (including a hilarious Charles Manson cameo), and even a take on dry, stripped-down rhythm'n'blues.

Released by Illuminated Records in 1984

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MATERIAL Memory Serves (1981)

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Mondo) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 22:52:00 +0000

Material's first long play release stands somewhere between their Temporary Music EPs and Laswell's own Baselines. Angular funk grooves punctuate most of the album, at times recalling mid-80s Miles metrics, but the musicians are plastic enough to allow less stringent forms of movement to flow in. Threadgill's sax and Lewis' trombone are partly responsible for this wider reach, often stretching tempos so as to elude the band's circular rhythms, while Beinhorn, Frith and Sharrock add sonic depth to Laswell's trademark obese bass.

Bill Laswell: bass. Sonny Sharrock: guitar. Fred Frith: guitar, violin, xylophone. George Lewis: trombone. Henry Kaiser: guitar. Olu Dara: cornet. Billy Bang: violin. Robert Musso: guitar. Grand Mixer D.S.T.: turntable. Daniel Ponce: percussion. Anton Fier: drums. Charles K. Noyes: drums, percussion. Michael Beinhorn: synth, voice, tapes, radio, guitar, drums.

Released in 1981 by Celluloid Records. Re-released in 1992 by Mau-Mau, featuring an extra track (#9).

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MIRIODOR Miriodor (1988)

noreply@blogger.com (Double Avenue) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:59:00 +0000

Not as hard-edged as later releases, Miriodor's third official release finds the french outfit closer to the jazzy side of RIO. Synths and electronics are always under the rigorous command of reeds or keyboards, often creating that tv-show feeling which marks many 80s encounters between jazz musicians and electronic devices. The operations therefore preclude any aural blasts or energy outbursts, preferring instead to rest on melodic phrases, sober lines and quasi-anaemic playing.

Rémi Leclerc - Percussion, Synthesizer.

Pascal Globensky - Piano, Synthesizer.

Sabin Hudon - Saxophone, Synthesizer, Percussion.
Jean Diamant - Electronics.

Released in 1988 by Cuneiform Records.

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THE CLAUDIA QUINTET Semi-Formal (2005)

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Mondo) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 11:28:00 +0000

It is true that John Hollenbeck's 3rd release with the Claudia Quintet works mostly with a jazz passport. But there's much more to this record than that: compositions weave in and out of contemporary concerns with space, repetition and minimalism, often sounding like chamber music experiments with a rhythmic drive, or otherwise explore melodic construction in a manner reminiscent of classic RIO strategies. The precise, hard-edged pulses that structure most of the album sometimes verge on dnb but, despite the album's accessibility, invariably manage to escape the pièges that haunt other experiments of the kind. This in part results from the interplay between freer forms, compositional intricacy and the warm, rich arrangements that recurrently underlie the harmonic spectrum.

John Hollenbeck - Drums, Percussion, Piano, Keyboards, fan.
Drew Gress - Acoustic bass, Pedal steel guitar, Electric guitar.
Matt Moran - Vibraphone, Keyboards, Baritone horn
Ted Reichman - Accordion, Guitar, Keyboards
Chris Speed - Clarinet, Tenor saxophone, Piano, Casio SK-1.

Released by Cuneiform Records in 2005.

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DON CHERRY Symphony for Improvisers (1967)

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Mondo) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:10:00 +0000

A luminous lineup makes this one of the most intense projects in Cherry's discography. Fluidity and propulsion don't stand on the way of melody, and despite the fiery energy of the ensemble the dominant tone is one of space, balance and emotional depth. Eight joyful pieces in which convergence and unison are insistently played against ecstatic or open events.

Don Cherry - Cornet

Edward Blackwell - Drums

Gato Barbieiri - Tenor Sax

Pharaoh Sanders - Tenor Sax, Piccolo.

Henry Grimes, J.F. Jenny-Clark - Bass.

Karl Berger - Vibraphone, Piano.

Released in 1966 by Blue Note.

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ALÉSIA COSMOS Aéroproducts (1985)

noreply@blogger.com (Double Avenue) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:54:00 +0000

Perhaps less focused and more wide-ranging than their debut album Exclusivo!, Alésia Cosmos' second LP is particularly difficult to pin down. Some tracks work as abstract electronic/tape soundscapes, either exploring reversed melodic structures or concrète events. Some tunes hint at funk and proto-street rhythms, while others plunge into vaguely rockish noise attacks, surf guitar nostalgia, outreaching vocal excursions, electro-pop swing and spoken word narration. These worlds, however, rarely intersect, making this surreal record sound like a catalogue of non-academic musical adventures in the 80s.

