michael pisaro / toshiya tsunoda “crosshatches” double compact disc set

• 1.1 (17:58)
  
• 1.2 (6:24)
  
• 1.3 (5:38)
  
• 1.4 (14:40)
  
  
• 2.1 (9:29)
  
• 2.2 (11:45)
  
• 2.3 (3:58)
  
• 2.4 (15:10)

erstwhile press release...

michael pisaro / toshiya tsunoda crosshatches erstwhile 066-2 total time: 85:02 crosshatches is michael pisaro's second release for erstwhile after 2010's 2 seconds/b minor/wave, and the erstwhile debut for a long-time favorite musician of the label, toshiya tsunoda. crosshatches was composed, recorded and assembled by tsunoda and pisaro over a period of 14 months, as a single 85 minute work in eight sections.

andrea neumann / bonnie jones “green just as i could see” compact disc

• 3n1m4n (8:51)
  
• belle reed (17:59)
  
• seriatim (10:03)
  
• as my memory turned (10:01)

erstwhile press release...

andrea neumann / bonnie jones green just as i could see erstwhile 065 total time: 46:54 green just as i could see is andrea neumann's second release for erstwhile after 2002's lidingö, and also bonnie jones' second release for the label after 2008's one day.

jérôme noetinger / will guthrie “face off” compact disc

• snide (1:05)
  
• creep show (2:45)
  
• slo-nife (5:04)
  
• swamp (7:58)
  
• le analise (3:08)
  
• cymslake (1:01)
  
• saw (3:18)
  
• carpet burn (2:24)
  
• atelier forge (2:59)
  
• crackney (3:39)
  
• saikopasu-komento (0:56)
  
• sunday morning english wine (3:10)

erstwhile press release...

greg kelley / olivia block “resolution” compact disc

• pinholed and perpetual light, part 1 (11:08)
  
• looking through bone (9:28)
  
• how much radiance can you stand? (8:06)
  
• some old slapstick routine (8:24)
  
• pinholed and perpetual light, part 2 (9:05)

erstwhile press release...

taku unami / takahiro kawaguchi “teatro assente” compact disc

• she walked into a room, and found her absence. (5:47)
  
• her cellphone rang while she was watching the blank screen of the theater. (11:45)
  
• she entered the theater and took her seat, 5 times at the same time (beep on her appearance and disappearance). (1:17)
  
• she left her seat and walked out, 5 times at the same time (beep on her appearance and disappearance). (1:16)
  
• knocking by anybody of nowhere (dub mix) (10:00)
  
• clockwork society transformed into tropical rain forest, however, nothing was changed. (2:57)
  
• a metal object colored with green. after a while, with green and black. (8:33)
  
• teatro assente (23:30)

erstwhile press release...

michael pisaro / taku sugimoto “2 seconds • b minor • wave” compact disc

• 2 seconds (20:00)
  
• b minor (20:00)
  
• wave (20:00)

erstwhile press release...

michael pisaro/taku sugimoto - 2 seconds / b minor / wave erstwhile 061 total time: 60:04 michael pisaro and taku sugimoto are not generally closely associated, but have quite a bit in common. both are composers whose primary instrument is the guitar, both have close ties to the wandelweiser collective (pisaro is a longtime member), and both have pursued their unique paths without much concern as to how the rest of the world will perceive them. 2 seconds/b minor/wave marks their first collaboration, but these aesthetic overlaps allow their independently conceived recorded parts to fit together remarkably naturally. michael pisaro has been associated with the wandelweiser collective since just after their formation in the early nineties. the departure points for his music were john cage's ideas of the durational frame, ben johnston's work with alternate tunings, christian wolff's opening of the relationship between composition and performance, and alvin lucier and james tenney's use of scientific hypotheses to explore sound phenomena. pisaro has spent much of the last decade making field recordings, and occasionally using them in his work. much of his recent composition, and especially the work with his primary collaborator, percussionist greg stuart, has concerned the massing and then the spatialization of sound to create 'homemade' environments. pisaro lives in southern california, teaching at the california institute of the arts, running the experimental music workshop, and curating his own recently launched recording imprint, gravity wave. this is his first recording for erstwhile. currently sugimoto's interest focuses on composition and its performance, rather than improvisation. with taku unami and masahiko okura, sugimoto organizes the almost-monthly chamber music concert at loop-line and the irregular taku sugimoto composition series at kid ailack art hall, both in tokyo. he runs the label slub music, which in addition to sugimoto's own recordings has released cds by other japanese musicians as well as wandelweiser mainstays radu malfatti and antoine beuger. he has just issued the first four discs compiling the abovementioned composition series, a strong statement on two double cds documenting his work over the past few years. this is his second recording for erstwhile after 2000's seminal the world turned upside down, and he also took part in the amplify 2002 festival in tokyo and is featured on the box set of that event. 2 seconds/b minor/wave is a long distance collaboration, with each musician composing and recording their own parts, before hearing what the other had done. pulse, pitch and wave were the three areas they wanted to explore on the three pieces, and  loose rules/guidelines were agreed on beforehand, as follows: '2 seconds' was a unit of pulse, either as a basic unit or a point of departure; 'b minor' was a key, with sugimoto playing harmony and pisaro playing melody: and 'wave', with no further details, simply whatever that word brought to mind. this was the extent of the specific discussion between the two, and thus the entirely fluid melding of the results is a testament to their deep understanding of the other's aesthetic/s. yuko zama's intuitively empathetic design is a perfect symbiotic fit for the music contained within.

