Rip_City
Well-Known Member
October Acquisitions
October was...a lot. So much so that I am putting myself in no-buy jail for the remainder of 2024, as well as (hopefully) Q1 of 2025. All that's pending is an online order of five LPs from a store new to me in Washington with a curation that is to my taste, in addition to a lone Target preorder from the B2G1 sale last month.
Music From Memory
Jonny Nash - Make a Wilderness
The Zenmenn - Enter the Zenmenn
Suso Sáiz - Resonant Bodies
Habitat Ensemble - Habitat Ensemble
V/A - Virtual Dreams II - Ambient Explorations In The House & Techno Age, Japan 1993-1999
Jonny Nash's solo MFM entry is very, very bleak sounding...much different from last year's Point of Entry (one of my top10). Despite the dark, brooding nature of a majority of the tracklist, the sound palette fits into the overall vibe of the label's music thanks to the ambient nature of it all.
This one from The Zenmenn is more of a Balearic art pop effort, perhaps downtempo as well.
Suso Sáiz acquired from trading in a few LPs. More ambient coziness.
For something tribal influenced, the debut LP from Habitat Ensemble fits the bill.
The prize out of all of the above is the new volume of Virtual Dreams, a well-curated selection of tracks defining the distinct sound of house music back in the CD age of Japan. No OBI tho, despite the MFM listing stating that the first 1000 come with an OBI strip (still available on MFM's website).
Outer Sounds
Dagar Brothers - Berlin 1964 - The Lost Studio Recording
Yutaka Hirose (広瀬豊) - Trace: Sound Design Works 1986-1989
Terry Riley - Descending Moonshine Dervishes
Hiroshi Yoshimura (吉村弘) - Soundscape 1: Surround
I'm glad that the curation of Outer Sounds dives into various regions on the map. In this case, Indian Classical music recorded by The Dagar Brothers in the mid 60s, with two sidelong performances. Sort of the same atmosphere from listening to the introductory tambura of Alice's Journey in Satchidananda, but with beautiful traditional vocals adorning the droning tambura. Likely transcendent after a bong rip, but I don't smoke.
This ambient release from Yutaka Hirose is in the same vein as Nova, but slightly darker in atmosphere.
This reissue of Terry Riley's synthesizer masterwork was made possible thanks to Beacon Sound here in Portland.
Love the Yoshimura reissue, of course. He's one of my top50 all time.
All of these were acquired for far cheaper than signing up for a three-month subscription of the service ($126 shipped). Dagar Brothers $29 (but bought through trade-in), Yutaka Hirose $21.50 (lone Discogs order of the year), Terry Riley $20 (Beacon Sound), Hiroshi Yoshimura $28 (Mississippi Records).
Aphex & Emahoy
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works Volume II
Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou - Spielt Eigene Kompositionen
Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou - Jerusalem
Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou - Souvenirs
At long last, the second volume of Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works is here; one of my top10 discogs wantlist items. Warp did a lovingly great effort into the packaging and mastering of the recording.
All of these Emahoy releases are available for cheap at Mississippi Records ($16/ea). However, I did see that Souvenirs was available on Target's catalogue, with the limited gold LP being cheaper than the std black edition during the B2G1 sale. Bought that one there.
Sade
Sade - Diamond Life
Sade - Promise
Sade - Stronger Than Pride
Sade - Love Deluxe
I love 'em all, but I've found that Stronger Than Pride is my favorite of these. A tropical sophistipop revelation.
Current Year Selections
The Cosmic Tones Research Trio - All is Sound
Nala Sinephro - Endlessness
Astrid Sonne - Great Doubt
Tashi Wada - What Is Not Strange?
Remembered when I was in Mississippi Records that this debut EP from the Portland jazz trio would release early. I was recommended it a few weeks ago from the shop owner to be on the lookout for it. Bought it on a whim and listened to the digital while putting together this post in the early morning and loved it. One of my favorite EPs of the year, of the few I've bothered to listen to. Only $13 from Mississippi Records, as this EP is distributed through them and they like to keep things affordable.
