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... happy spring everyone !!! to commemorate our favorite season (and to help get this place back to some sort of workable condition) we're having a "spring cleaning" sale !!! please visit the spring (2013) cleaning page to view a list of (recent, mostly 2012) releases that we're now offering at reduced prices (while supplies last, no rainchecks, etc) ...
previous record label:
 phono suecia 
there are 23 titles on pica disk in stock.
they are listed below.
next record label:
 pineapple tapes 
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 spring cleaning !!! 
pica disk (norway) #pica 027 cd

jazkamerthe young person’s guide to jazkamer” quadruple compact disc boxed set

  • winds on wednesday (48:55)

  • president of improv shipping company (3:06)
  • i don't want it to go that far 1-12 v4 (4:06)
  • i don't want it to go that far 1-12 v6 (4:29)
  • durex5 (4:12)
  • peepshop (5:47)
  • great lake trout (4:11)
  • take me off yr mailing list (4:41)
  • prakt kompakt (4:55)
  • anencephaly (2:28)
  • wolf rotorvator (3:31)
  • komm süsser tod (4:03)
  • ope-ams (remamix) (3:22)
  • all men are brothers (edit) (5:06)
  • ruido roas 5 minutos (5:00)
  • ruido roas 5 minutos (2:20)
  • virgin flower (10:03)

  • turntable surface fireball 2 (studio) (15:31)
  • turntable surface fireball 2 (live) (16:55)
  • a-sia (4:47)
  • b-sia (5:08)
  • we forgive you (20:02)
  • untitled (12:13)

  • no sleep till haugesund (6:49)
  • stupid cowboy (3:41)
  • tonal protest (6:59)
  • urga (1:39)
  • remembering the tea king (39:57)
december 2010 release ; here’s the last of the jazkamer2010 monthly series” releases, offering an exclusive album, “winds of wednesday”, plus a disc of compilation tracks, one of previously vinyl-only releases, and one of live material(s) filling in the gaps of their prior output for the cd age ...

... and what a long, strange, yet consistently rewarding trip it’s been ; many a brave / dedicated soul / group / label have attempted a project of this magnitude, yet many have failed (miserably !!!) ...

kudos to lasse & john for keeping their eyes on the prize !!!
pica disk press release...

jazkamer: the young person's guide to jazkamer

pica027. 4cd. released december 2010.

the final release in jazkamer's 2010 series is a 4cd box-set.

cd1: wind on wednesday
previously unreleased first album from 1998.

cd2: compilation tracks
16 tracks selected from various compilations 2000-2007.

cd3: vinyl on cd
first cd version of the "turntable surface fireball 2" lp; the "knitter" 7", the jazkamer sides of the opec and sandbleistift split lps.

cd4: live and more stuff
live recordings from 2002 and 2010 + rarities.

booklet 1: the history of jazkamer. 16 pages.

booklet 2: photos from jazkamer's adventures over the years. 20 pages.


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 spring cleaning !!! 
pica disk (norway) #pica 026 cd

jazkamermetal music machine 2” compact disc

  • the metal (4:25)
  • bestial desolation (3:09)
  • no lamb for the lazy wolf (8:37)
  • the crimson worm (16:39)
  • electra glide in black (4:22)
november 2010 release ; ... the successor to one of jazkamer most well-received records, the legendarymetal music machine” ... five tracks recorded by the original mmm lineup, running the gamut of contemporary & classic metal modes, all done with the panache only true devotees of the form can channel ...
pica disk press release...

jazkamer: metal music machine 2

pica026. cd. released november 2010.

"metal music machine 2" is the sequel to jazkamer's 2006 metal album "metal music machine". it is recorded with the same line-up, in the same studio, and continues the paths laid out by the first album; jazkamer exploring the deep dark fjords of metal. from 80's german thrash to überslow doom and 70's classic heavy metal; "metal music machine 2" is a varied platter of metal mania.

the original album was something of a surprise hit for the band, which lead to creating a live mmm-big band. the live incarnation swayed more in the direction of noise meltdown, but for "metal music machine 2" jazkamer takes a step back to pure metal; the album is perhaps more metal than the first and absolutely no noise or electronic elements can be heard.

jazkamer would like to dedicate "metal music machine 2" to the memory of ronnie james dio; the greatest voice of heavy metal who sadly passed away this year. as a sign of respect "metal music machine 2" is a completely instrumental album with no vokills.

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 spring cleaning !!! 
pica disk (norway) #pica 025 cd

tommi keränenbats in the attic” compact disc

  • bats in the attic (35:48)
october 2010 release ; awesome debut release (under his own name at least ; he’s been recording for a number of years as rulla & with lasse as testicle hazard) from anoema boss tommi keränen, recorded using the ems stockholm / fylkingen’s massive modular system(s ; i know they have an original buchla 200 there, possibly even an ems synthi-100) ...

this is a white-hot, squeaking morass of analogia that harkens back to classic ems work like akos rozmann’s “impulsioni” while keeping the contemporarysynth noise” of astro et.al in check ... great stuff !!!
pica disk press release...

keränen: bats in the attic

pica025. cd. released october 2010.

pica disk is proud to present “bats in the attic” - keränen’s solo debut full-length cd. this album has arrived to shatter finland’s pristine reputation. you thought they were a bunch of bland mobile-phone-touting nords? think again: from the swamps they came and to a swamp of blistering warped noise they now return. active for years as rulla, tommi keränen has been keener to raise hell on stage worldwide than to put in studio time. though he’s dirtied his hands as an incapacitants and pymathon collaborator and as a member of testicle hazard, gentle evil and les manures, solo releases have been rare indeed. his sound – messy, thick, out-of-control electronic chaos – now reaches boiling point, with source material recorded at the prestigious ems in stockholm using vintage analogue synthesizers.