radu malfatti / keith rowe “Φ” triple compact disc set

• exact dimension without insistence (frey) (20:14)
  
• solo with accompaniment (cardew) (26:09)
  
  
• nariyamu (malfatti) (39:23)
  
• pollock '82 (rowe) (18:00)
  
  
• improvisation (1) (6:18)
  
• improvisation (2) (43:54)

erstwhile press release...

radu malfatti / keith rowe Φ erstwhile 060-3 total time: 157:04 keith rowe and radu malfatti are two of the most influential experimental musicians in recent decades, each with extensive bodies of highly distinctive work and a combined 80+ years at the forefront of their respective areas of exploration. on Φ, their first meeting ever is documented via one disc of selected compositions (frey and cardew), one disc of their own compositions, and one disc of improv. radu malfatti has been a major presence in the european free improv scene since the early seventies. he's been a member of such stellar bands as the brotherhood of breath, the london jazz composers' orchestra, and the king ubu orchestra, as well as countless small groups. malfatti's recent focus on developing a unique style of superspare, tranquil music led him to join the wandelweiser collective, a group of like-minded composers, in 1994. since 2006, malfatti has been releasing recordings spanning the past 12 years of his compositions on his own b-boim label, which cumulatively are one of the important bodies of work of recent times. Φ is his third release for erstwhile, following 2001's groundbreaking dach and 2009's gorgeous imaoto (recorded at amann studios like Φ) . keith rowe was in the forefront of the initial wave of european free improvisation, co-founding the amm collective in 1965 and originating the tabletop guitar. the tabletop guitar has remained at the center of his ever-evolving table of electronics and gadgets ever since, becoming increasingly stripped down and minimal in recent years. having mostly performed within amm until the late 90’s, he’s since been involved in a wide range of projects, including a slew of the most prominent erstwhile releases. he’s the cornerstone musician of the label, and his wide range of releases over the last decade stands with the strongest bodies of work of the last century in improvised music. malfatti and rowe met in vienna in november 2010, their first musical meeting of any kind, for three days of recordings at amann studios. they began with jürg frey's exact dimension without insistence, selected by malfatti, then proceeded onto cornelius cardew's solo with accompaniment, selected by rowe. next was malfatti's nariyamu, then a version of rowe's pollock '82, and lastly an extended improv. almost all of the recordings are included on Φ in the order in which they were made, and three of the four compositions (excluding the frey) only required one take. the playing order allowed the two musicians to gradually build a rapport of sorts, finding a remarkable amount of common ground despite their widely differing perspectives. the progression over the three days and the connections between the pieces are quite evident, leading to an improvisation meeting that is both confident and thoroughly uneasy. Φ is housed in a stunning eight panel digipak, the four outside panels contain original paper on paper artwork by rowe and the inside panels contain photos of the scores and a photo of the musicians with recording engineer christoph amann.

burkhard stangl / kai fagaschinski “musik • ein portät in sehnsucht” compact disc

• insight and longing (3:23)
  
• illusionen (7:38)
  
• last night i had visions (13:04)
  
• sexy m.f. (2:15)
  
• time (and again) (11:43)
  
• ausflug (2:41)
  
• weißt du noch unser lied? (6:14)

erstwhile press release...