Nala Sinephro's follow up to the excellent Space 1.8 is one of my favorites of the year. Thank you @Ethos99 for the generous PIF.
It left my list for the year end but I'm 99% certain it will reenter my favorites; Great Doubt by Astrid Sonne is one of most interesting hybrid of sounds from an art pop record I've heard in a short package. I'd liken it to a L'Rain album just from variety alone, but they are totally different artists. Manufactured in Denmark, so normally a pricy import here in the USA, though a few locals here have this available for a reasonable price.
Tashi Wada's most recent album was a necessity for me, seeing as Julia Holter provides vocals throughout (and she's Tashi's wife). Beautiful drone/avantgarde/ambient hybrid. Not quite top10 of the year for me, but close.
DJ Selections
Bobby Caldwell - Bobby Caldwell
Caribou - Honey
Coastlines - Coastlines
Larry Heard - Sceneries Not Songs, Volume One
Mr Beatnick - île Flottante
Soichi Terada (寺田創一) - Sounds From the Far East
Loved seeing the Bobby Caldwell after having the hardest time finding it anywhere. Will be very useful in a pinch for a sophistipop setlist. Recent reissue from Europe.
Not the best from Dan, though the new Caribou has a handful of fun tracks. Bought this at a release launch party for the album about four weeks ago and got a free poster with it.
Coastlines is a duo from Japan creating downtempo/Balearic/synth-funk instrumentals. Sounds exactly like the cover...tropical and breezy. They also have a second volume of this Coastlines series, just added to my wantlist.
This 90s record from Larry Heard is seen as a deep house staple in DJ circles. I enjoyed a pair of listens at work, and saw it on sale recently.
Mr Beatnick's record is a deep house/Balearic LP.
Excellent compilation of deep house from Soichi Terada.
Miscellaneous
De La Soul - Stakes is High
TLC - CrazySexyCool
The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
De La Soul and TLC both from Target sale.
The Smiths from local ~2miles from my residence.
October was...a lot. So much so that I am putting myself in no-buy jail for the remainder of 2024, as well as (hopefully) Q1 of 2025. All that's pending is an online order of five LPs from a store new to me in Washington with a curation that is to my taste, in addition to a lone Target preorder from the B2G1 sale last month.
Music From Memory
Jonny Nash - Make a Wilderness
The Zenmenn - Enter the Zenmenn
Suso Sáiz - Resonant Bodies
Habitat Ensemble - Habitat Ensemble
V/A - Virtual Dreams II - Ambient Explorations In The House & Techno Age, Japan 1993-1999
Jonny Nash's solo MFM entry is very, very bleak sounding...much different from last year's Point of Entry (one of my top10). Despite the dark, brooding nature of a majority of the tracklist, the sound palette fits into the overall vibe of the label's music thanks to the ambient nature of it all.
This one from The Zenmenn is more of a Balearic art pop effort, perhaps downtempo as well.
Suso Sáiz acquired from trading in a few LPs. More ambient coziness.
For something tribal influenced, the debut LP from Habitat Ensemble fits the bill.
The prize out of all of the above is the new volume of Virtual Dreams, a well-curated selection of tracks defining the distinct sound of house music back in the CD age of Japan. No OBI tho, despite the MFM listing stating that the first 1000 come with an OBI strip (still available on MFM's website).
Outer Sounds
Dagar Brothers - Berlin 1964 - The Lost Studio Recording
Yutaka Hirose (広瀬豊) - Trace: Sound Design Works 1986-1989
Terry Riley - Descending Moonshine Dervishes
Hiroshi Yoshimura (吉村弘) - Soundscape 1: Surround
I'm glad that the curation of Outer Sounds dives into various regions on the map. In this case, Indian Classical music recorded by The Dagar Brothers in the mid 60s, with two sidelong performances. Sort of the same atmosphere from listening to the introductory tambura of Alice's Journey in Satchidananda, but with beautiful traditional vocals adorning the droning tambura. Likely transcendent after a bong rip, but I don't smoke.