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 spring cleaning !!! 
pica disk (norway) #pica 024 cd

jazkamerfailed state of mind” compact disc

  • variation of a failed state of mind (1) (3:20)
  • variation of a failed state of mind (2) (3:20)
  • variation of a failed state of mind (3) (3:20)
  • variation of a failed state of mind (4) (3:20)
  • variation of a failed state of mind (5) (3:20)
  • variation of a failed state of mind (6) (3:20)
  • variation of a failed state of mind (7) (3:20)
  • variation of a failed state of mind (8) (3:20)
  • variation of a failed state of mind (9) (3:20)
october 2010 release ; a subtler release from the jazkamer duo, aided here by reynolsan(l)l(n)a courtis on some rather uncharacteristic exploratory guitar work, causing this one stand out as one of the better mappings charted out during this prolific year ...
pica disk press release...

jazkamer: failed state of mind

pica024. cd. released october 2010.

"failed state of mind" is jazkamer's 25th studio album. most people know of the infamous "that difficult 25th album", but for jazkamer the landmark number appears to have given no difficulties, as "failed state of mind" is the most mellow and easy-on-the-ears recording jazkamer since 2006's "panic".

the nine tracks that makes up the album is a drifting tapestry of droning guitars, distant location recordings and tasteful percussion work, all woven together in a seamless stream that is subtle and abstract. melody is hinted at, but never achieved, buried beneath layers of sound. one could almost thing that jazkamer is getting mellow in their older years. what sticks in the ear is the clarity with which jazkamer shifts between different swathes and bandwidths of noise. from moment to moment what you catch feels like a pinball machine, a child's electronic toy, a rasping insect, a fax, or simply the abstract whirr of sonic information; all caught up in an articulate but pressured streamline.

"fail state of mind" is a pure and profound release that sticks a new definition to naturalism. argentinian sound-wizard anla courtis contributes with guitar-work on two tracks. cover by san francisco-based photographer and artist suzy poling.

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 spring cleaning !!! 
pica disk (norway) #pica 023 cd

jazzkammerpeanuts” compact disc

  • tickle (2:22)
  • electricity to heat water (2:21)
  • no need for shoes (3:29)
  • dj falling asleep (6:46)
  • peanuts and metal (7:16)
  • thunder roll (5:30)
  • liquid plastic (1:57)
september 2010 release ; oddly, the first jaz(z)kam(m)er title in the series, harkening back their “quiet (art)works like “timex” ...
pica disk press release...

jazzkammer: peanuts

pica023. cd. released september 2010.

"peanuts" is a mixture of location recordings and percussion, and can be seen as a continuation of the music jazzkammer explored on the albums "timex" (2000) and "pancakes" (2002); carefully constructed transparent sound-surfaces. one track also features turntable surface crackle, which could bring the listener's thoughts back to the "turntable surface fireball" lp (2001). although "peanuts" is not a noise record, it could hardly be called ambient music. it might work well as background listening, but listen carefully and realize the many details in the music. strangely jazzkammer's 'quiet' albums have previously been described as their most difficult. hegre and marhaug are rather puzzled about this themselves, and hope that "peanuts" will make its listeners feeling enlightened and joyful.

the "peanuts" cover photographs are by spanish photographer valeria picerno.

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pica disk (norway) #pica 022 cd

jazkamermatthew 28:17” compact disc

  • psychedelic buzz aldrin and pragmatic albert hofman (8:52)
  • cosmic cookies (4:12)
  • put hegre into orbit (8:21)
  • the nudes (6:49)
  • space, stars, earth, planets and more (15:29)
august 2010 release ; first straight duo disc in the monthly series, pitting the “classicstripped-down lineup of just lasse & john ...
pica disk press release...

jazkamer: matthew 28:17

pica022. cd. released august 2010.

on "matthew 28:17" jazkamer for the first time in the 2010 monthly series operates as its core duo of lasse marhaug and john hegre. this reduction does little to lighten the density of their sound, rather the opposite, because "matthew 28:17" is a thick haze of dopey fuzz-guitars and droning organ. for the longtime jazkamer fan this album bears similarities to the 2002 mini-album "the sound of music" – which often has been thought of as a highlight in the jazkamer oeuvre.

the themes of "matthew 28:17" are a mix of the subjects astronomi (both hegre and marhaug are keen space-enthusiasts) and religion (but neither are particularly avid churchgoers). this duality and conflict of science and spirituality is expressed as dionysian ecstasy through primitive psychedelic noise music. jazkamer offers no answers on these difficult matters, but hope that their listeners will join them on their dance around the campfire.

the cover artwork of "matthew 28:17" is by japanese visual artist yasutoshi yoshida, also known as recording artist government alpha.

all profits from the sales of "matthew 28:17" will be donated to nasa.

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pica disk (norway) #pica 021 cd

jazkamercover by hair stylistics” compact disc

  • 129 songs, no index (19:25)
july 2010 release ; july installment, a brusquenoisecore” variant with lasse, john, jørgen træen, and iver sandoy ...
pica disk press release...

jazkamer: cover by hair stylistics

pica021. cd. released july 2010.

