JECK, PHILIP Surf (Touch) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This is perhaps our favorite release, by one of our favorite artists, and most definitely our favorite turntablist. This has been out of print for a while now and has finally just now gotten reissued. If you don't have this already, do yourself a favor, you WILL NOT regret it. Another all time unanimous AQ favorite. Here's what we had to say about it first time around:
For those who aren't familiar with his work, Jeck is a UK experimental turntablist who extracts sounds from old battered turntables like an archaeologist excavating some ancient vinyl burial site, using surface noise, skips and crackles, to weave dreamy sepiatone soundscapes of underwater waltzes and pastoral murk. Surf is quite possibly the perfect realization of Jeck's sonic vision. Sinister loops and minor key melodies slither through blurred landscapes of sound, rickety and decaying, shimmery and indistinct. Like blurry postcards of someplace you've never been, or a fleeting memory of someone you've never met, translated into sound. A sound so warm and thick, familiar and inviting, that it transports you to a sonic universe where a skipping record becomes your footsteps, and a repeated crackly phrase becomes the wind through the trees.
Easily one of the most transcendentally perfect records ever.
MPEG Stream: "Demolition"
MPEG Stream: "Box Of Lamb"

JECK, PHILIP Vinyl Coda I-III (Intermedia / Strunz) 2cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
YAY, THIS BACK IN PRINT! Now in a jewel case instead of the digipack.
Why Philip Jeck isn't as famous as Oval and DJ Spooky is beyond us, as we think his brand of repetitive, crazily evocative warmth is just as good if not better than Oval, and his turntable installations are more interesting than anything Spooky ever (wet)dreamed. For instance, Jeck has subtitled his turntablist experiments "low-fi classics for the electronic generation," working with his orchestra of antique Dansette turntables - an arsenal 180 machines strong!!! With the crackling hiss of records found at flea markets, Jeck's concept for his performances / compositions involve a bottle of glue and a scalpel forcing the record needle into locked grooves at the desired points on the records.
Anyway, for the three WONDERFUL "Vinyl Coda" pieces spread across these two cds, Jeck's scratchy vinyl-derived loops fade in and out of percussive polyphony, fractured orchestral majesty, almost industrial / factory grinding, 50's pop vocal snippets, and laughably long applause. It's quiet yet there's SO MUCH going on. And some points it sounds like the quiet parts of a Godspeed or Slint record, gently but urgently loping and hiccupping. Highly recommended!
RealAudio clip: "Vinyl Coda I"

JECK, PHILIP Vinyl Coda IV (Intermedia) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
As huge Philip Jeck fans, we were super excited to see the release of this follow-up to his wonderful "Vinyl Codas I-III" double cd. And it doesn't disappoint. Jeck, with his multiple turntables and scratchy old records, is the ultimate master of blissfully beautiful surface-noise looping. His largely improvised and adamantly analog compositions make the most gorgeous repetitive droning use of good old-fashioned record crackle and hiss (and scraps of melody from the original music on the records). Unlike many other turntablists (Christian Marclay etc), his art isn't at all athletic or acrobatic -- not overtly so, anyway, although this recording is from a live performance, which must have required Jeck to exercise virtuoso skill with his dozen gramophones! As always, the music is warm, evocative, gentle, barely there (this record is not for the impatient) and always careful. No abrupt cut-up jumps or juxtapositions, just slowly shifting sounds. He's a fucking genius. One track, 45 minutes, so very lovely.
RealAudio clip: "excerpt 1"
RealAudio clip: "excerpt 2"

JECK, PHILIP & CLAUS VAN BEBBER Viny'l'isten (Intermedium) cd 14.98
"Viny'l'isten" documents another live performance from British turntablist Philip Jeck, this time performing with likeminded German turntablist Claus Van Bebber. Here, Jeck and Van Bebber each have produced two solo pieces and one extended collaboration. Upon first (second and third) listens, Jeck and Van Bebber have remarkably similar techniques, treating the turntable and the vinyl medium like Dadaist readymades, from which they conjure texturally rich collages clattering with looped samples, locked grooves, and plenty of surface noise. Everything adds up into dense layers of antiquity, that peel back to reveal repeated melodies from ballroom waltzes or '70s rock anthems, swimming together in murky, slow motion atmospheres. The differences between the two artists primarily emerge in their respective preferences for effects, as Van Bebber uses guitar pedals like wah-wah and distortion, while Jeck uses only an echo box and a toy sampler. Both apart and together, Jeck and Van Bebber recall Jeck's masterpiece "Stoke" and his "Vinyl Coda" series at least in terms of technique and content, although not quite measuring up to those in composition and context.
RealAudio clip: "Solo 1"
RealAudio clip: "Solo 2"

