therefore- The Bomb Grant (SAA1133)

An overwhelming listen, The Bomb Grant is the final album from Michael Kaufmann (ex-Soul-Junk) and Wayne Feldman. Upwards of two years time was spent crafting the edge of noise into a kind of technological voodoo. The impulse to give a circuit board a soul exists and is abandoned. However soft ears will bear out the Spirit inside. Presented in two epic compositions therefore eclipses last years L.G.F.C.A. with an even more challenging, esoteric masterwork. Patience not included.

Strata- A Young Person’s Guide To Experimental Music (SAA1125)

An ambitious compilation of noise, electronic, hip-hop, free jazz, prog and experimental music, Strata- A Young Person’s Guide To Experimental Music is a primer for those of any age. Featuring rare, new and unreleased tracks from: Create (!), Bizzart, Melk The G6-49, Lafcadio, Soul-Junk, MakeShift:Shelter, Manners For Husbands, Receptor Sight, Electric iLL and others. Collected from the Sounds Are Active and Joyful Noise record labels, Strata- A Young Person’s Guide To Experimental Music, presents both previously unreleased and downloadable tracks with album cuts.

Electric iLL/Vla Hemia- split CD (SAA1124)

Long awaited, this split release collects two amazing EP’s from Viva Voce’s Kevin Robinson as Electric iLL and the Siamese Sisters produced Vla Hemia project. The first half collects the five sought after tracks from the much whispered of Vla Hemia (MC Vinch Kashmir and Siamese Sisters). Think Golden Age Hip-Hop (Blowout Comb, Midnight Marauders, Juggaknots EP) without a retro-wish to be fresh in ‘94. These tracks lack the stale same-ness of much of mainstream boom-bap. Electric iLL is a sound for sore ears. Recruiting Soul-Junk’s Galaxalag and Slo-Ro for phoned in (literally) raps and NY’s JSRockit, who delivers a hilariously whimsical verse on “Non-Moley Yease”, the husband-half of the fantastical Viva Voce, Kevin Robinson lets his freak flag fly. On tracks like “Nurban Gowns” he duets with a Speak-N-Spell, and constructs lunchtray turntablism, elsewhere live saw and drumkit breaks collide and fedback guitars mask unwholesome lyrical patterns. Not to be missed.

Golden Poultry Error- s/t (SAA1123)

Once random, now immediately rhythmic, GPE is a sonic broth of radical reconstruction and reinterpretation of recorded improv by Soul-Junk’s Glen Galaxy and Slo-Ro. The linearity is smashed but then eloquently rebuilt into something digitally swarming, yet equally spontaneous and alive. The resulting sound is free-style cyber-primitivist, somewhere between abstract hip-hop and free improv with crystalline purpose and chaotic flirting.

Soul-Junk- 1937 (SAA1120)

Years in the making 1937 utterly destroys the rubble left behind from the previous two Soul-Junk full length records. With no place left to go the tracks on 1937 are the final deconstruction which leaves Mssrs. Galaxalag and Slo-Ro at proverbial forks in the road. Galaxalag has set upon a course which will see him record the entire Bible word for word and beat for beat; while Slo-Ro walks hand in hand with new identity M.C. Ponderosa and refines the hoagie charm of kidnastypup’s splatter raps. The wonderful artwork has been remixed and masterfully assembled by Paul Goode and Jonathan Dueck, themselves the original artists for 1957 and 1958 respectively. Wholly strange, rewarding and consistantly difficult, 1937 is the breakup record. 1937 is the reunion record.

Sounds Are Active/Asthmatic Kitty Sampler (AS001)

Sounds Are Active and sister label Asthmatic Kitty have pooled their collective talents to put something beautiful into the world: the 2004 Sampler. Over over 74 minutes of music from these two unceasingly original record labels. The Asthmatic Kitty “Side” features songs from Sufjan Stevens’ first three albums, as well as three tracks from the unrelentingly joyous Half-Handed Cloud. Songs by Liz Janes, Castanets and Viva Voce round out the 11 tracks- 3 heretofore unreleased. The Sounds Are Active “Side” teems with spastic new work from Melk The G6-49, Bizzart and Deneir. New and unreleased tracks from Soul-Junk, Vla Hemia and Create (!). Softer pieces contributed by Xn. (featuring a slick remix from hip-hop producer supreme Omid) and the brooding “Two Planes for Elliott Smith” by the Constantine/Levin/Phillips/Schlarb/Shadduck quintet.