"cover by hair stylstics" is the july edition of jazkamer's ongoing 2010 monthly compact disc series. this month's album finds hegre and marhaug joined by iver sandøy playing noisecore. noisecore is a crossover between grindcore and noise music. one could call it improvised grindcore, as its emphasis is on short bursts of blastbeat drumming backed by screaming vocals and heavily distorted guitar. often the music is improvised on the spot. early pioneers of noisecore were bands like gerogerigegege, 7 minutes of nausea and fear of god, and although the genre never flourished like grindcore, it nevertheless has lead a healthy underground life with bands like sissy spacek and october revolution.

jazkamer ventured into noisecore territory on 2008's "art breaker" album (smalltown superjazzz), which featured 59 songs in mere 17 minutes. many reviewers complained that 17 were even too much. despite this reaction "cover by hair stylstics" ups the ante with 129 songs in 20 minutes. because of the compact disc-format's limited index ability the songs are presented as one continious track. jazkamer also prefers the album to be experienced as a whole, rather than prominence given to individual songs.

for jazkamer's monthly 2010 series they have invited one different visual artist to contribute every month. the artwork of "cover by hair stylistics" is by the japanese actor, author and composer masaya nakahara. nakahara is know for him musical work with projects like hair stylistics, suicidal 10cc and violent onsen geisha. on the front cover nakarhara can be seen drawing the artwork used on the inside of the cover.

"cover by hair stylstics" was recorded during an excruciating two hours in duper studios in bergen. editing and mixing the material took even longer to complete and involved several coffee-breaks. pica disk hopes that jazkamer fans across the world will enjoy "cover by hair stylstics" for a long time.

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pica disk (norway) #pica 020 cd

jazkamerwe want epic drama” compact disc

  • we want epic drama (1) (30:15)
  • we want epic drama (2) (42:58)
june 2010 release ; ... getting back into the swing of things, here’s jazkamer’s june offering ; a “big band” variant with lasse, john, jørgen træen, n.a. drønen, iver sandoy, and jean-philippe gross ...
pica disk press release...

jazkamer: we want epic drama

pica020. cd. released june 2010.

the june edition of jazkamer's 2010 monthly cd-series. a big-band noise extravagansa. the first studio recording of the metal music machine line-up; two drummers, electronics and three guitars. artwork by justin bartlett.

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minimalism-drones
modern-composition
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experimental-instruments
machine-music
live-electronic

 best of 2010 !!! 
 spring cleaning !!! 
pica disk (norway) #pica 019 cd

kevin drummnecro acoustic” quintuple compact disc boxed set

  • spraying the weeds (5:55)
  • blistering statick (4:39)
  • needleprick (2:06)
  • idle worship (18:19)

  • malaise (1) (4:16)
  • malaise (2) (9:23)
  • malaise (3) (3:20)
  • malaise (4) (2:10)
  • malaise (5) (1:47)
  • malaise (6) (1:36)
  • malaise (7) (2:54)
  • malaise (8) (2:21)
  • malaise (9) (15:00)
  • malaise (10) (6:44)
  • malaise (11) (4:01)

  • stomach acid (3:03)
  • blistering statick (7:01)
  • band pass (5:12)
  • take the focus off (2:52)
  • stale content (2:52)
  • bustelo (1:15)
  • trash (2:55)
  • dilemma 1 (3:45)
  • dilemma 2 (9:13)
  • older shit 1 (3:10)
  • older shit 2 (2:44)
  • totemic saturation (13:31)
  • the blurry stupor (10:15)

  • no edit 1 (23:33)
  • no edit 2 (34:37)

  • organ (54:54)
may 2010 release ; wow. didn’t see this coming ; a five-disc set compiling a bunch of of “small run” full-length titles issued over the past few years with kevin drumm’s name on them (including the hospitalmalaise” tape, the “s/t” lp on dilemma, his side of the 2673 split on kitty play) along with several discs of until-now unreleased music dating back to 1998 ...

while much of the material here is in & of the “noise” idiom(s), i was surprised to find much in the way of sparser materials (certainly the early-electronic feel of “old shit 1” was a revelation ; listen to the sound-sample) & high-frequency, keeninginside-your-head” pieces ala maryanne amacher’s “sound characters” ... plus the full version of kevin’s defining “organ(cut down to 17 1/2 on “comedy” but here restored to the full 55 minutes) is incredible, filling the room with a void of air-pushing bass that rivals anything in the sunn o))) canon ...

comes as 5 separate discs, each in their own full-color slip-sleeve, along with a 24-page booklet of dismal photos of presumably kevin’s wicker park lair (pre & post renovation / abandonment) ... i can’t see how anyone that’s been following kevin’s arc since his mid-90s solo guitar statements through the harsh noise & plaintive long-form drone work won’t be bowled over by this veritable treasure trove of material ; highly recommended !!!
pica disk press release...

kevin drumm: necro acoustic
pica019. 5cd box set.

cd1. lights out
new album of necro acoustic material recorded 2006-2008.

