|
|
|
|
viewing 1 To 25 of 120 items
Next >>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LP
|
|
EM 1147LP
|
LP version. Includes insert. Something special happens when a talented, versatile singer teams up with a visionary, attentive, and focused producer. This remarkable collection is the cream of such a collaboration, featuring vocalist Phairin Phonphibun and her late-'70s and early-'80s work with Thai studio legend Surin Paksiri. These ten songs showcase Phonphibun's mastery of a range of Isan musical styles, always skilled, always singular, and always soulful. Her spirit-lifting, authentic molam voice is honored here by the work of the still-active production genius Paksiri, who realizes that as wonderful as a beautiful voice is, when that voice is set, gem-like, in a fitting and inspiring musical environment, the results are timeless. (N.B. "Mo" is an artist and "lam" is a kind of performance art in which the artist tells a story using tonal inflections. In other words, the term "molam" refers to both the singer and art form. Molam pieces are not, strictly speaking, "songs.") All of these songs were originally released as 7" records on Paksiri's own label, before the cassette era devolved, for lesser talents, into a production line of sound-alikes. Every song has a thoughtful, unique arrangement, with a style and sensibility that separates them from other molam and luk thung of every era. In this sense, Paksiri can be ranked along with renowned auteur producers of the Western musical world, with his attention to detail and keen musical sense evident on every track, retaining an undeniable Thai essence while introducing disco, soul, and rock elements. A highlight here is the title-tune, one of Phomphibun's signature songs, featured in the 1978 film Mon Rak Menam Mun; it so impressed Thai show-biz big boss Waiphot Phetsuphan that he asked Paksiri to produce his own cover version. Selection, liner notes, and cover art by Soi 48.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
EM 1150CD
|
Beginning in 1974 and based in New Zealand, the sound-performance group From Scratch used an evolving array of percussion instruments -- including found and repurposed objects as well as custom-made percussion instruments -- to create a distinctive rhythmic music, texturally rich and tonally sumptuous. The music has a sophisticated, fluid, and intelligent polyrhythmic drive and prominently features pitched percussion, using microtunings and just intonation in tightly structured pieces that evolve and mutate around intricately interlocking melodic and rhythmic elements. Given their Pacific identity, one can find similarities with a number of Asian Pacific musics; their music will appeal to open-eared listeners interested in such musics, and it will also intrigue admirers of the early work of Steve Reich and Terry Riley. Formed by Phil Dadson upon his return to New Zealand following his late-'60s involvement in the UK with Cornelius Cardew's Scratch Orchestra, Auckland's From Scratch embraced an egalitarian ethic, focusing on cooperation, integration, and the union of opposites. These principles are clearly heard in the music here, with all the players interlocking and with the music exploring and exploding the polarities of melody/rhythm, local/global, group/individual, minimal/maximal. These four tracks, ranging from 1974 to 1982, are propulsive and yet serene; percussive and yet sweetly tonal; and toe-tappingly alert, forming an immersive and distinctive soundworld. All tracks here are newly remastered from the original master tapes; "Passage" was the group's first recording and is previously unissued. Includes 20-page booklet containing English liner notes by Andrew Clifford and rare photos.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
EM 1150LP
|
LP version. Includes insert. Beginning in 1974 and based in New Zealand, the sound-performance group From Scratch used an evolving array of percussion instruments -- including found and repurposed objects as well as custom-made percussion instruments -- to create a distinctive rhythmic music, texturally rich and tonally sumptuous. The music has a sophisticated, fluid, and intelligent polyrhythmic drive and prominently features pitched percussion, using microtunings and just intonation in tightly structured pieces that evolve and mutate around intricately interlocking melodic and rhythmic elements. Given their Pacific identity, one can find similarities with a number of Asian Pacific musics; their music will appeal to open-eared listeners interested in such musics, and it will also intrigue admirers of the early work of Steve Reich and Terry Riley. Formed by Phil Dadson upon his return to New Zealand following his late-'60s involvement in the UK with Cornelius Cardew's Scratch Orchestra, Auckland's From Scratch embraced an egalitarian ethic, focusing on cooperation, integration, and the union of opposites. These principles are clearly heard in the music here, with all the players interlocking and with the music exploring and exploding the polarities of melody/rhythm, local/global, group/individual, minimal/maximal. These four tracks, ranging from 1974 to 1982, are propulsive and yet serene; percussive and yet sweetly tonal; and toe-tappingly alert, forming an immersive and distinctive soundworld. All tracks here are newly remastered from the original master tapes; "Passage" was the group's first recording and is previously unissued. Includes English liner notes by Andrew Clifford and rare photos.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
