Vox Populi! - Ectoplasmies 7" EP (VP 231 B) 1983

Here is the first and only 7" release by Vox Populi!.

Regular readers here have probably noticed my obsession with Vox Populi! I started listening to them around the time their second LP was released.

Although there are eight tracks on this record, being a 7", they amount to just over 14 minutes of music.

Overall, this record is different than their later folk/world and industrial funk styles, having more of a dark minimal synth sound, as if the cover art doesn't already give that away. It hovers somewhere in the space also occupied by Monton, Dark Day & of course, the Vanity label.

This is ripped at 256K since it is shorter length. Unfortunately, a few tracks suffer from a bit of crackle and popping.

Side A
1 I, the Mad - Slow minimal synth & bass track w/ vocals - worth the download alone
2 Sine die, sane Corpore - dark synth/drum machine w/ minimal echoed vocals
3 Brave Old World - slow dark synth w/ vocals & bass
4 Hemoptysie - short uptempo synth track

Side B:
1 Ectoplasme II - slow instrumental piece
2 Ectoplasme I - synth arpeggio w/ a slight bit of noise added to the waveform accompanied by piano going through a delay
3 Ectoplasme III - Too short minimal synth track - one of my favorite VP! tracks
4 Ectoplasme IV - Backward tapes & vocals with other sounds

Enjoy

Vox Populi! - Imaginaires Cassette 1985

I acquired this tape in a trade around ten years ago. It arrived with no artwork and over the years I lost track of any communication that mentioned the title. So, until very recently, I wasn't sure what release it was as it didn't resemble any cassette listed on discogs.com in length and/or track arrangement.

A few weeks ago there was a Vox Populi! cassette for sale on eBay. Not recognizing the title, I looked closely at the picture and saw the same mysterious Vox Populi! tape I could no longer identify. According to the auction listing, this cassette was included with the French magazine Imaginaires and released in 1985.

Some of the tracks on this cassette have appeared elsewhere (either before or after this release) on other VP releases or compilations in one form or another.

Here is the tracklist supplied in the eBay listing:

Quid (inclus les HITS (Campagnarde, Oyez Oyez, Scoubidou Bidou, Johnny pour toujours)
Ovan IV
Baby Sex
Achk
Samourai
Ovan III
Banafche
Tibetan Cowboy

In this rip, Side A is left as one track, and Side B is split into six tracks. There are eight/eleven tracks listed above so I don't know where Side A ends and Side B begins above.

If anyone else (maybe the winner of the auction) can share some info on this in the comments, I will update the post.

Enjoy

V/A - Necronomicon 2 2xCassette (Necronomicon N002) 1985

Another request that was coincidentally almost ready to post.

A sure sign your music collection is too big: Several months ago I tried to bid on this compilation and was and did not win it. A few months later while browsing through some of my shelves, I pulled this out and was joyed & surprised to see I already owned it!

This compilation includes two cassettes and a 24 pg. booklet featuring text and art contributions from the artists. The tapes are split between US and European participants.

A lot of moderately well-known (Vox Populi!, P16.D4, F/i, Smersh, Architects Office, Psyclones...) and many unknown contribute one or two tracks to this collection including Coral Infantil Cantaires del Cadi, comprising of children with no prior musical experience and Catalonian musicians from Error Genetico, Macromassa and others.

Full tracklist:

USA Cassette

Side A:
F/i - Azazabee
F/i - Mood Sequence
Sombrero Galaxy - Buy a Gun
Architects Office - Hymnosis
Machinic Indices - Untitled Komposition iv
Psyclones - Slabtard

Side B:
Smersh - Holiday Task Dub
White Hand - Screams that Whisper
Architects Office - I Chris
Psyclones & Schlafengarten - Chicke Skin
Billy Club Puppet - Almost Dread Inna Belltown

European Cassette

Side A:
Die Welttraumforscher (CH)- The Return of Abdul Al-Hazred
Die Welttraumforscher (CH)- Natascha
El Obscuro Interior (E)- Olvido & Duda
P16.D4 (D) - Setebos Seconda
Recursos Ajenos (E) - Gatos
Non Toxique Lost (D) - Die 4 Tempramente
Tasaday (I) - Il Respiro Si Blocca
Coral Infantil Cantaires del Cadi (E) - Quan El Sol Es pon
Coral Infantil Cantaires del Cadi (E) - El Rellotge

