PREVIOUS RELEASES ON SDZ RECORDS

 

LES VIPERES/SUX EVULSORS split Ep (SDZ 001)
Co-release with Fourdu Records

Released in 2000.

Here you got some Frenchie fucks belting out Frenchie cock 'n' roll punk attitude with two savage songs you'll want to linger on. Flip this baby over and you'll find a muddier sounding lo-fi explosion a la Rip Off Records, fueled with in your face attitude, blood-curdling screams and maniac guitar. These fuckin' Frenchies make my loins swell. (DL)
Maximum Rock'n'Roll (USA)


Parlez vous francais? Oui! Les Viperes are akin to the likes of the TV Killers and Killer Klown. They like the guitars cranked up really high for maximum excitement. Les Viperes are a garage punk band that appreciates a good party! Now Sux Evulsors are another story all together. This cantankerous lot has all the energy and hate of a well-known Texas band called the Motards. Yeah, if the Motards ever had a little brat this is what they’d sound like. There are only 500 of these bad boys so act now, and don’t whine to me about finding a copy later, cause you ain’t getting mine! (JD)
Blank Generation (USA)

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LES VIPERES/HOLY CURSE split CD (SDZ 002)
Co-release with SHARK ATTACK & SMALL BUDGET

Released in 2001.

Les Vipères from Québec play enjoyable Heartbreakers-style rockin' punk. Sharing this disc is the last and only rock'n'roll band from Paris, Holy Curse, who wear their Radio Birdman/New Christs influences on their sleeves. That's not a bad place to be, so if it's your can o'beans check this guys out.
Tony Slug - Hit List


This is a ten-song split album from Quebec City's Les Viperes and Paris's Holy Curse. First up are the French Canadians, with their heavy-handed, double-guitar hot rod punk rock. The best track from these boys is the short and speedy "Terroriste." There is a groovier side to the band too, as more steady-rocking tracks like "Rechercher" demonstrates. The band from the old country actually sings in English and plays a more restrained style of punk. They have a song called "Too Much Paranoia," which is an "I'm Eighteen" slow rocker. Their other tracks are more mid-tempo street anthems. A good split, in that the sampling of each band's material complements the other's.
Craig Daniels - Exclaim

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THE D4 "Rock'n'Roll Motherfucker" 7" (SDZ 003)

Released in 2002.

...The song "Rocknroll Motherfucker" is an appropriate opener: flat out frenetic, and it's running down, along, until it blows up. It's got some cool enough lyrics that thrash around it as well: "Going down on you ...I'm going down on you ..." Amazing, and this is just the beginning: "I wanna give it to your sister and brother like a mother fucker..." - It's a flawless start, played tight and crisp with aching solos that bend into the flow, gliding up with an indication of the smooth hooks waiting inside...
..."Running On Empty" is all maracas, with a bass line destined to get all the kids shaking on the dance floor amid plastic beer cups and cigarette butts. "Don't go slipping now - y'hear." You know the type of lyric, it's the type of stuff about waking up, shaking your head to shake the chemicals out, and something about losing y'girl, to which you lose y'mind - then you've got only one thing left ... y'gotta run on empty. It chugs, grunts, and pants along, like some hopped-up Beat Music band (I'm not at all talkin' snide, overly cool Jazz here, I'm talkin beat Beat BEAT!). The D4 only want be the biggest garage band on their local block....
Shane Jesse Xmas - Deadbeat


D4 (not to be confused with Dillinger 4, who put a Teenage Reject or two in the hospital awhile back) are a high-octane rock ‘n’ rolla group outta New-Zealand (also home to great television shows such as Zena: Warrior Princess). The D4 are a punk rock ‘n’ roll, beer-swillin’ powerhouse that the southern fried fucks lick off the counter of smoke-filled bar on late Thursday nights. Loud speakers a must...
Joe Domino - Blank Generation

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ANTEENAGERS M.C "(The)Future('s Coming Tomorrow)"  7" (SDZ 004)

Released in 2003.

"Oh my god, this record is so good! Thumbs up to sdz records for that release and the nice packaging too. Basically Anteenagers are Steve & The Jerks with legendary Nicus as second guitar player. "Down in Amsterdam" is about your last trip in the Netherlands, getting smashed in drak coffee shops listening to real bad reggae and buying half-assed dutch pop records in smokey record-fairs. No it's not. It's a RAIDERS cover (at least that what I'm being told) and it's excellent. The A-side "future" is fantastic. The two guitars mix brilliantly with Junior's trademark zooming bass lines. The sound is crisp (a la Buzzcocks first alb) and the lyrical progression is awesome. I'm impressed. Those Paris boys have been blowing touring american bands off the stage on a regular basis (just ask fuckin Zen Guerrilla) and are planning a US tour. Get ready!"
Jack A. - Horizontal Action

The first is the debut 45 by ANTEENAGERS M.C. This band features 3 ex-members of STEVE AND THE JERKS! "(The)Future('s Coming Tomorrow)" b/w "Down In Amsterdam" is totally great! The a-side features a razor-sharp guitar attack and a definite BUZZCOCKS feel, while the flip is a PAUL REVERE & THE RAIDERS cover. A fantastic debut, with an LP soon to follow!"
Mitch Cardwell - MaximumRockNRoll #241 / May 2003

ANTEENAGERS MC "The Future ('s Coming Tomorrow)" (SDZ 7in) Wasn't one of these guys in the Splash 4? Anyways, there's a super Buzzcocks thing going on in the guitar line. Almost enough to think IT WAS the Buzzcocks on the a-side but they vocal sound more world weary. The flip they kick up some dust with a cover of Paul Revere and the Raiders "Down In Amsterdamn" that puts "Some Girls" era Stones on the tip of my tongue. (SDZ)
Dale - Smashin' Transistors

Here is the new attraction from France - Anteenagers m.c. with 3 former members of Steve And The Jerks. It's weird mix of punky power pop in style of Buzzcocks, Undertones with new wave touch and now days trash garage punk. I like their music there is something typical French in it and I think it's really pity they don't sing in French. B side is Paul Revere And The Riders cover. It's too punk to get stoned - hahaha, but good to get drunk in Amsterdam and take a walk through Red Light District.
Vanya - No Brains Zine

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LES VIPERES/LES DERAILLEURS Split Ep (SDZ 005)

Artwork By Lili Z.

Released in 2003.

"I got two fantastic singles in the mail from France's SDZ Records. See? They really do love us yanks! (...) Secondly, SDZ brings us a split 7" EP LES VIPERES and LES DERAILLEURS, two bands from Quebec. Language barrier aside, both bands deliver here! Les Viperes come out on top with their TEENGENERATE-inspired bouncers, while Les Derailleurs offer up some spastic garage punk." 
Mitch Cardwell - MaximumRockNRoll #241 / May 2003

"Did you ever wish you could speak French? I didn't but I have this sudden urge to learn just so I can find out what the hell these two bands are talking\singing about. It must be good cause they've got me pretty happy and I don't even know what the fuck they're talking\singing about.Les Viperes from Québec City are coming for you with guitars vaguely reminiscent of The Mummies and vocals that kick you like The Undead's Bobby Steele, Les Viperes is some good goddamn rockin' goodness that I'd love to get my hands on a full length album of.(now if I only knew what they were talking about)I accidentally played the b-side first when i got this, but I decided it wasn't an accident it was fate. Les Derailleurs claim to be "from the most Rockin' city in Québec" (Chicoutimi) I believe it just might be possible if these guys are rockin it regularly. You can listen to it and picture all the pussy this Rock & Roll must be getting them, and with a five to one ratio on girlies in their town how can you go wrong."
Benny Brylcreem - Smashin Transistors

Clicka Herrre for Moore Info

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THE REBEL "Exciting new venue for soccer and execution of women" EP (SDZ 006)

Artwork by The Rebel

Released in 2004.

You can listen to this record right here // Ecoutez le disque ici:

 

CLICKA HERRRE FOR MOoRE IN-FO

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CHEVEU "Clara Vénus" B/W "Superhero" 7" (SDZ 007)
co-release with Royal records

Released in 2006.

"When a modern band gets some attention from both S-S and Polly Maggoo Records, its a pretty sure bet that theyre something special. I think the S-S record by Frances CHEVEU reviewed in April here was a fantastic blast of electrospasm punk & this ones easily as good. Superhero has a murderous 007/Batman riff & bunch of super-agitated talking and fumbling, with odd squeaks and keytones throughout. Its a devastating song for playing late, late at night, and Exhibit A for those who dont believe that a whole new strain of strange punk music has been invented these past couple years. Clara Venus is like a frantically uptempo Cabaret Voltaire & only lessens the pulse by a whisker. Wow. One of the best 45s of 2006, I dont care that its June 5th, its gonna be on the list!"
Jay - Agony Shorthand

"Right after their intoxicating songs on SS records, here are two siders which were highly expected and it's a whole french thang ! Parisian lads from SDZ Records (The Rebel 7 inches from 2004) and Royal Records' great comeback on the scene. Both labels eventually decided to smash the U.S. competition by combining their talents in order to keep weird punk on french soil! I'm warning you because this record is the total opposite of the one on SS (not in quality, you idiot). Like its dark and mean complementary little brother. Both sides are headbanging scorchers. It's just gonna smoke your system. It's obvious that both songs were carefully chosen in order to smash your phonograph in half. Fast drum machine stomps, obnoxious guitar waves, distorted weird vocals and the frantic-est keyboards bleeps ever. Those songs are the catchiest when played live and finally hearing "Superhero" recorded is just too bitchy. Just the guitar riff at the beginning of that song....god. And "Claravenus" is just a great Arthur Rimbaud poem rip-off which will send you home hypnotised and addicted. A fine eardrum breaker your neighbor will love in secret while he'll be calling the cops on you so he can get your copy! The one record that will surely put these bums on top of the Weird Punk league. Young, fast and scientific. Scums stats: 500 copies, black wax, this will go FAST so act quick."
Kemp Boyd - Terminal Boredom

"France's Cheveu have an excellent grasp on a very French post-punk dynamism, devolved in a lopsided way from progenitors such as Metal urbain, warum joe and Berurier noir. Their sound is both less and more mechanical than the suggests. In the sense that the drumming is "real" (!) (at least I think it is), and that the keyboard seem more robotic than the suggests. But whatever their model, these guys produce a superior guitar raunch with great memble mystery moves. This power is amplified on the Dog/Make my day 7", which was actually an earlier release (I think). The primitivism here is less fully integrated, but still lush enough to make you fall over."
Byron Coley - The Wire

"Fuck me! Theyve only gone & done it again! As if releasing the skronk-tastic Dog wasnt enough for one month, Cheveu go & drop Clara Venus.
Based on the poem Venus Anadyomene by everyones favourite Symbolist, Arthur Rimbaud, Clara Venus races along on primitive beats & skronky keys before the guitars cut in with the choicest of anti-riffs & blow the roof clean of the shed. Dont ask me whats going on. This ones sung in French - & despite many hours of regardez, ecoutez et repeatez during in my scholastic years (& my massive collection of symbolist poetry!) Im afraid Im none the wiser.
Not that that matters, you understand. Clara Venus is another copper-bottomed classic from the best new group in France, the best new French group in the new release pile aw, fuck it the best new group EVER!"
Jean Encoule - Trakmarx

"Follow up single Clara Venus clatters on a cow-bell click, Suicide-like intensity and a rhythm often interrupted by squeaks of distorted synth. Twisted cut-up garage r n r swept around on the words of Rimbaud. Superhero again plays up a Suicide clatter with a Butthole Surfers psychosis powering the hazy charger."
Vanity Project

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PLASTOBETON EP (SDZ 008)

Released in 2009.

After the ultra-limited comp cd-r on tanzprocesz comes the first Ep of the infamous Plastobeton from Metz, France. Band includes members of AH KRAKEN, FEELING OF LOVE, THE DREAMS...crude synth-punk with razor-sharp guitar and gut-wrenching vocals. Another shot to the brain from la GRANDE TRIPLE ALLIANCE DE L'EST.

"A drum machine set to “MC 900 Foot Jesus,” barking dog guitar, and a person named Dixie Music pleading emphatically over the mic is the whole story behind France’s Plasto Beton, suburban funboys who may or may not listen to Rammelzee, ready for a night out at the leather bar. AH Kraken/Feeling of Love affiliation; I’m into one of those bands. Snarling and harsh, the group does what it can with pre-recorded rhythms and primitive drum machines, gargling driveway sealant and spewing it all over your sidewalk, in a recent tradition of spoiled decadents like A.R.E. Weapons, Flux Information Sciences, and Ghost Exits. The fashion’s not part of Plasto Beton – yet – so their woodshed antagonism still has a great deal of bite to it. Fun, goofy times. 500 copies, from France. It’s French."
- Doug Mosurock / Dusted Magazine

 "...Rythmes tour à tour boiteux ou martial, guitare vrillante, synthé nauséeux, répétition malsaine avec A31, autoroute de la mort à rendre accro au bitume et Eté 1983, froid et lugubre, en tête de liste de l'ordonnance de votre médecin. C'est trop primaire, c'est trop crade et ça reste figé dans vos neurones comme un cancer dans votre bras droit. C'est pour toutes ces raisons qu'on les adore, eux et leur putain de single à trois balles."
- Perte & Fracas Webzine

Click here for more info and reviews

You can listen to the whole record right here // Ecoutez le disque ici:

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SDZ 009: THE LIMIÑANAS "AF3458" b/w "Betty and Johnny" 7" single (SDZ 009)

Released in 2011.

“AF3458 doesn’t exactly seem like a good name for a song, but the way they manage to seamlessly work it into the chorus is just about perfect. By the time it’s paired up with that fuzzy guitar garage static, the deal has already been sealed – you won’t be listening to another song for now. The best part is it doesn’t stop there, because the flip side “Betty and Johnny” is on the same level, equally as jangly and innocent as the last, except now they’re singing in French. The gritty guitar chord blasts are spread out and sparse, but I think that’s because the focus of this song is in the rhythm section. The nasally bass line doesn’t let up for the duration of the track, but it’s the percussion this time around that supplies the surprise. Notice the primal conga drumming, which is totally unexpected at first listen and adds much color to the rhythm.(...) Also be sure to keep this one in mind folks, because you’ll definitely be seeing it again at the end of the year." - The Styrofoam Drone

"The Liminanas never fail to crack a smile 'round these parts. Their latest single for the always intriguing SDZ is a multi-lingual blast of fuzz battered garage and 60's-mining pop swingers. The serial number-esque A-side kicks in a fizzy, English driven stomper that's as fun as anything in their repertoire. On the back they kick in another dose of that detached French cool that renders their tracks a notch above many of their peers. They have an intangible ability to make soundtracks for underground bungalows, backroom hideaways and the kind of in-the-know speakeasies where cash won't get you entrance but the right amount of wear on your leather jacket might. Definitely an essential piece of their catalog." - Raven sings the blues

"The new Limiñanas single continues their druggy run of cool records. Both sides create absinthe-like hallucinations, and putting this thing on your turntable will have you doing weird dances and conjuring spirits from a spinning wax platter. Not sure if it’s because I’ve been possessed by this record, but I can’t pick a favorite side from this one they’re both good." - The Finest Kiss

"Our favorite Frenchies are doing it again. The Liminanas have got a brand new single that just came out on SDZ Records and it sounds about like what you’d expect from them. After their full length on Trouble In Mind and a couple of singles, it’s almost like they’ve got walking the line between art school and garage and jangly rock and roll down to a science. Since the single’s an overseas release, it’s not too likely that you’ll see many copies over here. But we do think it’s worth your hard-earned buck to go ahead and order it from SDZ." - Nashville's Dead

"French duo plus guest vocalist mix a frontal approach steeped in 1960s French pop with a Velvets-infected musical thrust. It's all pretty damn winning, especially on 45." - Byron Coley, WIRE Magazine

"We don't exactly know how they do it, but seemingly everything that Lio & Marie Limiñana have a hand in just seems so COOL. Heck, we even FEEL cool just listening to it! After 2 great singles & a stunning LP on Trouble In Mind, France's greatest export finally makes their French debut with this import single on SDZ Records. "AF3458" starts out with a loping ukulele line & quickly morphs into a wild, VU-inflected stomper with vocalist Nadege crooning lustily on top. The flip side "Betty & Johnny" doesn't let up the heat, but lays down some sweet fuzz guitar & bongos on top of this mid-tempo burner! These guys really have a handle on all the great things about 60's French music (Gainsbourg, Dutronc, Ferrer) & are able to effortlessly fuse them with ye-ye, psych-pop, & straight up nasty garage fuzz. If you liked their previous efforts, you basically can't live without this one - Ah, oui - RECOMMANDE!" - Permanent Records Chicago

"AF3458 occupe la face A, un excellent morceau en anglais, très pop mais avec une fuzz qui déménage bien. On s'approche pas mal, aussi bien en terme de qualité que de style de leur single sur Hozac, les fans de l'album des Bellas ne seront pas non plus pris au dépourvu. Betty & Johnny est en français, on appréciera cette alternance dans le choix de la langue. Le texte est excellent et nous plonge tout droit dans un club 60s avec des filles en robe Op art et des franges, la construction en crescendo est super bien vu , je pense que je préfère même ce titre à la face A. En définitive, cette sortie est également particulièrement recommandé, elle ravira tous les fans de leurs LP et il y en a de plus en plus en France je crois bien, on espère aussi que ça donnera l'occasion à d'autres de découvrir cette belle formation perpignanaise." - Requiem pour un twister

You can listen to the single right here // Ecoutez le single ici:



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 V / A FLOTTANTE TENSION D'ECLIPSE - TEN YEARS OF SDZ RECORDS LP (SDZ 010)

featuring tracks by ALAN COURTIS, FEELING OF LOVE, TODDI WELLMAN, BRAINDAMAGE, CHEVEU, THE REBEL, THE O VOIDS, ANTEENAGERS M.C, DEAD CLODETTES, PIERRE & BASTIEN, DAILY VOID, POSADZKI PROJECT and ELECTRIC BUNNIES.
Mastering by El Mofo. Silkscreened cover by JB / Le Temps Qui Seche.

Released in 2010.

"French punk/low-tech electro label SDZ celebrates ten years of operations with its tenth release, a compilation which reflects the left turns in their own history via a well-selected sample of modern bands on the lo-fi/ugly sound tip. We’ve got garage/slightly ‘billy punk (Anteenagers MC, Toddi Wellman, The Feeling of Love, Daily Void), drum machine stomp (Braindamage, Cheveu, Pierre & Bastien), and suffocating closet weirdness (The Rebel’s cover of Sade’s “Maureen,” Reynols’ Alan Courtis, ) living hand-in-hand with one another, a bunch of outsized personalities that find just enough room to fit next to one another without major conflicts. It’s a strong enough collection, with most bands turning in quality material. Hats off to these folks, and may they continue to challenge us with their product."
 - Doug Mosurock / Still Single Blog / Dusted Magazine

"...Elle est dynamitée d’un bout à l’autre, rock, punk, folle."
- Joseph Ghosn Blog

"...Anarchique et pourtant si cohérente. Une ventouse à mange disque… Jubilatoire."
- Message to our folks Blog

Clicka heere for more info and reviews

You can hear the whole comp right here // Ecoutez la compilation ici:

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LES BELLAS "BELLADELIC" LP (SDZ 011 / STEAK 012)

Co-release with Les Disques Steak

Released in 2010.