Pascal Holtzer - Tape, Electronics, Guitar.
Bruno de Chènerilles - Tape, Electronics, Guitar, Voice.
Lotfi Ben Ayed - Darbouka, Congas.
Marie-Berthe Servier - Voice.
Pierre Clavreux - Voice.
Bruno Haentjens - Tape.

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ALAIN THIBAULT Volt (1990)

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Mondo) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:01:00 +0000

Composed between 1985 and 1989, the pieces presented in Volt may be said to be a testimony of decisive moment in electronic music, when MIDI and computer technology opened up new possibilities in the intersection between rhythm, melody, synthesized sound and even instrumental input. Located somewhere between Rolnick's ElectriCity and Zappa's Jazz from Hell, the works collected here explore the intensely artificial planet of late 80s electronic music, creating incisive rhythmical outbursts that emerge out of faux-jazz and quasi-pop repetitive melodies.

Midi Piano (#1): Jacques Drouin

Vocals (#2): Pauline Vaillancourt

Saxophones (#7): Dave Clark, René Masino, Walter Boudreau, Simon Stone, Quatour de Saxophones de Montréal.

Released in 1990 by Empreintes Digitales.

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DANIEL TERUGGI Instants d'Hiver / Summer Band (1996)

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Mondo) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 01:57:00 +0000

A central figure in the GRM venture, Daniel Teruggi aligns these two works as reflections on different places, climates and aural approaches. The first piece, Instants d'Hiver (Winter Moments), was built from several previous works by Teruggi and is intended as an hommage to other composers of the group; echoing the legacy of Bayle, Parmegiani and others, it is a complex and rich composition, drawing on differentiated tactics in sound projection. The second piece, entitled Summer Band, is perhaps warmer, embedding melody and instrument (the bandoneon) into the acousmatic space; much like Schwarz's Chantakoa, though not as visceral, the piece progresses through harmony and dissonance, both generated from the instrumental soloing and its electronic counterpoint, to create an enticing but somber lanscape.

1-10. Instants d'Hiver
11-15. Summer Band (Juan José Mosalini: Bandonéon)

Released by INA-GRM in 1996.

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V/A: Tellus 26 - Jewel Box (1992)

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Mondo) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 22:12:00 +0000

An excellent collection from the legendary Tellus series, this time gathering an exclusively female cast. Surprisingly coherent, this collective effort operates on two different but complementary fields: while some pieces explore the rich confluence between electronics, voice and storytelling, others rely on the construction of more abstract sound sculptures, benefitting from top-notch production levels.

1. Anne LeBaron: Blue Harp Study I
2. Laetitia Sonami: Story Road
3. Sussan Deihim: Navai
4. Bun Ching Lam: EO-9066
5. Catherine Jauniaux & Ikue Mori: Smell
6. Sapphire: Boys Love Baseball
7. Mary Ellen Childs: Ruler Etude: A Work in Progress
8. Michelle Kinney: Coordinated Universal Time
9. Anne LeBaron: Blue Harp Study II

Released by Tellus in 1992. Curated by Brian Karl.

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EP-4 Found Tapes (1984)

noreply@blogger.com (Double Avenue) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:57:00 +0000

Released in the same year as Lingua Franca X, this recording by Japanese outfit EP-4 is a somehow less hectic effort. Longer tracks open room for deeper aural explorations in hypnotic electrofunk, sometimes reminiscent of early Material yet more committed to lysergic circulation and sonic plasticity.

1 - Elementary Poem

2 - Five To One

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THE FLYING LIZARDS Money (1979)

noreply@blogger.com (Double Avenue) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 13:33:00 +0000

While Money is probably The Flying Lizards' most well-known tune, the band also had a thrilling secret dub life. This 7" gathers them both, presenting the original song and its dub version, produced by David Cunningham.

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RED ASPHALT Red Asphalt (1981)

noreply@blogger.com (Double Avenue) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 12:55:00 +0000

Apparently the only official release from this rather obscure S. Francisco punk band, R/A gathers four tracks of fast-but-not-too-furious attitude, throwing colourful synths and sonic collapses into the mix to create an original take on DIY ethics.

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GROUND ZERO Ground Zero (1992)

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Mondo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:58:00 +0000

An explosive record by the mythical Japanese superband. More jazzy than most of GZ's output, this album offers shards of rhythm, noise and sound objects, often wrapped in swinging grooves and driving basslines.