burkhard stangl/kai fagaschinski musik - ein porträt in sehnsucht erstwhile 057 total time: 46:58 burkhard stangl guitars, electronic devices, piano (on 3), vibraphone (on 7) kai fagaschinski clarinet, piano (on 3), acoustic guitar (on 6) field recordings by: klaus filip birds (on 6/7) dieb13 storms (on 2) burkhard stangl morning silence (on 6/7) also: bernhard gál re-recording and musical car driving (on 6) burkhard stangl and kai fagaschinski both are masters at fluidly combining melodicism and abstraction. musik-ein porträt in sehnsucht showcases their work as a duo, carefully composed pieces intertwined with judiciously placed field recordings and meticulously sequenced to create a record that is more than the sum of its parts. stangl explores the full range of the guitar, from quiet, melodic plucking to walls of noisy drones. this range and adaptability has allowed him to work in a wide range of contexts, from the collective projects polwechsel (until 2004), efzeg, and sssd, in duos and trio with christof kurzmann and taku sugimoto, as well as many others. musik-ein porträt in sehnsucht is also his sixth release for erstwhile, following wrapped islands (with polwechsel and fennesz), eh (with dieb13), and three releases from schnee, his remarkable duo with kurzmann. their most recent release, neuschnee, was released earlier in 2009, and along with musik-ein porträt in sehnsucht, mark his first new recorded work in some years. fagaschinski has leapt to prominence in the improv world over the last few years, with well-received duo projects such as los glissandinos (w/klaus filip), the international nothing (w/michael thieke) and kommando raumschiff zitrone (w/kurzmann). his self-taught command of the clarinet is both subtly lyrical and thoroughly modern. this is his second erstwhile release, with the first being 2008's stunning the magic i.d.-till my breath gives out, on erstpop. stangl and fagaschinski first met in the summer of 2002, when christof kurzmann suggested kai should join the ensemble performing stangl's opera venusmond in berlin. they clicked both musically and personally and decided to work as a duo in the future, with their initial concert being part of the mammoth amplify 2004: addition festival. over the next three years, they sporadically worked together, playing two concerts in vienna and one in nyc (in the erstquake 3 festival), and in 2007, recorded musik-ein porträt in sehnsucht in two separate sessions at amann studios in vienna. the record occupies a unique area between composition and folk music, classical and jazz/improv, tension and serenity. the design is again from berlin designer marion gerth, previously responsible for the two erstpop releases.

ami yoshida / toshimaru nakamura “soba to bara” compact disc

• soba to bara (47:59)

erstwhile press release...

ami yoshida / toshimaru nakamura soba to bara erstwhile 056 total time: 47:59 ami yoshida voice toshimaru nakamura no-input mixing board free improvisation has rarely seen significant new movements as influential as the small group of tokyo musicians once labeled as "onkyo", who have now been a primary driving force in contemporary improvisation for a full decade. over that decade, these musicians have been responsible for some of the strongest and most radical work on erstwhile, and soba to bara sits firmly in that lineage. ami yoshida strives to create a pure sound, abstracting her voice until it becomes almost completely unrecognizable. she created her unique style with no conventional training, initially inspired by meredith monk. cosmos (with sachiko m) and astro twin (with utah kawasaki) are her two longest-running projects, and their split release won the 2003 ars electronica award. outside of japan, yoshida is solely known for her vocal work, but within japan, she is a highly regarded writer, poet and comic book critic, with one novel and countless magazine articles to her credit. this is her third release for erstwhile, following cosmos-tears and a s o (with christof kurzmann). toshimaru nakamura is one of the most distinguished and original voices in the world of electroacoustic improvisation, with a vast body of work built up over the past decade. since 1998, nakamura has been exploring the possibilities of his no-input mixing board in contexts ranging from solo to collaborations with keith rowe, sachiko m, sean meehan, klaus filip, axel dörner and annette krebs. nakamura was a prominent presence throughout the amplify 2002 box set, appearing on five of the seven cds, and has previously released ten other projects on erstwhile including good morning good night, erstlive 005 and 4g-cloud, as well as 2008's well-received one day, with the duo english. currently in preparation is an erstlive release of his duo with keith rowe at the amplify 2008: light festival in tokyo, as well as an erstsolo release. despite knowing each other for over a decade, yoshida and nakamura had never performed as a duo when they were asked to make a cd and perform a set in the amplify 2008 festival. they discussed how best to approach this, and their idea was to record solo tracks separately, overdub them 'blindly' without hearing the other, and then spend time listening to the results before performing the concert. however, they were so satisfied with how powerful and seemingly synchronized the overlapped solos were that they decided that they wanted that to be the release. the traditional japanese feel of the digipak was created by the very talented tokyo designer yasuo totsuka, built around the kanji characters for 'soba to bara'. and the package also contains japanese-only liner notes by yoshida and nakamura.