"French garage that’s a little more traditional than most of what these two labels have had on offer up ‘til now, but stay with me here, because this is a good one. Les Bellas were active in the last decade, and were well on their way to releasing this LP in 2006 on “a famed West Coast garage label” (unless you’re that guy Chucky from “Sons of Anarchy” who’s got like two thumbs and that’s all, you can count the number of possibilities here on a single hand), when said label was said to have dropped the anchor, which went straight through their proverbial boat, “Flying Wasp”-style, and that was that. Members of the group have resurfaced in the cutesy, slight Liminanas, while this full-length languished under someone’s bed … UNTIL NOW. What you have here is very, very boilerplate, slightly surfy garage-pop, but its immaculate rendering and classic sound, which not only predates the revival of such sounds by Girls Vivian and Dum Dum, but takes the time to address all of the historical details that are missing from kickball-borne revisionism and dress-up time. The reverb and fuzz elements here sound straight out of ’67, the arrangements of a sterling historical vintage, and the singing and playing are both professional and personal, something that’s not so easy to accomplish without a lot of practice. Really, this sort of thing can go either way, but it’s important to note that it sounds fresh instead of slavish, and that this thing is full of great songs that belong right in time with their influences rather than as revisionism. Ten originals and two smashing covers of the Cryin’ Shames and Wanda Jackson complete the simple, impeccable package."
- Doug Mosurock / Still Single Blog

"...Les Bellas refract the past through a prism of 20/20 hindsignt, playing garage-punk with just the right amount of soul and swagger. They pick covers with the deft perception and reinterpretation of The Detroit Cobras (...) On the originals they smoke with the kind of brash delivery and loose tone that have made so many French garage releases such fun in the past few years."
- Raven sings the blues Blog

"Psychy garage pop, half sung in French half in English. Ever want your French pop to hit the bottle? This should be your cup of tea." - Sippy Cup Everything

"Premier album de cet excellent combo garage pop de Perpignan après quelques 45 tours en 2005. Un disque prévu initialement pour 2006 et finalement annulé suite au split du groupe en 2007. Les Disques Steak ont donc eu la bonne idée de s'associer à SDZ Records pour cette édition tardive, mais ô combien attendue. 12 titres rétro dans la lignée des compositions de Fabienne Del Sol and the Bristols. LE disque de la rentrée !"
- Contre Cultures Blog

"...A vrai dire les Bellas donnent l'impression d'avoir compris les années 60s, c'est évident que c'est leur grande influence, mais au lieu de sonner comme un pastiche ou des fans transis, ils arrivent à aller plus loin et s'immerger complètement dans le truc sans sonner faux, car leur musique est juste et sincère. Elle a cette fraîcheur que l'on recherche tant dans ces 45 tours plus vieux que nous."
Alexandre / Requiem pour un twister

You can listen to the whole record right here // Ecoutez le disque ici:

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THE MANTLES "Raspberry Thighs" b/w "Roman Hat" (7" single) (SDZ 012)

Released in 2011.

"One of our favorites is back with another great double shot of frayed and frazzled pop for European imprint SDZ. The Mantles showcase both their laid back pop impulses, on the A-Side's sunny strummer, and their more frantic pop chops on the B-Side's more Kiwi-Pop leaning "Roman Hat". Just as instantly enthralling as anything off of last year's Pink Information EP, this single is just another great step in the band's continued effort to build a spotless catalog. Highly recommended that you pick one up!" - Raven Sings The Blues

"Two more jangle-punk killers from the best garage band in the USA right now, San Francisco’s The Mantles, who mainline the moody psych/folk style of no count legends like The Dovers, The Rising Storm et al into blazing contemporary rips. Recommended." - Volcanic Tongue

"The Mantles sound like they could be on Flying Nun, but since they’re from California, that would be impossible. They’ve taken their jangly Byrds influenced sound to a number of labels over the years including Siltbreeze, Slumberland and Mexican Summer. Their latest single lands in France and the A-side Raspberrry Thighs is the best thing they’ve done since Lily Never Married and the B-side reminds me a little of the Vaselines Molly’s Lips minus the bicycle horn of course." - The Finest Kiss

"Its been awhile since we heard from San Fran’s Mantles, but now they have a syrupy sweet 7-inch out on French Label SDZ. It’s a breezy-easy one, fitting for the ongoing stretch into the late afternoon." - Weekly Tape Deck

"The Mantles’ self-titled Siltbreeze debut pretty much never left my turntable for a solid 3-month period – I wanted nothing more then their crunchy, distant psych-pop. And, from the sound of this new single, their best stuff may still lie ahead of us. “Raspberry Thighs” is undoubtedly their best track yet, a sunshiney number that screams West Coast psych rock at me. It chugs along like some of VU’s Loaded, only with a little more Byrds or Dead influence, and good lord: that guitar hook! “Roman Hat” on the flip, while still a midday tune, is a bit darker, sounding like there’s a heavy Flying Nun influence. It’s a little more sinister and buzzy and those guitar squalls could’ve probably gone another 10 minutes, to be honest. Another really impressive addition to a great catalogue – get it while you can." - Exquisite Boredom

"Since their debut LP on Siltbreeze, this San Francisco quartet have gotten progressively poppier as they evolve. Their new single reminds me a bit of the early Go Betweens with a jangly centre sweet enough to bite." - Byron Coley, WIRE Magazine

 "Les Mantles ont un son unique, si on veut les classer rapidement, je dirais garage rock contemporain (ou lo-fi si vous voulez), mais c'est une étiquette très réductrice car les notes qu'ils tirent de leurs guitares évoquent tout aussi bien des Byrds déviants qu'un Dream Syndicate légèrement moins focalisé sur le Velvet. C'est un peu garage, un peu folk rock, un peu indie 80s, mais traité façon Mantles avec donc des qualités propres notamment la voix très particulière du chanteur, légèrement trainante.(...). Les guitares sont somptueuses aussi bien en terme de sonorité (qui tirent vous vous en doutez vers le carillonant, aussi appelé jangly par les anglo-saxons) que les notes qui en sortent, c'est toujours inspiré.(...). Vivement recommandé à ceux qui recherchent cette musique qui garde sa hargne et sa spontanéité sans négliger les mélodies et la subtilité." - Requiem pour un twister

You can listen to the single right here // Ecoutez le single ici:




 

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DROSOFILE "Mal" b/w "Your Roberts" (7" single) (SDZ 013)

Released in 2011.

 

Debut single of this franco-american band formed by Will Foster (Guinea Worms) and Nicolas Murer (Mulan Serrico). Two intense and noisy songs fueled by the everyday void, inner conflicts and the constant feeling of being outside of oneself. Both songs were originally released on a limited-edition tape album by Stochastic Releases.

"Guitars set to a pace of drudgery and ritualistic rhythms escalate alongside indecipherable spluttered vocals are at the core of Drosofile's single 'Mal'. This noise piece is; French man Nicolas Murer (Mulan Serrico) and America's Will Foster (Guinea Worms). A duo who, could have possibly found common ground sharing a few Brainbombs records in their collections. In a vacuum of paranoia this single summons an out of body experience with its banausic currents of siren guitars played beside metronomic beats which curiously ascend to nowhere. A really exciting new project with an equally brilliant video to match." - Gilded Gutter

"The folks over at SDZ have pressed up a little gem of a single here in the form of Drosofile's first single. These two cuts sound like the result of habitually smoking weed outta coke cans and we can't get enough. Seriously, two songs of Drosofile is simply, not enough – but it’s all we got so here’s to hoping these duders are following this up soon with a full length. If you dig tasty guitar licks and primal drum thuds mixed with air raid siren keyboards and misanthropic French bellowing and are a fan of the Anals, DAF, Colour Buk or any of the La Grande Triple Alliance Internationale De L'est collective's projects than you should probably pick this one up pronto." - Permanent Records Chicago

"...an unholy collaboration between Will Foster (Guinea Worms) and Nicolas Murer (aka Ton Ami - from the Club Des Chats clique). Brainbombs meets Teenage Panzer Korps doing Circle X covers and talking shit about France? Yeah buddy. A killer platter."
 - Pascal from Pop. 1280

"In the same vein as Brainbombs, Drosofile are hellbent on creating a perfect soundtrack for the serial killer in all of us. Simple and relentless percussion, manic vocals, and noisy guitar repetitions help create a general uneasy feeling that'll make you wanna kill a motherfucker. Can't wait to hear more from this band." - Ongakubaka

"Punk distopia with cool gloom" - Scott Soriano (S.S. Records)

"...“Mal” consists of two foul notes, alternating back and forth, while some guy angrily accosts the listener from across the bus (and damnit, there’s only two stops ’til we get off). It’s great, and very much in The Anals canon of pigheadedness. “Your Roberts” is probably the song title of the month, and only slightly more melodic than the a-side, kind of taking a Country Teasers approach with some slide guitar (or some such approximation) helping Drosofile be the lousiest humans they can be. Imagine if Brainbombs were actually convicted for all their murders, served a decade in prison, achieved a mild level of rehabilitation, and now have jobs as dishwashers, semi-functioning in society. That’s Drosofile."- Yellow Green Red

"Franco-American duo debuts with a cunning and thudly combination of raw, simple guitar, raw simple drums, and vocals as scabby as Eric Debris's. Although Metal Urbain would have probably never tried anything this simple (even though I seem to recall some demo tracks that were not dissimilar), there's a certain aggression to the rough compaction here that relates much to our own postmodern world. How wonderful."- Byron Coley,  The Wire

"This single has a relentless sort of rhythm and austere melodies that evoke the death march of the daily commute, to a job you hate, for a boss you want to kill. I don't know French but the lyrics that are in English are appropriately dreary. Both songs play up the "dirge jam" aesthetic. I dig this a lot."- Noise In The Zen Arcade

"...two monochromatic scatterings of proto-electronic punk misery. Neither “Mal” nor “Your Roberts” have a lot to say, but the message is banged out in a direct, borderline barbaric manner, with a limited palette built for such punishment. Knuckles drag, beats kling und klang, words are mumbled and moaned, but there’s purpose to all of this, and in a way it sounds like a starved and degenerated Guinea Worms, which suits them" - Doug Mosurock, Still Single

"Are you weird? So are these guys. You should all cuddle." - Maximum Rock'n'Roll

"Comment ne pas trembler à l’écoute du “mal” de Drosofile?" - Message to our folks

"Un disque qui commence par enculé, enfoiré et connard ne peut pas être un mauvais disque. Drosofile, nouveau duo scabreux avec Nicolas Murer (Mulan Serrico, groupe totalement inconnu de nos services) et Will Foster (Guinea Worms). Une entente franco-américaine dont les paroles laissent supposer le pire. Mais c'est le pire dans le meilleur. Rythme mécanique, guitare répétant inlassablement un riff stressant, le malaise grandissant et la litanie des injures se proposant, entre autres, de niquer ta mère, ta grand-mère et de te percer les yeux. Ca, c'était pour la face Mal. Sur Your Roberts, vu l'accent, Will Foster se demande où sont les putes, passe à l'anglais et frôle la nausée avec le même type de rythmique sèche, ce dépouillement lugubre de friches industrielles et une guitare minimaliste qui a l'air d'en avoir rien à foutre. Les inconditionnels de La Grande Triple Alliance Internationale de l'Est, de The Anals et AH Kraken apprécieront en fins connaisseurs." - Perte & Fracas

You can listen to the single right here // Ecoutez le single ici:

 

Download available // Téléchargement disponible via Bandcamp

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  DAN MELCHIOR "Red Nylon Valance" b/w "Dogbite Meltdown #1" (7" single) (SDZ 014)

Released in 2011.

 

Hot on the heels of his latest LPs "Assemblage Blues" (Siltbreeze) and "Catbirds & Cardinals" (Northern Spy) comes this brand new 7" single from talented Mr. Melchior. Two haunting and thought-provoking songs that are sure to push you into the deep end of the strange and colorful pool of this versatile artist. Dont' miss out on this one!!

"...the dark, psychedelic vibe on this song feels like earth between yr fingers." - yvynyl

"A fantastic single by one of the best songwriter's going" - Scott Soriano (S.S. Records)

"Another wildly fine record by this prolific English expatriate. The more recent Melchior records I've heard were darkly menacing, and this single combines that impulse with a very Floydian psych approach to magnificent effect on the A side and something less easily taggable (though still psych-ish) on the flip. Melchior records so much, it's easy to think he's overplaying his hand, but he isn't. Well worth a check." - Byron Coley, The Wire

"SDZ Records brings us a new single from Dan Melchior to follow up his latest album 'Assemblage Blues' on Siltbreeze. Opener "Red Nylon Valance" is an off kilter number sounding as creeped-out as it gets. A track dealing with wariness and doubt featuring unbounded psychedelic guitars, rumbling rhythms and Melchior channeling a catatonic state to murmur his words across "I don't like it here at all". B Side "Dogbite Meltdown #1" plays out a repetitive guitar and echo laden vocals balanced with intermittent bright synths off setting the eery tone built up from consistent beats at the core. Dan Melchior has a catalogue of work stretching around 14 years which, as this new singles attests, continues to evade being pinned down and always delivers a thrill." - Gilded Gutter

"We dug Melchior's most recent full length, Assemblage Blues, like crazy. It was a wild collection of garage pop, and really our first proper exposure to his noisy chaotic outsider songstyle. We played that record to death, so were super psyched to get in this new single, and it's a doozy, much darker and lower key than that record. The A side offers up moody brooding verses driven by a woozy low slung bassline, which explodes into a dizzying psychedelic organ driven chorus, the song super catchy, and maybe one of our favorite Melchior jams yet. The B side is another brooder, that sounds a little bit like a more fractured lo-fi Cardinal if that makes any sense, the same sort of stately pop vibe, but here it's all lush darkly dreamy vocal harmonies over dizzyingly looped guitar figures and has us reassessing what we said about the A side, cuz the B side is also one of our favorite Melchior jams yet. Guess that means this is most definitely recommended!" - Aquarius Records

"Le titre Red Nylon Valance est un bijou de rock psychédélique et montre qu’un grand single peut contenir plus de trouvailles sonores qu’un album entier." - Dive into sun

"Comment ne pas être séduit par ces 2 titres psyché-pop signés Dan Melchior?" - Message to our folks

"La désarmante simplicité de ces chansons rend toute chronique difficile. Comme son compatriote Billy Childish ou les injustements méconnus sorciers de l'Ohio (Jim Shepard ou Mike Rep), Dan Melchior donne au garage rock une profondeur qui lui manque trop souvent, grâce à un réel boulot de composition qui doit autant à la folk qu'au rock sixties. Un disque génial, on ne peut que s'incliner devant la longévité et l'intarissable inspiration du bonhomme." - Ratcharge

"...On y retrouve sans se perdre cette verve garage-folk inimitable, et pour une fois couchée sur la longueur, à laquelle la vidéo à visionner ci-dessus, footage du film Wow (Jutra, 1970), confère sans la dénaturer une certaine sensualité." - Hartzine

"...l'ambiance de "dogbite meltdown #1" évoque clairement les errances folk-psychédéliques d'un Syd Barrett voire pourquoi pas Kevin Ayers aussi, un morceau mystérieux et prenant. Un très joli 45 que je vous recommande chaudement en tout cas, notamment si vous aimez des choses comme Woods, White Fence ou Castlemania des Oh Sees." - Requiem pour un twister

"Dan Melchior. Si vous suivez l'actualité de la scène garage, de Siltbreeze et S-S records, si vous êtes coutumiers de Billy Childish avec qui le bonhomme a collaboré ou que Dan Melchior Und Das Menace et ses très nombreux singles vous disent quelquechose, le patronyme de cet anglais exilé aux USA ne vous sera pas étranger. Pas comme par ici. Mais je dois dire que cette première rencontre possède son charme. Le type semble de plus en plus laisser tomber le garage pour un psyche-pop mélancolique de belle tenue, à la Syd Barrett. C'est ce que me dit en tout cas le titre Red Nylon Valance. Pour une plus grande appréciation de ce morceau, regardez cette vidéo collant merveilleusement bien à la musique et qui donne envie de se mettre au trampoline. Sur Dogbite Meltdown #1, on reste dans ce climat mi-cotonneux, mi-onirique, avec un motif de guitare acoustique répétitif, on se prend à rêver de devenir champion du monde à poil de trampoline pour la vie et quand on ouvre les yeux, on se fait bouffer par un crocodile. J'l'aime bien ce Dan Melchior."
- Perte & Fracas

"...un titre superbe, doublé d'une face B encore meilleure" - Eric Delsart, Rock&Folk

"Red Nylon Valance ist der Titel dieses genialen Songs, der bei genauem Hinhören eine wirklich abgefahrene LSD Reise beschreiben könnte oder es vielleicht auch tut?! So oder so ähnlich könnte ich mir das zumindest vorstellen." - Lowtape

"“I lost my balance, and the shadows started dancing down the hall”, sings Dan Melchior in his new video for “Red Nylon Valance”. In interpreting this haunting, psychedelic song, what could easily come across as an acid trip gone wrong instead mirrors that down-the-rabbit-hole wonderment as a naked girl jumps up and down (or down and up?) as a stream of trippy backgrounds pass by. Director Max Dembo created this video with footage from the 1970 Canadian documentary Wow by Claude Jutra, which apparently explores “nine teenagers [getting] to act out their wildest dreams.”" - Get Bent

"The “Red Nylon Valance” single offers up two brooders, a direction in which Melchior doesn’t often look, but he nails them both, quiet/loud Midwestern dynamics drawing lightning bolts out of the tension “Valance” generates, and leaving it unresolved with a percussion-free murmur called “Dogbite Meltdown #1.” - Doug Mosurock Still Single

"Red Nylon Valance is a real creeper. Spooky organ, primal drums, sweet fuzz guitar and bouncy bass all play a part in creating a truly haunting piece. But it is also strangely comforting, as if Melchior himself is helping you through a bad acid trip that only lasts a little over 4 minutes and that you actually want to relive again and again. The B side, Dogbite Meltdown, competes with ease. It feels like descending a psychedelic spiral staircase into the unknown; Could be dangerous down there, or there might be a sweet reward, but either way you are compelled to continue. And you’ll be glad you did because what you actually end up with is a fat little bass groove that tells you to flip that shit! He’s got a knack for twangy riffs that can drone on for a lifetime, which is often just what the doctor ordered.(...) This single is a return to song form but he’s always keeping one foot in the weird, which is why we know we can trust him." - Boston Hassle

"The a-side has been stuck in my head for a while now. It's a song any head can relate to, seemingly about getting lost on the wrong side of the astral train tracks. The b-side is a liberally psyched-out blues sort of a tune, with a couple of acoustic guitar tracks picking away at your (and Dan's) sanity before the synth comes blaring in (...) it's got it's own subdued freakishness, and I like it nearly as much as the a-side. Dan Melchior has been in the game for longer than most people in the garage-psych field, and it's totally apparent in the craft he shows in these recordings, from the melodies to the choices of instruments to their timing in the songs. Get into this already!" - Noise In The Zen Arcade
You can listen to the songs right here // Ecoutez les chansons ici:

Download available // Téléchargement disponible via Bandcamp

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Vince & His Lost Delegation

Vince & His Lost Delegation (12" EP) (SDZ 015)

Released in 2012.