Ground Zero: Otomo Yoshihide (guitar, turntables), Kato Hideki (bass), Uemura Masahiro (drums), Hirose Junji (tenor & soprano sax), Chino Shuichi (keyboards, piano).

Special guests: Yamatsuka Eye (vocals), John Zorn (alto sax), Tony Buck (drums), Takara Kumiko (vibraphone), Shu-Kei (narration).

Released by God Mountain/Disques du Soleil et de L'Acier in 1992.

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HANIWA-CHAN Kanashibari (1984)

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Mondo) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:27:00 +0000

Probably one of the strangest records ever to be posted here, with an even stranger cult following, from the tortuous mind of Kiyohiko Semba. Strands of teen-pop and new wave twine with bold electroid elements, pushing melodic compositions into bizarre configurations. Sometimes pink, sometimes dark, this record defies Miss Mondo's comprehension.

Music by: Yoshinobu Honma, Litchi, Kiyohiko Semba.

Originally released in 1984 by Sony Japan. Tracks 10-13 included in the 1991 edition.

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VIOLENT ONSEN GEISHA Balloon Collector In The Wilderness / Real Wild Thing (1995)

noreply@blogger.com (Double Avenue) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 11:27:00 +0000

Nakahara Masaya, aka Violent Onsen Geisha, has been imploding pop artifacts into noise sculptures since the late 1980s. In Balloon Collector, VOG creates a non-stop collage of looped film snippets, scratch, surf guitar, heavy-mental riffs, and recurrent revolvers; the second track explores the same plunderphonics territory, but focuses on renderings of the potentially annoying tune Wild Thing.

Released by Japan Overseas in 1995.

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V/A: STIMME DES VOLKES (1990)

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Mondo) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 12:58:00 +0000

An eclectic compilation from the German label SDV Tonträger, Stimme des Volkes stands as a catalogue of some of the musical possibilities prevalent in Central Europe by the end of 80s: the new wave jerks of Sons of Care, Red Ant Feet or Deux Baleines Blanches; the electro-collage of Dino Oon; the lyrical instrumental take of The Bad Examples; the virulent industrial beats of Bourbonese Qualk, Konrad Kraft & Phase Pervers and Mynox Layh; and the dense sound-ebbs of Seventh Day or Human Flesh (Alan Neffe from Bene Gesserit, Pseudocode,Subject, etc.)

1 - Sons Of Care - Paramount Day

2 - Dino Oon - Boneselector
3 - Bourbonese Qualk - This Will Fall

4 - Seventh Day - Landscape II

5 - Mynox Layh - Elia

6 - The Bad Examples - Industry Blues

7 - Konrad Kraft & Phase Pervers - Auf Der Flucht

8 - Red Ant Feet - The Night

9 - Human Flesh - Ytilaer / The Fourth Soundtrack

10 - Deux Baleines Blanches - Invincible... for a while

Final mix by Pyrolator at ATATAK-Studio, Dusseldorf, August 1989.

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THE BERN NIX TRIO Alarms & Excursions (1993)

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Mondo) — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 02:07:00 +0000

Better know for his trademark guitar contributions to Ornette's Prime Time band, Bern Nix can boast of an unmistakeable crystalline tone that no other musician can emulate. In this recording, Nix explores harmolodic territory with an eclectic compass: bluesy tunes, freebop circuits and even some ballads that seem to conjure the ghost of Wes Montgomery in a topsy-turvy planet.

Bern Nix - Guitar

Fred Hopkins - Acoustic Bass

Newman Baker - Drums

Released by New World Records in 1993.

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NEW YORK EYE AND EAR CONTROL (1966)

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Mondo) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 13:29:00 +0000

Recorded for the homonymous Michael Snow short film in 1964, this album assembles some of the most skyscraping figues in the jazz scene of the period. Ayler's quartet is expanded to include Tchicai and Rudd, producing a luminous free session in which musicians closely listen to each other, fractalize their output and constantly shift pace and intensity.

Albert Ayler - Tenor Sax
Don Cherry - Trumpet, Cornet
John Tchicai - Alto Sax
Roswell Rudd - Trombone
Gary Peacock - Bass
Sonny Murray - Drums

Released in 1966 by ESP Disks.