This ambient release from Yutaka Hirose is in the same vein as Nova, but slightly darker in atmosphere.
This reissue of Terry Riley's synthesizer masterwork was made possible thanks to Beacon Sound here in Portland.
Love the Yoshimura reissue, of course. He's one of my top50 all time.
All of these were acquired for far cheaper than signing up for a three-month subscription of the service ($126 shipped). Dagar Brothers $29 (but bought through trade-in), Yutaka Hirose $21.50 (lone Discogs order of the year), Terry Riley $20 (Beacon Sound), Hiroshi Yoshimura $28 (Mississippi Records).
Aphex & Emahoy
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works Volume II
Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou - Spielt Eigene Kompositionen
Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou - Jerusalem
Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou - Souvenirs
At long last, the second volume of Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works is here; one of my top10 discogs wantlist items. Warp did a lovingly great effort into the packaging and mastering of the recording.
All of these Emahoy releases are available for cheap at Mississippi Records ($16/ea). However, I did see that Souvenirs was available on Target's catalogue, with the limited gold LP being cheaper than the std black edition during the B2G1 sale. Bought that one there.
Sade
Sade - Diamond Life
Sade - Promise
Sade - Stronger Than Pride
Sade - Love Deluxe
I love 'em all, but I've found that Stronger Than Pride is my favorite of these. A tropical sophistipop revelation.
Current Year Selections
The Cosmic Tones Research Trio - All is Sound
Nala Sinephro - Endlessness
Astrid Sonne - Great Doubt
Tashi Wada - What Is Not Strange?
Remembered when I was in Mississippi Records that this debut EP from the Portland jazz trio would release early. I was recommended it a few weeks ago from the shop owner to be on the lookout for it. Bought it on a whim and listened to the digital while putting together this post in the early morning and loved it. One of my favorite EPs of the year, of the few I've bothered to listen to. Only $13 from Mississippi Records, as this EP is distributed through them and they like to keep things affordable.
Nala Sinephro's follow up to the excellent Space 1.8 is one of my favorites of the year. Thank you @Ethos99 for the generous PIF.
It left my list for the year end but I'm 99% certain it will reenter my favorites; Great Doubt by Astrid Sonne is one of most interesting hybrid of sounds from an art pop record I've heard in a short package. I'd liken it to a L'Rain album just from variety alone, but they are totally different artists. Manufactured in Denmark, so normally a pricy import here in the USA, though a few locals here have this available for a reasonable price.
Tashi Wada's most recent album was a necessity for me, seeing as Julia Holter provides vocals throughout (and she's Tashi's wife). Beautiful drone/avantgarde/ambient hybrid. Not quite top10 of the year for me, but close.
DJ Selections
Bobby Caldwell - Bobby Caldwell
Caribou - Honey
Coastlines - Coastlines
Larry Heard - Sceneries Not Songs, Volume One
Mr Beatnick - île Flottante
Soichi Terada (寺田創一) - Sounds From the Far East
Loved seeing the Bobby Caldwell after having the hardest time finding it anywhere. Will be very useful in a pinch for a sophistipop setlist. Recent reissue from Europe.
Not the best from Dan, though the new Caribou has a handful of fun tracks. Bought this at a release launch party for the album about four weeks ago and got a free poster with it.
Coastlines is a duo from Japan creating downtempo/Balearic/synth-funk instrumentals. Sounds exactly like the cover...tropical and breezy. They also have a second volume of this Coastlines series, just added to my wantlist.
This 90s record from Larry Heard is seen as a deep house staple in DJ circles. I enjoyed a pair of listens at work, and saw it on sale recently.
Mr Beatnick's record is a deep house/Balearic LP.
Excellent compilation of deep house from Soichi Terada.
Miscellaneous
De La Soul - Stakes is High
TLC - CrazySexyCool
The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
De La Soul and TLC both from Target sale.
The Smiths from local ~2miles from my residence.
) so i only had to pay about $5 tax+$24 fee instead of almost $275+fee lol
It does feel like an extreme outlier.