  SDZ goes full circle with the release of Vince & His Lost Delegation's debut 12" EP. This band is the brainchild of Vince Posadzki, longtime friend and collaborator of the label. SDZ's first release was a single by one of his previous bands, Les Viperes, back in Quebec City, Canada in early 2000. When he moved to France a few years later, Vince formed the infamous garage-trash outfit The Fatals. Later on he joined several other devastating groups: BobPopKillers, The Chimiks and Destination Lonely. Additionally he drummed for Aqua Nebula Oscillator's acid-drenched album "Under the moon..." and started composing more and more songs on his own, including the mind-blowing "I want go to your brain" for our 10th anniversary comp LP a few years ago. When asked about a solo record, he booked Lo Spider's Swampland Studio in Toulouse and called his buddies Simon and Adrian, current members of Aqua Nebula. Recorded in 3 days with Lo'Spider as engineer and fourth member, this record is Vince's best and most personal work. The songs subtly transcribes his love for Quebec's 60s rock'n'roll and psychedelic obscurities (Serge Blouin, Les Sinners, Les Habits Jaunes, Les Lunours, Aut'Chose, Peloquin/Sauvageau, etc.) while staying true to his Oblivians/Cheater Slicks roots with some juvenile savage outbursts. Kick back, relax and eat your brain like a 3-am poutine with the 6 deviant jams of this fine little platter.

SDZ boucle une boucle avec la sortie du premier 12" EP de Vince & His Lost Delegation. Ce groupe est né de l'imagination de Vince Posadzki, ami et collaborateur de longue date du label. La première sortie SDZ était un single d'un de ses précédents groupes, Les Vipères, à Québec (Canada) au début des années 2000. Quand il a déménagé en France quelques années plus tard, Vince a formé le fameux gang garage-trash The Fatals. Un peu plus tard on l'a retrouvé dans plusieurs groupes dévastateurs comme Bobpopkillers, The Chimiks et Destination Lonely. De plus, il a été batteur pour Aqua Nebula Oscillator sur le sommet acide qu'est l'album "Under the moon..." et a commencé dès lors à composer de plus en plus. On retrouve d'ailleurs une de ses compos ébouriffantes, "I want go to your brain" sur notre compilation LP sortie à l'occasion des 10 ans du label. Interrogé à propos d'un disque solo, il réserve le Swampland Studio de Lo'Spider à Toulouse et invite ses amis Simon et Adrian, membres actuels d'Aqua Nebula. Enregistré en 3 jours avec Lo'Spider comme ingénieur son et quatrième membre, ce disque est le travail le plus abouti et le plus personnel de Vince. Les chansons transcrivent subtilement son amour pour le rock'n'roll 60s et les obscurités psychédéliques de la Belle Province (de Serge Blouin à Peloquin/Sauvageau en passant par Les Sinners, Les Habits Jaunes, Les Lunours, Aut'Chose et plein d'autres encore) tout en restant fidèle à ses racines Oblivians/Cheater Slicks avec quelques juvéniles explosions sauvages. Alors faites un break et bouffez votre cerveau comme une poutine à 3h du mat' à l'écoute des 6 jams déviants de ce crisse de bon disque.

"It’s all things psychedelic in these parts. From ripping fuzz-guitars (“Don’t Wanna Go Back There”) to trippy, reverb-drenched vocals (“I Hate You”), to soaring cosmic textures (“You Passed Slowly”), this EP from SDZ Records offers a little bit of everything. There’s a different approach to each of the six tracks included, but most come along with an invigorating bluesy edge whether it’s a spaced-out daze like “I Hate You”, or absolute brain-burners like “La Fin du Monde”.
Throughout the EP strobing and echoed vocals create the feeling like Posadzki is singing underwater or from the inside of a drippy cavern. You can hear this coming through in “Black Days” paired along with staggering guitar leads and wonky bass lines, eventually morphing into a breezy jam to wrap it up. Another track like “La Fin du Monde” brings in a slew of influences in under five minutes, at first sounding like late 60s/early 70s proto-metal (think Budgie), before changing gears to a (French) spoken-word midsection. This soon spills over into a heated guitar serenade, separated by triumphant, anthemic guitar blasts that go a long way to mix things up. “Try to See Around” closes the EP and keeps the psych rock consistency going until the last possible minute with some menacing, fuzzed-out guitars. This results in a collection of material that thrives on quality psychedelia, which only means you need to listen to these tracks below." - Styrofoam Drone

"pretty universally awesome psychedelia that doesn't pin itself down to a particular place, time or scene" - The Sound of Confusion

"Vince Posadzki may not be a name you're familiar with but that doesn't mean that he hasn't been busy.
Since moving to France from Canada he's spent time in the Fatals, BobPopKillers, The Chimiks, and Destination Lonely, as well as a stint drumming for acclaimed acid revivalists Aqua Nebula Oscillator.
Clearly Posadzki's not green around the edges which goes some way toward explaining the self assured and some may even say brash nature of Vince & His Lost Delegation's self titled debut.
Recorded in just three days with Adrian and Simon from Aqua Nebula Oscillator onboard this is a spontaneous and varied E.P that covers heaps of ground, from the swirling garage psychedelia of "Don't Wanna Go Back There" to the more aggressive "La Fin du Monde" with a giant guitar riff, punctuated by stabs of demented Bad Seeds style organ.
In my opinion though, the best moments occur when the volume is dialed back and Vince allows his trippier sensibilities to take hold. You'd assume that "I Hate You" would be a snotty garage anthem, not the  subversive piece of sickly sweet, phased psychedelia that it turns out to be. It sounds like an outtake from the second Ultimate Spinach album. And it's fantastic.
Best is saved for last though with "Try To See Around" a sparkling folk rocker that recalls early Love or the Byrds filtered through an offkilter Flying Nun sensibility that gives it an appeal, both fresh and timeless." - The Active Listener

"SDZ has released wonderful records by the likes of The Rebel, Cheveu, Plasto Beton, The Liminanas, The Mantles, Drosofile and Dan Melchior to name but a few and this latest blast of psychedelic garage mania by Vince And His Lost Delegation is yet another earth scorcher to add to their fine catalog and your fantastic collection. Longtime label cohort Vince Posadzki has teamed up with some of the Aqua Nebula Oscillator duders to create some hip swinging psychedelic Trogg stomp r'n'r that blends 60's style kelaidoscope swirlers with savage fuzz burn whimsy. Vince And His Lost Delegation are supplying the fun loving spook-tastic swamp swagger that Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds have been laying out but with their own French twist added to the booty moving formula. This platter is drenched in reverb and echo and these 6 cuts will have you groovin' with the best of 'em. Pop this bad boy on the turntable and let loose the positivity. Acid pop garage soul searing winners one and all is what this album is bringin' to the table so grab it while the grabbing is good. Hugely Recommended."
  - Permanent Records Chicago

"On connaissait Vince Posadzki pour son implication dans divers groupes garage-punk tels que The Fatals ou Bobpopkillers. Accompagné de membres d'Aqua Nebula Oscillator, le québecois sort aujourd'hui un EP de six morceaux de rock psychédélique déglingué. La pochette rend hommage à celle d'un album de Melchior Alias, autre canadien cintré, pionnier des expérimentations extravagantes dans les années 60. L'album propose quelques morceaux épiques sur lesquels Vince se montre à la hauteur de ses influences, tel "La Fin du Monde", et plusieurs beaux titres de pop distordue ("Don't Wanna Go Back There", "Try To See Around")."
  - Eric Delsart - Rock'n'Folk

"Le "Vince" en question n'est auttre que Vincent Posadzki, le plus français des rockn'rollers québécois, celui des Fatals, Chimiks, Destination Lonely, Vipères, etc...Il a réuni quelques potes (deux Aqua Nebula et Lo Spider) pour donner vie à des morceaux qu'il avait en tête depuis longtemps mais n'avait pas eu l'occasion d'enregistrer avec l'un ou l'autre de ses groupes. Une sorte de récréation parfois introspective où se bousculent les influences garage et psyché de toujours. "Don't Wanna Go Back There" par exemple, s'amuse avec le refrain du "Lay Lady Lay" de Dylan et vire psyché sub-aquatique avant de finir plein pot, déchiré d'un solo épique qui s'en va trouer les étoiles. Kim Fowley, les Sinners (les québecois) et quelques équarisseurs patentés (Cheater Slicks...) campent visiblement dans les environs et se disputent le patronage des libations lysergiques. Un bon trip. C'est une production Swampland Studio (si vous n'avez jamais vu Lo Spider coiffé d'un casque à pointe, c'est sur la pochette) et c'est paru chez SDZ Rds, dont la première référence, il y a treize ans, était déjà un split 45t avec...les Vipères. Y'a comme une logique."
  - Gildas Cospérec - Dig It

You can listen to the record right here // Ecoutez le disque ici:

Download available // Téléchargement disponible via Bandcamp


Follow the band on Facebook

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Èlg

  Èlg "La Chimie" (LP) (SDZ 016)

Released in 2013.



Half of duo Opéra Mort and third of trio Reines d'Angleterre, alongside the famous Ghedalia Thazartès, Èlg is a brilliant and multi-talented musician living in Brussels. His discography is a bit of a red herring: from somptuous acid folk wanderings ("Tout Ploie" on Kraak/S.S.) to schizophrenic and incredibly creative tour-de-force ("Capitaine Présent 5" on Nashazphone) to the tangential electronic experimentations of the excellent "Mil Pluton" LP released in 2012 on Alter/Hundebiss. On "La Chimie", Èlg concocts a stunning blend of tracks that appeared initially on small-run and now out-of-print releases ("Der Prediger" CD-R on Young Girl Records and "In Coro" cassette tape on NO=FI) plus an unreleased one. This creates, like for any of his previous releases, a strange euphoria sensation. It feels like falling in a remote place of cosmos, a place of his own, where synthetic buzzings, declamations in non-identified languages, sparkles of musique concrète, electronic flare-ups and proto-industrial beats mix together in a fascinating mess, something like bodies in distress floating in the great big galactic void. Yes, "La Chimie" is as hypnotic as a weird pattern on a filipino hijab. It's now your turn to taste "La Chimie" and tickle your mind's eye.

Moitié du duo Opéra Mort et membre du trio Reines d'Angleterre avec le célèbre Ghedalia Thazartès, Èlg est un brillant musicien touche-à-tout installé à Bruxelles. Sa discographie témoigne de son talent pour brouiller les pistes: de somptueuses errances folk acides (l'album "Tout Ploie" sur Kraak, réédité par S.S.Records) en tour-de-force schizophrène et fantastiquement créatif (l'album "Capitaine Présent 5" sur Nashazphone) jusqu'aux expérimentations électroniques tangentielles de l'excellent "Mil Pluton" sorti en 2012 sur Alter/Hundebiss. Sur "La Chimie" Èlg nous a concocté un savant mélange entre un morceau inédit et des morceaux extraits de sorties plus confidentielles (le CD-R "Der Prediger" sur Young Girl Records et la K7 "In Coro" sur NO=FI) aujourd'hui épuisées. On retrouve cet étrange étourdissement que provoque infailliblement chacun de ses disques. L'impression nette de tomber dans un coin de cosmos bien à lui où bourdonnements synthétiques, déclamations dans des langues non-identifiées, éclats de musique concrète, coups de chaud électroniques et rythmiques proto-industrielles se croisent dans un fascinant fatras comme des corps en perdition dans le grand vide galactique. Oui, "La Chimie" est aussi hypnotique que les motifs d'un foulard de tête philippin. A votre tour d'y goûter pour palper de nouveaux imaginaires.

"After melting minds (my own included) with last year's underrated gem "Mil Pluton," Èlg is back with, impressively, his best effort yet. There's always a level of pressure involved in trying to follow up something as well-received as "Mil Pluton," but it becomes obvious within the first minute of "La Chimie" opener, "Vue Neon Ouie," that all is well. Hypnotic synth swells mutate into broken, disjointed voices before the curtain is pulled back entirely, leaving a recording of someone bawling in a checkout line in its wake. I know, WHAT? Yet not only does it work, it's the perfect way to start a record as perplexing and wonderful as "La Chimie." Bizzaro-world vocals dominate the album, mixed and matched in unexpected ways. From the inflected crooning of "Grand Huit," wrapped around shredding guitar riffage and minimal synth patterns, to the Suicide-esque minimalism of album standout, "Notringo Indigo," Èlg is cutting a wide path. "De Salem" treads in haunted, soul-infused waters. Throughout, "La Chimie" is an experience that envelopes the listener, locking him or her into this strange place Èlg inhabits. For someone who has been around for quite a while, it's in the past few years that he's really found his voice. Biggest recommendation I can give." - Brad Rose, Experimedia

"'La Chimie sees the return of the mighty él-g, collecting nine avant oddities from rare releases and a radio show . Equal parts rhythmic electronics, vocal lunacy, field recordings, pop and (inner)space music, the logic behind these pieces remains brilliantly elusive and yet instinctually in-touch (...) While chronologically diffracted and scattered, this is possibly the best way to absorb the acquired taste of Èl-G's unique brand of operatic post-industrial tangents. Imagine Ghedalia Tazartes vs Conrad Schnitzler and you're in the right headspace. So so good." - Boomkat.com

"'The catchy minimal, industrial throb in songs like “Der Prediger”, “Notringo Indigo”, and “Hoteru” rivals anything on Mil Pluton’s stellar A-side, while “De Salem”, on the other hand, unfolds like a demonic, soul-devouring take on James Blake’s oeuvre. Elsewhere, the jump-cut edits and Tazartès’ cues make for genuinely head-scratching moments, be it big boy sobs (“Vue Neon Dute”) or street side ad blurbage (“Good Service”). Like all Èlg releases, though, it is like walking into a hall of mirrors: it’s wildly entertaining, somewhat unsettling, and always transfixing. Get your ticket and enter while you can." - Decoder Magazine

"'Pop music generally exists on some strange horizons, zones where bodily discomfort and euphoric glee intermingle and interact. Like the outer fringes of early punk and industrial waves, some artists are able to emphasize the strange physicality of their creations. French musician Èlg has joined these fearless ranks. His latest, La Chimie, is a collection of tracks from limited run EPs and radio broadcasts out now on SDZ records. Throughout the record, Èlg provides very few reference points – here and there are shades of Throbbing Gristle’s industrial whines and whirrs, while the operatic nonsense vocalizations remind one of Scott Walker’s work in the last few decades, especially last year’s eerily physical Bish Bosch. Comparisons aside, these tracks come out of a different plane of musical intuition, one where pop music is constantly acknowledged while being simultaneously dismembered, investigated, and eaten." - Boston Hassle

"SDZ has been around since the early ’00s, but I feel like in recent years they’ve really come into their own, exploring mostly French weirdness and the post-est reaches of post-punk. This El-G album collects a few recent tapes and CD-rs and other barely-heard productions into one tidy LP, and it’s a delight! It’s a little hard to explain, too – most of these tracks involve some sort of hand-crafted electronic loop or warble, usually laced with some other sound effects of unknown origin, and some guy (presumably El-G himself) will mutter, sputter and cackle over top. I’m reminded of anything from Pseudocode to Floris Vanhoof to Felix Kubin to Nurse With Wound to The Rebel, or any mostly-electronic artist that is not afraid to completely abandon song structure and drift into a peculiar field recording or hallucinatory soundscape. It’s probably too punk and not academic enough for the Kye label, but also not really punk at all… maybe if Dan Melchior did a record for Ultra Eczema, it’d sound like La Chimie? One track mostly consists of some British guy reading the list of delayed trains at a station, and it seems right at home among the rest of the tracks on this record. I’ve got a big old stack of records at my desk here, trust me, and I keep pulling this one out – it just makes me feel good to have El-G’s bizarre banter and synthesized nonsense dripping all over my head." - Yellow Green Red

"'Follow up to last year's Mil Pluton record (which was one of my favorites from 2012). La Chimie keeps the weird level at 11 concocting a stew of unclassifiable DMT aural hallucinations. Not many people are making music like this and it's hard to really point to one particular sound as reference. Definitely a heavy Tazartes influence (he does play in a duo with Ghedalia), I'd also say there's a vintage UK/DIY/Postpunk thing going on here....but filtered through a bong filled with cheap boxed Burgundy.  Think a more playful Throbbing Gristle and you're in the right orbit." - Northern Plastics

"'What a fucking headtrip. This is the weirdest and inexplicably, the most wonderful, thing I have heard so far this year (and probably the year before that)." - OMG Vinyl

"This dude Laurent Gérard (of Opéra Mort, Reines d’Angleterre, etc) is all over the place with his Èlg releases, jumbling genres like nothing, and La Chimie adds to the cacophony, bringing a sort of fucked up darkwave mixed with the occasional field recording, the album opens with a vomit inducing first track that’s got creepy found sounds including some dude sobbing while the electronics sound like boiling guts, so fucking wretched I can smell it. The rest of the record twists together a woozy mangled avant pop that ranges from burnt musique concrète to a more structured techno groove, spilling beats all over a bleak futuristic synth sprawl, nightmare ambient b/w Carpenter disco, and Gérard freaking the fuck out in every track, singing with a mesmerizing atonal processed
to hell & back slop of a rollercoaster, like Paul Reubens voicing the spaceship in Flight Of The Navigator, his vocals driving the record, definitely the most prominent and unsettling part, totally incomprehensible & fucked up, a mess on top of a mess but bound by the bizarre, hands down one of the weirdest records of the year, a winner for sure." - Justin Snow, Anti-Gravity Bunny

You can listen to the record right here // Ecoutez le disque ici:


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  Old Mate

Old Mate "It Is What It Is" LP (SDZ 017)

Released in 2014.

Old Mate is originally the solo project of Pat Telfer from australian band Bitch Prefect (two albums on the Bedroom Suck label).Formed in Adelaide but nowadays based in Melbourne, Old Mate here presents its first album, "It Is What It Is" following a self-produced EP in 2012 and a debut 7" single on Major Crimes in 2013. Still centered around founding member Pat Telfer, Old Mate are now a strong cast of 7 - 10 musicians including members of Peak Twins and Wireheads. From their early songs Old Mate have kept a certain melancholy that spices up this debut LP. Eight songs all in false flat, constantly and brilliantly defying an infinite monotony. Suspended on the fragile life line floating on the horizon, these not-so-calm songs are often stirred up by the thick limbo of permanent doubt. Frequently staring at the blind spot, the reality spot, Old Mate have conceived an album for the heaviness of the daily grind. A saxophone is sometimes warmly welcomed by the band, like sparkles in the Baudelairian spleen. One might think sometimes of Syd Barrett, Lou Reed, "Dreamy"-era Beat Happening, The Go-Betweens or some contemporary bands of the great australian scene like Dick Diver and Kitchen's Floor. Oh and some weird funky stuff too (check below the video for "Stressin"!). A first album with a great deal of character.

