On ”From The Source”, Causa Sui's first new studio album in four years, the band has created some of their most ambitious music ever – simultaneously travelling through the sonic landscapes that has come to define the group's sound and pushing towards new horizons.

With the four bandmember’s ties to jazz, experimental and ambient music, Causa Sui is something of an anomaly in the ever-growing European psychedelic rock scene. Always following their own path. Never before has the group's wide ranging influences been more meticulously weaved together as on ”From The Source”, from groovy Zamrock and electric jazz to floating post-rock, Sabbath riffage and hypnotic kosmische. The album was recorded during months of sessions in their own studio, refining each part gradually through intense explorations, yet keeping room for improvisation and favouring “magic” takes over clinical perfection. The temperament of the music spans white-iron hot & sub-zero chilled with every ebb and flow in between. Dynamic range has always been central to Causa Sui but on this set the band explores it to a new degree - every track twists and turns, seamlessly leading the listener down unpredictable paths. The pinnacle of the album, and arguably of the band's singular ethos in general, is the sidelong odyssey, ”Visions of a New Horizon” - a 24 minute suite in seven parts. An appropriate closing monument on the album that marks the 20th anniversary of the band this year.

TRACK LISTING

Sorcerer's Disciple
Dusk Dwellers
The Spot
Visions Of A New Horizon

First new sounds from Futuropaco in five years. Futuropaco, a.k.a. Justin Pinkerton from Oakland, California creates colourful psychedelic music - a pan-cultural cratedigger’s delight that welcomes in a wide range of elements - from afro-beat and post rock to Italian library music and heavy psych. The title translates to “The Glass Fortress” and is a reference to the fragility of the superpowers of the world, such as the US: “As we witnessed in the height of the pandemic and it's after effects, it doesn't take much to take down one of these entities that hide behind the facade of power and indestructibility. One tiny crack can trigger an unstoppable catastrophe.” says Pinkerton of the album concept. “Though Futuropaco songs are instrumental I tend to channel my feelings about politics and the world through them. Unfortunately, the world can be a terrible place at times, so there is a sort of dark, at times angry, theme to these songs. But, instead of writing lyrics to convey those feelings, I just let the music do the talking." But despite (or perhaps because of) its underlying dark inception, Justin’s new album is a terrific ride, from the first notes of earth-shaking opener “Muro Vuoto” to the mysterious and dreamy closer “Omicidio Per Soldi”. Not a second is wasted on this record, every vinyl groove is packed with ideas and sounds that demand attention, whether they originate from Justin’s vintage Moog synthesizers, his Turkish Saz, fuzz guitars or flute layered on top of Pinkerton’s meticulously crafted, yet bone shaking drum fills. You could spend hours analysing what’s going on musically, but that’s beside the point - the nine tracks offered here are simply an invitation to surrender yourself to the head-spinning grooves and mesmerizing timbres. A truly unique psychedelic experience, and this is just volume 1!

The second instalment from London Odense Ensemble digs deeper into the group's vision of what modern psychedelic jazz should sound like. Cut from the same sessions as Jaiyede Sessions vol. 1, released last summer, vol. 2 presents a more nuanced approach to the material. On this set the ensemble focuses on shorter, layered pieces - travelling from deep spiritual jazz grooves to gorgeous free-flowing minimalism to full-on acid jazz. There's echo-drenched flutes being absorbed into layers of analog synth pads and guitars, bossa beats and double bass sequences merging with electronics. It’s an intoxicating mélange of sounds and styles, spanning wide temporal and geographical distances. London Odense Ensemble came together when two of the finest exponents of London's flourishing jazz scene, flautist and saxofonist Tamar Osborn and keyboard specialist Al MacSween, came over to Denmark to explore new sounds with Causa Sui's Jakob Skøtt and Jonas Munk, as well as local bass player Martin Rude. For two days the group laid down grooves and ideas and experimented in the studio, and later the best segments were edited and mixed by Jonas Munk, who took a somewhat liberal approach to the mixing process, often dyeing the material with external effects and synthesizers. Jaiyede Sessions are the kinds of records that defy genre-terms, yet have its own instantly recognizable fingerprint. It carries a unique shared vision between the players of what modern psychedelic jazz sounds like. bios: Tamar Osborn: Saxophonist, composer and multi-wind instrumentalist is the creative force behind modal jazz ensemble Collocutor (On The Corner Records). She is a member of the Dele Sosimi Afrobeat Orchestra, performs and collaborates regularly with Sarathy Korwar, Jessica Lauren, Emanative, Ill Considered and DJ Khalab. Al MacSween: Keyboard player & founding member of Kefaya. Collaborations include American jazz legend Gary Bartz, Syrian qanun master Maya Youseff, London Community Gospel Choir, Palestinian jazz singer Reem Kelani & kora player Kadialy Kouyate. Martin Rude: Multi-string instrumentalist & lead singer in Sun River & Edena Gardens with members of Papir & Causa Sui. Jakob Skøtt: Drummer in Causa Sui with a slew of side projects on El Paraiso, including Chicago Odense Ensemble, as well as being responsible for the label’s visuals. Jonas Munk: Guitarist in Causa Sui & studio wizard on most releases on El Paraiso. Also works with a wide palette of electronic music.

