Second verse same as the first

Hi there. Always puts a smile on my face when I hear Joey singing that line and the brilliance of the self referential lyrics. Neil Young can also be heard saying during one of his live performances 'It's all one song'. I disagree but I kinda get that he's taking the piss out of himself. 

This post number two does slightly deviate from the first but it will still contain a whinge somewhere towards the end but you'll get used to it...we had the English here for some time and they taught us pretty well how to have a good 'ol complain. No offence to my English brothers and sisters. 

Now to the mail-order news: 

New additions from the label NoiseAgonyMayhem, who are an outstanding label from Canada releasing psych rock, space rock and general experimental heaviness. Psychedelic Dirt's 'Set to Ride' is a nasty piece of free improv, fuzzed out noise rock. At times loose and jammy but never sloppy - hazy, stoner rock and jammin' vibes to saviour. 
https://ramblerecords.com/products/psychedelic-dirt-set-to-ride-lp?_pos=1&_sid=4fb8c7f32&_ss=r

Some great CDs added from the Qeubec label tour de bras, including a rare LP 'Fanfarrismo' by Fred Frith and Benjamin Vergara.

https://ramblerecords.com/search?type=product%2Carticle&options[prefix]=last&q=tour%20de%20bras%20*

Also in the coming weeks we will have available a range of release from the avant-garde Sheffield UK label Discus Music. Run by saxophonist and composer Martin Archer, Ramble is thrilled to be distributing a selection of releases from their vast catalogue.

We are also excited to announce that we will also be distributing releases from the great NYC free jazz label AUM Fidelity and the Chicago-based, artist-run collective Amalgam.

Out of Tennessee we will be distributing the wonderful genre defying label Moonlight Cypress Archetypes - metal/free jazz drone metal/ Hill country black metal/ Southern Gothic black metal/ Southern rock drone black metal/ Impressionist dungeon synth. 

Ramble label news.

In the last week or so Ramble released:

• the pumping krautrock LP by Brisbane's Trigona. Happy to be in great company releasing this with the label: Echodelick (USA), Weird Beard (UK) and Worst Bassist (GER). 
• the double outsider folk release Autumn Sketchbook and Wishing Well from Portland's Pumpkin Friend. 
• the avant-garde blues album Kaev from Estonian duo Ringhold
• the single Travelling Gospel by Finnish improv guitarist Heikki Ruokangas and US drummer and multi-instrumentalist Landon George.

The obligatory whinge section - tune in at your peril or tune out 

It pains me to say this but the engagement with these recent releases has been piss poor from both punters, radio and media. Spending all of my time and money releasing this wonderful eclectic music and it having it more or less ignored is incredibly dispiriting and will inevitably lead to 'digital download only'.

I always considered this label to be a collective and this is the rapport and relationship I experience with all of the super talented and wonderful artists  and designers I'm privileged to work with. The support from Matt Himes at Lighten Up Sounds, Records Crates United, Space is the Place radio show, Remembering John Peel radio show, WFMU radio, Acid Test Radio, Foxy Digtalis, Thee Sonic Assassin at https://2ser.com/sideways-through-sound/, London Calling - Shades Of Rock, Pat @RRR https://www.rrr.org.au/explore/programs/o-tomorrow, Zaph at In Memory Of John Peel Show has all been fantastic and I'm truly grateful for it.

What about the local 'community' radio stations in this glorious country? Good question. Out of 19 releases this year we've had about 6 tracks played. Three! DL codes sit unused and press release emails sit unopened. Three words: DO YOUR JOB. You don't even have to go looking, I'm making it available. All this wonderful music going unlistened is breaking my heart. All that hard work by artists who put their heart and soul into their work. Unloved. Unappreciated. Is it the same around the world? 

To the avant-garde/free improv music community in Australia, get off the rum you apathetic, convict bastards and show some support. You've all whinged about having to pay expensive shipping costs and not having enough weirded out music available in Oz. $10 vinyl shipping or $5 CD. Even a share or a like would be a start!

I've invited you to be a part of it and what do you do? Sweet fark all! Apart from Shame File Music (which we can't wait to work with), the engagement has been non-existent. Not one of you can be arsed? 

The state of radio in my country has been going down the shitter for some time. Am I wrong? It's a circle jerk of hipsters playing inane 'friends of friends' music. Does anybody play music on its merit anymore? Does any music journalist review new music purely on its merit? Do you all need to be told what to play? Go on, go out on a limb and play something that's cutting edge. Take a godamn risk!

and another thing...

All Ramble records in stores in Melbourne have more or less been shelved. None have received any promo apart from once from the excellent Lulu Records and none have received so much as a social post. Some haven't even listed our records in their searchable database, so essentially they don't even exist - there's ya communal support for ya. 

There are a lot of closed doors out there huh? As it goes, if you don't like something, make a change and that's exactly what we will do. From next week all Ramble releases will be removed from all record stores in Melbourne and will be only available to purchase from Ramble at wholesale. Thanks, but with consignment there is no incentive for stores to promote, so they don't. 

We will also be considering leasing a bricks and mortar store combined with a performance space and everyone will be welcome but as I said in the last post, none of this will happen unless there is substantial support; even just a shared social post is wonderfull - you have a weirdo friend who likes free jazz, or Japanese psych or prepared piano, send him our way. You're a label or artist that wants to be a part of this community and promote your work, contact us. 

More label news - Two pre-orders for April 8

On the label front we have a pre-order for Black Brunswicker's ethereal fingerpicking guitar soundscape High Peaks up Fri 8 April and Staraya Derenya’s slice of kraut-folk brilliance 'Forgot what was important’.

Also making their last rounds on the pressing plant are:

• the gorgeous gatefold edition of Dark Leaves’ dark/avant folk masterpiece ‘Laid under Leaf, Under Branches
• Heikki Ruokangas and Landon George’s wonderful free duo album Devotional
• Santa Spree’s totally bent avant-pop ‘Fanfare for Tonsils’
• Ross Hammond’s 12 string fingerpicking guitar odyssey ‘Our Time’
• Chris Alford and William Thompson’s superb free improv guitar and prepared piano Overtown Undertow

CDs

CDs you ask? We have aplenty coming out this month. Please support this medium. Large record companies have screwed independent labels over once again jumping on the vinyl bandwagon and pressing thousands of copies of their unlistenable dross which has left a wait time of anywhere from 6 to 12 months for pressing. The majority of independents have returned to CDs.

Check out these apples:

• Figure / Ground from avant-garde guitar legend Henry Kaiser and fellow shredder Anthony Pirog (The Messthetics)’
• ‘Apiasado’ - experimental guitar-electronica from Argentinian artist Helecho Experimentar
• ‘Nord-Sund’ from Maryland drone-noise, free improv guitarist Ryan Mcdermott
• 2EP from avant-garde Thai guitarist Manop Nakornchai
• ‘Portal’ from free improv Malaysian guitarist Dharma and analog-electro from Singoperan artist George Chua.

That is all for now and please be kind to one another and travel well. Drop by and say 'hey'.

MCS
Ramble Headquarters