Old Mate est à l'origine le projet solo de Pat Telfer du groupe australien Bitch Prefect (deux albums sur le label Bedroom Suck). Formé à Adelaïde, Old Mate est maintenant basé à Melbourne et ce "It Is What It Is" est leur premier album après le EP autoproduit "Word is bond" sorti en 2012 et un 45t sorti fin 2013 sur le label Major Crimes. Toujours centré autour de Pat Telfer, Old Mate est désormais composé de sept à dix musiciens dont des membres de Peak Twins et Wireheads. Des ballades de ses débuts, Old Mate a gardé une mélancolie qui donne tout son sel à ce premier opus. Ces huit chansons tout en faux plat défient avec brio une monotonie infinie. Suspendues sur la fragile ligne de vie qui flotte à l'horizon, ces chansons sont parcourues d'intenses tremblements, dans les limbes du doute permanent. Le regard souvent perdu dans l'angle mort, celui du réel, Old Mate a conçu un album pour l'enclume des jours. Un spleen qui s'embrase parfois au détour d'un sursaut magnifié par le groupe, aidé de temps en temps par un saxophone de bon augure. On pense parfois à Syd Barrett, Lou Reed, Beat Happening (époque "Dreamy"), The Go-Betweens mais aussi à quelques contemporains de la bouillonnante scène australienne comme Dick Diver et Kitchen's Floor. Oh et à du funky bizarre aussi (regardez la video de "Stressin" ci-dessous!). Un premier album qui ne manque pas de caractère.

Old Mate on Facebook

"“It is what it is” becomes a mantra on ‘Medicine Man’, the first track off Old Mate’s debut LP. At over 10 minutes, the song’s plodding wrangle gives a false impression of what’s to come. It’s an odd choice, but this is odd music. And even if ‘Medicine Man’s dumbness gives no indication of the genius that lies ahead, it doesn’t make it any less a master stroke. What it does is draw the listener under a warm blanket with Old Mate. From here he can introduce you to the soundtrack of your coming weeks on this strange earth. It Is What It Is gives the impression of nonchalance, but this is a meticulously plotted master class in songwriting.
Second number ‘Requesting Permission’ is a sonic hammock. Pat Telfer’s glossy vocals and lazy guitar strokes bob away as the current gently draws the song through a perfect solo to a beautifully logical solution. The strumming pace is upped for the next tune, ‘Something’, but the thing’s still cotton-woolly enough to tie it to what we’ve heard so far. The rhythm swirls around and around as a slightly off-kilter voice bangs on about not much at all – more a case of the vocals acting as a secondary percussive instrument than revealing anything beyond inanity. Lonely-man lament ‘February’ comes next and this time the lyrics sit prominently in the foreground. The dusty desert vibes and the drop in tempo here draw a line back to the opening song, but this one barely lasts long enough to get stuck in any kind of whirlpool of sound. Our friend simply says his piece and disappears into fading light.
The second half of the record – it’s only eight tracks but, with an average length of over four and a half minutes, they’re generous offerings – kicks off with the hypnotic ‘Stressin’’. This track is so chilled it makes the diazepam of earlier number ‘Requesting Permission’ feel like an early-morning drug raid. Again, the few lyrics that appear on the song are of no real consequence, but they break the pulse of the beat just enough so you can catch your breath and give it all for that last 10 seconds of boogie at the end. The pace comes up again for ‘Know What He Wants’ and a bit of sax combines with a snappy beat and dabbly guitar to create a somehow cohesive slow build to oblivion.
‘Him’ takes this record to a whole other place and it’s borderline celestial. The song’s lyrical simplicity glows over a smouldering clatter of spare drum beats, awkward guitar pokes and horn honks. This is pop writing that could easily translate into commercial-radio-playable, hit-factory-type stuff, but Old Mate’s treatment of the song, as with so much of this record, is so sinister and off-putting that it makes for a far more satisfying experience. From the ashes of ‘Him’ rises ‘Truth Boy’ – a denouement of sorts – which assembles the constituent parts of the preceding songs and presents it all as one fabulous chunk of post-punk boldness. It’s flawless." - Mess+Noise

"Old Mate began as a solo-project by Bitch Prefect’s Pat Telfer. They now became a real band that consists of 7-10 different musicians including members of Peak Twins and Wireheads. "It Is What It Is" is an album of loose rock music that’s brimming with personal lyrics about the dreariness of everyday life and failed relationships. One of the most impressive things about this album is how Old Mate balances "monotony" and "variety". The "monotony" part is made with stripped-down, repetitive structures. When it comes to "variety" the songs show several different influences ranging from indie, post-punk, blues and psych. The sporadic use of piano and saxophone leave an airy mark on the songs, but in spite of all that instruements the songs never sound busy. There’s a certain atmospheric quality to this record that is difficult to describe and that's one of it's main secrets." - Ride A Dove

"Man, I like this. It's kind of like the moody melodrama of Bauhaus or Nick Cave gone dolewave, which is a great combination for a bloke like me that never trusts people who are too far one way or the other and i like bands that understand life is about balance." - Repressed records

"It Is What It Is? Really, Oldmate? You do realize that’s what the ad director at The Post-Star in Glens Falls, N.Y., said to me as he was laying me off in 2008 right (the idea being: layoffs are what they… are?)? No? OK then, you get a pass for drudging up that memory because your smoky post-blues messenger service is quite effective at delivering the sort of rock you just don’t hear much in the underground nowadays. But consider this a warning wrapped in a query, the latter being: Is there a market for Oldmate in this day and age? I say maybe not, and that’s just about the highest praise I can give a young artist in a world of sound-a-likes. Creating music so far outside the periphery of what’s purportedly ‘happening’ is one of the best ways to organically make things ‘happen.’ The main problem is, most bands simply don’t have the guts to attempt the forbidden; it’s so much easier to settle for a solo synth album or an electronic mash-up of the indie-dance telephone book. FUCK THAT, play guitar, bass, and drums and GET YOUR GODDAMN ROCKS OFF, like Oldmate. The only problem on my end is coming up with apt comparisons for y’all to hitch your ‘should I buy this?’ wagons to. As I said before, it’s been so long since I sat back and let such a restrained, hearty blues-rock album roll over me I’ve got zippo for ya, save this entirely ridiculous stretch: Stephen Merritt fronting a slow Fresh & Onlys tune? The label that also brought you El-G’s La Chimie had absolutely no right to drop this anomaly off at my door, and I’m glad they did." - Tiny Mix Tapes

"It’s another great piece of down in the dumps, black and blue rock. Australiana meets Americana. Songs soaked in box wine and cheap beer, set decrepit neighbourhoods and between shitty relationships. There is a rhythm here that moves, a rhythm that one must keep when moving through life to avoid being left behind.
Old Mate is the newest outfit helmed by Pat Telfer (Bitch Prefect). What originally started as a solo project has now expanded and features members of Peak Twins and Wireheads. It Is What It Is is the debut LP from the group, coming after an EP in 2012 and a 7” in 2013.
It’s another great piece of down in the dumps, black and blue rock. Australiana meets Americana. Songs soaked in box wine and cheap beer, set decrepit neighbourhoods and between shitty relationships. It’s a nice departure from the jangle and strum of Bitch Prefect, reflecting more the day drunk desperation of Kitchen’s Floor.
This is a terrific album thanks to some cunning instrumentation and a willingness to add flavour to the bluesy murk. Piano, saxophone and other intriguing bits and pieces create some airy texture over the fundamentals. Telfer’s brooding croon is exquisite. His purposefully flat delivery adds gravitas to his tales of daily monotony, over drinking and failed relationships.
The music helps to lift the vocals above the subject matter; for example, the sax on ‘Know What He Wants’ adds a sense of urgency to, what I gather is, the tale of a man seeking to take from others without consideration. The album seems to look at abusive relationships in society; abuse of substances, abuse of the self, abuse of others – it’s all pretty grim yet there is an interesting dichotomy at work with the instrumentation, preventing the listener from getting bogged down in the grittiness. We are made aware of the topics at hand, but are constantly moved along by the strong musical current.
It Is What It Is seems to be about the exploring the hard facts of life but not being able to do anything about it. Life is what it is; you can’t do a damn thing about it but live as best as possible. This album is about trying to do that but not always being successful. This is a largely entertaining album, I can imagine it transitioning well live – an experience I hope to catch soon. There is a rhythm here that moves, a rhythm that one must keep when moving through life to avoid being left behind. The road points straight ahead, where it leads is anyone’s guess. Old Mate walk the road, playing I Spy with what they see along the way; observant and honest music and something to treasure." - Weirdo Wasteland

"Les 8 morceaux du disque font preuve d’une maitrise impeccable du rythme, de la mélodie et des ambiances, même si l’on discerne clairement les influences : de Giant Sand à Beat Happening, de Lou Reed à Rhythm Activism. Les compositions sont très riches et offrent des surprises à chaque nouvelle écoute. En résumé, le disque idéal de la rentrée." - Contre-Cultures

"On a parfois un peu de mal à se repérer dans la masse de groupes qui arrivent en flux tendu d'Australie, tous passionnants, et qui manifestent un certain penchant pour l'endogamie : side-projects de side-projects, all-star bands de types inconnus, il ne se passe pas une semaine sans qu'on tombe sur un machin sorti du Bush, monté de toutes pièces avec des morceaux d'autres formations, qui nous mette peu ou prou à genoux. Une méthode qui a fait ses preuves consiste à envisager ce territoire sauvage comme un ensemble de scènes locales juxtaposées, et à rattacher des groupes à une ville (en général Melbourne ou Brisbane). Aujourd'hui, Adélaïde, cité populeuse de la côte sud, dont Old Mate fédère un certain nombre d'acteurs : Pat Telfer, son fondateur, est membre de Bitch Prefect, groupe gentillet de jangle pop qui a essaimé dans Peak Twins et Wireheads, tout ce beau monde collaborant sur It Is What It Is, premier album de cette formation d'une dizaine de musiciens qui paraît sur l'excellent (mais un peu rare) label français SDZ Records (Cheveu, Plastobéton, Limiñanas...).  
Il faut toutefois prendre un peu de hauteur pour appréhender la musique de Old Mate, qui s'éloigne du son d'Adelaïde comme de certains de ses compatriotes (Twerks, Dick Diver), et sort des sentiers balisés de cette jangle pop qui compte ici des ancêtres plus glorieux qu'ailleurs (The Church, The Go-Betweens). Old Mate est bien décidé à ne pas se résumer à un genre, et présente un album dont aucun des huit titres ne ressemble à un autre : c'est un album à tiroirs, à chausse-trappes, mais qui contrairement à d'autres fourre-tout plutôt réussis (le premier Total Control) ou ratés (le second Total Control) trouve une cohérence dans le ton, une manière de se répéter dans la variation qui tient essentiellement à l'immense mélancolie de l'ensemble, la tristesse inconsolable de celui que les gens et les choses ont irrémédiablement déçu. 
It Is What It Is, donc, « c'est ce que c'est » et pas autre chose : constat tragique du fait que le réel est le réel, sans arrière-monde. Sur la monotonie d'un univers indifférent (figuré par les structures répétitives des morceaux), il s'agit de broder des motifs inédits, fragiles, comme des châteaux de sable finement ciselés que la prochaine vague de déceptions aplatira, mais qui reflètent autant d'humeurs passagères, autant de variations sur le spleen. C'est bien la mélancolie la plus tenace qui donne sa teinte à ce disque d'« atmosphère », du blues chamanique au milieu des crotales de « Medicine Man » au post-punk fatigué de « Truth Boy », en passant par la sublime ballade « February » (voix de cronner à la Lee Hazlewood, mal maitrisée, presque fausse, comme Beat Happening à l'époque de « Dreamy ») à « Stressin » et son clip lynchien, faux dance-rock au groove toujours parasité par une forme d'engourdissement, de langueur abattue. Si vous cherchiez un Vieux Pote pour pleurer sur son épaule, Old Mate est là." - Chronicart

"Après le Toulousain Armure, SDZ records change d’ambiance et de continent en s’entichant de la superbe nonchalance rock de l’Australien Pat Telfer, échappé du groupe Bitch Prefect, et s’entourant pour ce premier LP d’Old Mate It Is What It Is de membres de Peak Twins (lire) et Wireheads. Et quoi de mieux que de citer à nouveau le patronyme choisi par Telfer, Old Mate, pour embrasser la langueur délicieusement monotone de ce projet faisant passer Malkmus et sa bande pour des maniaques du bpm ? De l’introductive et obnubilante Medicine Man à Requesting Permission, mis en images par l’intéressé lui-même, tout est mise en oeuvre pour que, de ce côté-ci de l’hémisphère, l’été se prolonge pour quelques temps encore, perdu dans les volutes de quelques réminiscences, flottant entre Syd Barrett et Lou Reed." - Hartzine

"On Old Mate's debut LP It Is What It Is, Pat Telfer (of Bitch Prefect fame) has transformed himself again. With help from engineer Tom Spall, the album is pierced with spacey synths and tape machines that warp traditional blues, country, pop and garage numbers into some compellingly strange terrain.
Opener 'Medicine Man' is an evil ten-minute plod that delivers a tale of a despoiled doctor. If the previous 7" on Major Crimes had traces of Leonard Cohen's broken heart, then this track comes through as an epic worthy of The Bad Seeds at the height of their gothic western infatuation. This is especially true through to the last minute of murky delay and decay where the album's title is repeated in mantra-like menace.
Pat's voice is always captivating, both in its stretch of registers and the conviction with which he uses it. It goes from low and monotone in songs like 'Something,' to creaky and near falsetto on the mournful Neil Young-esque ballad 'Him'. It always seems open to revealing honest strains and failings. “And I know that it's sad, and you know that it's true,” from 'February', which is a lonely and sombre tune with whispers of Bowie's 'The Man Who Sold The World' throughout it's only verse.
One last anomaly (but an excessively enjoyable one thanks to its excellent video) is the penultimate track 'Stressin'.' Its smooth and idling groove eventually gives way to the shaking of 'Truth Boy' where they play with phrase boundaries, rock and roll piano and the rumbling guitar fuzz to summon visions of a grand visitation, or the righteous return of a strange lost soul arriving home." -  The Thousands

"One band that seemed to both be confined by and outstrip the ill-fated "dolewave" genre pigeonhole was South Australia's Old Mate. It may have been in the name; it may have been in the droll drawl that lead Pat Telfer (Bitch Prefect) delivered his sometimes-weary, sometimes-jacked-up lyrics. But just as many of the bands that were tarred with that brush over the last two to three years have moved on by incorporating stranger tics and tricks to their bag, Old Mate's new album It Is What It Is (out through SDZ Records) explodes, its core aesthetic spreading in every direction like the impact of a paintball on a white wall. Don't let the kangaroos boxing on the cover dissuade you from acknowledging that we are entering a whole new world.
'Medicine Man' is a gargantuan jazz blues number - seriously. Sure, it's used and abused and flung in the corner to dry, but the 12 bars, the solos, the howling space, the husky vocals are all present and accounted for. It's a strange opener - it's a strange choice, considering the band's back catalogue - but then nothing should surprise you with these guys (remember the other half of Bitch Prefect is the chameleonic Liam Kenny...). From then on we are taken to one surrealist vignette to the next, in a battered limousine al Carax's bizarrely brilliant Holy Motors film from 2012, with Telfer the ever-present ringmaster of the macabre. 'Requesting Permission' is back on terra firma, a downer jangle with dour vocals a la Brisbane act Dag, with a melancholy that reminds me of the solo work of Neil Young in his early years - really - or that first recipient of the Grant McLennan Fellowship back in 2007, Charles Curse. But this isn't the needle and the damage done. We step up with 'Something', a vocal that sounds like Macka from The Onyas having a go at an acoustic number. It isn't overtly funny though - the tempo, the backing vocals, the 'hey hey hey hey hey heeeey, hey' lending a desperation to proceedings. 'February' is a lament in a netherworld saloon - the Gothic drawl reminiscent of another dormant Aussie act, Nikko - holding that plodding, maudlin beat for its entirety, and drags you down with it.
Then we hit a sonorous contemplation with 'Stressin'', a lysergic percolation of languid rhythms (for some reason Im tracking back to some of those subterranean grooves the Stone Roses often doled out) in what is generally an instrumental track, except for some growled, rolling-around-the-mouth vocals (and yet another video featuring that post-Soviet kid in the nightclub, which really looks like a sequal to the film Orphan); the sax burbles into the fervour underscoring 'Know What He Wants', a fine addition here; 'Him' re-enters the Young orbit, albeit in a warped fashion, offering layered nuance that promises more than it gives, with lyrics that imply never learning from mistakes; and closer 'Truth Boy' evokes another crooked minstrel of the Australian musical landscape, Nathan Roche, although there are no Sydney references in sight, just some Aussie sardonic sneers...
It Is What It Is is a bizarre and inexplicalby attractive record. The title tells it all, thus making this review, or any really, redundant. Old Mate, Telfer, the music - it is what it is. Deal with it." - Sonic Masala

"The band’s bluesy, sombre rock – in contrast to the bright jangling of Bitch Prefect – is the kind best listened to with a swishing glass of cheap whiskey in one hand, and a burning cigar in the other." - Tone Deaf

"Of Lou Reeds many contributions to popular music, his embrace of the dirty and noisy is surely chief among them. While his hippie contemporaries were spreading the message of peace and love to the rhythm of chirpy modern blues riffs, Lou and his ilk recounted tales of heroin, prostitution and sexual depravity to the tune of guitar drones and corrupted black rhythm. While it is debatable whether the trajectory of rock and roll would be much the same without Reed, it is very clear that Pat Telfer and his crew would not.
The first release from the “seven to ten musicians” that make up Old Mate, ‘It Is What It Is’ succeeds in recasting obvious (but impeccable) references over eight tracks. Opening with the burlesque – Bad Seeds swagger of the slow burning Medicine Man, the album lurches from melancholy singalong (Requesting Permission) to wistful drunk stumbling (February) through macabre funk (Stressin’).
Although displaying no shortage of individual character, for my money, the best tracks are those in which Old Mate has worn its influences most clearly on its sleeve. On the irresistibly chunky twang of Something, Old Mate nail the cool drawl and laconic riffage. On Truth Boy, the band captures the Velvet’s hypnotic squall to a tee.
RIP Lou." - City & Sound

"Old Mate is the solo project from Pat Telfer of Bitch Prefect, which has, as it usually does round these parts, transmogrified into a band of regular Australian kickabouts featuring members from Peak Twins and Wireheads. Telfer, originally from Adelaide is now mainly based in Melbourne and  has just released It Is What It Is, his debut album following a self produced EP and 7” over the past two years.
The album is a compilation of honest admissions regarding broken relationships, broken hearts, drinking, being drunk and feeling uncomfortable by an acute awareness of the mundane difficulties of reality.
Opening track ‘Medicine Man’ a 10min reverb drenched rolling slow jam, reminiscent of early Black Lips circa ’04-’05, assumedly about being the man with all the drugs you could need but may not necessarily be able to procure.
Scratchy, grimy guitar work with deep percussive rhythms and beautiful, catchy lighthearted synth, glock and sax (at times) layered above it all, an aspect of the music that really diversifies and breaks the drone of its core.
This shines through particularly in the track ‘Stressin’.
‘Him’ is a Brian Jonestown-esque circular trawl through weary mud-caked paths, complimented by buzzing, vibrato sodden delay, whizzes, whooshes and saxophone. The song closes out on a bare, honest acknowledgement of pointlessness.
A personal favourite from the album is the closing track ‘Truth Boy’. Its lo-fi, continuous drum splash and rolling bass rhythms combined with the repetitive phrasing of the lyrics make it a catchy madcap ramble, not to mention the myriad of other instruments that fill out the rest of the song including a piercing and anxiety inducing whistle or recorder of some description.
All the songs have a distinctly Australian story-to-be-told song writing inclination evident in countless classic Aussie singer/songwriters. This is a sentiment shared, and most eloquently expressed in the simple truth of the albums title It is what it is.
This album is a fine collection of honest unembellished songs about fears and difficulties we all experience being a 20-something year old person living in uncomfortable forbearance with the tumult of reality." - Throwing Frisbees