Members of Papir & Causa Sui travel through new musical realms. 3 musicians with their own compass: Martin Rude & Jakob Skøtt have shared a wide range of musical quests: from Causa Sui’s “Bitches Brew of Stoner Rock” crossing the folk meditations of Sun River and arriving most recently as members of the pre-fusion electric dealings of the London Odense Ensemble. Papir guitarist Nicklas Sørensen is not merely adding a new layer to an established duo, but his presence to the party have brought it into more meditative dwellings.

These pieces move slowly, evolving like the slow growth underneath the ground. Whereas Causa Sui & Papir have always excelled at blistering panoramic and often sundrenched sounds, Edena Gardens take a dive inwards and downwards rather than outwards. But there’s also an electrically charged ecstatic rawness to the dealings. Like Æther, the 10 minute opener’s 2 guitars-and-a-drum kit improv, finding it’s way from tumbling drones into monolithic slow riffage. Elsewhere, we find trails of electronic vapors, misfiring bursts of noise and slow drones stretched out. Edena Gardens is a thing to be experienced first hand - it’s not for everyone, but those who decide to stay are greatly rewarded. It’s a debut unlike any other record on El Paraiso, perhaps unlike any you’ve ever heard. Welcome to Edena Gardens. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Aether
2. Sliding Under
3. The Canopy
4. Hidebound
5. Now Here Nowhere
6. Iod
7. An T-eilean Dubh

In recent years London has become an epicenter for experimental, visionary jazz. On this unique session, two of the finest exponents of the London jazz scene, Tamar Osborn and Al MacSween, join forces with members of the celebrated Danish psychedelic underground - Jonas Munk, Jakob Skøtt and Martin Rude – to create a heady sonic brew. On this first volume of material there's everything one could hope for in such a collaboration: sonically it summons the free flowing euphoria of Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders' work in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

But there's also a focus on rhythmic energy and vitality that calls to mind the grooviest krautrock or electric period Miles Davis, as well as a healthy dose of electronic experiments. Throughout these five tracks the quintet paints with a colourful palette. Tamar Osborn shifts between baritone sax and flutes. Keyboardist Al MacSween doesn't just stick with the tried and true electric piano - an instrument which he masters - but showers these tracks in analog synths and effects as well. Add to that the fact that Jonas Munk took a somewhat creative approach when editing and mixing these pieces – with effects boxes wired in, occasionally giving the mix a dubby, ambient atmosphere.

Similar to Munk and Skøtt's main project, Causa Sui, digging into the past becomes a vehicle to open up the future. What the quintet has created in these sessions is something quite unique.Bios: Tamar Osborn: Saxophonist, composer and multi-wind instrumentalist is the creative force behind modal jazz ensemble Collocutor (On The Corner Records). She is a member of the Dele Sosimi Afrobeat Orchestra, performs and collaborates regularly with Sarathy Korwar, Jessica Lauren, Emanative, Ill Considered and DJ Khalab. Al MacSween: Keyboard player & founding member of Kefaya.