2 pulse generators, band-pass filter, feedback, computer assistance.

cd2. malaise
reissue of the limited edition double cassette previously released on hospital productions in 2009.

guitar, oscillators, computer assistance.

cd3. decrepit
previously unreleased material from 1998-1999 and 2008 + reissue of drumm's tracks from split lp with 2673 on kitty play records (2005) + the limited edition lp on dilemma records (2008).

guitar, oscillators, filters, tape recorders, analogue synthesizer, computer assistance.

cd4. no edit<br>new album of prepared guitar material recorded in 2009.

prepared guitar, eq, octave fuzz, rat pedal, marshall mini-amp.

cd5. organ
first full length release of this classic track heard in edited form on the "comedy" album. this is the full 55 minute version as recorded by jim o'rourke in 1996. believed to have been lost for years, but recently discovered.

thomas organ, chord organs, marshall jcm 900, ampeg 4x12 cabinet, bag end 2x12, rat pedal.

packaged as a solid box with gold print, individual cd-wallets and 24 page booklet.

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 spring cleaning !!! 
pica disk (norway) #pica 018 cd

jazkamerchestnut thornback tar” compact disc

  • sentimental journey (19:47)
  • lament for klaus kinski (2:11)
  • life as a secret agent is over (2:15)
  • burp boogie, burp boogie (0:26)
  • in the days of the burning guitar (3:27)
  • it is the nobel prize i want. it's worth $400.000 (2:08)
  • we need a painting
  • not a frame (3:45)
  • yellow mountain fur peak (13:55)
may 2010 release ; may edition, featuring the quartet lineup of n.a. drønen, jean-philippe gross, lasse marhaug, and john hegre ... this full-band jazkamer stuff is killing me, with drønen’s blast-beat tactics & scraping percussion dotting the electronic ür-pulse of lasse & john ...

the series is amping up in a major way ; i kinda can’t wait to see where they’ll head next ...
pica disk press release...

jazkamer: chestnut thornback tar
pica018. cd. released may 2010.

the may edition of jazkamer's 2010 monthly cd-series.

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 spring cleaning !!! 
pica disk (norway) #pica 017 cd

jazkamerself portrait” compact disc

  • self portrait (1) (10:48)
  • self portrait (2) (10:56)
  • self portrait (3) (16:16)
april 2010 release ; “the first all-acoustic jazkamer record”, recorded lethe-style in a huge, resonant acoustic space ... forgoing electricity must have been a major challenge for these guys ; alas they pull it off with aplomb, channeling a slow-mo rusty graveyard ala the new blockaders’ “changez” lp played at 7 rpm ...
pica disk press release...

jazkamer: self portrait

pica017. cd. released april 2010.

the april edition of jazkamer's 2010 monthly cd-series.

the first all-acoustic jazkamer record

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pica disk (norway) #pica 016 cd

jazkamerthe monroe doctrine” compact disc

  • the monroe doctrine (29:59)
march 2010 release ; third disc in the series, with the marhaug/hegre/gross lineup augmented by der brief/waver’s n.a. drønen on drums ...

imagine steve coleman’s five elements band doing cartwheels on the surface of the sun while main-lining spoiled raisinets and ... (yeah, that didn’t make any sense in my head either) ; qualitylive bandnoise from one of the longest-running proponents of said ...
pica disk press release...

jazkamer: the monroe doctrine

pica016. cd. released march 2010.

the march edition of jazkamer's 2010 monthly cd-series.
free-form funk-noise.

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pica disk (norway) #pica 015 cd

jazkamermusica non grata” compact disc

  • honda sound works (32:24)
  • musica non grata (14:55)
  • feedback fans (8:09)
february 2010 release ; second installment in jazkamer’s behemoth monthly series - here a shit-hot trio date (again, lasse & john w/ jean-philippe gross) consisting solely of feedback-sourced sounds recorded (by the inimitable jørgensir supermanntraen at his duper studios)in the red” onto analogue tape ...

ear-bleeding difference tones & hysteresis all around ; an early peak in the series ...
pica disk press release...

jazkamer: musica non grata

pica015. cd. released february 2010.

the february edition of jazkamer's 2010 monthly cd-series. "musica non grata" is a feedback-fest. armed with guitars and analogue synths and an arsenal of amps, hegre, gross and marhaug locked themselves into duper studios in bergen, exploring how feedback-timbre sounds like when recorded on an analogue 24 track 2" tape-machine. the three long tracks that makes "musica non grata" are slow-moving long-form meditations on feedback that will be bliss for a select few and hell for most listeners. february is not an easy month.

cd in digipak cover. photos by martín escalante.

december 1st 2009 / jazkamer 2010 monthly series

in 2010 pica disk ventures on its most ambitious project yet: to release one jazkamer cd-album every month of the year.

the jazkamer 2010-series will be 12 proper new albums. the idea is to keep things exciting all the way, so in keeping with jazkamer’s eclectic tradition of making very different sounding records, each monthly album will be different from the previous installments. the 2010-series will cover the wide (non)musical range jazkamer has become known for since they started in 1998. this includes:

  • first studio recordings of the metal line-up since ”metal music machine” album
  • new ”art breaker”-style grindcore recordings
  • new ”panic”-style broken-blues material
  • collaborations with john wiese, putrefier, government alpha and others
  • material with regular four-piece line-up of hegre, marhaug, gross and drønen
  • and much, much more. expect some surprises along the way also.

the cd’s will be packaged in proper digipak covers, and each will feature artwork by a different visual artist, like savage pencil, martín escalante, jose de diego, justin bartlett, yasutoshi yoshida and others.