JECK, PHILIP & JACOB KIRKEGAARD Soaked (Touch) cd 15.98
Recorded during their live performance at the May 2002 electronic offshoot of the Moers Jazz Festival in Germany, "Soaked" brings together the talents of AQ-favorite, avant-turntablist Philip Jeck and the relatively unknown artist Jacob Kirkegaard, who is a member of the Danish multi-media ensemble Aeter. The lumbering drones, tiny textural ornamentations, and radioactive vinyl crackling that we've come to expect from Jeck are certainly present on "Soaked." Yet, Kirkegaard's contributions for electronics, samplers, and possibly some laptop synthesis act as interesting digitized counterpoint to the analogue antiquity normally associated with Jeck. Alongside Jeck's slow-motion fluctionations of old ballroom orchestrations (just a guess, all of his sounds have been blurred well beyond the point of recognition), Kirkegaard interjects non-repeating melodic phrases and digital glitchiness. As this 35 minute composition progresses, both Jeck and Kirkegaard incrementally push towards more jagged and abrasive sounds beyond Jeck's ghostly collages, into rather dissonant elements that sounds like gasping ventilators, clattering bicycle wheels, and straining diesel motors. A bit of a detour for Jeck, but nevertheless a very worthwhile experiment!
RealAudio clip: "Track 2"
RealAudio clip: "Track 4"
RealAudio clip: "Track 6"

JECK, PHILIP & MARCUS DAVIDSON Spliced (Touch) 7" 7.98
Most readers of the aQ list won't need much more in the way of a review here than simply this: NEW PHILIP JECK. That's the way we are certainly. Easily our favorite turntablist / sound sculptor / soundscaper, every Jeck record a new fuzzy, warbly exploration of some forgotten otherworld, the magic of his music in part due to the fact that his sounds are not so obviously created with records and turntables, like Strotter, or the Caretaker, his sounds exist as ghostly songs, broadcast from another time, or place, their construction, while fascinating and wondrous, are not critical to the enjoyment of the sound, and what a sound, warm, and lush, sepia toned, softly blurred, out of focus, woozy and warbly and daydreamy. But by now, you like us, are indeed appropriately obsessed with the music of Philip Jeck, and thus are as excited as we are about THIS. Two new songs both record live at The Museum Of Garden History in London, Jeck is teamed up with keyboardist Marcus Davidson, who we first heard on those Spire releases from a little while back , live recordings of various performances in acoustically unique spaces, often churches and cathedrals, hence Spire. The two are a perfect match, their sounds blending seamlessly into a shimmery organic whole, it's impossible to tell where the keyboards begin and the turntables end, or if that's Jeck playing bass, or just some warped old piece of vinyl, or if those washed out swirls of notes are being pulled from grooves or actually played by Davidson, but again, it hardly matters, the sound is ephemeral and spectral, slow swells of softly effected chordal swirl, fuzzy indistinct textures, a barely there rhythmic pulse, serene and so so lovely.
The flipside starts out with what we can only assume is Jeck's bass, spaced out and spidery and slooooow, a warm languid creep, the low end pulsations ringing out into the ether like ripples on a pond, until near the end when the bass(?) gathers a bit of fuzz, unleashing some softly warped crunch, and some effected synthy squelch, like a disembodied dubstep warble, slowed way down and stretched way out and allowed to undulate lethargically before settling back down into that warm washed out warble.
As always, fantastic, and again, beautiful design and layout courtesy of Touch Records head honcho Jon Wozencroft.

JECK, PHILIP & SCHAEFER, JANEK Songs For Europe (Asphodel) cd 13.98
A new Philip Jeck record! What could be better. Well, how about adding fellow turntable experimentalist Janek Schaeffer to the mix? Then how about taking the two of them, equipped with all manner of antique record players, setting them up in an abandoned thirties office building at the foot of the Acropolis, and having them gather source material only from used record shops, a motley collection of second hand Greek and Turkish lps and 45's. Sounds like heaven. And it is. Schaeffer often seems focused on rhythm and source material, while Jeck's aim is more emotion and ambience, thus the two work perfectly together. Slowly shifting shades of darkness, move sluggishly like sonic ice floes, snippets of mubled vocals struggle against record crackle and skipping loops of distorted orchestration. The whole record is a series of fuzzed out ambient soundscapes, smeared deftly into indistinct outlines, voices float by like clouds, rhythms emerge from the murk, having fallen together seemingly randomly by the overlap of assembled sonic striations, rumbling crunch, slowed down into a thick sonic mulch, wavering melodies cloaking the horizon in glimmering sonic dew, guitar melodies deconstructed into distant frameworks, surrounding static swirls of sweetness and occasional bursts of violent skree. Horns squeal and are quickly subsumed by thick slowly bubbling pools of strummed mumbly guitars and minor key lullabies. Dreamy and heavenly. We just can't get enough of this stuff. The music of dreams. The music of darkness and light. The music of life, slowed down and observed from within.
MPEG Stream: "Taxim"
MPEG Stream: "Istanbul Drift"