Collaborations include American jazz legend Gary Bartz, Syrian qanun master Maya Youseff, London Community Gospel Choir, Palestinian jazz singer Reem Kelani & kora player Kadialy Kouyate.Martin Rude: Multi-string instrumentalist & lead singer in Sun River. Doubles as stand-in bass player in Causa Sui. Jakob Skøtt: Drummer in Causa Sui with a slew of side projects on El Paraiso, including Chicago Odense Ensemble, as well as being responsible for the label’s visuals.Jonas Munk: Guitarist in Causa Sui & studio wizard on most releases on El Paraiso. Also works with a wide palette of electronic music.

TRACK LISTING

1. Jaiyede Suite Pt. 1
2. Jaiyede Suite Pt. 2
3. Sojourner
4. Enter Momentum
5. Celestial Navigation

After 3 albums based purely on synthesizers, the danish duo take a leap by adding live drums & guitars to their latest album. A natural step, considering that Jakob Skøtt, one half of the duo, spends his time drumming in Causa Sui, as well as a slew of jazz-infused projects on El Paraiso. All basic tracks were recorded in an improv session at Jonas Munk’s studio in Odense, capturing both synths and drums live.

The expansion of drums adds a natural 70’s groove, maintaining a spontaneous vibe that also soaks into the analogue synths of modular wizard Kristoffer Ovesen. The improvised sessions were later honed, edited & layered, bringing forth the best of both spontaneous ideas, as well a multi-dimensional approach bringing a new depth to Videodrones extensive cinematic undercurrent of sounds. With the addition of echo & reverb drenched guitars, the duo is tapping into sounds in new realms yet strangely familiar. After The Fall may conceptually nod it’s head towards a gloomy state of affairs, but akin to the italian post-apocalyptic movies of the 80’s, doomsday never felt this heady and funky before

TRACK LISTING

1. Void Facer
2. Scorpio
3. Frygtens Time
4. Irgendwo - Irgendwann
5. Inferno Verde
6. After The Fall
7. Wasteland Interceptors
8. AR Amarelo 9. Blaster
10. Finale

Martin Rude & Jakob Skøtt Duo released 2 albums in 2020: The Discipline of Assent & The Dichotomy of Control. For the third installation in their Stoic opus, they join forces with Tamar Osborn on saxophone & alto flute. Similar to their first 2 albums, Rude & Skøtt improvised a tidal wave of ideas and grooves in the studio of Causa Sui’s Jonas Munk, the perks of which were shipped to the UK for Osborn’s overdubs of echo-drenched sax and wah-flute. An improvisation rippling across time & space, merging a river of constantly in flux head-on improv, as well as making room for floating harmonies and studio-wizardry. Playful, experimental and explorative, the trio ventures into a free wash of exotica drenched in deep modal jazz-vibes - with splashes of something more futuristic and modern. But contrary to what the title suggests, there are also roaring waves of energy, sizzling funky grooves to complement the ambient undercurrent. It’s a record akin to the library & film music of the 60’s and 70’s and an ode to the willful river of experimental moderation. Far in. Bios: Tamar Osborn: Saxophonist, composer and multi-wind instrumentalist is the creative force behind modal jazz ensemble Collocutor (On The Corner Records). She is a long-standing member of the Dele Sosimi Afrobeat Orchestra, performs and collaborates regularly with Sarathy Korwar, Jessica Lauren, Emanative, Ill Considered and DJ Khalab, and is an in-demand session musician. Martin Rude: Multi-string instrumentalist & lead singer in Sun River, as well as stand-in bass player in Causa Sui. Jakob Skøtt: Drummer in Causa Sui with a slew of side projects on El Paraiso, as well as responsible for the label’s visuals

TRACK LISTING

1. Infinite Element - 5.01
2. L'ombra Blu - 6.01
3. Morsels - 1.34
4. Keep Up - 6.00
5. The Blue At The Horizon - 5.46
6. Divided Sun - 4.11
7. Quiet Light - 3.44
8. Whirlpool Sequence - 2.49
9. We Are But Water - 3.30
10. Belonging To The Inbetween - 8.49