"The debut album from Pat Telfer of Bitch Prefect, recording as Old Mate, is titled It Is What It Is.  And if one plays with the title to turn it into a question, it provides a nice segue into the quality of the album.  That is, what is It Is What It Is like?  The answer for me is that it is an strikingly good record.  Telfer doesn't pretend to choose a sub-genre of indie rock, resulting in an appealing variety of music.  And each song makes a convincing case for your attention.  The opening track "Medicine Man" is a bluesy roadhouse jam that sprawls for ten minutes -- and doesn't feel one second too long.  "Requesting Permission" (stream below) is a relaxed guitar pop tune, with Pat's southern Australian drawl supported by barely-there female background vocals and an organ. line.  "Something" is an urgent, chugging track that brings to mind Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers.  Melancholy singer-songwriter sensibility infuses the sparsely adorned "February".
The second half of the album kicks-off with "Stressin" (video below), which is a somewhat jittery instrumental for 2:45, before the simple admonition that "Sally's stressin". Driven by Telfer's baritone, the following "Know What He Wants" has a vibe that hints at Nick Cave or the Velvet Underground.  Like a ray of light, "Him" begins with a chorus of female and male voices, and continues the enigmatic refrain accompanied predominantly by a bass guitar, drum and occasional guitar strokes.  The album ends with "Truth Boy". a strutting post-punk gem that builds and then recedes with deserved confidence.
That's it.  Eight tracks, but a fair measure of running time.  The tone is a bit sinister and decadent, owing only partially to Telfer's voice and the arrangements.  The true skeleton of this record is astute songwriting.  Telfer doesn't hit you in the head; he just lets the words and atmosphere seep into your skin. Lay out some cash for this album, and you'll be richer for it.
Originally a solo project, Telfer now relies on a group of 7-10 musicians to flesh out Old Mate.  It is a credit to Telfer's vision and the players' discipline that the songs are focused and efficient, with no hint of competition for time or attention.  It Is What It Is is out now via French label SDZ Records." - When you motor away

"Last night, I copped a lift, one of life’s simple pleasures. There isn’t anything better than thinking you’re going to have to trek it, and then someone lets you hop in the car and turn an hour trip of nail-biting depression into 15 minutes of jovial, four-wheeled harmony. Whilst in said car, I chucked on a song by Bitch Prefect, the excellent “Bad Decisions”. And the car fell silent. But it wasn’t an awkward, painful silence. It was a silence in which a simple song was appreciated in simple silence. That’s the best thing about basic music. There’s no expectation, no need to catapult and overwhelm everything. Whilst a wailing guitar solo and banshee cries can be exhilarating, sometimes all you need is a broken guitar, and an equally broken soul to hush you. Fuck love, the sobs of a shattered soul are way more realistic.
That’s what you’re getting on Old Mate’s debut LP. It’s the solo project from Pat Telfer, a member of the aforementioned Bitch Prefect. But whilst Bitch Prefect almost confine themselves to scratchy, de-tuned musings, Old Mate is more diverse in the offerings, the seafood platter to BP’s BBQ. Also, whereas Bitch Prefect like to keep things at least a little upbeat, and inject some morbid humour, Telfer is as depressed as they come. Someone, give the guy a hug.
Now, that might sound a little forward. I mean, I don’t know the guy. How can I make assumptions about his life, and about what he’s trying to say? Mr. Telfer could be a bounding lil’ ball of energy for all I know. But the Adelaide aesthetic is there, and it sings loudly, especially in the lyrics. On “February'”, Telfer opens up, “Home’s where I’ll be, if you’re not next to me. I’ll stop myself from drinking beer. I’m holding in my tears…I’m lonely, but only without you”, as miserable, rain-soaked cowboy strums resound with funeral-esque finality.
And then there’s “Requesting Permission”, which has to be one of the finest songs released from a purely Australian perspective. It showcases Telfer as a modern day Paul Kelly, a poet with a guitar, a knack for putting the guilt in our throats, and creating a chokehold of emotions. “Every day I go away, and  I wish that I could stay. Every now and then, I find that I’m going out of my mind”, points to a guy who’s tearing his hair out, and knows that he’ll never find a solution. He’s stuck in a rut, a trap of his own creation, and getting out of there is going to be harder than breaking Han Solo out of Jabba’s Palace. Throw that curveball of truth next to a brilliantly simple guitar solo, an alien whistle and more wistful regret than that shot of Patrick Swayze looking out at the Byron Bay surf in Point Break.
There are a few kinks to be worked through on the album however, namely the constant changing of tones. Although that does make for a constantly evolving record, it makes things messier than the results of giving a 2 year old a week-old, unrefrigerated chilli con carne. Don’t get me wrong, this album has more heart and originality packed into it than the majority of records, but there’s a bit of a lack of clarity and cohesiveness to the middle of the record.
However, maybe that’s the point. This isn’t a professional record. Rick Rubin didn’t twist knobs with his tentacle beard, and there wasn’t a guest verse from A$AP Rocky. It’s a vibrant mix of noise, sadness, confusion, and self-defeatism. There is so much going on in Pat Telfer’s brain, and the bloke has condensed it into something that reeks of originality. He’s taken sadness, something that at this point seems passe, and he’s made it interesting and gut-wrenching again. Like a car-lift, Old Mate is a simple pleasures that releases a lot of pain and stress. Who needs shit like Morrissey or Robert Smith when you’ve got Old Mate?" - Soundly Sounds


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The Mantles Euro Tour single

The Mantles "Memory" b/w "Undelivered" 7" (SDZ 018)
co-released with Slumberland and Les Disques Steak
Released in 2014.


  Since their 2011 SDZ single "Raspberry Thighs", San Francisco's The Mantles have kept on creating their own sound, somewhere between 60 garage and psychedelics, Kiwi sound of early Flying Nun releases and the false frivolity of C86 bands. If their approach seems more "pop" since their second album "Long Enough to leave" (Slumberland, 2013), the guitars remain razor sharp. Neither lunatic nor fully melancholic, the band is all about chiaroscuro, as you can hear in the two brand new songs featured on this single, "Memory" and "Undelivered". This single is a joint release between SDZ, Les Disques Steak and Slumberland. It has been released in time for The Mantles first tour in continental Europe in Fall 2014.

Depuis leur single "Raspberry Thighs" (SDZ, 2011) les Mantles ont continué à forger leur son, mélangeant subtilement influences garage et psychédéliques 60s, le kiwi sound des premières sorties du label Flying Nun et la fausse frivolité de certains groupes anglais de la scène C86. Si leur approche semble plus pop depuis le deuxième album "Long enough to leave" (Slumberland, 2013), les guitares restent tranchantes comme des lames de couteau soigneusement entretenues. Ni lunatique ni franchement mélancolique, le groupe de San Francisco joue sur les clair-obscurs avec une grande habileté comme le prouvent les deux nouveaux morceaux étincelants de ce single, "Memory" et "Undelivered". Un single qui sort conjointement sur leur label américain, Slumberland, et deux labels parisiens, SDZ et Les Disques Steak. Un disque sorti à l'occasion de la tournée européenne à l''automne 2014.

"Amoureux du Velvet, des Feelies mais aussi des groupes Néo-Zélandais tels les Bats, Chills et autres, réjouissez-vous : SDZ Records en partenariat avec Les Disques Steak, petites structures parisiennes passionnées, sortent le nouveau single de The Mantles : Memory/Undelivered. Soit sept minutes d’une pop à guitares cristallines de haute-volée sous influence Velvetienne (troisième album et au-delà) et Flying Nunienne agrémentée d’un soupçon de Go-Betweens (flagrant sur Undelivered).
A l’écoute de ces deux morceaux, autant le dire, le charme agit immédiatement : une face catchy, sautillante, légère, très jangle pop, l’autre plus mélancolique mais non moins classe, toujours aussi jangle mais lorgnant également vers l’indie pop de Yo La Tengo. Bref, avec ce single, vous avez l’assurance d’écouter une pop simple, sur l’os, de facture très classique mais extrêmement addictive." - Addict Culture

"...perfectly crafted hybrid of the Buzzcocks and Real Estate (...) “Memory,” the A-side, is a chilled-out but sensible post-punk song with just a hint of a surfy vibe that reminds me of a sunny Saturday afternoon—damn you San Franciscans and your eternally pleasant weather. The B-side, “Undelivered,” is just as mellow but a bit more folky, hinting at the roots of English psych. Anyhow, however you want to define them, or not define them, the Mantles are some killer songwriters..." - Boston Hassle

"It’s quintessential Mantles, complete with a Peter Buck–inspired jangly guitar line, Dan Treacy–esque mumbly vocal melodies, and a precise yet unrefined guitar solo from Justin Loney—the Luther Perkins to Michael O.’s Johnny Cash" - Flood Magazine

"The Mantles are one of many fine rock bands in the Bay Area with their own unique twist on jangly, infectious garage-psych. New single “Memory” reminds us that the Mantles’ particular twist involves faint echoes and a fervent post-punk edge. This is an immensely likable rock ’n’ roll song, playful yet melancholy, jaunty in tempo and catchy as hell." - Stereogum

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Quadrature du carré


V/A  Quadrature du carré EP (SDZ 019)
Co-released with Les Disques Steak / Les Disques Flow / Killedbyanaxe Records
Released in 2014.

This record is a limited edition (400 copies) compilation EP featuring unrealeased tracks by four french bands: Anteenagers M.C, Pierre & Bastien, Subtle Turnhips and Bosom Divine. It's been released on November 15, 2014 on the day the aforementioned bands played a show at an event called "Quadrature du carré" at Cirque Electrique in Paris. This record is co-released by the four labels who were organizing the event: SDZ Records, Les Disques Steak, Les Disques Flow and Killedbyanaxe. Fun night, fun record, don't sleep on this!

 Ce disque (limité à 400 copies) est une compilation 45tours comprenant quatre morceaux inédits des quatre groupes français suivants: Anteenagers M.C, Pierre & Bastien, Subtle Turnhips et Bosom Divine. Ce disque est sorti le 15 Novembre 2014 quand les quatre groupe pre-cités ont joué à un évènement intitutlé "Quadrature du carré" qui a eu lieu au Cirque Electrique à Paris. Ce disque est une co-production entre les quadre labels qui organisaient cette soirée: SDZ Records, Les Disques Steak, Les Disques Flow et Killedbyanaxe. Soirée fun, disque fun, ne tardez pas si vous le voulez! 

Listen / Ecoutez
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 Le Villejuif Underground

Le Villejuif Underground "s/t" LP (SDZ 020)

Sorti le 13 Juin 2016 // Original release date June 13, 2016
Deuxième pressage sorti le 12 Mai 2017 // Second pressing released on May 12,2017

Poète et musicien en provenance de Townsville (Australie), Nathan Roche a joué dans de nombreux groupes - Marf Loth, Camperdown & Out, Home Run, The Wentworth Avenue Breeze-Out, Redneck Discotheque, The Revisionists - avec lesquels il a déjà sorti une douzaine d'albums. On lui doit également trois albums solo ("Watch it wharf" en 2013, "Magnetic Memories" en 2014 et "Cathedral Made Outta' Green Cards" en 2015, la plupart sur son propre label Glenlivet-A-Gogh). Touche-à-tout surdoué, il peut évoquer autant Lou Reed que Kevin Ayers ou Brian Eno, sans prétention, et avec une bonhommie peu commune. Proche de nombreux groupes australiens actuels, Nathan Roche est désormais installé en France - à Villejuif (94) pour être précis - et a monté un groupe avec des musiciens locaux, le bien nommé VILLEJUIF UNDERGROUND. Le groupe s'est déjà illustré aux côtés de formations comme Ausmuteants, Bazooka, Buck Biloxi and the Fucks, Sea Pinks, Juan Wauters et The Rebel et a tourné en Chine ce printemps. SDZ est fier de vous présenter leur premier album, masterisé par le gourou australien Mikey Young!

Nathan Roche is a poet and musician from Townsville, Australia. He played in a bunch of bands in his home country - Marf Loth, Camperdown & Out, Home Run, The Wentworth Avenue Breeze-Out, Redneck Discotheque, The Revisionists - and released a dozen albums. Not mentioning three solo records in the past 3 years, notably on his own book/music imprint Glenlivet-A-Gogh. He is a versatile artist and his music brings to minds Lou Reed, Kevin Ayers or early Brian Eno. It does not sound pretentious or uptight. On the contratry, there is a loose and warm feeling to most of his songs. Close to a number of great bands from the current australian music scene, Nathan is now based in France - Villejuif in the south-eastern suburb of Paris to be precise - and he formed a new band with local musicians, fitly called LE VILLEJUIF UNDERGROUND. The band has already played with the likes of The Rebel, Ausmuteants, Bazooka, Buck Biloxi and the Fucks, Juan Wauters and Sea Pinks and recently completed a full chinese tour. SDZ is proud to present their very first LP! Mastering by Mikey Young


"Its your true north star of bummed out bodega cool, late summer saunter and ground down penniless amble. Everything on their eponymous LP feels like the oldest sweater in your drawer; comfortable, stained and putting on airs for no one" - Raven sings the blues

"...this band is so cool and righteous that I plan on keeping them to myself." - Yellow Green Red 

"une séduisante nonchalance qui donne envie de prendre la vie du bon côté" - Longueur d'ondes 

"A chaque pas de plus dans cet album on s’émerveille des riffs de guitare qui font mouche et de ce très étrange clavier au son de fête foraine qui donne au disque un côté festif à peu près aussi sain que la birthday party de ton petit frère animée par le clown de Ça" - Earshat 

"C’est faussement crade et saturé ; lui-même producteur, Roche ne fait rien au hasard. L’effet de grésillement, souligné par les arpèges du synthé, rappelle The Sonics, avec un petit quelque chose de plus théâtral, de plus lyrique...On parle de premier album mais cet opus est le fruit d’un parcours riche, et en appelle d’autres encore plus marquants." - The ARTChemists 

"disque au charme inouï" - Indiepoprock 

"Et ainsi on se surprend à écouter en boucle l'album, satisfait que quelqu'un rouvre la boutique et ose balancer des titres comme "Visions of Shannon", "The Daintree Is Gone", "Cold Dark Place In Your Art", la superbe "Portrait Of A Serial Killer" ou encore "Chefchouen Blues". Une superbe sortie que l'on doit au label SDZ Records." - Raw Power

"Le Villejuif Underground – un Australien au chant, et trois Français derrière – ne fait pas dans l'interprétation du répertoire de la bande à Lou Reed, mais assume simplement ses emprunts, avec un brin d'humour. Sur son premier album sorti à l’été 2016, le groupe français, effectivement installé à Villejuif dans le 94, convoque régulièrement les fantômes du groupe américain (bien qu'il situe ses influences ailleurs, de Kim Fowley à The Band) : même noirceur, même guitares bluesy, lancinantes et répétitives, même chant grave, ivre et nonchalant… Mais au milieu de tout cela, pourtant, le rock du Villejuif Underground effectue un pas de côté, affirme par petites touches sa singularité, son détachement." - Telerama 

"Ils sont les enfants de Kim Fowley, des Fugs et de Lou Reed. Le chaînon manquant entre le stade Karl Marx de Villejuif et le Chelsea Hotel de New York.(...) la dissonance et l'humour au son de chansons dilatées dans un répertoire garage lofi mariant la mélodie molle, les filets de guitare claire et le mental psychédélique." - La Station Service Strasbourg

"Le son du Villejuif Underground est vraiment une réussite. Les mauvaises langues diront qu’il sonne trop Velvet Underground, mais ne les écoutez pas, car la fraicheur décomplexée du groupe à jouer ce qu’il aime (qu’importe les références) est tellement assumée, que leur musique est encore plus belle. Ce premier album est une vraie réussite à écouter dès aujourd’hui." - Foutraque

Listen / Ecoutez

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PIERRE ET BASTIEN


Pierre & Bastien "Musique grecque" LP (SDZ 021)

Sorti le 20 Janvier 2017 // Original release date Jan 20, 2017

Deuxième tirage sorti 12 Mai 2017
Second pressing released on May 12, 201

Sorti en Avril 2010, quelques mois après le premier single du groupe ("No Sex" / "Crise boursière"), le morceau "RMI" présent sur la compilation "Flottante tension d'éclipse" constituait le premier
soutien officiel du label SDZ au groupe Pierre & Bastien. Suivront le morceau "Démocratie" sur la compilation cassette "Reviviscence Ectoplasmique" et "Déglingo" sur la compilation vinyle
"Quadrature du carré". Malgré toute l'affection que nous portons à la compilation - genre qui n'en est pas un et qui est, en plus, décrié - c'est aujourd'hui à travers la sortie d'un album, intitulé "Musique grecque" que le label SDZ soutient à niveau Pierre & Bastien.

Ce troisième album studio du groupe parisien est d'une construction aussi maîtrisée que les deux précédents. Les textes de Paul Jimenes ne refoulent rien mais prennent la forme d'habiles jongles
entre l'intime et le social, offrant plusieurs niveaux de compréhension. Les moments sombres voire menaçants chassent les passages les plus joyeux et enthousiastes. Une fois de plus ce combat de l'âme, sans maniérisme, nous projette de manière fascinante au cœur de la vie du groupe.

Musicalement le groupe gagne encore en puissance et en intensité: le jeu de guitare éblouissant de Baptiste Nollet et les rythmiques quasi-industrielles de Frédéric Trux inscrivent les chansons
dans une filiation aussi française qu'anglo-saxonne où l'on croiserait pêle-mêle les Dogs, Metal Urbain, Reich Orgasm, Wire et autres Wipers. A la brutalité ou au psychédélisme débridé de certains  morceaux répondent des harmonies vocales parfois très pop ou osons-le "chanson française".

Du minimaliste et ravageur "Sympa", en ouverture, au sombre et inquiétant "A nu", en clôture, en passant par le percutant "Secret" ou le léger "Musique grecque", Pierre & Bastien a construit un
album dense, varié et plus complexe qu'il ne peut paraître aux premiers abords. A vous maintenant d'en découvrir tous les recoins!

Enregistré et mixé par Maxime Smadja au Château Vergogne, Gournay-sur-Marne, juillet et septembre 2015
Masterisé par Daniel Husayn à North London Bomb Factory, Londres, décembre 2016
Chœurs sur "Secret" par Maxime
Pochette réalisée par Steak

Back in April 2010, a few months after the release of their debut single ("No Sex" / "Crise boursière"), SDZ included Pierre & Bastien's "RMI" on its 10-year anniversary compilation. Later on,
other songs from the band ("Démocratie" and "Déglingo") were featured on other compilations released by the label. As much as we like compilations - a genre that is not a genre and that no one seems to fully appreciate - we decided to go one step further in our support of Pierre & Bastien and to actually release an album by them.