EM 1147CD
|
Something special happens when a talented, versatile singer teams up with a visionary, attentive, and focused producer. This remarkable collection is the cream of such a collaboration, featuring vocalist Phairin Phonphibun and her late-'70s and early-'80s work with Thai studio legend Surin Paksiri. These ten songs showcase Phonphibun's mastery of a range of Isan musical styles, always skilled, always singular, and always soulful. Her spirit-lifting, authentic molam voice is honored here by the work of the still-active production genius Paksiri, who realizes that as wonderful as a beautiful voice is, when that voice is set, gem-like, in a fitting and inspiring musical environment, the results are timeless. (N.B. "Mo" is an artist and "lam" is a kind of performance art in which the artist tells a story using tonal inflections. In other words, the term "molam" refers to both the singer and art form. Molam pieces are not, strictly speaking, "songs.") All of these songs were originally released as 7" records on Paksiri's own label, before the cassette era devolved, for lesser talents, into a production line of sound-alikes. Every song has a thoughtful, unique arrangement, with a style and sensibility that separates them from other molam and luk thung of every era. In this sense, Paksiri can be ranked along with renowned auteur producers of the Western musical world, with his attention to detail and keen musical sense evident on every track, retaining an undeniable Thai essence while introducing disco, soul, and rock elements. A highlight here is the title-tune, one of Phomphibun's signature songs, featured in the 1978 film Mon Rak Menam Mun; it so impressed Thai show-biz big boss Waiphot Phetsuphan that he asked Paksiri to produce his own cover version. Selection, liner notes, and cover art by Soi 48. Includes 20-page booklet with English liner notes and lyrics.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
EM 1145LP
|
LP version. Includes insert. The best of Khwanta Fasawang, the number-one soulful sister of 1980s lam phaen, queen of the cassette era. She was chosen, from over a thousand demo tapes, by legendary producer and songwriter Doi Inthanon, who wanted to create a new streetwise dance music. The lam phaen genre was the result, and Khwanta Fasawang was the singer he chose to be its representative. Combining earlier musical trajectories with electronic elements and lyrics dealing with drinking and love, money and motorcycles, Khwanta led the cassette-format lam phaen boom of the early '80s, gaining great popularity in both her native Isan and across the whole country. A change in lyrical concerns and the use of electronics has parallels with Jamaican dancehall, and this music can be heard as one of the roots of lam sin, the Thai bass music that began in the '80s and '90s, but these recordings are not mere musicology. This is living music, and very fine music at that. Queen Khwanta, Sister Fasawang. She can't be denied. Selection, liner notes, and cover art by Soi 48.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
EM 1142LP
|
LP version with insert. How can we explain the power of music? How can songs delivered in a language that we don't understand move us so? This collection contains the very best songs from Hongthong Dao-udon, one of the great Thai singers of the "third generation" of Molam singers and one of the artists who succeeded in fusing Molam with Luk Thung, thus triggering a new generation of singers; in fact, she was the first to sing both genres from the beginning of her career, considering herself to be situated happily between the two styles. But none of this matters, finally, to the listener. This is music, not musicology, and Hongthong Dao-udon sings to us, not the pedants. Her career was brief, and these songs from the late '70s and early '80s are her very best, showcasing her rich vibrato, her masterful control, and the undeniable emotional power of her voice, and carrying us from joy and whimsy to melancholy and desolation. Produced mainly by Doi Inthanon, a legendary independent producer, these songs were very popular in Thailand, and it is easy to hear why, with strong melodies, impeccable swing, interesting arrangements, and, of course, Dao-udon's thrilling voice.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
12"
|
|
EM 1141LP
|
Compuma aka Koichi Matsunaga reaches back through time to 1970s Hawaii to perform a mind meld, with his old-school Roland drum machines and present-era compumagic Vulcanizing and reshaping Haku's original home-grown analog synth madness. Haku aka Frank Tavares composed a number of theater pieces and songs to highlight the multiethnic character of his native Hawaii, and released an LP of his compositions in 1975 (reissued by Em in 2015 (EM 1136CD/LP)). In Haku's work, new age musical elements, traditional Hawaiian music, and unclassifiable madness, all played on glorious analog synths, come together to form songs and stories delivered in Hawaiian, Japanese, and English. Not merely a remix, this is a synergistic reconstruction, a transformation at the molecular level in which Haku's source-code DNA is reborn in 2015 on 12" vinyl.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