There's really no other place like San Diego. The weather's balmy all year, there's 70 miles of the finest coastline California has to offer, it has one of the most ethnically diverse populations in the US and - most importantly - it's currently THE epicenter for heavy psychedelic rock. Bands such as Earthless, Astra and Radio Moscow have paved the way for an astounding number of bands, creating a tight knit community of musicians. On this session Denmark's Jonas Munk (Causa Sui) joins forces with San Diego native Brian Ellis (who's not only a prime mover in the psychedelic scene, but has also been active in California's jazz and funk circuits for several years), and an assemblage of prime musicians from the area, including members of Astra, Psicomagia, Monarch, Radio Moscow and Sacri Monti. The result is an intoxicating brew that's hard to put a label on. Fueled by the furious drumming of Paul Marrone, and led by Jonas Munk's fuzzy lead guitar and the multicolored keys of Brian Ellis, there's an unmoored, floating quality to the music the large ensemble was creating at these sessions. It's the kind of record you can put on and just let it wash over you. The closest references would be Miles Davis circa Bitches Brew, Hendrix at Woodstock, or perhaps Can at their most blazing and levitational. The music flows like an electric river of vintage keys, percussion and fuzz guitars. And it's glowing with life. Vinyl comes in gatefold sleeve with art by Alan Forbes and liner notes by Jonas Munk. For fans of Causa Sui, Earthless and Psicomagia this set is not to be missed!

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Another lysergic eastern-tinged psychedelic melting pot from Jonas Munk and Brian Ellis, plus 'Ensemble'. We get slow, shifting meditations topped with soaring free-jazz percussions and woozy, hypnotic guitar in absolutely classic Causa Sui fashion. Brain-meltingly psychedelic and a hugely absorbing listen.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Wedge
2. Pauly's Pentacles
3. Munk's Dream
4. Electric Saloon
5. Bucket Drips
6. Larry's Jungle Juice
7. Stone Steps 

Kanaan from Oslo, Norway is back with their 2nd album in 2020. Following the impromptu Odense Sessions with Causa Sui guitarist Jonas Munk released in February, Double Sun is a different beast all together: Treading the same path as their 2018 debut Windborne, Double Sun is a studio effort in the best sense of the word. Perfectly balanced on the edge of dynamic improv, throbbing beats sizzled in scorching fuzz and topped off with deeply layered soundscapes. This album sees Kanaan reach a new plateau. Kanaan presents a unique perspective to psychedelic rock, painting with a wide palette that includes jazz and post-rock. Double Sun devotes as much energy to sonic colour as it does to groove and energy. The spirit of experimentation is everywhere: From the savory, pastoral sounds of opening track Worlds Together, to the soaring exploratory paths of the two-part title track. In the creative process, Kanaan dived deep into the possibilities of the studio, adding intricate layers and twists and turns to these tunes: acoustic guitars, percussions & synthesizers embrace and enhance the Norwegian modern day version of a power-trio. T

TRACK LISTING

1. Worlds Together
2. Mountain
3. Öresund
4. Worlds Apart
5. Double Sun Pt. 1
6. Double Sun Pt. 2

Jonas Munk & Nicklas Sørensen team up for a genre-defying record that explores American minimalism, psychedelia, and electronic music both vintage and contemporary. On a foundation of interlocking guitar and synthesizer patterns, the duo constructs lengthy pieces that are experimental yet welcoming in nature, precisely executed yet with room for soaring improvisation. Always Already Here pays homage to the masters of classical minimalism (Steve Reich, Terry Riley) and the pioneers of electronic music and kosmische (Brian Eno, Manuel Göttsching), still it doesn't sound derivative or retrospective. The type of hypnotic bliss Munk and Sørensen strive for is distinctly timeless. Always Already Here came to life during a handful of intense sessions in Munk's studio in Odense, Denmark. However, from a larger perspective the record seems to be a culmination of several years of collaborating.

