Plenty more Rambling going on.
Hi there friends, I hope you are well. t’s been an enormous June/July at Ramble. We have released 8 guitar-centric recordings - Li Jianhong, Seth Andrew Davis, Reid Karris, Eric Arn, Droneroom, the Man from Atlantis, and Henry Kaiser and Anthony Pirog. All pushing boundaries of what we know as conventional guitar.
One thing you learn very quickly running a record label is there is so much that is out of your control - who listens, who shares, who likes, who buys, who reviews, who downloads codes etc etc. It’s easy to take a lack of engagement to heart but it’s serves no purpose. Easier said than done though!
It has been a while since I posted and while there has been lots going on, the last 4 - 6 weeks have been tough; as I, like a lot of folks navigate the grips of dark days and overall negative mind chatter. At times it’s debilitating but the sun that appears through the clouds is the group of underground musicians from all corners of the globe that I work with daily, and the graphic designers that give this wonderful music a stunning visual aesthetic.
The support from musicians and collaborators has also been heart warming as has the support from Record Crates United, Acid Test Records, Space is the Place Radio Show, Andrea Agazzi, London Calling, and Pat from RRR has been greatly appreciated and I thank you all so much.
Enough of me…on to what’s been happening - in July we are thrilled to have dropped another stunning release from Argentina - Miranda Aren’s ‘Global Meditation, Nueva Realidad & Tarde de Miercoles’ double CD is a one helluva trip - eerie and nightmarish at times, surreal and cinematic. This pair has more than 30 titles under their belts. Likewise, for the Brazilian artist Vitor C Colares. A wonderfully brilliant avant-garde artist pushing boundaries and defying genres…but his music does not gain the attention it deserves. There is so much fantastic and highly creative music coming out of South America, I encourage you to check it out and support when you can.
South African musician Duncan Park released another wonderful slice of psych folk In the Floodplain of Dreams. This follows the success of his Invoking the Flood earlier in the year.
We have just released Polish-based, American artist Greg Nieuwsma’s hypnotic and ethereal ‘Paths to Memory’ and Skull Creator by Canadian singer/guitarist C.Ross. Better known as Chad Ross, who currently fronts Toronto psych rockers Comet Control (teepee records). The record features 8 songs of fuzzy-psych-folk-rock recorded, produced and mixed by Joshua Wells (Lightning Dust, Destroyer, Black Mountain) at the Balloon Factory in Vancouver, British Columbia (the home studio of Dan Bejar of Destroyer). Wells also performed all drums and keys. Guests include Isaiah Mitchell (Earthless, Golden Void, the Black Crowes) on guitar and Aaron Goldstein on pedal steel.
Ross has spent years navigating the Canadian music scene as the singer/guitarist for heavy psych rockers Quest for Fire (teepee), solo acoustic as Nordic Nomadic (blue fog, teepee), a member of legendary garage rock band The Deadly Snakes (In the Red) and a touring member of Vancouver’s Pink Mountaintops. “Skull Creator” is available July 13, 2022 as a LP co release on Atlanta’s Echodelick Records, Canada’s Noise Agony Mayhem and Australia’s Ramble Records.
A pre-release is available for Fever Dream by Sydney artist eüsh. FD is a wonderful set of beautifully written folk rock songs with a gorgeous 60s aesthetic.
On July 22 we will release the pre-order for Boulder Blues, from the otherwordly Israel/UK psych kraut-folk collective Staraya Derevnya. The reviews are starting to filter through and it's destined to become a 2022 favourite.
On July 25 we will release the brilliant free improv guitarist from Brazil George Christian’s ‘Distante Claridade’ and in August Argentinian free jazz guitarist’s Luciano Bagnasco’s ‘Procesos Cruzados’. From Uruguay currently at press is the album ANBU from improvisors Elizondo, Ojeda, and Taveira. And from Buenos Aires the ethno, experimental trio Lujo Asiatico will launch in early November.
NOLA guitarist and pianist Chris Alford and William Thompson’s Overtone/Undertone will launch on July 29 and we’ve receive the tests for Californian guitarist Ross Hammond’s wonderful 12 string free improv odyssey ‘Our Time’ and they sound like Robbie Basho after a handful of acid.
The highly anticipated avant-pop release ‘Fanfare for Tonsils’ by Santa Sprees will launch on August 1. This release was in many top ten albums of 2021 and it’s easy to see why.
The post punk band 00_ Ca\yptra from Melbourne, Australia will release their debut release for Ramble on August 5.
On August 8 we will release Polish artist Artur Maciak’s avant-guitar improv album Peryhelium under the name AR.MA and August 12 Gabe Hasan from the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming will release his wonderful fingerpicking bum Two Oceans - Compositions for 6 and 12 string guitar.
Also in late August Henry Kaiser and poet Michael Rothenburg will release Lions and FIrefies and from Philly, the 52nd Street Experimental Ensemble will release the wonderful spiritual jazz double CD Broken Jazz Volume 1.
Also out of Poland, I was thrilled to be asked to curate a CD of material by AJ Kauffman. Wow, AJ is one prolific artist and the process was a difficult one with so many quality tracks - out of 66 tracks I selected 20 tracks that will result in the release Transmitter - Sonic Abstractions by A.J. Kaufmann.
We’ve received tests for Eugene Chadbourne’s beautifully bent ‘What’s been Cooking’ and they sound divine.
Finnish avant-garde guitarist Heikki Ruokanagas and US multi-instrumentalist Landon George’s ‘Devotional’ is almost ready to come of the press as is Manish Pingle’s otherworldly ‘Samarpan’. It’ all happening friends.
Mail-order news.
There are several mind-blowing release that Ramble will distribute - heard of the JPT Scare Band? Google ‘em. Re-pressed by Ripple Music this 1973 legendary, photo-metal psych recording highlights the 3 piece in full psych-jam mode. Blistering solos and tight long jams.
Two wonderful Acid Mothers Temple records have landed - Chosen Star Child's Confession' LP (orange and for the first time in vinyl Myth Of The Love Electrique (Curacao Blue) 2xLP
Also the split with Argentine’s psych legends Reynols, Acid Mothers Reynols: Vol 2 is available.
From the UK we will also have copies of Chris Brain’s stunning Bound to Rise. Nick Drake comparison is the obvious one here but Chris’ delicate voice and gentle picking accompanied by piano and violin has quintessential UK 70s folk aesthetic.
Next post, I’ll share some of the MV&EE catalogue that have arrived and I should have the online by then.
Finally, I played some live tracks and chatted al thin Ramble on the wonderful RRR show O’tomorrow and while the intention was to cover a handful of genres we have released, we only got through two. I have 2 more radio so I’m hoping I can cover the remaining releases. You can hear that interview here.
Until next time, take care and be kind to one another and keep Ramblin'
MCS
Ramble HQ.
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