EM 1145CD
|
The best of Khwanta Fasawang, the number-one soulful sister of 1980s lam phaen, queen of the cassette era. She was chosen, from over a thousand demo tapes, by legendary producer and songwriter Doi Inthanon, who wanted to create a new streetwise dance music. The lam phaen genre was the result, and Khwanta Fasawang was the singer he chose to be its representative. Combining earlier musical trajectories with electronic elements and lyrics dealing with drinking and love, money and motorcycles, Khwanta led the cassette-format lam phaen boom of the early '80s, gaining great popularity in both her native Isan and across the whole country. A change in lyrical concerns and the use of electronics has parallels with Jamaican dancehall, and this music can be heard as one of the roots of lam sin, the Thai bass music that began in the '80s and '90s, but these recordings are not mere musicology. This is living music, and very fine music at that. Queen Khwanta, Sister Fasawang. She can't be denied. Selection, liner notes, and cover art by Soi 48. Includes 20-page booklet with English liner notes and lyrics.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
EM 1136CD
|
Synthesizers and the human voice. Hawaii. The 1970s. Haku, aka Frank Tavares, a writer and musician, had a deep respect for the multiethnic character of his native Hawaii, and composed a number of theater pieces and songs to highlight this culture. However, he avoided many of the standard musical tropes, choosing to build his own studio and make all the music on synthesizers, a first for Hawaii. New age musical elements, traditional Hawaiian music, and unclassifiable madness, all played on glorious analog synths, are the foundation for songs and stories delivered in Hawaiian, Japanese, and English, reflecting Hawaii's multiethnic nature. Developed and recorded over several years, released in 1975 on vinyl, and woefully hard to find, it is now reissued for the first time.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
EM 1136LP
|
LP version. Synthesizers and the human voice. Hawaii. The 1970s. Haku, aka Frank Tavares, a writer and musician, had a deep respect for the multiethnic character of his native Hawaii, and composed a number of theater pieces and songs to highlight this culture. However, he avoided many of the standard musical tropes, choosing to build his own studio and make all the music on synthesizers, a first for Hawaii. New age musical elements, traditional Hawaiian music, and unclassifiable madness, all played on glorious analog synths, are the foundation for songs and stories delivered in Hawaiian, Japanese, and English, reflecting Hawaii's multiethnic nature. Developed and recorded over several years, released in 1975 on vinyl, and woefully hard to find, it is now reissued for the first time.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
EM 1138LP
|
LP version. Here's a tasty treat for all fans of DIY pop music: a multinational confection, the perfect blend of sweet and smart. Based around core members Matt Jones, originally from Western Massachusetts, and Busan native Jee Eun Lim, who met in Korea in 2011, the Jee Jee Band fuses simple pop structures, airy instrumentation, and breathy vocals with clever lyrics, in both Korean and English, often of a satirical or political nature. Based in Northern California, the band quietly celebrates Korean culture while also evidencing a cosmopolitan classic pop sensibility, blending K-pop and other Asian pop elements with a classic and yet contemporary US/UK pop feel. The songs on Glass Fish, all very fresh-sounding, feature performers from South Korea, America, and, on one song, the Khmer-language vocals of Cambodian filmmaker Vanntey Morn. Jones's Western Massachusetts pop roots allowed him to enlist the skills of former members of Sunburned, Sebadoh, and others to help record this charming and refreshing release, sure to appeal to fans of K Records, DIY sounds, and pure pop. Liner notes by Byron Coley.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
EM 1142CD
|
How can we explain the power of music? How can songs delivered in a language that we don't understand move us so? This collection contains the very best songs from Hongthong Dao-udon, one of the great Thai singers of the "third generation" of Molam singers and one of the artists who succeeded in fusing Molam with Luk Thung, thus triggering a new generation of singers; in fact, she was the first to sing both genres from the beginning of her career, considering herself to be situated happily between the two styles. But none of this matters, finally, to the listener. This is music, not musicology, and Hongthong Dao-udon sings to us, not the pedants. Her career was brief, and these songs from the late '70s and early '80s are her very best, showcasing her rich vibrato, her masterful control, and the undeniable emotional power of her voice, and carrying us from joy and whimsy to melancholy and desolation. Produced mainly by Doi Inthanon, a legendary independent producer, these songs were very popular in Thailand, and it is easy to hear why, with strong melodies, impeccable swing, interesting arrangements, and, of course, Dao-udon's thrilling voice. With two songs previously unavailable on CD, as well as her first recording and her biggest hits, this is essential. Includes 20-page booklet. Selection, liner notes, and cover art by Soi 48.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