This third studio album shows the band at its best with a well-constructed set of songs. Paul Jimenes' lyrics hold nothing back but simulateneously juggle brilliantly between private and social
subjects hence creating several possible levels of understanding. Dark or menancing moods chase the light and brighter ones. Once again this fight of the soul puts us, without any preciosity, at
the heart of the band's life.

Musically, the band is more powerful and intense as ever: guitarist Baptiste Nollet is particularly dazzling and Frédéric Trux pounds sometimes a nearly industrial rhythm to the songs. One could
see in their sound derivations from bands like Wire, Wipers, Dogs, Metal Urbain or Reich Orgasm. To the sheer brutality or depraved psychedelics of some tracks respond some pop-like vocal harmonies of some other ones.

From the minimalist and destructive opener "Sympa" to the dark and disturbing closer "A nu", from the striking "Secret" to the light "Musique grecque", Pierre & Bastien has crafted a dense, varied
and more-complex-than-it-seems album. It's now yours to discover!

Recorded & mixed by Maxime Smadja at Château Vergogne, Gournay-sur-Marne, July & September 2015
Mastering by Daniel Husayn at North London Bomb Factory, London, December 2016
Backing vocals by Maxime on "Secret"
Artwork by Steak


"Their name may sound like some hip cafe but the music drives hard with buzzy melody" - Noisey

"On their most recent album, Musique Grecque, the guitars chug and buzz, and Frédéric's drums relentless push a brisk pace.  The urgently voiced lyrics are in French, but I found that fact neither
distracting nor detracting.  If you are a fan of Wire, Terry Malts, or Parquet Courts, you owe it to yourself to give this record a spin." - When you motor away

"This Parisian trio has been mining a single-minded approach of unison guitar chug and French vocals across three studio full-lengths and a spate of singles over the past 10 years. Their first efforts were in a very abrasive Big Black-style mode of guitar/drum machine attack, but live percussion has helped to expand their sound (if not their tempos), and even without a bass player they still manage to get enough low end in the mix. It’s a simple approach, rooted in the outskirts of American punk (huge Wipers influence all over, significant Destroy All Monsters-esque terminal stare on closer “A Nu,” maybe their best song to date) and its continental/island counterparts (again on that last one there’s a huge Gordons/Bailter Space-style presence that won’t be ignored). Great stuff if you like to pogo, headnod, or otherwise lock in to a beat. Lately they’ve been breaking away and starting to play leads, but the rhythm guitar, vocals, and steady beat are all cornerstones of their sound, and present at all times. Like their last one Que de Bonheur, they make so few adjustments to their sound, that the ones that are present allow for a greater flexibility in such a rigid musical template, and the whip-around hooks of “Bon a Rien” and “Baskets” showcase a band moving far beyond formula into mastery." - Doug Mosurock / Still Single 

"Musique Grecque is more than worth seeking out, keeping pace with the excellent "Que du Bonheur" and just barely nipping it at the finish line. P&B have always exuded a cool somewhere in between “1950s band with synchronized moves” and “band clad in leather and sunglasses in a smoke-filled room,” and this new LP really hammers that idea home. As is Pierre & Bastien’s wont, there’s lots of repetition here, played with white knuckles and a dead-eyed stare, but the flourishes are more subtle than ever. The solos and motifs scattered across the record are paranoid (”Mitterand”) and cautious (”Sympa”) rather than exuberant (Que du Bonheur’s “Race”). This lends the whole album a sinister bent that I didn’t pick up on previous releases, made most obvious on closer “À Nu,” above. You’ll still be nodding along with Musique Grecque for it’s 28 minutes - this is yet another streamlining, not downplaying, of strengths for the group - but you’ll likely be glaring over your shoulder all the while." - I feel like a Porsche

"Hailing from Paris Pierre & Bastien play a stripped down style of post-punk. "Musique Grecque contains nine tracks based on repetitive song structures, driving monotonic beats and subliminal melodies. The songs are catchy but at the same time they show rough edges. Pierre & Bastien take cues from British post-punk bands like Wire or Swell Maps, but don't get me wrong: this LP speaks it's very own musical language. Highly recommended!" - Ride A Dove

"si le punk a jamais existé quelque part sur la planète, il se manifeste encore ici pleinement, passionnément" - Libération

"On le sentait faiblard, avec sa face pâle et ses jambes tremblantes. Mais après deux albums et une flopée d'EP de Pierre & Bastien, le punk français va beaucoup mieux. Et les trois Parisiens n'en ont pas fini avec leur cure de Juvamine et Musique grecque, leur nouvel album, leur file un nouveau coup de pied au derche" - Kiblind

"Contrairement à certains de ses condisciples qui noient le poisson dans la métaphore, Pierre & Bastien a le mérite d'appeler un chat un chat et énonce crûment ses quatre vérités à un pays engoncé dans la pantalonnade politique, en décalage total avec le réel. Son (post)punk prolo crie victoire sans se faire illusion ("On a tous quelque chose en nous de Mitterand. Comme si nous étions ses enfants"), avec une absence totale de prétention, mais un majeur dressé bien haut au nez du néolibéralisme et de toutes ces idéologies fascisantes déguisées en Père Noël. Le trio sans peur ni reproche assène ses hymnes garage avec un rictus amer qui en dit long et empêche de se cogner la tête contre les murs. (...) Un album salutaire qui, comme son nom l'indique, se savoure comme un kebab de trois du mat, après s'être envoyé quelques pintes dans un mélange d'allégresse et de désenchantement" - New Noise

"le troisième album de Pierre & Bastien va servir (pour les six mois à venir) de réponse lapidaire à l’encontre des calculateurs et des faux derches qui encombrent nos boites mails de musiques bonnes à se pendre" - Sun Burns Out

"avec ses allitérations un peu bébêtes mais à la simplicité obsédante (les mecs avec leurs fringues / les mecs avec leur fric dans "Secret") et son ironie détachée et clinique, on se dit que Pierre & Bastien dit peut-être bien plus de l'aliénation sociale, sexuelle et matérielle d'aujourd'hui que s'il avait l'air de croire une seconde à ce qu'il racontait" - The Drone



 
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ROSE MERCIE


Rose Mercie "s/t" LP (SDZ/Jelodanti/Monofonus Press)

  Édition limitée - Chaque pochette est unique, tamponnée à la main avec de la peinture acrylique
Limited edition - Each cover is unique, hand stamped with acrylic paint

Released on March 2, 2018 // Sortie le 2 Mars 2018
Co-release with Jelodanti (FR) & Monofonus Press (US)


Listen & Buy on Bandcamp / Ecoutez & achetez sur Bandcamp



Actif depuis 2013, Rose Mercie sort enfin son premier album en ce début 2018. Rose Mercie c'est avant tout une rencontre entre Charlène, Inès, Louann et Michèle. L'alchimie entre ces quatre musiciennes est incroyable et propulse chaque chanson dans un fourmillement d'imaginaires dont la douce amertume infuse corps et esprits. A la fois mélancolique et remuant, percussif mais orné de magnifiques harmonies vocales, ce disque se déguste le regard plongé dans un ailleurs dont on ne se sera jamais senti si proche. Des Shangri-Las aux Raincoats en passant par Rosa Yemen, Electrelane ou Josephine Foster, les influences sont multiples mais parfaitement intégrées. On retrouvera le goût pour les tangentes de La Ligne Claire (ancien groupe de Charlène et Inès sorti sur Bruit Direct disques) subtilement mélangé à un réel talent d'écriture et un soin particulier apporté à la voix, aux voix, instruments principaux de ce brillant premier opus qui, au delà d'une promesse, est déjà une confirmation.

Déjà passées par le cinéma - on a pu les voir en 2017 dans le très beau "Avant la fin de l'été" de Maryam Goormaghtigh - Rose Mercie va pouvoir désormais faire découvrir ce premier album en France et aux Etats-Unis, et bien sûr sur scène, tout en gardant actifs de nombreux projets parallèles (Belmont Witch, Charlene Darling, etc.). Ne les manquez pas!

ROSE MERCIE

Active since 2013, France's Rose Mercie are finally releasing their first album in 2018, and it's definitely been worth the wait!

Rose Mercie is, above all, the coming-together of Charlène, Inès, Louann and Michèle. The chemistry between these four musicians is incredible, and propels each song in a swarm of imagery whose sweet bitterness infuses body and soul.

Melancholic and moving, percussive and vocal, and shooting glances in the direction of an elsewhere which has never felt so close; a somewhere where Electrelane are dancing to the Shangri-Las and the Raincoats.

One will find the taste for the tangents of La Ligne Claire (former group of Charlène and Inès who had a record on Bruit direct disques) mixed with a real song-writing talent and a particular care
given to the voice. Indeed voices are the main instruments of this brilliant first record.

After a participation to the great motion picture "Avant la fin de l'été" (Before Summer Ends) of Maryam Goormaghtigh last year, Rose Mercie is now fully committed to defend its first album on stage in Europe as well as in North America, while keeping exciting side projects rolling (Belmont Witch, Charlene Darling, etc.). It's the time of their lives, don't miss it!

"So many artists that use the vibrant post-punk scene in the U.K. and U.S. as their foundational inspiration do the expected, folding in contemporary influences and techniques as needed. What thrills me so much about the work of French quartet Rose Mercie is that there’s little to differentiate their work from vintage recordings by the Pop Group, Ut or The Raincoats. They’ve captured the essence of that late ‘70s/early ‘80s time so succinctly that I’m still not totally convinced that it isn’t a lost recording from the era.
Okay, that’s not entirely true. But the debut self-titled album from Rose Mercie (out on March 2nd via Monofonus Press, SDZ and Jelodanti Records) stopped me in my tracks the way few other modern post-punk acts have. The band has achieved an unpretentious sound that feels almost primitive in its minimalism. This premiere track “Spring and Fall” is a great example of that. It is ostensibly a love song, although a fairly dour one, it trundles along in no big hurry, with perfectly imperfect vocal harmonies providing the anchor while the rest of the instruments trudge along behind. And cutting through it all on the regular is a rude little burp of a chord, played on what sounds like a cheap keyboard. The raw wonder of a song like this can’t be faked. May Rose Mercie never smooth out their rough edges." - Paste Magazine

"There's something undeniably special about hearing an amazing song for the first time. It can change perspective, mood, and disposition all at once. Rose Mercie's "Floating" is that type of song. Happy Valentine's Day to all, here's a song to love forever. The second single from the Parisian quartet's upcoming self-titled album, is hypnotic and nuanced, a slowly building pop song with radiant hooks and subtle post-punk bliss.
With a sparse introduction of alternately ringing notes that linger in the air and a heavy thudding rhythm, "Floating" shares the type of minimal groove that made Grass Widow a legendary band. A warm and fuzzy synth fills out the spacious gaze, adding a lush blanket of reverb to the steady beat. If you're not hooked yet, just wait for the vocals, and prepare to swoon. Rose Mercie's thickened vocal approach (all four members sing) is sweet in execution but packed with an underlying bite. There's something very welcoming and immediate about the repeated refrain, "It's so simple baby... you just got to". Rose Mercie have created an impeccably well crafted and inescapable single, slowly building, one earworm melody at a time. You just got to." - Dan Goldin / Post Trash

"There’s a million songs a day coming to most of us, so you’ve got to dig a little deep to find some real gems. That’s how I stumbled upon French outfit Rose Mercie, who are preparing for the release of their self-title debut. Some outlets have thrown in comparisons to the Raincoats or The Shangri-Las, and all are fair, but there’s definitely a more modern twist around here. Just listen to the guitar on the track below; its angular and spirited, but presented in a casual fashion…akin to a dozen modern acts over here in the States. If you’re hoping to find some pop music on the unique side of things, then this is where you should go." - Nathan Lankford / Austin Town Hall

"Rose Mercie es una formación parisina que lleva unos cuantos años publicando interesantes singles entorno a un pop de lo más sobrio, muy bien introducido por el juego conjunto de teclados de matices añejos y unas guitarras que aportan un sensación de confort. Una combinación que por momentos nos puede poner en la cabeza a bandas como The Shangri-Las o incluso unas La Luz más despojadas de todo el ambiente surfero. Este 2018 será el año en el que su primer LP vea la luz, encontrándonos con el 2 de marzo la fecha exacta en la que los sellos SDZ, Jelodanti, & Monofonus Press lo publiquen. Por el momento ya podemos disfrutar de ‘Floating’, una notable canción donde los juegos vocales suponen una auténtica delicia al mismo tiempo que logran mostrar un lado ciertamente reflexivo a través de sus guitarras." - Mindies

"It’s a telling start to 2018 for the French four-piece. Nervous energy, pure minimalism, unconventional song structures and an exciting approach to vocals (all 4 band members are singing) – all this is making this album truly exceptional." - Acute pop

"I like records that rattle, as this by Rose Mercie does. Ungainly and scruffy, but also somehow melancholy and pretty too" - Jon Hillcock / BBC 6
 
"The women’s intertwining harmonies move these songs with a disarming charm, while off-kilter guitar melodies sketch hand-drawn illustrations against moody organ and minimalist drum play. On “Spring And Fall,” the warm back-and-forth modulations of a one finger bass-line wash up against a snare marking a simple backbeat. Soon, guitar and organ enter and their interplay wobbles in a tipsy embrace–echoed by the song’s idiosyncratic vocal arrangement. With voices tangling in harmony but slightly at odds, “Spring And Fall” traces the comings and goings of a love that is not always what it seems." - Anita Fang / Live Eye TV

"There’s good opening tracks, and then there’s “Floating” by Rose Mercie. The French four-piece conjure up visions of the Raincoats like the press release says, stumbling into all sorts of aural pleasure (”Spring and Fall” and “How Can I Talk” especially), but there’s hardly been a more apt title for a song than “Floating,” inhibitions and roadblocks melting away as you stand inches above the floor." - I Feel Like A Porsche

"Alternant chansons en anglais (le plus souvent) et français, Rose Mercie n’est pas sans rappeler l’univers d’Electrelane voire de Stereolab, faite de tension et de douceur, et ces voix qui se croisent et se décroisent, mais avec une teinte post punk clairement affichée soutenue par une rythmique percutante. Sur "Les Glycines", elles chantent "je ne peux rien t’offrir de plus", mais c’est déjà beaucoup, car le disque est excellent de bout en bout, maniant les atmosphères avec brio. Superbe découverte !" - Addict Culture

"Leur premier album, qui arrive enfin après quelques années de galère, sonne comme quelque chose de très simple et de très étudié à la fois, un mélange de fugacité et d'immédiateté qui dépasse des influences évidentes (pour aller vite, des Raincoats à Electrelane) et qui arrive à nous faire dire qu'il ne faut pas grand-chose, un geste, un accord barré un peu loupé mais gardé tel quel, un chœur un peu à côté ou un poil trop fort, pour amener ce petit plus de spontanéité (et donc de vivant) qui manquent tant aujourd'hui à une partie de la scène française dite « de marge »." - Noisey

"Point de vaine circonlocution, de bla-bla inutile ni de chromes rutilants à déplorer, pas un titre en-dessous des sept autres, Rose Mercie ne peut s’envisager que dans sa globalité. Minimaliste au possible, l’album est aussi très foisonnant et on ressent beaucoup à son écoute, coincé dans sa subtile mélancolie et son mouvement permanent." - Indie Rock Mag

"Depuis les premières notes de guitares de « Floating », se plaçant comme autant de marqueurs d’intentions, le son sera, à n’en point douter, résolument lo-fi sur ce long format, qu’il fait bon d’écouter en vinyle. Faisant fi de limites techniques finalement insignifiantes au regard de la beauté simple de ce disque spontané et inventif, Charlotte, Inès, Louann et Michèle redoublent d’ingéniosité et de malices pour donner vie à ces instants d’art brut, légers et instinctifs. Musicalement, c’est tout un pan de l’histoire non officielle des musiques populaires, qui ressurgit du passé en quelques secondes. Intrinsèquement punk et foncièrement garage, les envies semblent évidemment proches de celles de ces aventurières (et aventuriers) qui ont refusé l’hégémonie masculine de la culture rock. Très vite, les pochettes des albums des Slits, des Bikini Kill, de Beat Happening, de Pram (avec qui Rose Mercie partage peut-être le plus de points communs esthétiques) défilent dans notre cerveau, tout comme les images marquantes pour des générations d’ados, de musiciennes libres et inspirées, à l’image de Kim Gordon, de Moe Tucker, d’Amy Farina (The Evens) ou encore de Julia Lanoë (Mansfield.TYA). Forcément, il n’est jamais question ici de leadership, cette notion si chère à l’imaginaire rock (masculin !), trop fortement sclérosée par les figures christiques des Jim Morisson et autres Dave Gahan. Comme dans les plus fervents mouvements rock alternatifs et militants, symbolisés par des labels comme Kill Rock Stars, la création repose sur une alchimie collective, basée sur la polyvalence et la complicité. Naviguant dans les eaux sinueuses d’une pop bancale, planante et climatique, nos musiciennes sont aussi capables d’invoquer le côté abrupt d’un riff répété à l’infini comme un leitmotiv entêtant (« Moyen âge »).

Depuis les premières notes de guitares de « Floating », se plaçant comme autant de marqueurs d’intentions, le son sera, à n’en point douter, résolument lo-fi sur ce long format, qu’il fait bon d’écouter en vinyle. Faisant fi de limites techniques finalement insignifiantes au regard de la beauté simple de ce disque spontané et inventif, Charlotte, Inès, Louann et Michèle redoublent d’ingéniosité et de malices pour donner vie à ces instants d’art brut, légers et instinctifs. Musicalement, c’est tout un pan de l’histoire non officielle des musiques populaires, qui ressurgit du passé en quelques secondes. Intrinsèquement punk et foncièrement garage, les envies semblent évidemment proches de celles de ces aventurières (et aventuriers) qui ont refusé l’hégémonie masculine de la culture rock. Très vite, les pochettes des albums des Slits, des Bikini Kill, de Beat Happening, de Pram (avec qui Rose Mercie partage peut-être le plus de points communs esthétiques) défilent dans notre cerveau, tout comme les images marquantes pour des générations d’ados, de musiciennes libres et inspirées, à l’image de Kim Gordon, de Moe Tucker, d’Amy Farina (The Evens) ou encore de Julia Lanoë (Mansfield.TYA). Forcément, il n’est jamais question ici de leadership, cette notion si chère à l’imaginaire rock (masculin !), trop fortement sclérosée par les figures christiques des Jim Morisson et autres Dave Gahan. Comme dans les plus fervents mouvements rock alternatifs et militants, symbolisés par des labels comme Kill Rock Stars, la création repose sur une alchimie collective, basée sur la polyvalence et la complicité. Naviguant dans les eaux sinueuses d’une pop bancale, planante et climatique, nos musiciennes sont aussi capables d’invoquer le côté abrupt d’un riff répété à l’infini comme un leitmotiv entêtant (« Moyen âge »).