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harsh-noise

 spring cleaning !!! 
pica disk (norway) #pica 014 cd

jazkamersolitary nail” compact disc

  • solitary nail (30:01)
january 2010 release ; first in what purports to be an epic series :: one new jazkamer disc a month for the calendar year 2010, each highlighting a phase/style in & of the band’s lengthy career ...

with this inaugural burst, we get a single half-hour piece from lasse marhaug, john hegre, and jean-philippe gross, coming in like a landing f-18 off the bat (listen to the sound-sample) before receding in & out of varying degrees of power electronics, scraping rust-metal segments, and keening electronic squeech ... amen.
pica disk press release...

jazkamer: solitary nail

pica014. cd. released january 2010.

the january edition of jazkamer's 2010 monthly cd-series. a trio recording of jean-philippe gross, john hegre and lasse marhaug. studio live-electronics recorded to analog tape at duper studios in bergen. edited and post-produced by gross. a dense tapestry of perfect electronic happiness. cd in digipak cover.

december 1st 2009 / jazkamer 2010 monthly series

in 2010 pica disk ventures on its most ambitious project yet: to release one jazkamer cd-album every month of the year.

the jazkamer 2010-series will be 12 proper new albums. the idea is to keep things exciting all the way, so in keeping with jazkamer’s eclectic tradition of making very different sounding records, each monthly album will be different from the previous installments. the 2010-series will cover the wide (non)musical range jazkamer has become known for since they started in 1998. this includes:

  • first studio recordings of the metal line-up since ”metal music machine” album
  • new ”art breaker”-style grindcore recordings
  • new ”panic”-style broken-blues material
  • collaborations with john wiese, putrefier, government alpha and others
  • material with regular four-piece line-up of hegre, marhaug, gross and drønen
  • and much, much more. expect some surprises along the way also.

the cd’s will be packaged in proper digipak covers, and each will feature artwork by a different visual artist, like savage pencil, martín escalante, jose de diego, justin bartlett, yasutoshi yoshida and others.

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first in stock on
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threads:
modern-composition
minimalism-drones
site-specific
concert-recordings

 spring cleaning !!! 
pica disk (norway) #pica 013 cd

tony conrad / c. spencer yeh / michael f. duchmusculus trapezius” compact disc

  • musculus trapezius (65:17)
january 2010 release ; believe this is the first issued collaboration between 60s violinist / film-maker / tunning-systems sage tony conrad and contemporary violinist / film-maker / traveler c. spencer yeh, caught on tape (in a trio formation with contrabassist michael f. duch) in oslo back in 2008 ...

after a good 10 minutes of spare piano and rattling architectural appointments, the strings do come in ; at first fighting for a solid footing, then slowly ratcheting into some form of harmonic unison, all whilst the bass iterates in steady, tonal pulses ...

it’s amazing to hear spencer dial it back a bit (he’s by & large keeping to sustained, pitched tones ; very little in the way of his trademark bow-scrape) ; at all points his & tony’s playing is near-indistinguishable ...

now that i think about it ; i haven’t heard a recording of tony’s in some time where he isn’t bathing his difference tones in a sea of electronic effects ; the purely acoustic recording (in what sounds like a glorious old wooden church) does wonders for revealing the detail & clarity of everyone’s playing ...
pica disk press release...

tony conrad / c. spencer yeh / michael f. duch: musculus trapezius

pica013. cd. released january 2010.

from the abstract of the article "emg trapezius muscle activity pattern in string players:: part i—is there variability in the playing technique?" authored by anncristine fjellman-wiklund, helena grip, jan stefan karlsson,  and gunnevi sundelin, first published in the international journal of industrial ergonomics (volume 33, issue 4, april 2004) : "work-related neck and shoulder disorders are a great problem for string musicians; a playing technique with more relaxed muscles and a greater variation in the muscle activity pattern, i.e., with shorter sequences at a varied number of amplitude levels... might prevent pain." oops.

an epic performance captured pristine, unfurling its massive limbs patiently and cannily over the course of seventy-plus minutes. conrad mingles amongst his trusted wood-and-steel sidekicks, engaged in both age-old conversations and inspired new inquisitions; yeh bookends his passive/aggressive behaviour on violin with spare piano incantations; duch acts as a ghostly anchor, casting formidable binding and deft velocity. yes, the drones do flow freely, but these reliable horizons fracture into surprising detours, tearing apart not only the instruments and players involved, but the expectations of the music itself.

recorded in sofienberg church of oslo, norway in february 2008, and mastered by jim o'rourke in tokyo, japan. cd in digipak cover.

tony conrad: harpsicord and violin.
c.spencer yeh: piano and violin.
michael f. duch: double bass

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first in stock on
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threads:
electro-acoustic-composition
plunder-phonic
lo-fi
harsh-noise
sound-poetry

 spring cleaning !!! 
pica disk (norway) #pica 010 ep

oren ambarchi / lasse marhaugdevil wolf men” seven inch single record

  • devil wolf men part 1 (6:15)

  • devil wolf men part 2 (6:20)
september 2009 release ; haha, yeah ...

great plunderphonic (i’m hearing snatches of “hairy beast attack”, “a chinese ghost story”, and the like) construct from oren & lasse, based on location recordings (undoubtedly recorded from hotel-room television) during a joint tour of asia back in 2005 ...

absolutely 180º away from anything either have done on their own, much closer to the sound-world(s) of john wiese & aaron dilloway ... fun !!!
pica disk press release...
oren ambarchi / lasse marhaug: devil wolf men

pica010. 7" single. released autumn 2009.