EM 1137LP
|
LP version. Includes insert. This compilation is a sweet snapshot of a sophisticated sector of young Japanese pop music circa 2014. Originally released as a series of web-only EPs on Dai Ogasawara's Ano(t)raks label, Light Wave features artists born in the 1990s who have been strongly influenced by the melodic, sophisticated Japanese "city pop" music of the '70s and '80s, as exemplified by such revered names as Tatsuro Yamashita, Yumi Arai, and Tin Pan Alley. These musicians also draw inspiration from the "shibuya style" pop of the '90s, including artists like Pizzicato Five and Cornelius. But whereas these earlier artists were living in boom times and recording in luxurious studios financed by major record companies, these young artists have been born into a glum economic era with a decimated recording industry. Nevertheless, through the magic of sheer willpower and surprisingly assured musical and self-production skills, they make joyous, lighthearted, and refreshingly refined pop music. With strong melodies and inspired arrangements, this fresh new wave of city pop is perfect summer music, all year round. Remastered to EM Records' exacting standards, this collection showcases a promising generation of pure pop music in Japan. Includes 20-page booklet with liner notes by Ryohei Matsunaga, lyrics, artist bios, and English translations. Includes tracks by Hesonosuke, Miho Tsujibayashi, Shin Rizumu featuring Sodapop, rizumu & ikkubaru, and Sodapop (including a track featuring Yuriko Ohno). CD also includes a track by Umanosora and an extra track by Hesonosuke. LP (EM 1137LP) also includes a track by Like This Parade.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
EM 1137CD
|
This compilation is a sweet snapshot of a sophisticated sector of young Japanese pop music circa 2014. Originally released as a series of web-only EPs on Dai Ogasawara's Ano(t)raks label, Light Wave features artists born in the 1990s who have been strongly influenced by the melodic, sophisticated Japanese "city pop" music of the '70s and '80s, as exemplified by such revered names as Tatsuro Yamashita, Yumi Arai, and Tin Pan Alley. These musicians also draw inspiration from the "shibuya style" pop of the '90s, including artists like Pizzicato Five and Cornelius. But whereas these earlier artists were living in boom times and recording in luxurious studios financed by major record companies, these young artists have been born into a glum economic era with a decimated recording industry. Nevertheless, through the magic of sheer willpower and surprisingly assured musical and self-production skills, they make joyous, lighthearted, and refreshingly refined pop music. With strong melodies and inspired arrangements, this fresh new wave of city pop is perfect summer music, all year round. Remastered to EM Records' exacting standards, this collection showcases a promising generation of pure pop music in Japan. Includes 20-page booklet with liner notes by Ryohei Matsunaga, lyrics, artist bios, and English translations. Includes tracks by Hesonosuke, Miho Tsujibayashi, Shin Rizumu featuring Sodapop, rizumu & ikkubaru, and Sodapop (including a track featuring Yuriko Ohno). CD also includes a track by Umanosora and an extra track by Hesonosuke. LP (EM 1137LP) also includes a track by Like This Parade.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
EM 1138CD
|
Here's a tasty treat for all fans of DIY pop music: a multinational confection, the perfect blend of sweet and smart. Based around core members Matt Jones, originally from Western Massachusetts, and Busan native Jee Eun Lim, who met in Korea in 2011, the Jee Jee Band fuses simple pop structures, airy instrumentation, and breathy vocals with clever lyrics, in both Korean and English, often of a satirical or political nature. Based in Northern California, the band quietly celebrates Korean culture while also evidencing a cosmopolitan classic pop sensibility, blending K-pop and other Asian pop elements with a classic and yet contemporary US/UK pop feel. The songs on Glass Fish, all very fresh-sounding, feature performers from South Korea, America, and, on one song, the Khmer-language vocals of Cambodian filmmaker Vanntey Morn. Jones's Western Massachusetts pop roots allowed him to enlist the skills of former members of Sunburned, Sebadoh, and others to help record this charming and refreshing release, sure to appeal to fans of K Records, DIY sounds, and pure pop. Liner notes by Byron Coley.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
2LP
|
|
EM 1135LP
|
