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2LP
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HAM 021LP
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Odd Nosdam came to prominence as beat-smith with experimental hip-hoppers, cLOUDDEAD, as well as being co-founder of the Anticon label. A string of critically lauded solo releases culminated in 2016's Sisters LP (title track remixed by Boards of Canada) and 2019's Mirrors LP (N 067LP) which saw the West Coast producer at the peak of his powers. Flippies Best Tape features a massive 66 tracks over four sides of wax. Digging fathoms deep in the crates, Odd Nosdam's source material comes from super rare records that you've never heard of, many of them private pressings. From plaintive deep soul cuts, gritty chitlin' circuit funk, blues-y '60s garage band sessions, through to some seriously heavy psych-rock freak-outs and all manner of weirdness in between, the scope of this record is mind bending. But it doesn't stop there, mashed up into this heady brew you'll also pick up hints of gospel, jazz, dub, and space-y West Coast acid. And the whole thing is neatly stitched together with snatches of film dialogue providing the narrative thread. So many disparate influences could make for an unfocussed smorgasbord of a record, but Nosdam has honed his skills over the years to such a degree that these 66 tracks, 80 total minutes, have been sculpted and shaped with precision into a work that is as lithe and supple as it is kaleidoscopic and exhilarating.
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LP
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N 067LP
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Acclaimed abstract hip-hop producer and cofounder of Anticon Records, Odd Nosdam, presets Mirrors, a new LP via Alien Transistor. Composed entirely of found sounds, most of them sourced from rare and private press vinyl, Mirrors' instrumental beats and sound collages pulse with a sense of exploration and rediscovery that has been Nosdam's calling card since the turn of this past century. Its every track presents a treasure trove of unique aural gems, each nestled in atmospheric textures that swirl like a cloud of dust just blown off of some once-overlooked heirloom. Designed specifically for vinyl, the record's A and B sides play out like a pair of cohesive psychedelic dreams. Yet even a skilled psychoanalyst would struggle to categorize these reveries as either pure seraphic bliss or full-on nightmare. By sneaking strategic bursts of beauty into Mirrors' more sinister beats ("Mirrors I") and by lacing its largely angelic compositions with foreboding tones ("The Burn"), Odd Nosdam has crafted a record that is not only engrossingly nuanced, but that captures a highly specified, often hypnogogic, mental state with breathtaking accuracy: cognitive dissonance. The sensation of experiencing an emotion that runs in direct opposition to one's circumstantial narrative -- a sense of melancholy when things are ostensibly fine, a smile as the world seems to crumble -- may once have been predominately the stuff of dreams. But in our current age of ebullient social media facades, and at a sociopolitical moment when joy feels like an aberrant blip in an up-scrolling sea of horror, Mirrors provides an unsettlingly apt soundtrack to the waking experience of the modern era. Oneiric interpretations aside, at its core Mirrors is simply a stunning and dynamic beat tape. As he has for two decades -- whether in crafting instrumentals for avant-rap legends cLOUDDEAD and art-rapper Serengeti, sound tracking skate videos for Element Skateboards, or adding to his prolific catalog of solo recordings -- Odd Nosdam uses his special knack for marrying monolithic, lumbering drum arrangements with novel melodic flourishes to create a breed of experimental hip-hop music entirely his own. An evocative record that seamlessly blends transcendence with menace, Mirrors is a captivating addition to the producer's body of work and one that will continue to leave listeners awed by his creativity, versatility, and his singular vision. Includes download code.
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LP
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SCR 071LP
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Having cut his teeth producing warped and bombastic beats as a member of cLOUDDEAD, David P. Madson aka Odd Nosdam has since gone on to record and release some of the most revered work in the post-millennial abstract hip-hop world. Through his solo productions, various collaborations, and remixes for the likes of Boards of Canada, the Anticon Records cofounder has traced an indelible strain of super-saturated, no-fi weirdness located at the intersection of British IDM, West Coast hip-hop, and ethereal drone. Trish first saw the light of day in late 2013 as a cassette-only release on the Chicago-based Baro label, now long sold-out; a digital release followed on Odd Nosdam's own Burnco label. Trish is a subtle homage to the late Broadcast singer Trish Keenan (1968-2011) created from the haunted remains of a failed follow-up to Odd Nosdam's 2007 Level Live Wires album. This long-overdue vinyl reissue marks the 2016 fifth anniversary of Keenan's tragic death from pneumonia in January 2011. Across the work's six tracks, Odd Nosdam harnesses the aural mystery of a sample-based approach with an emphasis on cassette manipulation and distortion. Overall, Trish lingers and drifts through a shimmering fog of high-register sonics with introspectively tonal movements. While Odd Nosdam's sound may intersect with Broadcast's at times, his approach on Trish is distinctly his own -- a unique blend of emotive ambiguity and lush, wandering vacancy. Featuring guest appearances from Bre'r and Liz Harris (Grouper), Trish is as dense as it is reflective.
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