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JOHN LINDBERG ENSEMBLE The Catbird Sings (2000)

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Mondo) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 00:59:00 +0000

A nocturnal album, The Catbird Sings presents bass player John Lindberg surrounded by top-notch performers. Lindberg's compositions are sober, lucidly melodic at times, while leaving enough room for extended technical approaches to the instruments and faster but uncluttered takes on improvisation. Diverse but consistent, the record even features renditions of tunes by Mingus, Fred Hopkins and Jimmy Garrison.

John Lindberg - Bass
Andrew Cyrille - Drums
Larry Ochs - Saxophones
Wadada Leo Smith - Trumpet

Recorded April 12-13 in Milan.
Released by Soul Note.

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V/A: AT CLOSE QUARTERS (1993)

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Mondo) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 04:02:00 +0000

To celebrate the 3rd anniversary of the These Records music shop in London, David Toop assembled a few recordings of live performances at the shop itself, spanning between 1990 and 1992. The music falls somewhere in the grey area between improv and live electronics, long before it became a staple formula for experimental musicians everywhere, bringing together tapes, saxophones, computers, trombones, Casio keyboards, poetry and springboards.

1. Steve Beresford & John Butcher - The Same Elephant
2 - 4. Charles Hayward - Hilly Field; Risque Verglas; Unearthing Fossil Fuels
5. Barbed - Calling Dick Tracy
6. David Toop & Max Eastley - Normal Entrance, Abnormal Exit
7. Nicolas Collins & Peter Cusack - Baby it's You.
8. Morphogenesis - Escape from the Unseen Cracks.

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ASPHIXIATION What Is This Thing Called 'Disco'? (1981)

noreply@blogger.com (Double Avenue) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 00:59:00 +0000

The fame of being the first "avant-disco" record ever produced hardly does justice to this strange work, in that it covers virtually every form of beat-oriented music available: dark electroid rhythms, proto-techno throbs, quasi-trip-hop grooves, synth-pop melodies and, yes, some hectic disco elements now and then. Add to this a few jazzy and funkadelic swings, mix it with occasional ambient moments and even some vocalised tracks, and you'll get a mysterious album, difficult to pin down, but up to its legendary status.

Recorded in June 1980 at Gabinetto (Milan). Mixed at the Abwasserkanal Studios (Frankfurt). All tracks based on performances at the George Paton Gallery (Melbourne).

Tracks 11-12 originally released in 1980, and included in a separate 12'' EP.

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DUNKELZIFFER Stil Der Neuen Zeit (1982)

noreply@blogger.com (Double Avenue) — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 13:07:00 +0000

Dunkelziffer's first release presents a blend of hard-edged rhythms, electronic elements, and occasional melodic ambiences. Four significantly different tracks displaying some of the most interesting NDW stuff produced at the time.

1 - Stil Der Neuen Zeit
2 - Zufall In Der Wirklichkeit
3 - S. O. 36
4 - Strom

Music and lyrics by Dunkelziffer (Dominik Von Senger, Matthias Keul, Olek Gelba, Reiner Linke, Stefan Krachten). Recorded and mixed by Bobby Hartmann. Released by Pure Freude, 1982.

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PEOPLE LIKE US Live at Christian Marclay's Sounds of Christmas, Tate Modern (2004)

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Mondo) — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 04:07:00 +0000

Every year, Christian Marclay curates an itinerary event called Sounds of Christmas, in which he displays thousands of x-mas records covers from his personal collection. For the 2004 instalment, plunder-pranksters People Like Us were invited to rework some of Marclay's x-mas records, subverting the season's most annoying tunes with a affectionate touch.

Recorded 18/12/2004 in London.

Music by People Like Us.

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VRIL Effigies in Cork (2003)

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Mondo) — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:46:00 +0000

Short, upbeat, guitar-driven tunes played with a smile. Surf elements locked up with an avant attitude, tinged with some heavy drumming and sinuous compositions. A whimsy recording, but quite fun.

Drums, Electrified Kit: Chris Cutler

Mandolin, Guitar: Lukas Simonis

Bass, Guitar: Bob Drake

Released by ReR in 2003.

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ELLERY ESKELIN Figure of Speech (1993)

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Mondo) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 00:30:00 +0000

Eskelin's trio offer a finely balanced, clean and sober approach to the often fuzzy world of jazz perspiration. Eskelin's compositions leave enough room for gusty improv, ranging from muscular yet delicate march-like tunes to quasi lyrical, melancholic melodies.

Ellery Eskelin - Tenor Sax

Joe Daley - Tuba

Arto Tuncboyaciyan - Bakdav, Drums, Percussion

Recorded July 28, 1991 in NYC. Released by Soul Note in 1993.

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