radu malfatti / klaus filip “imaoto” compact disc

• oto (30:55)
  
• ima (19:28)

erstwhile press release...

radu malfatti/ klaus filip imaoto erstwhile 055 total time: 50:23 radu malfatti trombone klaus filip sinewaves since the early nineties, vienna-based radu malfatti has been investigating the edges of ultraminimalism in both his composed and improvised work. on imaoto, he is joined by empathetic explorer klaus filip to create an instant classic. radu malfatti has been a major presence in the european free improv scene since the early seventies. he's been a member of such stellar bands as the brotherhood of breath, the london jazz composers' orchestra, and the king ubu orchestra, as well as countless small groups. malfatti's recent focus on developing a unique style of superspare, tranquil music led him to join the wandelweiser collective, a group of like-minded composers, in 1994. since 2006, malfatti has been releasing recordings spanning the past 12 years of his compositions on his own b-boim label, which cumulatively are one of the important bodies of work of recent times. imaoto is his second release for erstwhile, following 2001's superb and influential dach. klaus filip has been involved in the experimental music world since the early nineties in a wide range of capacities. he invented the open-source software lloopp, which is used by many prominent laptop improvisers, including christian fennesz and christof kurzmann. filip only has a handful of releases, most notably aluk (w/toshi nakamura), los glissandinos - stand clear (w/kai fagaschinski), and building excess (w/malfatti, mattin, and dean roberts). filip's music has become increasingly minimal in recent years, searching for the limits of perception, in loudness and movement. imaoto is his first release for erstwhile. malfatti and filip have performed a handful of duo concerts over the years, with the first in 2003. in 2006, they played a remarkable set in maria chavez's houndstooth store in nyc, a very memorable show for the couple of dozen listeners in attendance as well as for the musicians themselves. in october 2008, they spent a day at amann studios and recorded the two pieces that make up imaoto. the results are undeniably gorgeous, musical, and impeccably recorded. the ultraminimalist aesthetic of the music is echoed in yuko zama's sparse design. this is probably the most beautiful radu malfatti's trombone has ever sounded on a recording. it is deep but not heavy, attaining, in christoph amann's studio, a very personal, nearly vocal presence. klaus filip works miracles of intuition with his sine tones, seemingly knowing the precise harmonic answer even before the question is asked. the two are exploring a world of hidden contours and curves, quietly, step-by-step; never hurried, never tedious. - michael pisaro

keith rowe / sachiko m “contact” double compact disc set

• square (41:22)
  
• oval (28:04)
  
  
• rectangle (31:21)
  
• circle (20:00)

erstwhile press release...

keith rowe / sachiko m contact erstwhile 054-2 total time: 120:46 keith rowe guitar, electronicssachiko m sine wave (1.1, 1.2, 2.1), contact microphone (2.2) keith rowe and sachiko m are two of the most pivotal and crucial musicians in experimental music today. contact marks their first meeting as a duo, consisting of their complete unedited sessions, both live and studio. keith rowe was in the forefront of the initial wave of european free improvisation, co-founding the amm collective in 1965 and originating the tabletop guitar. the tabletop guitar has remained at the center of his ever-evolving table of electronics and gadgets ever since, becoming increasingly stripped down and minimal in recent years. having mostly performed within amm until the late 90's, he's since been involved in a wide range of projects, including a slew of the most prominent erstwhile releases. he's the cornerstone musician of the label, and his wide range of releases over the last decade stands with the strongest bodies of work of the last century in improvised music. contact contains the third of his four live sets from the amplify 2008: light festival in tokyo, with two previously released in the erstlive series and the fourth to come later this year, a duo with toshimaru nakamura, completing the tetralogy. sachiko m is best known for her innovative use of the sampler, extracting pure, piercing sine waves from the device's built-in test tones and forging an original and much-imitated sound. more recently, she has expanded her palette through the use of contact microphones. sachiko has worked extensively as a solo artist, as well as in groups such as cosmos, filament, and i.s.o., and in duo with toshimaru nakamura. she shared the 2003 prix ars electronica with ami yoshida and utah kawasaki, and founded the groundbreaking amoebic label. this is her sixth record for erstwhile, and she has an erstsolo release in the works for 2010. rowe and sachiko have primarily travelled parallel paths over the last decade, occasionally intersecting. they both recorded crucial duo cds with toshi nakamura in 2000-2001, first sachiko with 'do', then keith soon after with 'weather sky'. in 2004, they both took part in the 230 minute long quartet set documented on erstlive 005, along with nakamura and otomo yoshihide. in september 2008, rowe played four sets in three nights in the amplify 2008: light festival in tokyo. the festival marked rowe's fourth trip to japan in his 40+ year career, and the primary purpose behind his visit was to record in duo for the first time with sachiko. contact contains the full unedited sessions from these two widely admired musicians who have deeply respected each other for the last decade. the two cds include the full amplify 2008: light performance, along with three additional pieces recorded in the same room two days later. contact covers a range of approaches over its two hour length, with the common factor being the always impeccable touch of these two gifted artists. the outside three panels of the digipak are a white on black drip painting from rowe, one of a series of six, two others of which can be seen on the cds themselves.