Double LP version. Plays at 45 RPM. Shifting tectonic plates, as two island nations collide! London resident Jackson Bailey aka Tapes makes Jamaica-drenched lo-fi bass music, a forward-looking mix of dub, dancehall, and electro roots channeled and filtered through old-school rhythm machines, synths, spring reverb, and delay. Recorded with glorious grit on cassette, sometimes in the red, tape hiss intact but somehow sounding bigger, better and beatier than it should, with a sweet analog patina. There's an aquatic feel here on this first full album from Bailey, a rich brew of deep and soulful sunny JA roots, hints of UK melancholy and industrial smoke, even some icily funky NYC early electro. With an old island soul and a new ear to the future, this first album from Tapes features six previously unreleased tracks plus ten tracks previously issued on his own label and other labels, including Jahtari, in various formats, included here with remastered sound in previously unreleased mixes. With a total running time of 43 minutes, these 16 tracks are available on double LP (45 RPM). UK, JA, NYC: all these letters, and more, spell Tapes. Front cover art by Jimmy Cauty (The KLF). Co-production of EM Records and Corner Stone Music.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
EM 1134LP
|
LP version. These recordings pull back a curtain to reveal the mysterious world of Syntoma and early-'80s underground Mexico. Syntoma was founded by Alex Eisenring in 1980, made use of synths and drum machines, and was driven by a freedom-seeking DIY ethos informed by a "rock-jazz-prog-experimental" background. These '70s-born influences throw crazed funhouse mirror reflections onto later Kraftwerk, UK synth-pop, post-punk, and pure pop forms. The first five tracks are instrumental, evidencing some intelligent melodic and harmonic conceptions; the same can be said for the remaining female/male vocal tracks, but the sense of otherness is boosted as the vocal stylings combine a definite UK '80s feel with an unplaceable geo-temporal essence, spanning decades and continents. Primarily a trio during the period of these recordings, 1981-84, Syntoma transcends the era and stands apart from their peers with a surprising melodic sense, harmonic adventurousness, interesting arrangements and, above all, an atmosphere of freshness and enthusiasm. Includes liner notes and lyrics. CD includes two bonus tracks.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
EM 1135CD
|
Shifting tectonic plates, as two island nations collide! London resident Jackson Bailey aka Tapes makes Jamaica-drenched lo-fi bass music, a forward-looking mix of dub, dancehall, and electro roots channeled and filtered through old-school rhythm machines, synths, spring reverb, and delay. Recorded with glorious grit on cassette, sometimes in the red, tape hiss intact but somehow sounding bigger, better and beatier than it should, with a sweet analog patina. There's an aquatic feel here on this first full album from Bailey, a rich brew of deep and soulful sunny JA roots, hints of UK melancholy and industrial smoke, even some icily funky NYC early electro. With an old island soul and a new ear to the future, this first album from Tapes features six previously unreleased tracks plus ten tracks previously issued on his own label and other labels, including Jahtari, in various formats, included here with remastered sound in previously unreleased mixes. With a total running time of 43 minutes, these 16 tracks are available on CD and double LP (45 RPM). UK, JA, NYC: all these letters, and more, spell Tapes. Front cover art by Jimmy Cauty (The KLF). Co-production of EM Records and Corner Stone Music.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
EM 1134CD
|
These recordings pull back a curtain to reveal the mysterious world of Syntoma and early-'80s underground Mexico. Syntoma was founded by Alex Eisenring in 1980, made use of synths and drum machines, and was driven by a freedom-seeking DIY ethos informed by a "rock-jazz-prog-experimental" background. These '70s-born influences throw crazed funhouse mirror reflections onto later Kraftwerk, UK synth-pop, post-punk, and pure pop forms. The first five tracks are instrumental, evidencing some intelligent melodic and harmonic conceptions; the same can be said for the remaining female/male vocal tracks, but the sense of otherness is boosted as the vocal stylings combine a definite UK '80s feel with an unplaceable geo-temporal essence, spanning decades and continents. Primarily a trio during the period of these recordings, 1981-84, Syntoma transcends the era and stands apart from their peers with a surprising melodic sense, harmonic adventurousness, interesting arrangements and, above all, an atmosphere of freshness and enthusiasm. Includes liner notes and lyrics. CD includes two bonus tracks.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
EM 1047LP
|