"devil wolf men" is a tapestry of location recordings and studio collaborations made during ambarchi and marhaug's tour of china in 2005. your world will not be the same.

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threads:
harsh-noise
electro-acoustic-improvisation
electro-acoustic-composition
playback-music
sound-poetry
plunder-phonic
digital-musics

 spring cleaning !!! 
pica disk (norway) #pica 009 cd

maja solveig kjelstrup ratkje / lasse marhaugmusic for gardening” compact disc

  • music for gardening (4:37)
  • complaints won't help (5:36)
  • call in the dogs (2:54)
  • sound check (2:17)
  • merry go round circus in town (3:05)
  • stuck in the roundabout (2:34)
  • like a prayer (3:47)
september 2009 release ; fourth release in this near-decade-long collaboration between maja solveig kjelstrup ratkje and lasse marhaug ...

nestled somewhere in the nether-regions between harsh noise, electro-acoustic improvisation, and plunderphonic collage-work, the two are obviously having a blast running the proverbial gamut (esp. on the respective cat and dog-themed pieces ; listen to the sound-sample for the former - yeah, like i wasn’t going to put that one up) ... great stuff !!!
pica disk press release...
maja s.k. ratkje / lasse marhaug: music for gardening

pica009. cd. released autumn 2009.

the forth entry in ratkje and marhaug's "music for" -collaborative series. after shopping (2002), loving (2004) and faking (2005) comes ... gardening. the title is inspired by ratkje's new life in the countryside. the seven tracks on this cd are meant to inspire the listener to spend more time in their garden taking care of their plants.

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threads:
harsh-noise
concert-recordings

 best of 2008 !!! 
 spring cleaning !!! 
pica disk (norway) #pica 006 cd

incapacitantsburning orange” compact disc

  • incapacitants - orange smoke (28:27)
  • fumio tommikawa - out of schnaps (26:25)
january 2008 release ; smoldering remnants jointly conjured out of the cold winter mist by fumio kosakai & toshiji mikawa (with a guest appearance by tommianoemakeränen) at the 2008 all ears festival in oslo ...
pica disk press release...
incapacitants: burning orange

pica006. cd. released winter 2008.

incapacitants needs no introduction; the duo of fumio kosakai and t.mikawa; veterans and originators of japanese noise music; cult band number one for noise fanatics worldwide; a band whose infamous status as the best live noise act ever has continued to grow over the years because the duo almost never plays outside of japan.

in january 2007 incapacitants performed live, for the second time in europe in 25 years, at the all ears festival in oslo norway for an overly enthusiastic audience (people from all around europe had travelled to see their heroes). the band later described the two shows as highlights of their career.

burning orange documents these concerts. the cd consists of two complete sets; one incapacitants as a duo and on the second joined by finnish noise-connoisseur tommi keränen (testicle hazard) as a trio under the name of fumio tommiakawa (a take on gomikawa fumio; the trio of pain jerk and incapacitants).

the sound of incapacitants is described in the liner notes of burning orange by tommi keränen as "an inspiring, pure, all-encompassing, ecstatic storm of sound that has a power of near-religious proportions – and that alone, without any unnecessary gimmicks". that celebratory ecstasy certainly comes across on burning orange, of which keränen also handled the post-production under the supervision of mikawa.

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threads:
harsh-noise
concert-recordings
guitar-themed

 best of 2008 !!! 
 spring cleaning !!! 
pica disk (norway) #pica 005 cd

hijokaidanpolar nights live” compact disc

  • hijokaidan - no oslo no harm (26:56)
  • jojo hiroshige & per gisle galåen - book of changes (26:36)
  • junko & sten ove toft - le rayon verte (25:38)
january 2008 release ; white-hot / ear-piercing skree jointly conjured out of the frozen norwegian air by jojo hiroshige & junko (with guest appearances by per gisle galåen & sten ove toft) at the 2008 all ears festival in oslo ...
pica disk press release...
hijokaidan: polar nights live

pica005. cd. released winter 2008.

hijokaidan has since 1979 been one of the leading voices in japanese noise music. starting out with a broad line-up of performers, eventually in the course of the 80-ies the hijokaidan sound became easily identifiable with the shredding guitar-sound of band-leader jojo hiroshige and the high-pitched piercing voice of junko. few noise acts have such an instantly recognizable (and intense) sound.

although hijokaidan's status as noise superstars they rarely perform outside japan. the pleasure was then ever greater for the all ears festival in oslo norway to present hijokaidan at their festival in january 2006. polar nights live documents these historical and astonishing performances.

jojo and junko performed as a hijokaidan two-piece on the opening night of the festival, a rarely heard line-up. their performance got such a tremendous response that they came back for an encore (otomo yoshihide, longtime hijokaidan fan who also performed at the festival, proclaimed "incredible! hijokaidan never does encores!"). the second night jojo collaborated with guitarist per gisle galåen (del, the birds), unleashing thick layers of psychedelic and distorted guitar fog, which fans of of fushitsusha, les rallizes denudes and jojo's non-hijokaidan work will appreciate. the final night saw junko hooking up with noise-nik sten ove toft (ryfylke) for a hellish meltdown of twisted electronics and the most intense voice in music.

unlike most other noise acts hijokaidan has not spoiled their fans with a huge number of releases, which makes polar nights live an even more unique statement of pure noise sound.