toshimaru nakamura / english “one day” compact disc

• ong time (20:39)
  
• plant signs (20:01)
  
• the color of (15:58)

r/s “one (snow mud rain)” compact disc

• (20:27)
  
• (14:10)
  
• (16:31)
  
• (6:51)

toshimaru nakamura / keith rowe “between” double compact disc set

• two discs!

• vienna (34:51)
  
• july (24:35)

• 13630 khz (8:48)
  
• lausanne (41:21)
  
• amann (20:11)

erik m / dieb13 “chaos club” double compact disc set

• (1:22)
  
• (0:28)
  
• (2:22)
  
• (0:51)
  
• (1:01)
  
• (4:09)
  
• (2:52)
  
• (2:51)
  
• (1:22)
  
• (0:12)
  
• (2:18)
  
• (1:21)
  
• (1:35)
  
• (3:48)
  
• (0:44)
  
• (0:33)
  
• (0:22)
  
• (2:29)
  
• (1:35)
  
• (4:09)
  
• (0:50)
  
• (0:06)
  
• (2:52)
  
• (1:31)
  
• (2:20)
  
  
• henri (2:49)
  
• benoît (1:29)
  
• edward (1:27)
  
• mitchell (1:59)
  
• aleksandr (3:31)
  
• waclav (3:39)
  
• gaston (6:04)
  
• michel (1:13)
  
• otto (3:13)
  
• felix (3:21)
  
• helge (4:31)
  
• brosl (40:40)

avva “gdansk queen” digital versatile disc

• gdansk queen

ami yoshida / christof kurzmann “a s o” compact disc

• a s o (1) (4:12)
  
• a s o (2) (5:16)
  
• a s o (3) (3:52)
  
• a s o (4) (4:39)
  
• a s o (5) (8:09)
  
• a s o (6) (2:07)
  
• a s o (7) (7:52)
  
• a s o (8) (14:00)

the four gentlemen of the guitar “cloud” double compact disc set

• perfect grass (23:47)
  
• deformed veil (38:15)
  
  
• yellow cloud (62:25)

tetuzi akiyama / günter müller “points and slashes” compact disc

• ///./// (5:56)
  
• .//..//.. (16:00)
  
• /./..././ (3:29)
  
• ../../../.. (4:54)
  
• //.///.// (5:22)
  
• ././././. (5:50)

sachiko m / toshimaru nakamura / otomo yoshihide “good morning good night” double compact disc set

• good morning (30:12)
  
• good afternoon (7:59)
  
  
• good evening (25:34)
  
• good night (37:20)

keith rowe / axel dörner / franz hautzinger “a view from the window” compact disc

• magenta / black (36:25)
  
• cadmium yellow / turquoise (21:09)

“amplify 2002: balance” septuple compact disc and dvd set

• seven discs and a dvd!

• thomas lehn / toshimaru nakamura (13:12)
  
• günter müller / tetuzi akiyama / nakamura (19:20)
  
• christof kurzmann / nakamura (24:08)
  
• lehn / nakamura / taku sugimoto (13:20)

• .tint (4:51)
  
• ..tint (4:58)
  
• ...tint (15:11)
  
• ....tint (13:25)
  
• .....tint (10:20)

• cosmos (sachiko m/ami yoshida) (24:35)
  
• keith rowe / lehn / marcus schmickler (39:29)

• müller / otomo yoshihide (36:10)
  
• lehn / schmickler (39:41)

• burkhard stangl / kurzmann / sugimoto (24:00)
  
• rowe / nakamura (31:49)

• stangl / müller (33:43)
  
• nakamura / sachiko (21:30)

• seven guitarists: rowe / akiyama / oren ambarchi / nakamura / otomo / stangl / sugimoto (cornelius cardew - treatise pp. 82-84) (38:25)
  