Alicia Bay Laurel is well known as the writer and illustrator of one of the classic books of the back-to-the-earth movement, the 1970 hand-written guide to living the good life, Living On the Earth. She is also an accomplished singer, songwriter, and guitarist, the latter skill honed by studying with John Fahey. The songs on Music from Living On the Earth were composed concurrently with the writing of the book, permeated by the sun and soil of the commune life. Bright and earthy paeans to the natural world, featuring ABL's pure, strong, and uplifting voice atop her fluid, confident, and deft steel-string acoustic guitar fingerpicking, her style showing that she learned well from Fahey. She also collaborated with San Francisco Tape Music Center co-founder Ramon Sender Barayón, who contributes the 40-voice choral arrangement for the closing track. Although these songs were written as the '60s became the '70s, Music from Living On the Earth was actually recorded in 2000, first issued as a self-produced CD, and reissued on CD by EM Records in 2006 (EM 1047CD). This 2015 15th anniversary edition is its first appearance on vinyl, and includes liner notes by the artist as well as English and Japanese lyrics, allowing listeners to again hear ABL's blues, jazz, and Indian music influences meld with folk roots to glorious effect.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
EM 1133LP
|
LP version. The fourth release from Roland P. Young on EM Records sees him moving ever deeper, earthbound and rooted, yet simultaneously flying further out, expanding his exploration of untethered celestial realms. Recorded in 2014 following a move to Tel Aviv, the title Confluences hints at the blend of cultures and histories in his new homeland, and is reflected in the music, which shows a range of cultural influences, filtered through Young's unique sensibility and vision. This is a calm, spiritual set, evidencing an inner comfort that was less prevalent on his Brooklyn recordings. This is not to imply that RPY is no longer searching; this release brings to fruition the promise of earlier recordings such as Isophonic Boogie Woogie (EM 1045CD/HJ-LP) and Istet Serenade (EM 1087CD/LP), made complete via Young's multi-instrumental chops on sax, bass clarinet, kalimba, and keyboards working in tandem with his rhythm and bass programming skills, his multi-track studio mastery, and an ever-evolving sense of musical form and drama. The confluences of cultures are of course swirling throughout this release, but also the confluences, as noted above, of the earthy and the celestial, as well as the temporal confluences of the past, present, and future. Perhaps more than any of his previous releases, Confluences realizes Young's description of his own work as "Afro spiritual minimal electronic space music." This release is the next stage of Roland P. Young's never-ending voyage.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
EM 1100CD
|
Gift from Noahlewis' Mahlon Taits, which was previously issued on vinyl LP by EM Records in November 2012 (EM 1100LP), is now finally available on CD with three additional tracks, a new track sequence, and new cover art. The band has a unique place in the current Japanese music scene; a hard-to-classify blend of original compositions (swinging garage-sax swagger, serpentine accordion/musical saw funk, pensive sky musings) and well-chosen covers, acclaimed (Rogers and Hart, Joe Meek) and obscure (lounge wizard Bobby Hammack and '50s pianist/composer Bob Brandt). Recorded in 2011-2014 in Tokyo, this album captures the special Noahlewis' Mahlon Taits frontline blend of sax, accordion, and musical saw, joyfully urged on by the rhythm section. This band, so distinct from the mass of typical Tokyo sounds, is intent on pursuing its own musical vision, joyously melodic and defiantly timeless. The 10 songs on this CD, two of which feature vocals from Tomoko Kanda, were previously released this year on an EM 7", are sure to bring a smile to your face, a tap to your toe, and perhaps, a tear to your eye.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
EM 1133CD
|
The fourth release from Roland P. Young on EM Records sees him moving ever deeper, earthbound and rooted, yet simultaneously flying further out, expanding his exploration of untethered celestial realms. Recorded in 2014 following a move to Tel Aviv, the title Confluences hints at the blend of cultures and histories in his new homeland, and is reflected in the music, which shows a range of cultural influences, filtered through Young's unique sensibility and vision. This is a calm, spiritual set, evidencing an inner comfort that was less prevalent on his Brooklyn recordings. This is not to imply that RPY is no longer searching; this release brings to fruition the promise of earlier recordings such as Isophonic Boogie Woogie (EM 1045CD/HJ-LP) and Istet Serenade (EM 1087CD/LP), made complete via Young's multi-instrumental chops on sax, bass clarinet, kalimba, and keyboards working in tandem with his rhythm and bass programming skills, his multi-track studio mastery, and an ever-evolving sense of musical form and drama. The confluences of cultures are of course swirling throughout this release, but also the confluences, as noted above, of the earthy and the celestial, as well as the temporal confluences of the past, present, and future. Perhaps more than any of his previous releases, Confluences realizes Young's description of his own work as "Afro spiritual minimal electronic space music." Available on CD and LP, this release is the next stage of Roland P. Young's never-ending voyage. Get on board!