Chose de plus en plus rare, aujourd’hui, Rose Mercie nous offre donc une chance inespérée de vivre autrement le rapport à une œuvre discographique, bien plus comme l’opportunité risquée, mais jouissive d’une véritable expérience sensible, à défaut de la digestion commune et consentie d’un énième produit fini, sous le joug de la standardisation et l’obsession de la perfection marketing." - Indiemusic

"Great, dry French post-post-punk, chantlike and strummy, the product of a group of women who play anxious songs that they have no intention of resolving – guitars, organ, bass, stand-up drumkit, occasional brass/winds and chorus that sound and feel like wind and rain, and last as long as they want them to. There’s a playfulness in their direction and general voice but not necessarily their songs, which explore every inch of the key they hover in, chords shuffling along like ghosts dragging chains. It’s like the Fates covering the Marine Girls (though the first thing I thought of was this German band Wuhling, who had one record of similarly-modeled guitar rock, different approach but left me with the same sense of pensiveness), like even if there’s joy and playful life in their work, they know it is still work, effort to reveal the difficulty and pressure of carrying out one’s life the way one wants or otherwise. That’s a very hard, very specific complaint with the world and I’ve rarely heard it told so clearly as on this Rose Mercie album. 500 copies, printed and silkscreened sleeves" - Still Single

"Après des années d'attente, les quatre filles de Rose Mercie publient enfin leur premier album. Issu de Paris, le groupe est du genre singulier et puise son inspiration autant chez les Shangri-Las (pour les harmonies et la noirceur générale) que chez les Raincoats (pour le minimalisme des guitares et les rythmiques tribales). Dérangeant et beau à la fois" - Rock'n'Folk

"Parisian quartet ROSE MERCIE have been drawing comparisons to a very disparate spectrum of female-centered post-punk groups, and like almost every modern band who has been likened to the RAINCOATS or the SLITS or any number of other women who put out a 45 on Rough Trade between 1979 and 1982, the connection is really one of function over form. All four members of ROSE MERCIE take turns their instruments (guitar, drums, synths) and share vocal duties—on their self-titled debut LP, their voices often collide into GRASS WIDOW-ish spectral, intertwining harmonies, the clattering percussion is sparse and deliberate, the guitar is picked out in twangy single-note rhythms, and warm washes of keyboard drone quietly in the background, with the negative space between each part being emphasized just as much as what is actually being played. “How Can I Talk” and “Floating” are mournfully dramatic pop slowburners tracing the shadows left behind by ELECTRELANE, and when things get a little more sharp-angled and raucous (but never too raucous), like on “In the Valley” or “Moyen Age,” ROSE MERCIE hopscotch across the sort of prickly, minimalist patterns that similarly-minded projects like TRASH KIT, BENT, and MOSS LIME have all adapted from their late ‘70s/early ‘80s forebears in the last few years. Quietly bewitching and beautifully ramshackle." - Maximum Rock'n'Roll


"I really liked that Rose Mercie feels almost like a secret record, like a document that you don’t really know much about. The more I listen to it, the more it feels like a special, one-time thing. It’s right up my alley—strange, minimal almost-pop songs. It’s a lot like the second Raincoats record, which is one of my favorites. It’s very mysterious sounding, minimal and kind of distant in a way. It’s almost like it doesn’t care that it exists, yet it’s this kind of genius record. There are amazing, amazing songs: “In The Valley” in particular is incredible to me, the way it ebbs and flows. It’s essentially just a bass line, very minimal guitar, like a Young Marble Giants kind of thing, but it hits really hard. There isn’t another one like it, especially not this year. So that’s kind of influential in some ways, in that it’s a thing that nobody else is doing. That’s what I like about music—a new sound." - Dylan Baldi (Cloud Nothings) in Talkhouse


"Here’s an intriguing but appropriate cross-continent label pairing, Austin’s Monofonus Press and Paris-based SDZ (with French wildcard Jelodanti in the mix, too). Can you just imagine the artisanal food trucks that would be inspired by such a rich combination? Anyway, they’ve gathered together to present the debut album by French quartet Rose Mercie. They’ve put together a sound that recalls the earliest non-punk post-punk sounds coming out of Rough Trade’s orbit circa ’78 – ’82 (think The Raincoats or Rosa Yemen) as well as the American DIY indie sounds of the late ’80s / early ’90s (picture a band playing after Mecca Normal but before Tiger Trap at a house show in 1992). There’s clearly a spiritual connection running between those two scenes (as well as up through today, and hopefully into the future too), and Rose Mercie fit nicely in that lineage, all while carving out their own sound. Mostly, I’m surprised at how slow and restrained their songs are – twice, I’ve put on the album and turned the speed from 33 to 45 as I was certain the drums were too deep and floppy and slow to be accurate. Wrong! Rose Mercie operate on a leisurely pace, keys and guitars chiming mildly and voices weirdly harmonizing – one of the singers (maybe they all sing?) has a Devendra Banhart-esque warble and I love the way it sneaks around the other more traditional voices. I’d say it’s the best French post-punk you’ll hear this year but it’s only May and I don’t want to get ahead of myself." - Yellow Green Red

"Le groupe, à l’aise dans ses baskets, possède quelque chose de charmant, digne des groupes féminins originaires de Seattle" - Les Oreilles Curieuses


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Ricardo Dias Gomes "Aa"


Ricardo Dias Gomes "Aa" mini LP (SDZ/Kill Shaman Records)

  [Release date: September 14, 2018]


Ricardo Dias Gomes

"Between the snake's belly and the ground, between the closing door and the fleeing finger, between the end of the day and the fall of the night: there is the music of Ricardo Dias Gomes" - Arto Lindsay





  Expérimentateur respecté de la scène musicale de Rio de Janeiro depuis le milieu des années 90, Ricardo Dias Gomes est principalement connu pour son travail sur trois albums de Caetano Veloso acclamés par la critique à la fin des années 2000: Cê (2006), Zii and Zie (2009) et Abraçaço (2012).Bassiste sur ces trois étonnants opus post-Tropicalia et sur les tournées mondiales qui les accompagnèrent, Gomes s'en est inspiré pour se lancer dans l'enregistrement d'un premier album solo, -11, sorti en 2015. Sur -11 Gomes a joué tous les instruments et s'est appuyé uniquement sur son instinct pour trouver une direction musicale: le magazine anglais The Wire souligna la qualité de l'album qui "n'est pas s'en rappeler d'autres débuts solo rugueux et personnels comme ceux de Laetitia Sadier ou Money Mark" et le Chicago Reader succomba à l'étrangeté du disque qui "alterne entre de tendres ballades introspectives, d'abrupte grooves électroniques et une ambiance dissonante". Gomes vit désormais à Lisbonne et sort donc ce deuxième album - tout aussi fascinant que le premier et qui comprend notamment une participation d'Arto Lindsay - via SDZ Records et Kill Shaman.

A respected innovator on the Rio de Janeiro music scene since the mid 90s, Gomes is best known for his work on the trio of critically-acclaimed albums Caetano Veloso released in the late 00s: Cê (2006), Zii and Zie (2009) and Abraçaço (2012). Playing bass on these modern milestones in post-Tropicalia, and subsequently touring the world with Veloso, inspired Gomes to record his debut album -11, released in 2015. On -11 Gomes played all the instruments himself and relied solely on his instincts in terms of the direction to take: The Wire praised the album saying it “recalls other rough and ready highly personal solo debut albums by Laetitia Sadier and Money Mark” whilst the Chicago Reader fell for it’s “weirdly hermetic sound world, alternating between tender, introspective ballads, rude electronic grooves, and dissonant ambience”.Gomes now lives in Lisbon and this new mini-album Aa – featuring Arto Lindsay – is released via SDZ records in Europe and Kill Shaman in North America.





All tracks written, produced and performed by Ricardo Dias Gomes
Mixed by Igor Ferreira
Summing by Leo Moreira at Monoaural estudios (Harrisson MR-4)
Mastered by Martin Scian
Images by Quinta-feira

Featuring:
Vodka the Duck in Precipício
Moreno Veloso in Tela Parada
Arto Lindsay in Fogo Chama
Pedro Sa and Pedro Richaid in Paranormal
Joana Queiroz in 1 2 3 Nenéns

"Collaborateur de Caetano Veloso, le bassiste carioca emmène la musica popular brasileira vers des territoires expérimentaux, bourdonnants, à la beauté insoupçonnée.

On entend beaucoup de fréquences basses dans la musique du Carioca Ricardo Dias Gomes. Piano électrique, basse, fréquences synthétiques, vents ou voix – la sienne, qu’il n’a pas tout à fait de stentor mais pas loin –, tout est bon pour tapisser l’oreille de vibrations. Il n'est d'ailleurs pas absurde de conjecturer que cette inclination esthétique est liée à son activité de bassiste, qu'il pratique notamment au sein du groupe indie pop Do Amor ou aux côtés du géant Caetano Veloso, qu'il accompagne sur disques et sur scènes depuis une douzaine d'années.

Mais à se plonger dans les eaux troubles de -11, son premier album paru en 2015 (remarqué internationalement grâce au magazine britannique The Wire) ou les boues brûlantes de son nouveau Aa à sortir en septembre chez SDZ / Kill Shaman, on reconnaît surtout qu'il est un musicien expérimental au sens le plus noble et profond du terme, c'est-à-dire qui cherche en permanence des formes nouvelles par lesquelles exprimer ses mélodies et sa créativité.

Pour des raisons qui ont sans doute à voir avec l'effet qu'ils provoquent sur l’esprit de l’auditeur quand ils lui sont délivrés en impulsions fréquentes ou bourdons continus, Ricardo Dias Gomes se love dans les sons graves tel le plus dévoué des artisans de la musique industrielle de ces trente dernières années… Sans abandonner une seconde l'art de la chanson, dont on perçoit que c'est la première de ses préoccupations.

Quelque part entre le Veloso expérimentateur d'Araçá Azul ou Livro, Arto Lindsay (qui participe au disque), Scott Walker ou Mark Hollis, le Brésilien ne fait ni du rock, ni de l'ambient, ni de la musica popular brasileira, mais un peu tout ça à la fois. Aa nous balade au-dessus d'un gouffre que le bien-titré Precipício, qui sert d'ouverture à l'album et dont Libé vous propose de découvrir ci-dessous le clip sombrement chorégraphié, propose d'ausculter en frémissant d'effroi et de désir, avant de plonger." - Libération


"La fin du monde est proche. Suffisamment pour qu'on commence à s'inquiéter de la bande originale qui accompagnera cet instant historique. Inutile de chercher plus longtemps, les tarés de SDZ records viennent de lâcher cette bombe à neutrons sur le net. Assis toi sur ta chaise électrique, prends un doliprane 1000, et danse en slow-motion." - Noisey


""Bassiste sur trois albums de Caetano Veloso, entre 2006 et 2012, Ricardo Dias Gomes est un artiste qui a su développer un style bien à lui sur ses albums solo, cherchant à construire des ambiances étranges et envoutantes qui semblent prêtes à s’effondrer pour laisser place à des jungles mélodiques profondes.

Aa est un opus qui balance ses atmosphères entre fragilité et rudesse, minimalisme et complexité expérimentale, déconstruisant en permanence ce qu’il semble mettre sur pied, à coups de boucles répétitives, chansons aux grincements noise, dérapages punk, post-cold wave vaporeuse, folk astrale… Tout semble prêt à disparaitre dans son propre monde, auto-absorbé par une fragilité qui se débat pour sortir la tête de l’eau et se hisser sur les sommets de montagne au bord du précipice.

Ricardo Dias Gomes subjugue de par sa manière d’aborder la musique, journal de bord d’instants fugaces pris entre les notes et les rythmes pour bifurquer vers des espaces aux frontières effacées. 8 titres à la beauté éphémère qui prennent le temps de s’effacer, pour laisser place aux émotions de nous transpercer et de nous chambouler. Superbe." - Silenceandsound

"Ricardo Dias Gomes succeeded in recording an EP that mixes the sounds of Brazil with more experimental elements. The resulting album is a pleasure to listen to and one that leaves the listener feeling that not much time has passed by, which is always a great sign for a record" - I Heart Noise

"He moves from the thudding low-end grime of the opener "Precípio," where Gomes intones ominous-sounding spoken word over stuttering kicks, squelchly electronic smears, and wind tunnel hums, into "Tela Parada," another electro-spasm where beats and synthetic bass tones collide with his spoken voice and noises that suggest he was using a contact mike on some object dragged around his studio--but then a groove kicks in halfway through. A number of guest musicians including Caetano's son Moreno, Arto Lindsay, and Pedro Sá--the brilliant guitarist who plays alongside Gomes in Veloso's rock band--help out here and there, but the bassist is responsible for most of the sounds.

On "Fogo Chama" he invokes a sweetly psychedelic melody with twinkling keyboard lines, but it’s interrupted by ungodly electric bass spasms that suggest thunderclaps sneaking up on an idyllic day in the park. There's a bruising post-punk vibe on "Paranormal," where the expected hardcore explosion from his descending bass line erupts first with a brief drum blast and later a wash of fuzzed-out feedback, but the resolution is denied. As much as I love those more austere excursions into sonic extremes, I'm most fond of Gomes' lyric side, something stunningly displayed on "1 2 3 Nenéns," where clarinetist Joana Querioz plays delicate overdubbed unison lines with his ambling acoustic guitar part." - Peter Margasak

"music that fills your soul and turns it inside out, spilling some sort of eternal light" - RVNG Intl

"As "Aa" comes to a close I feel content, a sense of being complete that I rarely feel from music or really anything in life." - Raised By Gypsies

"For a decade Ricardo Dias Gomes recorded and toured with Brazilian maestro Caetano Veloso, playing bass and keyboard in his Banda Cê. Gomes also has an impeccable family lineage in Brazilian music: to give one example, his uncle played drums for the mighty Hermeto Pascoal. Now in his thirties, Gomes seems to have borrowed Veloso's intimate approach for his experimental update on Brazilian sounds. His debut, 2015's -11, was a stripped down but colourful mingling of close focus ballads and dissonance that conducted us right inside Gomes's head. Aa is his follow-up, eight brief tracks, and much of the time it's just a rich bass, a dash of electric piano and Gomes muttering or singing into your ear. But somehow there's still a wide range on display. "Paranormal" starts with simply urgent bass guitar, but it's a perfect bass sound and the voice rolls around in reverb. Suddenly Banda Cê bandmate Pedro Sa is spraying crazy guitar on the walls, and we've covered a lot of ground, though the track lasts barely three minutes.
Talking of guitar craziness, Arto Lindsay is also in the room. On "Fogo Chama" ("Fire Flame") Lindsay's guitar contributes splashes of junkyard colour to what is otherwise a sweet song. Lindsay's influence on Aa is not obvious - he doesn't take a producer credit - but in Gomes's word, "He helped me realise that most importantly of all music needs to be honest". Other musicians stop by the studio: Veloso's son Moreno adds a stew of human percussion to the otherwise electronic "Tela Parada" ("Stop Screen"). This is an exquisitely produced three minute track that might easily have doubled its length. Best of all are Joana Queiroz's clarinets on "1 2 3 Nenéns", draped sensuously across acoustic guitar. This is a lovely song, and the commercial temptation for Gomes must be simply to make a whole album like that.
Such moments are thin on ground: Aa is less song orientated and perhaps less fun that  -11. But full credit to Gomes for sticking to his vision and creating an honest, intensely personal album" - Clive Bell / The Wire Magazine

 "Rhythms shadowed in decaying genres, sparse sounds barely illuminated by radiant creativity. Like motionless snakes heating on sun drenched surfaces, slithering away when sensing presence. Aa lays still, a resting body in tranquilized stasis. Consciousness tuning in, patient sonic muscles begin constriction. Ricardo Dias Gomes waits.... his composition heated perfectly.

Common aural ingredients applied with intuition rather than recipe. Eight tracks in a relatively short amount of time, close to twenty minutes. Ricardo Dias Gomes features six guests artist on Aa. This influence ultimately nudges diversity into the composition. Using distant decades to lasso Aa with some comparative measure, an amalgamate of Cabaret Voltaire and Sleep Chamber. A rhythmic seriousness bringing a maze of catacombs to the spirit. Paths splintered by pressing vocals, disorienting bass and electronic shrapnel. Heaviness balanced by the third track Fogo Chama and the seventh track 1 2 3 Nenéns. Warm and gentle respites in the pulse like suspenseful cadence of the other tracks. Ricardo Dias Gomes treats details like sonic gemstones, the dark crystalline notes painstakingly kept polished. This aspect is unique, since ponderous tones often sway towards distortion. Very little if any on Aa, making this composition an easy listen, again and again." - Lost in a sea of sound

"It begins like you’re in the guts of a pumping station, the rhythmic low pulse of machinery redirecting waste- and floodwater through an infrastructural maze of pipes and channels, aqueducts and canals. The subterranean industrialness of it lends a sort of dank eeriness to it, as sounds drip, skitter, and ping around corners and in unseen alcoves. A voice intones in words you (read: I) cannot understand.

Total movement. Ricardo Dias Gomes surfaces from opener “Precipício” to hurtle through boroughs unexplored, avenues of personal intrigue and design on Aa. His collaborators on the record — Moreno Veloso, Pedro Sá, and, particularly, Arto Lindsay — allow Gomes to expand his palette and dig even deeper into his own psyche, creating mental openings invisible to the solo artist. Gomes hurtles headlong through these openings and into fantasylands of weirdness and disquiet, always willing to shine his creative flashlight into a new corner of inspiration.

And other such silly metaphors.

To throw a blanket description like “minimalist post-punk” over Aa would be reductive, simplifying the record with an unimaginative cliché. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good starting point, so I’m gonna do it anyway. Gomes shifts easily from bass-heavy electroclash to collagist lullabies without thinking too hard about it, blending the disparate parts of his personality into a full picture of unexpected clarity. That’s what’s so engaging about Aa — we get “The Many Moods of Ricardo Dias Gomes” but in the abstract, a whole comprising strangely fitting elements that we all relate to but may not have experienced in quite this way before." - Tiny Mix Tapes


 "Lullaby for the Synthetic Class

Ricard Dias Gomes’ Fogo Chama is a calm song. Not in the way 20JFG might introduce a calm song and when you click the triangle it’s actually waves of noise, and the calmness that you feel is in your own obliteration.  No this is the real deal. Almost a lullaby. 

It’s repeated central refrain, as hushed and urgent as it is, is reassuringly calming. But as the world enters its endless summer, as temperatures and tempers soar, calm feels like a transgressive act.

Which is perhaps not even the most interesting thing about Fogo Chama.  That comes courtesy of the part that isn’t calm.  Isolated among a sea of delicately chosen sound, noise. A moment of Branca-esque discordant guitar amongst the stilly syntetic sea. Like an island of reality on the endless sea of Solaris. The imperfect earthly world, willed into being." - 20 Jazz Funk Greats



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EXEK - Some Beautiful Species Left

EXEK "Some Beautiful Species Left" LP (SDZ/Digital Regress/Anti-Fade)

Out September 6, 2019 // Sortie le 6 Septembre 2019



Watch the video for the first single right here // Visionnez la vidéo pour le premier single ici:







Originaire de Melbourne (Australie), EXEK présente son troisième album" Some Beautiful Species Left". Le disque sort le 6 Septembre sur SDZ (Europe), Digital Regress (USA) et Anti-Fade (Australie). Comme leurs disques précédents, "Some Beautiful Species Left" doit beaucoup à la philosophie de Brian Eno du studio comme instrument: il y a en effet une certaine culture du montage et des overdubs. Cette approche permet au songwriting de se développer en parallèle du procédé d'enregistrement tout en favorisant une plus grande maîtrise sonique. Post punk serait probablement une catégorie facile à apposer à leur musique. D'abord pour un certain côté post-moderne et ensuite pour la défiance inhérente au punk. Mais la musique d'EXEK contient aussi des éléments de production dub, des arrangements classiques, des rythmes hip-hop ou kraut-rock ou encore l'utilisation d’ustensiles de cuisine comme instruments. Le résultat est finalement un disque assez difficile à catégoriser, quelque part entre Swell Maps, This Heat et ESG.