Citizens Against The Space Atrocity- Los Satellites Artificiales (SAA1117)

Newly unearthed recordings from part-time Soul-Junk-er/Danielson Famile member Jon Galaxy. Strange, dark and esoteric electronic music this instrumental 7″ contains equal parts humor and the sonic charactor of early Squarepusher, Cylob or Dial. Conspiracy theories abound on the cover art and diagrams follow on the etchings which grace both sides of this rare release. There will be no repressing. Once sold out this release will be out of print.

Bizzart- Ear Drung (SAA1116)

Live free-jazz breakouts and lo-fi bass heavy glitch combine with Bizzart’s complex/abstract lyrical patterns. Ear Drung contains over 40 minutes of experimental hip-hop for fans of Bjork, PiL, Squarepusher and CAN. Over a 6 years in the making (yes, six), the album features incredible contributions and collaborations with DJ ESP, who appears on 4 tracks, Soul-Junk who produce “Nivek” and co-produce “Pink Summer in Hell” with Accident. Galaxalag also contributes vocals to “Nivek” along side other M.C.’s Freedom80 (of Non-Conformists), on “Negative Gravity” and Zane (of Tunnel Rats) on the incredibly dirty “Infinite Zero”. Also contributing to the sounds and structures are NOTICE contributors Peter Chan who lays down saxophones and clarinets on 5 cuts, Justice Constantine and Andrew Pompey who play live drums on one track each (”Protocol” and “Infinite Zero” respectively). Create (!) performs on the groove-based deconstruction that is “Stock Options on the Inner Reconstruction of Man” and Slo-Ro (of Soul-Junk) also contributes sounds to two additional tracks (”Ear Drung/Illuminate” and “Infinite Zero”).

Soul-Junk- 1958 (SAA1113)

By sheer force of flim-flam genius slight-of-hand, this outing finds Soul-Junk following up the critically acclaimed 1957 with a release that manages to be simultaneously more deconstructed and yet more accessible. This is the crossroads that Soul-Junk delights, dancing across the pavements and avoiding bus rides into the played out regions of the current electronic/hip-hop landscape. But rather they cannonball into pools and puddles unafraid of no diving rules and whistle blowing purists. With a MUCH wider instrumentation / influence / and an amazing love of noise, Soul-Junk returns after cooking another potluck sized serving of hip-hop, sliced/diced/smothered and covered. From Gamelon influenced choral dizzy-clash, calypso-noise-fusion, baroque chamber music cut-ups, atari glitch funk, and campfire sing-a-longs, the album arrives with a juiced up sample palette and ground breaking production. Disturbing crookedness and collaborations with Kidnastypup, free-jazzer Daniel Carter and avant-trumpeter Greg Kelley, DJ Mizzicah, Bizzart and the ever elusive Prof. Kermit (aka Golden Poultry Error).

Soul-Junk- 1957 (SAA1105)

With a concentration on giving hip-hop stretch marks Soul-Junk chime in with their own version of the underground. Skip-hop experimentalism with spastic vocals speaking in tongues. MC’s Galaxalag and Slo-Ro have produced a cohesive album of sparkling originality. Building of the scattered catalog that Soul-Junk has accumulated, this new extension finds us squarely in the middle of the verbal freakout with some of the more challenging lyrics in the Soul-Junk compendium. A logical progression from the critically lauded 1956 this new album is the first under the reign of the two man show of Galaxalag and Slo-Ro. Tracks such as “Horse Posing As Unicorn” with it’s familiar sing-song delivery stutters and step over itself with ambient and jutting sounds shooting out your speakers.