Side B:
Avant-Dernieres Pensees (E) - El Lujo de Ser Olvidados
Vox Populi! (F) - Holkar
Linea Tactica (E) - Suiza-Geneve. Raspaduras En El Cuello, Friccion Dolorosa
Tasaday (I) - Spiragli in Spazi
Merz (E) - El Signo
Falx Cerebri (D) - Durch Schmerz Zum Orgasmus
Zusammewaschen (E) - Aurera Schrammaschine

USA Cassette
European Cassette

DJ Announcement - Champion Superior Soundsystem @ Marx Cafe, Wash DC This Friday (8/17)

A plug for the semi-regular DJ event I co-host. Be sure to check out the mini streaming mix at DCSoundclash.com for a taste of what to expect this Friday....

Yes, yes, yes! You read that right … come Friday, DJs
Dave From Atlantis, Braulio and I will be running
another grand and glorious Champion Superior
Soundsystem at Marx Cafe!

That means for no money down, you can get a night of
funk, freak and UFO sounds. That's right: It's
absolutely free!

You can preview the action at dcsoundclash.com: Just
click words "Champion Superior Soundsystem" at the top
and you'll be whisked away on a magic mix. Whisked!
Away! Really!

"What about the fine print," you ask … well, here it
is:
The Champion Superior Soundsystem
10 pm Friday, Aug. 17
Marx Cafe
3203 Mt. Pleasant St.
NWDC No Cover

So, first go to http://www.dcsoundclash.com, listen to
the mix — and while you're there, check out the new
reviews added today. Then, saddle up and ride on over
to Marx. Do that part Friday, though. If you do it
today, you'll be waiting awhile. 

Frank Dommert & Marcus Schmickler - Nach Schweiz Cassette (Entenpfuhl EMM 002) 1988

Another request...

An early cassette on the Entenpfuhl label featuring some of the first recordings by Frank Dommert & Marcus Schmickler. Nach Schweiz was released in 1988 in an edition of 100 copies.

Dommert still runs Entenpfuhl today in addition to the label Sonig. Aside from his many early solo works, Dommert has also worked with HNAS, Mouse on Mars, Esognomig, Kontakta and others. Mutant Sounds posted his excellent solo LP Kiefermusik here.

Marcus Schmickler has appeared on releases going back to 1988. I was first turned on to Schmickler through his work with C. Schulz in the early 90's. Schmickler has since made a name for himself on his own, or under his better known alias Pluramon, as well as other collaborations in a variety of styles from experimental sound collage to post- shoegaze/rock to minimal techno.

This should appeal to anyone familiar with their earlier work.

Side B is left intact as one track. Here is the tracklist:

Side A:
Pluto
Country Chicks
Fenster 3
Gehororgane

Side B:
Nach Schweiz
Part I - Ebertplatz
Part II - Reichenspergerplatz
Fenster 2
Treulos

Enjoy

Tolerance - Anonym LP (Vanity 0004) 1979

Here is a request response.

This is a complete copy of the first Tolerance LP originally posted at another great site, Direct Waves, but apparently missing a large portion of side B

Tolerance were the only group to release two LPs on Vanity. This album really bridges the gap between the 70's & 80's. Starting off with hazy trips resembling the cosmic realm of krautrock and following through to more experimental diy thats sits aside the output of Sema and early Nurse with Wound.

In the liner notes to this album is the phrase 'Dedicated to the quiet men from a tiny girl' - a phrase that inspired the title of the third NWW album.

Here is the full tracklist - some of the tracks in the file are truncated.

Side A:
Two Owls
I wanna be a homicide
osteo-tomy
JUIN-Irenee
anonym

Side B:
Laughin in the shadows
through the glass
tecno-room
Voyage au bout de la nuit

I believe that leaves the first Vanity label LP (by Dada) that hasn't been archived to the web. After responding to a couple other requests here, next up will be the three Vanity 7"s.

Enjoy.

Requests?

Thought I'd throw out a call for requests. I can't guarantee I'll have it, but I hope by now regular visitors will have a sense of the varying focus here at Atlantis Audio Archive.