• seven guitarists (improvisation) (31:03)

• "balance beams” (109:00)
  
• 5.1 surround sound audio-only versions of the rowe/lehn/schmickler and müller/otomo sets
  
• three short individual features based on the three nights of outside festival performances that discs 1 and 7 were chosen from
  
• including keith rowe discussing with the other guitarists how he believes a musician should approach performing the graphic score of cardew's treatise.

matt davis / phil durrant / mark wastell “open” compact disc

• open (18:27)
  
• fist (23:30)

martin siewert / martin brandlmayr “too beautiful to burn” compact disc

• form (6:45)
  
• source (11:50)
  
• is this love? (6:05)
  
• axis (8:19)
  
• hold (12:03)

keith rowe / john tilbury “duos for doris” double compact disc set

• cathnor (70:14)
  
• olaf (45:32)
  
• oxleay (17:29)

günter müller / otomo yoshihide “time travel” compact disc

• matsushima 89 (5:24)
  
• basel 95 (6:13)
  
• lisboa 98 (10:30)
  
• victoriaville 01 (8:23)
  
• nancy 01 (8:10)
  
• sydney 02 (7:53)
  
• tokyo 02 (4:20)

jérôme noetinger / erik m “what a wonderful world” compact disc

• trees of green   (4:20)
  
• red roses too   (4:27)
  
• bloom for revox chili peppers   (6:52)
  
• skies of blue   (2:18)
  
• clouds of white   (2:34)
  
• bright blessed day   (3:58)
  
• dark sacred night   (9:20)
  
• colours of the rainbow   (2:22)
  
• pretty in the sky   (7:52)

keith rowe / thomas lehn / marcus schmickler “rabbit run” compact disc

• 1 piece split into 42 segments
  
• designed to be played either linearly or randomly

andrea neumann / burkhard beins “lidingö” compact disc

• approaching lidingö   (11:02)
  
• lidingö   (24:06)
  
• bron   (4:09)
  
• loffe   (7:40)
  
• remembering lidingö   (5:51)

burkhard stangl / dieb13 “eh” compact disc

• eeeh   (7:17)
  
• eehe   (9:11)
  
• eehh   (3:15)
  
• ehee   (6:59)
  
• eheh   (4:37)
  
• ehhe   (4:15)
  
• ehhh   (8:34)
  
• heee   (2:10)
  
• heeh   (3:27)
  
• hehe   (15:56)

cosmos “tears” compact disc

• i (24:29)
  
• ii (18:09)
  
• iii (12:09)

poire_z “(plus)” compact disc

• bottle_bow   (25:52)
  
• kick-off_knock   (13:28)
  
• cable-stitched_calypso   (18:40)

giuseppe ielasi / domenico sciajno “right after” compact disc

• at a greater distance   (6:13)
  
• honey (to sg)   (3:55)
  
• two main rooms   (11:32)
  
• the "still" or moving image   (9:42)
  
• three main rooms   (8:48)
  
• bracket   (2:55)
  
• (painted) wooden base   (6:37)

greg kelley / jason lescalleet “forlorn green” compact disc

• man on the outside   (9:00)
  
• conquest of the earth   (27:00)
  
• tight spot   (8:00)
  
• autumn leaves   (10:00)

keith rowe / toshimaru nakamura “weather sky” compact disc

• weather sky #1   (40:32)
  
• weather sky #2   (5:02)
  
• weather sky #3   (27:26)

cor fuhler / gert-jan prins “the flirts” compact disc

• j-fetrose   (7:57)
  
• fuchsine rill   (12:21)
  
• latcho freqpollen   (11:31)
  
• tulip creek   (5:28)
  
• u-bluebell   (4:39)
  
• high pass tipped red   (8:24)
  
• geranium-455   (4:42)

stilluppsteypa / tv pow “we are everyone in the room” compact disc

• michigan impossible   (13:41)
  
• for starters we have nothing conclusive   (17:18)
  
• where's your asian girlfriend   (4:08)
  
• international starving artists   (9:27)
  
• this place looks like flint or double ass shot (you guys can pick
  
• we like double ass shot)   (4:16)

toshimaru nakamura / sachiko m “do” compact disc

• do #1   (36:45)
  
• do #2   (2:41)
  
• do #3   (10:39)

otomo yoshihide / voice crack “bits, bots & signs” compact disc

• @@@ 1   (16:53)
  
• @@@ 2   (6:35)
  
• @@@ 3   (14:03)
  