From 2010-14 Munk recorded & produced 3 full-length albums for Sørensen's band Papir. In the period 2015-17 the two collaborated on Sørensen's 2 solo efforts ”Solo” and ”Solo 2”. During the same period they have occasionally performed live as a duo, playing semi-improvised shows based around guitars & synthesizers. These live shows have assuredly influenced their collaborative work with an explorative, animated quality which is especially apparent on the album's free flowing, zen-orientated B-side. Always Already Here ties together several musical threads: academic pattern-music, psychedelia, avant-garde sound exploration as well as a highly melodic sensibility. It's a multi-layered, colourful album that demands full sonic immersion

TRACK LISTING

1 Shift
2 Patterns
3 Here
4 Magnetic
5 Tide

In recent years Southern California has proved to be fertile ground for heavy psych, prog and free rock. The amount of excellent bands growing out of the San Diego soil is simply unparalleled. Among the youngest generation of these bands are the five-piece Monarch, a band rooted in psychedelia and experimental prog, with a view towards broader horizons. There's something refreshing about Monarch's take on psychedelic rock: they aren't afraid to weave allman brothers-esque dual guitar lines with synthesizers and saxophone. They can be heavy, but there's an unmistakable panoramic quality to their compositions too, reflecting the rich and diverse environment they've grown up in, with dazzling pacific coastlines, mountains and desert highways.

Compared to their debut album, ”Two Isles” from 2016, Beyond The Blue Sky is a more complex record. The three year journey has led the band through several separate recording sessions and ended up going all-analog at Audio Design studios. It’s an album that’s meticulously crafted and with sights set on new musical territory. Their songwriting has matured and each track feels like a mini-epic, travelling unexpected routes before reaching their sonic destination. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the album's centerpiece, the three-part Beyond The Blue Sky/Phenomena/Counterpart, where Monarch manages to fuse all their influences into one mammoth composition. It's an album to drive off into a careless summer sunset and beyond 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A heady collection of grooving guitar jams, heavy AF percussion and drippingly psychedelic vocals that only the balmy climes of California could bring about. Fully immersive and addictively euphoric jams.

TRACK LISTING

1. Hanging By A Thread
2. Divided Path
3. Pangea
4. Beyond The Blue Sky
5. Phenomena
6. Counterpart
7. Felo De Se

Causa Sui's three volumes of Summer Sessions are back in print! This time on the band's own label, on individual LP's for the first time since they were first released in 2008 and 2009. Re-packaged in El Paraiso’s signature style. Originally the Summer Sessions were intended as a side project for the band – a chance to explore their love for other genres such as American free jazz, krautrock, 1970s soundtracks, as well as the psychedelia and detuned stoner-rock that characterized Causa Sui's first two albums.

But these three albums came to define the band, and have become become modern classics of psychedelia and progressive rock since their were initially released ten years ago. In a scene often characterized by loyalty to a specific period, there’s something refreshing about Causa Sui’s eclectic approach. With several guest appearances by Coltrane-devotee Johan Riedenlow on sax and electronics wiz Rasmus Rasmussen, Causa Sui venture far beyond stoner-rock platitudes. Take the grandiose opening statement for example – the 24 minute ”Visions of Summer” taking up the entire A-side: here new and old sounds dissolve in a mindbending excursion that recalls Future Days-era Can, breezy tropicalia or Herbie Hancocks Mwandishi group, as much as it sparks associations to Kyuss or Hendrix.

Other tracks, such as the frenetic Rip Tide (vol. 2), heads into straight up free jazz territory with Riedenlow going absolutely bonkers on the sax. But this set also allows plenty of room for savory, atmospheric pieces such as the sun-drenched ”Venice by the Sea” (vol. 3) or the Morricone-esque ”Cinecitta” (vol. 2). Praise for Summer Sessions: Causa Sui, psychedelic/desert-space rock band from Denmark, effortlessly takes the prime trimmings of almost every element rock has to offer and propagates a sensation of their own...It’s almost impossible to not appreciate the groovy jazz-rock bass lines of Jess Kahr, the endless expressive jazz styles of drummer Jakob Skøtt, and most importantly the extravagant lead guitar and keyboard work of Jonas Munk...These enduring works of art must be beheld by the likes of rock enthusiasts and/or anyone wishing to seek what psychedelic-rock has to offer.

For a modern psychedelic/jazz-fusion/jam rock album, Summer Sessions is as essential as it gets. Sputnik Music. Formed in the late summer of 2004, this Danish four-piece unashamedly reference such esteemed cosmic talents as Blue Cheer, Amon Düül II and Ash Ra Tempel. Yes, it's another improv quest for the heart of sonic enlightenment, but they do it with a conviction, dexterity and drive that few modern bands possess. -Mojo.This is space music, that flows as a lysergic trip with poetic flights that remind us of the cosmic couriers, and also derives from the most free-jazz contaminated by rock music.