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
EM 1132CD
|
Following the appetizer of the two 12" singles "Trinidad (Disco Mix)" and "J'Ouvert," EM Records now serves up the main dish, the fine 1977 album Steel Funk by John Gibbs And The Unlimited Sound Of Steel Orchestra, a new addition to the "EM Steel Pan Series." Trinidadian steel-pan player John A. Gibbs studied science at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica where he earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees and formed The Jamaica All Stars Steel Band. This was the start of a dual career in science and music that eventually took him to the United States. He moved to Philadelphia in the mid-'70s and met Philly arranger/producer Louis A. deLise, with whom he collaborated to create a new steel pan music, welding Trinidadian steel music to Philly soul. He researched and advocated a new style of steel pan music, describing the steel pan as an "omnivibraphone" in his 1978 book The Unit Steel Band, in which he combined his scientific and musical backgrounds to illuminate the physics of the steel pan. Gibbs' innate musicality comes to the fore on Steel Funk, where he compiles several years of experience with deLise into an appealing Trini-Philly groove union, with the five steel pan players of the Unlimited Sound Of Steel Orchestra working in sync with a 30-piece studio orchestra of brass, strings and rhythm. The songs range from Calypso to film theme to pop standard, covers and originals, but Steel Funk is not a chintzy pastiche, it's a glorious unity. EM Records offers this re-release as "the 2014 version," newly remastered, with improved sound quality, a different track order, and new cover art drawn by Yoshihiro Tsuyama/2Yang. NOTE: All tracks are NOT duplicated on the two 12" singles "Trinidad (Disco Mix)" and "J'Ouvert."
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
EM 1132LP
|
LP version. Following the appetizer of the two 12" singles "Trinidad (Disco Mix)" and "J'Ouvert," EM Records now serves up the main dish, the fine 1977 album Steel Funk by John Gibbs And The Unlimited Sound Of Steel Orchestra, a new addition to the "EM Steel Pan Series." Trinidadian steel-pan player John A. Gibbs studied science at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica where he earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees and formed The Jamaica All Stars Steel Band. This was the start of a dual career in science and music that eventually took him to the United States. He moved to Philadelphia in the mid-'70s and met Philly arranger/producer Louis A. deLise, with whom he collaborated to create a new steel pan music, welding Trinidadian steel music to Philly soul. He researched and advocated a new style of steel pan music, describing the steel pan as an "omnivibraphone" in his 1978 book The Unit Steel Band, in which he combined his scientific and musical backgrounds to illuminate the physics of the steel pan. Gibbs' innate musicality comes to the fore on Steel Funk, where he compiles several years of experience with deLise into an appealing Trini-Philly groove union, with the five steel pan players of the Unlimited Sound Of Steel Orchestra working in sync with a 30-piece studio orchestra of brass, strings and rhythm. The songs range from Calypso to film theme to pop standard, covers and originals, but Steel Funk is not a chintzy pastiche, it's a glorious unity. EM Records offers this re-release as "the 2014 version," newly remastered, with improved sound quality, a different track order, and new cover art drawn by Yoshihiro Tsuyama/2Yang. NOTE: All tracks are NOT duplicated on the two 12" singles "Trinidad (Disco Mix)" and "J'Ouvert."
|
viewing 1 To 25 of 120 items
Next >>
|
|