• @@@ 4   (8:51)
  
• @@@ 5   (11:44)

dean roberts / werner dafeldecker “aluminium” compact disc

• rock and roll part 4   (10:34)
  
• rock and roll part 5   (30:03)

burkhard stangl / christof kurzmann “schnee” compact disc

• nordrand   (15:16)
  
• passion   (14:01)
  
• sans soleil   (20:47)
  
• in einem jahr mit 13 monden   (23:47)

john butcher / phil durrant “requests and antisongs” compact disc

• sheet bend   (6:38)
  
• jansik   (1:00)
  
• sliding chinese crown   (4:50)
  
• eye splice   (1:39)
  
• kreuzklem   (5:05)
  
• bimini    (7:11)
  
• prusik loop   (7:40)
  
• float stop   (3:31)
  
• flemish eye   (5:18)
  
• palomar   (8:57)
  
• japanese square lashing   (6:25)

kevin drumm / martin tétreault “particles and smears” compact disc

• 4:16
  
• 4:17
  
• 2:19
  
• 7:36
  
• 5:36
  
• 1:42
  
• 4:04
  
• 4:09
  
• 3:11
  
• 4:07
  
• 3:44
  
• 4:30
  
• 4:38
  
• 4:53

keith rowe / günter müller / taku sugimoto “the world upside down” compact disc

• phase two   (34:44)
  
• phase one   (22:11)

earl howard / denman maroney “fire song” compact disc

• fire song   (17:48) duet for hyperpiano and synthesizer
  
• uncaged bacchanal   (10:23) solo hyperpiano
  
• pulse field   (13:22)  duet for hyperpiano and alto saxophone
  
• orchid   (12:12)    solo alto saxophone

vhf “extracts” compact disc

• 1. xe
  
• 2. ra
  
• 3. tr
  
• 4. ct
  
• 5. ac
  
• 6. xt
  
• 7. ts

toshimaru nakamura “maruto” compact disc

• maruto (46:14)

erstwhile press release...

keith rowe “the room” compact disc

• the room (38:57)

christof kurzmann / burkhard stangl “neuschnee” compact disc

• las hijas de nieve (0:39)
  
• in the global snow of things (15:43)
  
• gredler (14:09)
  
• homeless dogs (5:22)
  
• song songs (18:28)

erstwhile press release...

christof kurzmann / burkhard stangl neuschnee erstpop 002 total time: 54:20 christof kurzmann lloopp, vocals, clarinet, rubber band burkhard stangl guitars, vibraphone, piano, background vocals guests: manon-liu winter piano (track #2) edén carrasco saxophone (track #4) nicolás carrasco electronics (track #4) burkhard stangl and christof kurzmann began their duo 'schnee' in 1999, finally working together after many years of a non-collaborative friendship. their first album, released in 2000, combined stangl's acoustic guitar with kurzmann's electronic sound manipulation. this was an unusual approach at the time, although it quickly became widely copied and very influential. since the duo was so well-received, they continued their work, playing concerts throughout europe, as well as tours in china and japan. at the same time they began experimenting with another fairly unique approach within this area of music, incorporating song structures and pop vocals into their compositions. these efforts led to the recording of a second album, schneelive, an elongated and meticulously structured version of a prince song, as performed in the amplify 2004: addition festival at ausland in berlin. while schneelive was a snapshot of their approach on a single night, neuschnee is more complex, recorded on three continents in five countries over four years. kurzmann has been a prominent part of both the vienna and the berlin scenes over the past decade. as an organizer, he cofounded the phonotaktik festival, helped begin the prominent rhiz club in vienna, and ran the prestigious charhizma label. since moving to berlin in 2001, he has organized countless shows, including the berlin half of amplify 2004: addition. kurzmann has been an essential part of many erstwhile-related live events, in tokyo, berlin and nyc, and was the first to work at amann studios for an erstwhile release, beginning a crucial relationship for the label. neuschnee is his fifth release for erstwhile, following a s o (with ami yoshida), the magic id-till my breath gives out, and the two previous schnee releases. stangl explores the full range of the guitar, from quiet, melodic plucking to atonal walls of noisy drones. this range and adaptability allowed him to be extremely prolific from 1999-2004, in the collective projects polwechsel, efzeg, and sssd, in duos and trio with christof kurzmann and taku sugimoto, as well as many others. neuschnee is also his fifth release for erstwhile, following wrapped islands (with polwechsel and fennesz), eh (with dieb13), and the two previous schnee releases. stangl also has a duo album with kai fagaschinski in the works for erstwhile, scheduled for fall 2009 release. these two cds mark his first new work in some years. the five tracks on neuschnee form an ambitious meta-song suite, with the various lyrics and musical styles combining to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts. the design is again from berlin designer marion gerth, previously responsible for the magic id-till my breath gives out on erstpop. the front cover juxtaposes a satellite picture of snow with the mao zedong poem 'snow', which the musicians discovered in a book bought while on tour in beijing. after a long phase of experimental and avant-garde work, which inscribed itself in our hearts and still grounds any musical activity, the collection of experiences in originally non-western cultures such as japan, south africa or latin america - each with their own fascinating music - played an important role, too, when we started to think about songs again in a new way and started to integrate them slowly into our delicate musical architecture. the songs or even their fragments are meant as reconciliation: a reconciliation of experiment and tradition, of thoughtful silence and expressive celebration of each moment, of worlds of noises and clearly defined harmonies. - burkhard stangl