TRACK LISTING

1. Sun Prayer
2. Rip Tide
3. The Open Road
4. Cinecitta
5. Tropic Of Capricorn

Causa Sui's three volumes of Summer Sessions are back in print! This time on the band's own label, on individual LP's for the first time since they were first released in 2008 and 2009. Re-packaged in El Paraiso’s signature style. Originally the Summer Sessions were intended as a side project for the band – a chance to explore their love for other genres such as American free jazz, krautrock, 1970s soundtracks, as well as the psychedelia and detuned stoner-rock that characterized Causa Sui's first two albums.

But these three albums came to define the band, and have become become modern classics of psychedelia and progressive rock since their were initially released ten years ago. In a scene often characterized by loyalty to a specific period, there’s something refreshing about Causa Sui’s eclectic approach. With several guest appearances by Coltrane-devotee Johan Riedenlow on sax and electronics wiz Rasmus Rasmussen, Causa Sui venture far beyond stoner-rock platitudes. Take the grandiose opening statement for example – the 24 minute ”Visions of Summer” taking up the entire A-side: here new and old sounds dissolve in a mindbending excursion that recalls Future Days-era Can, breezy tropicalia or Herbie Hancocks Mwandishi group, as much as it sparks associations to Kyuss or Hendrix.

Other tracks, such as the frenetic Rip Tide (vol. 2), heads into straight up free jazz territory with Riedenlow going absolutely bonkers on the sax. But this set also allows plenty of room for savory, atmospheric pieces such as the sun-drenched ”Venice by the Sea” (vol. 3) or the Morricone-esque ”Cinecitta” (vol. 2). Praise for Summer Sessions: Causa Sui, psychedelic/desert-space rock band from Denmark, effortlessly takes the prime trimmings of almost every element rock has to offer and propagates a sensation of their own...It’s almost impossible to not appreciate the groovy jazz-rock bass lines of Jess Kahr, the endless expressive jazz styles of drummer Jakob Skøtt, and most importantly the extravagant lead guitar and keyboard work of Jonas Munk...These enduring works of art must be beheld by the likes of rock enthusiasts and/or anyone wishing to seek what psychedelic-rock has to offer.

For a modern psychedelic/jazz-fusion/jam rock album, Summer Sessions is as essential as it gets. Sputnik Music. Formed in the late summer of 2004, this Danish four-piece unashamedly reference such esteemed cosmic talents as Blue Cheer, Amon Düül II and Ash Ra Tempel. Yes, it's another improv quest for the heart of sonic enlightenment, but they do it with a conviction, dexterity and drive that few modern bands possess. -Mojo.This is space music, that flows as a lysergic trip with poetic flights that remind us of the cosmic couriers, and also derives from the most free-jazz contaminated by rock music.

TRACK LISTING

1. Eugenie
2. Red Valley
3. Lonesome Traveller
4. Santa Sangre
5. Venice By The Sea 

Causa Sui drummer & El Paraiso visual designer Jakob Skøtt unleashes his most personal vision to date. His one-man-band formula of synths, drums and effects serve him as well as ever. From the avant-electro grooves of Amor Fati (2014) to his ambitious pre-fusion cosmic jazz sessions of All the Colours of the Dust (2016), this latest set is Skøtt at his most ripe: The grooves are deeper, more stripped down to its essentials, yet maintaining the vibrant seamless mix of airy timing, drowning drones & sludgy synth riffs. The album was recorded a few months after Jakob experienced a brief, yet painful spontaneous leak of brain fluid. Instrumentality draws on that corpal experience in it’s titles and artwork, as well as works it’s musical muse. It’s music that constantly dives inwards - ever repetitive, yet constantly moving. From micro movements in Skøtt’s poly-rhythms, to the 5 song cycles diving to the depths of the splintered nerves reconnecting with their natural flow. Sometimes lost but never without a sense of purpose. Welcome aboard.