Après une tournée réussie aux USA en 2018, EXEK a effectué une tournée européenne en Septembre 2019.

From Melbourne Australia, EXEK are proud to unveil their third album, “Some Beautiful Species Left”. It will be released on September 6th on SDZ (Europe), Digital Regress (USA), and Anti-Fade (Aus). Like their previous releases, SBSL is the cultivation of numerous edits and overdubs, where once again EXEK subscribe to Brian Eno’s philosophy of the studio as an instrument. This MO allows the songwriting process to develop simultaneously alongside the recording process, whilst privileging greater sonic control. Post punk is perhaps the easiest way to categorise the music. Firstly, because they’re post modern, and secondly because their music contains the defiance inherent within punk. But EXEK's music also contain elements of dub production, Classical arrangements, hip hop and krautrock rhythms, and the use of kitchen appliances as instruments. The result is a record that is difficult to pigeon hole...somewhere between Swell Maps, This Heat and ESG.

After last year’s successful tour of the US, EXEK embarked on their first European tour in September 2019.





Interview in The Big Take Over


"their hazy, dubby post-punk is tops!" - Yellow Green Red



"Orstralian post-punk drone trip that feels like a slowed-down THIS HEAT nitemare with occasional FRIPP guitars and dubbed-out sorta POP GROUP incantations. A modern throwback to sounds made in another neocon fascist era, ominous horror is ours forever and here is the soundtrack… It’s bleak, dense, and not comfortable. This is obviously a great record, but I can’t decide if this paranoia sound is what I want right now, though." - MaximumRockNRoll



"Melbourne, AUS five-piece EXEK released their latest long-player, Some Beautiful Species Left,  last month. A follow up to last year’s double, A Casual Assembly and Ahead of Two Thoughts, the album finds the band further fine-tuning their kitchen sink production approach (the promo for the album mentions use of kitchen appliances in the recording, so I couldn’t resist) – and the results are phenomenal.

“Hobbyist” opens the proceedings along a discordant whine that sounds produced by something hand-cranked, unfurling into a full-on motorik headbuzz. Amidst the din, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Albert Wolski teasingly invites the listener to ‘go on/have a second guess’, like a spaced out Mark E. Smith fronting Clinic. It’s a fittingly bewildering start to a record that’s equal turns arresting, unsettling, chaotic, caustically hilarious and inspiring. Strings, horns, guitars, bass, drums, and persistent echo chambah effects swirl into a musical trail mix including dub, abrasive post-punk (pre-Brix The Fall, Wire, Metal Box-era PiL), jazz, and Syd-led Floyd experimentalism.

Highlights are many: the jittery dub of “Lobbyist”; the intriguing guitar/vibraphone (I think?) interplay on “Plastic Sword Retractable”; “Iron Efficiency”’s rugged narco-psych; the lightheaded, infectious melody of “Unetiquetted”. Instruments traditional and non- at times sound as if they’re being played forwards and backward simultaneously, Wolski’s gnomic sing-chant recalling bits of the aforementioned Barrett and Smith, Robyn Hitchcock and Jah Wobble in tone.

The magic of Some Beautiful Species Left lies in how it all hangs together – even for a listener who maybe has a more punk-inclined/birdlike musical attention span (cough). Veering from sprawling to terse, short blasts, the album’s eight tracks go in many directions. But for all the experimentalism on display, EXEK’s jammier tendencies enthrall rather than disappear too far into the navel. Perhaps a cheeky reference can be found in closer, “How the Curve Helps” (at 8:11, the longest track on the album), Wolski intoning ‘about an hour ago/I should have left’. We’re good to hang out longer.

Some Beautiful Species Left is out now, courtesy of the good folks at SDZ (Europe/Africa), Anti-Fade (AUS/Asia) and Digital Regress (North America)." - The Grinding Halt


"J’ai bien pris soin de mettre un peu de côté Some Beautiful Species Left, le troisième album des australiens de EXEK. Ce qui ne signifie pas que jusqu’ici je ne l’ai presque jamais écouté, bien au contraire. Mais le concert du groupe auquel j’ai pu assister en septembre dernier m’ayant particulièrement emballé et ravi, j’ai préféré, au moins pour une certaine période, séparer les deux : d’un côté ce fameux concert et de l’autre le disque. Le temps que les souvenirs fassent leur travail de sape et de reconstruction ; le temps aussi de laisser à cet enregistrement une chance supplémentaire de vivre par lui-même et uniquement par lui même.

C’est que Some Beautiful Species Left est un album déconcertant. Et pas seulement lorsqu’on a pu avoir la chance de voir le groupe sur scène, un groupe défendant presque avec acharnement une musique très rythmique, traversée de lignes de basse dub et de plans de guitare qui cisaillent les oreilles, une musique qui donne malgré tout envie de danser comme un réfrigérateur rescapé des eighties – ma grande spécialité – tout en incitant à mettre les doigts dans une prise électrique. Le nom est lâché, Exek est l’un des meilleurs représentants actuels du post punk, piochant allégrement dans ce que pouvait offrir à la fin des années 70 et début des années 80 des formations aujourd’hui légendaires et incontournables telles que PiL (pour les lignes de basse aquatiques et les guitares mi aigrelettes mi métalliques), A Certain Ratio (pour le groove robotique et la distanciation) et même The Fall (pour la morgue et l’arrogance électrique). Je le vends bien, non ?

Some Beautiful Species Left reprend en partie tous ces éléments mais différemment. Parce que visiblement Exek et son général en chef Albert Wolski – chant, guitare, basse, piano, violon, percussions et production, oui rien que ça – veulent absolument faire la différence. En concert le groupe défouraille. En studio, il expérimente et il s’amuse – enfin, façon de parler puisque la musique d’Exek ressemble beaucoup à un bac à glaçons fabriqués à base de lave-glaces frelaté. Cette différenciation / partition me rappelle celle (attention il s’agit d’une comparaison extrêmement osée) d’un Joy Division rendu méconnaissable en studio par le travail de production d’un Martin Hannett complètement obnubilé par sa maniaquerie et des idées bien arrêtées en matière de son. Sauf que, encore une fois, dans le cas d’Exek la métamorphose est volontaire et assumée et non pas partiellement subie comme ce fut le cas autrefois pour les mancuniens.
Some Beautiful Species Left est un album étrange et fantomatique. Parfois informe, flou et décharné tant la musique qui y est enregistrée semble provenir de nulle part, comme si par on ne sait quel miracle elle traversait murs, sol et plafond pour parvenir jusqu’à nous. Ce n’est pas qu’une question de brouillard gazeux et de vapeurs d’azote liquide, mais la sensation de se retrouver entouré, encerclé, par des formes musicales qui échappent à notre perception directe et notre compréhension immédiate. Si Exek était une espèce d’alien, ce serait un alien subtilement magmatique et diaphane que l’on aurait malgré tout du mal à comparer à un ectoplasme. Ce serait plutôt une sorte de présence, bien réelle s’il en est, puisque capable de projeter son ombre vampirique sur nous ou même de nous masquer notre propre reflet dans un miroir (l’effet Horla, en quelque sorte).

Les déchirements de guitares se muent en barrissements hypnotiques, la batterie cliquette comme des gouttes d’eau tombant sur une bâche en plastique, la basse prend le large, le synthétiseur plonge dans l’acide et le chant un peu nasillard psalmodie avec tout le détachement nécessaire. Some Beautiful Species Left ne tombe pas pour autant dans le piège de la mélancolie plastifiée ou dans celui de l’enfermement réfrigéré et malaisant : Exek préfère le déphasement, muant son post punk/neo kraut/whatever en objet durablement fugitif mais ô combien captivant pour qui sait se laisser ensorceler par son étrange magie électrique. Some Beautiful Species Left est tout simplement l’un de mes disques préférés de l’année 2019."- Instant Bullshit


"...first single “Unetiquetted” is among the poppier things EXEK have ever done, which is to say…still not that poppy! But it’s not a bleak dirge, either; instead, sort of dark alien synthpop not too far removed from Bowie’s Berlin period or what Eno was doing around the same time. Perfect for dancing or curling up in a ball in the corner, depending on your mood." - Brooklyn Vegan


"The first track from the record, ‘Unetiquetted’, reprises recent themes explored by Wolski & co as well as longstanding touchstones. Referencing near futures and resembling a tightly conducted kraut-psychedelia that evokes a particularly spun-out and lowriding Michael Rother production, as well as some of the more strikingly bizarre moments of General Strike’s ‘Danger In Paradise’, this is one to rinse endlessly. An impressive foretaste from a record that, in these parts, comes highly recommended" - The Ransom Note


"The slinking “Unetiquetted” finds the band haunting the halls of a greasier vision of post-punk — dark, damaged, but still riding a groove that’s hard to ignore. The track is shrouded in a detached debauchery, exhaling cold confidence and oozing bile. The accompanying video in turn looks like staging a freaky dance party in the post-credits of ’90 first person players like DOOM. It’s a hypnotic pairing with the band’s strange magic." - Raven Sings The Blues

"Some Beautiful Species Left ira prolonger les heures de gloire d’Ahead Of Two Thoughts. EXEK en rajoute une couche avec « Unetiquetted » ainsi qu’avec la conclusion de 8 minutes bien audacieuse intitulée « How The Curve Helps » qui retient particulièrement notre attention" - Les Oreilles Curieuses

"...la musique d’EXEK déroute, dérange et hypnotise dans les traces de Swell Maps ou de This Heat, où les collages soniques ont une place prépondérante, embarquant l’auditeur dans milles directions à la fois.
Dans la continuité de Biased Advice et Ahead Of Two Thoughts, Some Beautiful Species empile les univers et trace sa voie entre krautrock et dub, soutenue par la voix « brianenoesque » de Wolski.
Une impressionnante combinaison basse/batterie donne le ton et leur permet de laisser cour à leurs expérimentations tels des laborantins en folie, sans nuire aux mélodies finement entêtantes.
EXEK nous offre là un nouveau passionnant disque !" - Addict Culture

"Some Beautiful Species Left est infiniment étrange. De prime abord, on n’y comprend rien. C’est tout à la fois très flou et structuré. Les morceaux commencent on ne sait trop comment et s’achèvent dans le brouillard. Les lignes de basse sont solides mais ferraillent avec des claviers en roue libre. La guitare est fantomatique mais aussi déterminante. Parfois, c’est drastiquement lugubre (Some Background) et à d’autres moments, on se croirait sous une boule disco dégénérée reflétant les photons au petit bonheur la chance (Unetiquetted).
C’est bien noir.
C’est très éclatant.
C’est vif souvent mais patraque tout le temps.
EXEK met sur pied un drôle de truc qui renvoie toujours autant à PIL mais se rapproche aussi de (feu ?) Girls Pissing On Girls Pissing voire de RAKTA sans les soubassements sauvages des premières ni le côté ritualiste des secondes. Pour le reste, on est à peu près au même niveau de bizarrerie mais celle d’EXEK se situe surtout au niveau du son. Modelé, ciselé, trituré, chargé d’écho, il forme une gangue malléable et indéterminée d’où s’extirpent les morceaux.
Ça commence par les sept minutes et quelques d’Hobbyist et on comprend d’emblée que rien ne sera simple : des coups de violon entaillent l’espace, la voix débarque – lointaine – et la basse bégaie. En-dessous, les nappes s’épaississent petit à petit. EXEK suit un chemin pas vraiment droit mais vraiment flou, cérébral et perché. Juste après, Lobbyist sonne drastiquement post-punk mais ça ne dure qu’un temps, très vite le morceau se délite et s’en va explorer des voies autrement expérimentales amalgamant une multitude de sons (trompette, piano, bruits divers, …). Deux titres seulement mais déjà de multiples facettes. Un pied dans la tradition et l’autre qui s’évade.
Some Beautiful Species Left touche ainsi autant au post-punk qu’au dub, à l’avant-rock qu’au breakbeat, au kraut qu’à l’expérimental et malgré ses éléments pour le moins disparates, il n’apparaît jamais comme un patchwork épars et sans cohérence.
C’est qu’il s’agit déjà de leur troisième album (après Biased Advice en 2016 et Ahead Of Two Thoughts en 2018) et qu’EXEK a creusé son crédo. Tout ce que l’on entend ici était déjà en germe dans les précédents et pourtant Some Beautiful Species Left déstabilise comme aux premiers jours. Il faut un temps d’acclimatation – les morceaux ne se révèlent pas immédiatement – et accepter les errances, le tarabiscoté, la mise au point permanente entre le très net et le très flou. Et alors qu’il décontenance, petit à petit, via sa construction au cordeau, il se révèle et fait son trou.
Lobbyist, le chouette Plastic’s Sword Retractable au mitan du disque ou encore How The Curve Helps, tous tendus et de guingois, alternant entre vraie noirceur et passages plus solaires se montrent certes retors mais encore plus attirants. Et c’est exactement la même chose pour tout ce qui les entoure. Indéterminé et fantomatique, Some Beautiful Species Left cache en fait un vrai talent d’écriture qui amalgame le goût pour l’exploration bien perchée et l’amour de la mélodie déviante. La torpeur n’est ainsi qu’apparente, une multitude de choses se passent en sous-main et finissent par atteindre la surface, structurant l’informe et remplissant les vides : au final, tous les morceaux montre une belle densité.
Cette fois-ci un chouïa plus expérimental que post-punk, il n’en reste pas moins que l’on retrouve dans le disque tout ce qui fait la singularité des Australiens : EXEK reste EXEK. Son dub de plus en plus nébuleux mais toujours drastiquement taré, sa guitare qui ressuscite l’air de rien celle de John McGeoch, sa basse mortifère aux lignes recherchées et sa façon d’introduire là-dedans de l’inattendu (des ustensiles de cuisine, des voix captées à la volée, la spatialisation du son, …) font feu de tout bois et in fine hypnotisent. Ce n’est donc toujours pas avec celui-ci qu’Albert Wolski et ses sbires frôleront l’anecdotique.
Excellent." - Des Cendres à la cave
 
"‘Unetiquetted’ brings together some of the errant threads casually spun on A Casual Assembly, weaving them into an understated-but-engrossing track that shuffles askant like a malnourished skin-and-bone marionette-like figure. That’s not to say the song sounds thin and poorly wrought (none of EKEK’s tracks ever do) – more that it makes the most out of a limited sonic palette. A springy bass and bip-bip-bap drum beat set the foundations, while a spooky and floaty synth pulse hazily illuminates all. Unlike A Casual Assembly, Albert reins in his stream-of-consciousness prose into more of a sing-song vocal accompaniment. EXEK is a band that rewards repeat listening – ideas are more firmly grasped and nuances acknowledged when given time to ponder." - Weirdo Wasteland



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CIA Debutante - Pier - 45

C.I.A Debutante "Pier" 7" (Officine/SDZ)

Out April 9, 2021 // Sortie le 9 Avril 2021


Watch the video for the first single right here // Visionnez la vidéo pour le premier single ici:
Près de quatre ans après leur fameuse double K7 "We will play for spirits" sur Crudités Tapes, le duo CIA Debutante - formée par Paul Bonnet (Disposition Matrix) et Nathan Roche (Le Villejuif Underground) - rejoint la maison-mère pour un 45 tours.

Il y a un immeuble là-bas, il fait un angle droit. Je le regarde de chez moi, je le regarde de chez toi, je le regarde de chez eux. CIA Debutante cultive son brouillard cérébral depuis des années, en planque dans des endroits qui connaissent systématiquement des problèmes de connectivité. L'humour gris comme base de vie et la thérapie d'un chaos électronique artisanal, dont la nature reste à déterminer, comme couverture réfléchissante. Dans ce techno-cocon pas comme les autres tissé par Paul, Nathan développe les pensées-contre-cerveau, ses lobes sont comme des iguanes de compagnie surfant sur les vibrations essentielles de l'inutile. Les images sont là, celles d’innombrables organismes extrémophiles, celles de débris cosmiques fracturés, du plancher océanique qui se fissure, de la station internationale qui décroche, d'une instabilité générale qui se propage inlassablement comme le ver du diable dans les plus anciennes mines d'or. Perpétuellement joignable sur un numéro qui n'existe pas encore, le duo fait à nouveau des merveilles de mousse musicale stellaire, de celles qu'on ne peut faire qu'en risquant de tout perdre, tout de suite.

Rendez-vous dans le ciel, rendez-vous sur votre platine, sur la thématique "sorrows of life / joys of art".

Almost four years after their famous double K7 "We will play for spirits" on Crudités Tapes, the CIA Debutante duo - formed by Paul Bonnet (Disposition Matrix) and Nathan Roche (Le Villejuif Underground) - joins SDZ, the mother company, for a 45 rpm single.

There is a building over there, it makes a right angle. I watch it from my place, I watch it from your place, I watch it from theirs. CIA Debutante has been cultivating its brain fog for years, stashing away in places that consistently experience connectivity issues. Grey humor as a basis for life and the therapy of homemade electronic chaos, the nature of which is yet to be determined, as a reflective blanket. In this techno-cocoon like no other woven by Paul, Nathan develops thoughts-counter-brains, his lobes are like pet iguanas surfing on the essential vibrations of the useless. The images are there, those of countless extremophilic organisms, fractured cosmic debris, the ocean floor cracking, the international station stalling and a general instability that spreads tirelessly like the devil's worm in the oldest gold mines. Perpetually reachable on a number that doesn't exist yet, the duo is once again working wonders with stellar musical foam, the kind you can only do by risking losing everything, right away.

Rendez-vous in the sky, rendez-vous on your turntable, on the theme "sorrows of life / joys of art".

"Called “Pier”, it’s a 3-track EP that came out just a few days after Roche’s solo album. This one is obviously a lot murkier, featuring untamed electronic soundscapes and off-kilter guitar. Check out the simple video for “Kessler Syndrome” which sees them performing in front of a strobe light." - Record Turnover

"7" of the year? There's a very good chance. CIA Debutante first appeared on our radar via a record on Siltbreeze back in 2019, and re-emerge here on French label SDZ with a new 45 featuring more of their narcotised, scuzzed out, post-Suicide punk rock and roll anti-ness. Siltbreeze is as good a context as any for understanding this kind of mess, underscored as it is with that Shadow Ring/Dead C anti-formalist spirit, while there's more than a little shitgaze lo-fi static hum. For more contemporary comparisons, appreciators of that recent Exek reissue and early Mosquitoes will find some shared ideals here in the submerged dub wobble and general sense of oppressive paranoia. In that sense, it's a very 2021 sounding record. The sound of being suspicious of just about everything. "Sorrows of life, joys of art". Rightly so. Quality Dracula-black stuff." - World Of Echo

"Fckng brilliant slab of vinyl.  Three tracks.  Kind of an electronic variant of Dead C mixed with Shadow Ring and Door And The Window as topping of an icecream.  Hifi Messthetics!!! Ltd to 200 copies worldwide.  Classics are born of these things." - Knotwilg Records


Baaaack
 
BAAACK