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threads:
minimalism-drones
electro-acoustic-composition
modern-psych

 best of 2008 !!! 
 spring cleaning !!! 
pica disk (norway) #pica 004 cd

birchville cat motelgunpowder temple of heaven” compact disc

  • gunpowder temple of heaven (40:49)
january 2008 release ; swelling, emo-heavy vibes from campbell kneale, akin to the more laminar tracks from neil campbell (ha ! neil campbell / campbell kneale ; they should do an album together ... oh wait, they already did ; carry on) ‘s recent astral social club output (a stray kick drum, set on “power ballad” thumps every couple of seconds ; the only element interrupting the rising/cycling organ/string-synth progression) ...

quite a lovely piece, not something i would have ascribed to campbell prior to witnessing his new year’s eve 2007 set (materials culled largely from the mellow piece in question herein, albeit at monstrous volume) ; perfect for deep listening ...
pica disk press release...
birchville cat motel: gunpowder temple of heaven

pica004. cd. released winter 2008.

birchville cat motel is the project of new zealander campbell kneale, who has from his base in lower hutt since the mid 90-ies established himself as the leading voice of this generation of nz sound artists. gunpowder temple of heaven is a new highlight in his extensive discography. a single 40 minute long-form piece that keeps building and unfolding; heaven for drone-noise enthustiasts.

the cd comes with a booklet with a complete birchville discography as well as liner-notes by bruce russell.

from the liner notes of bruce russell (the dead c):

"i've been listening to the music of campbell kneale for more than a decade now. recently i've been listening with a sense of increasing admiration as he stacks up monumental sound slabs in an architecture of audition - building a lofty tower of sound. always a dedicated worker at whatever he does, campbell had mastered the detailed work required to place many sounds accurately across each another. often this kind of 'more is more' strategy backfires into murky sludge, where the increasing layers merely obscure each other. on the contrary, the more bcm puts into a piece, the more you hear coming out."

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threads:
electro-acoustic-improvisation
minimalism-drones
harsh-noise

 spring cleaning !!! 
pica disk (norway) #pica 003 cd

hild sofie tafjordkama” compact disc

  • kama (41:00)
third release on lasse marhaug’s pica disk label; the debut solo album by hild sofie tafjord ...

consisting of a single, 40-minute piece of rising sound, kama starts with a gloss of french horn drones, then builds into a blistering wall of pure electricity. fans of tafjord’s fe-mail project w/maja ratkje will be in familiar territory here ...
pica disk press release...
hild sofie tafjord: kama

pica003. cd. released autumn 2007.

hild sofie tafjord has been known to the public for over a decade as part of projects like spunk, fe-mail (her duo with maja ratkje), agrare (fe-mail with dancer lotta melin), trinacria (fe-mail with black metallers enslaved) and collaborations with birchville cat motel, wolf eyes, matmos, ikue mori, otomo yoshihide, carlos giffoni, zeena parkins, fred frith and countless others. she has released albums on labels like asphodel, rune grammofon, ecm and gameboy records. her main instrument is the horn, but other acoustic instruments as well as metal objects and noise electronics has always been an intregral part of her pallet. hild sofie tafjord is, quite simply, an amazing performer, composer and improvisor with a broad musical range. after consistent touring and performing around the world for years she has built a big fan-base of people who all ask themself:

when the hell is hild sofie going to record her solo album?

finally, the wait is over. kama is here. a monumental 41 minute colossal single-track of an album recorded in the period from summer 2006 to february 2007 during dark nights in her studio in oslo.

kama is mostly made from the sound of her french-horn; although if you didn't know it you probably wouldn't have guessed. layers upon layers of distorted, processed and mangled pieces of sound form a consistent stream of sonic bliss. within this massive sound-construction slowly shapes build into an epic climax. the title kama hits at few interpretations. a quick wikipedia search tells us that kama could be a number of things; a double edged dagger, iron pots used in tea ceremonies, and indian for lust (as in kama sutra). well, who cares what it means when it feels and sounds this good?! hild sofie tafjord's debut album is here, and it has been worth the wait.

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threads:
modern-composition
minimalism-drones
harsh-noise
electro-acoustic-composition
electro-acoustic-improvisation
live-electronic
anti-music

 spring cleaning !!! 
pica disk (norway) #pica 002 ep

oren ambarchi / lasse marhaugworried friends b/w nervous enemies” seven inch single record

  • worried friends (6:40)

  • nervous enemies (6:51)
october 2007 release ; a pair of “piano music” pieces, acting as the debut collaborative single from two of contemporary experimental music’s most prolific/consistently rewarding practitioners; oren ambarchi and lasse marhaug ...

those of you expecting something on par with maurizio pollini’s reading of satie’s gnossiennes might be a little shocked to find instead a fierce 12+ minute inside-piano scrape-fest, hedged with bursts of live-electronic feedback & a “hot” fidelity familiar from any number of david tudor recordings. .. yet at the same time not too far removed from the new blockaders’ whole gesamtnichswerk ; this is anti-music at its finest ...

not something for strict followers of oren’s friendly/subdued sine-guitar throb, nor lasse’s harsh wall of electronic sound; but definitely one for those whose preferences fall in the noisier end of the electro-acoustic composition/improv spectrum ...
pica disk press release...
oren ambarchi / lasse marhaug: worried friends b/w nervous enemies

pica002. 7" single. released autumn 2007.