Futuropaco’s debut album is the shape of things to come: it’s a wet, enigmatic cocktail of part 1970’s Italian library music, part krautalicious beat-galore and part riff-driven heavy psych. Justin Pinkerton, from Oakland, California, is the one-man army behind the opaque merge of seemingly different forces: from mad fuzz guitar breakdowns à la Morricone at his most intense, to the syncopated drum learnings of Can’s Jaki Liebezeit, Justin weaves a blanket of sound that’s simply loaded with deep vibes: From heavily modulate Moog synths, gentle glockenspiel through amplified echo-perplexion.

You almost forget that Justin’s main instrument is actually the drums - if it wasn’t for the superb loaded-yet-understated grooves tying everything together in an intricate tangle. With a background as drummer & composer in famed psych-rockers Golden Void (Thrill Jockey), Justin also works as a full time film composer for library and commercial music. Futuropaco is the meeting between his two passions: It’s a vivid sonic dream where abstraction melts with the strict, focused approach of cinematic cues. It almost makes you forget the murky future of America these days, which was the catalyst for this album and it’s title. Imminent dystopia never felt this grounded, bright and uplifting. Freedom Fuzz!

First solo album from Papir guitar player Nicklas Sørensen! While there’s certain similarities with the oeuvre Nicklas has created with Papir it quickly becomes apparent that this is something quite different. “Solo” begins and ends with the instrument the Copenhagen native fully masters by now: the guitar. Throughout the album his main instrument is being explored as a generator of otherworldly, esoteric sounds as well as a compositional tool and - perhaps most importantly - a transmitter of pristine, cascading melodies.

There’s a peaceful, savory quality to the record that manifests a musical maturity. With help from the rhythm section of Papir as well as Causa Sui’s Jonas mun (who also recorded the album in El Paraiso Records’ new studio) Nicklas has created a wide, shimmering sound that seems to allude to a multitude of different styles and traditions. Considering that Nicklas is best known as a hard rocking guitar player with a knack for improvisation it’s perhaps surprising that his inclination for pattern-based minimalism, blissed-out ambience and experimental british “oceanic” music from the 1980s and early 1990s dominates throughout this set. This is the kind of record that rewards repeated listens - each listen revealing new layers in the architecture of the sound. “Solo” is an affable, slowburning album where each component is given its own space and place to gently unfold and work its magic in the mind of the listener. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Solo 1
2. Solo 2
3. Solo 3
4. Solo 4
5. Solo 5
6. Solo 6

Pan is the first solo effort from Jonas Munk released in his own name. Jonas Munk is a musician and producer from Odense, Denmark who has been active in a wide range of musical styles for the past decade. In the European psych-rock community he is mostly known as the guitarplayer in the respected stoner/jazz/krautrock-outfit Causa Sui as well as related projects such as Chicago Odense Ensemble, a joint session project featuring members of Causa Sui, Chicago Underground Collective and Tortoise, which resulted in a 2LP released in 2011.

Outside of these circles Munk is best known as a producer of electronic music, most recently with a full-length collaboration with German synthmeister Ulrich Schnauss. Munk also holds a masters degree in philosophy with a thesis on music and consciousness. Pan simultaneously betrays his connections to the European stoner-rock community and the world of electronic ambient music – this album combines ideas from both worlds, while the result really doesn't belong in neither of them. With Pan's motoric analog synthesizer patterns and its warm, fuzzy drones the influence from 1970's German synthesizer- and new age music, such as early Kraftwerk, Ashra and Popol Vuh, is apparent from the first note. But there's also definite traits of American styles running through this album – from the flowing optimism of Alice Coltrane and Terry Riley to the modern-day psychedelia of Comets on Fire and Bardo Pond. While large parts of Pan has been programmed on electronic equipment there's a jam-like quality emanating from album's seven tracks.

The album reflects the idea of giving up rationality and control with the purpose of letting the music flow towards it own ends. The compositional ideas are incredibly simple while still carrying a certain depth. Soundwise Pan is all about analog machines, 30+ year old synthesizers, detuned guitars and heavily cranked vacuum tube amplifiers weaving together in fuzzy, pulsating glory. The title Pan refers to the ancient Greek word meaning all or everything.

TRACK LISTING

1. Orca (8:11)
2. Blue Dawn (2:36)
3. Current (8:36)
4. Senses (3:23)
5. Pan (2:34)
6. Schelling (7:33)
7. Sea Of Orange (7:31)