the magic i.d. “till my breath gives out” long playing record

• true holiday (6:25)
  
• feet deep (4:59)
  
• wintersong (6:14)
  
• martin fierro (3:02)
  
  
• from the same road (8:13)
  
• loopstück (12:57)

erstwhile press release...

the magic i.d. till my breath gives out erstpop 001 kai fagaschinski clarinet (right) margareth kammerer vocals & guitars christof kurzmann vocals, g3 and lloopp michael thieke clarinet (left) the magic i.d. is a berlin-based quartet exploring the juncture of song forms with abstract music. the band, consisting of margareth kammerer, christof kurzmann, kai fagaschinski and michael thieke, formed in summer 2005 after previously being connected via smaller groupings and projects. till my breath gives out is their debut release, and consists of six intricately constructed gems, each with its own individual shape, painstakingly sequenced to form a record that becomes more than the sum of its parts. kammerer was born in italy and moved to berlin in 1994. she is deeply involved in the worlds of both theatre and music, and has a lengthy resume in both areas. her mostly solo album to be an animal of real flesh was released on charhizma in 2004, featuring collaborative tracks with axel dörner, chris abrahams and tatusya yoshida, as well as remixes from fred frith, philip jeck, bernhard fleischmann and kurzmann. her unique, distinctive voice has been underdocumented previously, but is showcased on till my breath gives out to riveting effect. kurzmann has been a prominent part of both the vienna and (more recently) the berlin scenes over the past decade. as an organizer, he cofounded the phonotaktik festival, helped found the famous rhiz club in vienna, and runs the prestigious charhizma label. kurzmann has been an essential part of many erstwhile-related live events, in tokyo, berlin and nyc, and was the first to work at amann studios for an erstwhile release, beginning a crucial relationship for the label. his duo with burkhard stangl, schnee, is one of the core projects of erstwhile, with a third release for the label currently in preparation for release, and his duo with ami yoshida, a s o, is an underappreciated gem. fagaschinski has leapt to prominence in the improv world over the last few years, with well-received duo projects such as los glissandinos (w/klaus filip), the international nothing (w/thieke) and kommando raumschiff zitrone (w/kurzmann). his music is rooted in abstraction, but with an increasingly insidious melodious element. this is his first erstwhile release, and his second is already in the works, a duo disc with stangl. thieke was born in düsseldorf and moved to berlin in 1993. he works in a wide range of styles in the jazz and improv worlds, from a mingus tribute to a collective trio on ayler records (w/christian weber and michael griener) to his own unununium project on charhizma to the aforementioned the international nothing w/fagaschinski, ranging from free blowing to sparse, pointillistic abstraction, from fully improvised to fully composed. the six pieces contained here are precise collective compositions, three by the full quartet, and one from each of the three potential “duos” (the two clarinets form one twinned instrument). till my breath gives out expands song forms through the prism of experimental sensibilities and meshes the two remarkably fluidly. the design has been sourced from a photograph taken by gianmarco bresadola in alexanderplatz, berlin, and stunningly reconceived by berlin designer marion gerth. till my breath gives out is being released simultaneously in two formats: foldout digipak cd and gatefold 180g vinyl. the content and the running order are identical; the lp version was mastered slightly differently to better fit the format. the lp is an edition of 500 copies; the cd is unlimited and inexpensive.

the magic i.d. “till my breath gives out” compact disc

• true holiday (6:25)
  
• feet deep (4:59)
  
• wintersong (6:14)
  
• martin fierro (3:02)
  
• from the same road (8:13)
  
• loopstück (12:57)