Possibly on the horizon: Metabolist and Cranioclast releases not posted elsewhere already or released on CD, Kallabris, Vox Populi! cassettes and vinyl...

Nishimura Alimoti - Shibou Cassette (Vanity VAT 6) 1981

And here it is, the last cassette in the Vanity box. In complete contrast to the previous tape, and just about every other Vanity release, this is much louder and contains very little electronics - the majority of the music here being guitar, bass, drums and vocals. Again, as usual, no info on the web on Nishimura Alimoti.

Like everything on Vanity, it is mostly on the lo-fi/diy side. To make some lazy comparisons, I'll throw out Metabolist, Joy Division (track B2 - Ninshiki Yoso particularly) and possibly the sludge bass/guitar of early Skullflower on a couple tracks (at least what I remember how they sounded 10/15+ years ago). There are probably many other comparisons to be made here as well, both contemporary to this release as well as a lot of semi-recent music.

Being on vacation right now and having very limited internet access, I will not go into much detail here so I can finally complete this post as I've been sitting on this one for a while trying to find time to do a proper review.

For anyone who wishes to purchase an original copy of this cassette, I have a spare copy for sale. Check the links under Atlantis Records in the side-bar for more details. I suppose providing a copy of this for download will not generate many willing to purchase the real thing these days...

And this concludes the Vanity box archive series - many more posts planned once I return from vacation: the three Vanity 7"s, more Vox Populi! and a few other titles I've hinted at posting in previous posts.

Enjoy.

Wireless Sight - Endless Dark Dream Cassette (Vanity VAT 5) 1981

Here is the fifth cassette in the Vanity box. This is probably the lowest fidelity and the most minimal of any Vanity release. Wireless Sight is credited to Kunio Wakae, and as usual, no info appears to exist on him or this project.

A majority of the music here is accompanied by a metronome or some other time-piece and piano. Not much else, but it does provide some nice background music. The closest comparison (on Vanity) I hear is possibly Tolerance; outside of Vanity, perhaps a very stripped-down Robert Haigh/Sema.

Side A may in fact contain two tracks, but I've archived this tape one track per side.

Enjoy.

Invivo - B.B.B. Cassette (Vanity VAT4) 1981

The fourth cassette in the Vanity box courtesy of Invivo is a great collection of varied minimal/diy styles from rock/punk to electronic, industrial and more. It was recorded in 1980 and includes one live track.

The liner notes (see scan) state side A is by Invivo and side B by Invitro.
Here is a track breakdown.

Side A:
B.B.B. - Invivo, like others in the Vanity Box also contributed to the Vanity Music compilation DLP. In this case this track appeared in much abbreviated form on the compilation. Repetitive drum machine either going through distortion or some other effect w/ slowly modulating synth waves and bass guitar.

Micoplasma (1983) - Low pinging rhythm with synth pulses and other sounds.

LD50 (live) - Lots of guitar, a bit of sax and some sort of live percussion. Before the sax comes in, this could just have easily been a Metabolist recording.

m.i.c. - This track segues with a gurgling synth line resembling the main guitar part from the previous one. The addition of a sax makes this a nice mood setting tune and is unfortunately a little shorter than I'd wish.

Macrolide (C H NO) - Slightly uptempo drum machine, synth and bass guitar.

Bacteroides - Drum machine and bass that sounds like a BGM or early Cabaret Voltaire outtake.

Side B:
Proteus - Slow pulsing snyth with guitars that works very well.

Amoxicillin - There is a bit between this song and the previous one that I wasn't sure where it belonged. Rather than keeping these two combined I included the brief sound burst at the end of B1 and the start of B2. What starts off as Jamaican sounding music, possibly another recording morphs into drum machine, synth, sax and more. The sax here, as in all but m.i.c. is very subdued and usually deep in the mix, not in your face.

Kiebsiella - Minimal synth and bass guitar.

Micoplasma (1979) - A slowed down version of similarly titled track on the other side. Like Conrad Schnitzler in 'super slo-mo'.

Dead World (LC M) - Minimal electronic contemplative piece that could have lasted 20 minutes rather than the two given here. In a way this one at the same time sounds possibly the most out of place in the entire box so far, and maybe my favorite from the set as well.

Enjoy.