300 copies.

piano music by ambarchi and marhaug. recorded oslo november 2006.

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first in stock on
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threads:
harsh-noise
lo-fi
electro-acoustic-composition
minimalism-drones

 best of 2007 !!! 
 spring cleaning !!! 
pica disk (norway) #pica 001 cd

lasse marhaugtapes 1990-1999” quadruple compact disc set

  • zonked scum - demo 1 (4:10)
  • herbert mullin - delirium acutum (5:08)
  • herbert mullin - consequenses (0:59)
  • herb mullin - urethra (5:56)
  • herb mullin - coltus interruptus part 2 (3:00)
  • herb mullin & lars skoglund - skinpeel (3:15)
  • herb mullin & lars skoglund - into a pulp (0:43)
  • herb mullin - blodet koagulert / coltus interruptus part 3 (7:30)
  • herb mullin - kommer og går (2:24)
  • herb mullin - immortal, unchained, dumb (12:28)
  • herb mullin - living breathing slab of meat (4:17)
  • herb mullin & mads staff jensen - bolt to (4:47)
  • egoproblem - untitled #1 (2:16)
  • egoproblem - untitled #5 (4:03)
  • h.mull.in - eurotrash (5:56)
  • h.mull.in - out (1:36)
  • herb mullin - on-off (4:48)

  • lasse marhaug - music on tape (8:23)
  • lasse marhaug - white inferno (12:12)
  • lasse marhaug - feed feel part 2 (5:33)
  • egoproblem - free (6:36)
  • lasse marhaug - noise ninja (10:47)
  • lasse marhaug - monster (28:42)

  • lasse marhaug - untitled #1 (5:50)
  • lasse marhaug - untitled #2 (3:55)
  • lasse marhaug - untitled #4 (5:40)
  • lasse marhaug - the girl who always eats chocolate (4:33)
  • lasse marhaug - multimood (11:38)
  • lasse marhaug - wish you a merry christmas (15:31)
  • lasse marhaug - rotterdam (12:26)
  • lasse marhaug - sleeping city sickness (2:59)
  • lasse marhaug - in arabian icecream (6:11)
  • lasse marhaug - ladyrock (5:11)

  • lasse marhaug - more guts than brains (4:36)
  • lasse marhaug - pulse chicken (3:32)
  • lasse marhaug - high hello (13:42)
  • lasse marhaug - development hell (13:46)
  • lasse marhaug - side b (3:20)
  • lasse marhaug - megadecimal shriek (3:39)
  • lasse marhaug - i like violence (1:13)
  • marhaug - untitled (3:26)
  • marhaug / bad kharma - miss plastic murgatroid's red metal wet dream (19:22)
  • marhaug / bad kharma - red tape rot 2 (4:55)
debut release on lasse marhaug’s new label pica disk; a quadruple-disc box set compiling his 90s cassette-only releases, including collaborations with macronympha, ronnie sundin, grunt, mads staff jensen, frederic minrouze, and lars skoglund ...

includes liner notes by tommy carlsson (“you know these discs would make a killer tape box”) and tore honore bøe (“about 13,900 for marhaug+loves+cassettes - about 782 for marhaug+hates+cassettes”) packed inside a 24-page booklet with copious tape-art, photos of lasse (with hair!), and an annotated list of contents ...

this set offers a veritable one-man history of norwegian noise music in the waning days of cassette culture, as potent a document as imaginable. essential listening for the noise-music afficionado ...
pica disk press release...
lasse marhaug: tapes 1990-1999

pica001. 4 cd box-set, with silver print and 24 page booklet. released summer 2007.

lasse marhaug released between 60 to 70 cassette tapes in the 90-ies. these tapes were released in limited quantities in the noise/metal underground and have been unavailable for years, so for many this will be the first time to hear this music. from the early cut-up voice and turntable experiments, to the later full-on wall-of-sound scrap metal noise. mostly solo work (none of marhaug's work with origami replika is represented), but there's also collaboration tracks with artists like macronympha, grunt and bad kharma.

all tracks selected by marhaug himself, after carefully going through and digitally transfering all of his cassettes from the period, and remastered by tommi keränen.

packaged in a handsome custom-made box which comes with a 24 page booklet of photos, cover reproductions and liner-notes by tommy carlsson (abisko, segerhuva) and tore honore bøe (origami republika, the nordic miracle); both old friends of lasse and long-time champions of the cassette format.

when i listen to the four discs in this box, it strikes me that there is so much of lasse's solo recordings that i have yet to hear. this box definitely fills a huge hole in my collection. lasse is a talented lad, and his creativity is very often put to good use in various collaborative works, and a large number of constellations. however, i am most fond of his solo recordings. maybe you will be too, after having indulged in this avalanche of 1990’s marhaug recordings. a retrospective showing quite clearly how lasse has chosen his path, and how he merrily skips along said path. finding his own method of expression, his own language. free in mind, free from dogma, free from self-imposed limitations. 

- (from tommy carlsson's liner notes)

previous record label:
 phono suecia 
...and that's everything on pica disk in stock.
(why not take a look at the previous and next labels?)
next record label:
 pineapple tapes 
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... this page was last updated on sunday, may 19th, 2013 @ 7:12 pm