JECK, PHILIP / OTOMO YOSHIHIDE / MARTIN TETREAULT Invisible Architecture #1 (Audiosphere) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The first release on the new label Audiosphere is also the first in a series, called Invisible Architecture, of experimental music collaborations. Despite the series' foofy highbrow title and the annoyingly oversized "super jewel box" (which merely ensures that instead of getting rightfully filed in the Jeck, the Tetreault or the Yoshihide section, the cd will instead get put on a record store shelf where customers can't get to it, or in a glass enclosed cabinet next to a dusty Robert Johnson box set), this collaboration amongst three of AQ's very favorite experimental turntablists is a *wonderful* recording. Twenty seven minutes of slowly building, creepy, textured atmospherics improvised live by the three turntablists, each of whom have their own recognizably distinct style that happily complements the other two perfectly. Jeck weaves his always-brilliant hazy wash of vinyl hiss, grainy warmth, and half-murmured somber vocal loops (the only human voices heard on this record). Over this foundation Yoshihide and Tetreault add highlights in the form of sonic outbursts and abstract electronics, but remember this is all done on turntables. At times it sounds like a gurgling underwater maelstrom, at times it conjures tense nightmare images, and at *all* times it is so so so so beautiful. We wish it was longer!
The soundclips chart the progression of the piece, so listen to all three.
RealAudio clip: "excerpt 1"
RealAudio clip: "excerpt 2"
RealAudio clip: "excerpt 3"

JECK, PHILIP / VERGIL SHARKYA Full Moon Warship (Vergilreality) cd-r 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A few months ago we received an email from a fellow in the UK asking if we were interested in a live unreleased Philip Jeck cd. And of course we said yes. Anyone who reads the AQ list regularly knows that in our eyes Jeck can pretty much do no wrong (with his previous 3 releases, Surf, Vinyl Coda III, and Vinyl Coda IV all being unanimous favorites). The fellow who emailed us was UK musician Vergil Sharkya, who joins Jeck on electric guitar and 'vocaliser' along with Stefen Kazassoglou on cello. 'Full Moon Warship' is quite a mixed bag, with the staticky record crackled soundscapes Jeck is so adept at, but also with some propulsive Krautrock-ish rhythms, droney almost-rock workouts and plenty of unidentifiable sounds and scratchy popping atmospheres. If you are a fan, you need this. If you're not yet, it's as good a place to start as any. Limited cd-r so be aware that we may run out, so don't dawdle!
RealAudio clip: "Track 1"

JECK, PHILLIP Stoke (Touch) cd 15.98
AQ fave P. Jeck's 2002 masterpiece (Record Of The Week on our list number 135) has at last been repressed and is back in stock!
Philip Jeck's take on turntable experimentation involves using multiple turntables and scratchy old records to create blissfully beautiful surface-noise looping. His largely improvised compositions make the most gorgeous, repetitive, droning use of good old-fashioned record crackle and hiss. Jeck takes great care to allow for scraps of melody to emerge from the original music on the records with snippets of piano, sitar, and slow-motion vocals, popping out of crackled loops and often recalling the height of the Robin Storey era Zoviet France in the late '80s.
What differentiates this new album from the previous excellent ones in his oeuvre is its dynamics (perhaps due to the fact that these were all live performances?) -- the music is more active in terms of the elements used and their resulting emotional power. In fact, the first track "Above" is the creepiest composition I've ever heard from Jeck. The dynamism is also evident in that he uses more individual sounds that unfold over time but *not* necessarily being looped. It's nice to hear him trusting the sounds to stand on their own rather than needing the looping effect to make them beautiful. Highly recommended!!
MPEG Stream: "Above"
MPEG Stream: "Pax"

JEEP BEAT COLLECTIVE Technics Chainsaw Massacre (Bomb) 2cd 15.98
19 trax that span over 82 minutes of wild beat chemistry, Technics Chainsaw Massacre chronicles the group's four year existance with cuts from their 3 UK albums of fantastic turntablism with a funky deck wrecking history of breaks'n'beats and intricate scratching.

JEEP BEAT COLLECTIVE Technics Chainsaw Massacre (Bomb) 3lp 15.98
19 trax that span over 82 minutes of wild beat chemistry, Technics Chainsaw Massacre chronicles the group's four year existance with cuts from their 3 UK albums of fantastic turntablism with a funky deck wrecking history of breaks'n'beats and intricate scratching.

JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD We Are The Champions (Infinity Cat) cd 12.98
The first we heard from this fuzz pop duo was on a split 7" with Best Coast, and as much as we love BC, it was the oddly monikered Jeff The Brotherhood that knocked our socks off, due in part to low expectations based on the goofy name, but mostly based on their impeccable popsmithery. We described their sound as reminding us of "classic Weezer or old school noise poppers Further, also SF pop geniuses Ovens, super distorted guitars, weary stoned boy vocals, sweet harmonies, killer hooks, crazy catchy, with some tripped out spacey squiggly FX".
Thankfully, nothing has changed on JtB's debut full length, included is the aforementioned jam ("Bummer"), the track that had us smitten in the first place, but there's a whole mess of jams equally as fun and fuzzy and hooky, alternating between pure power pop janglefests, casio laced fuzz punk blowouts, stomping fuzzy dirges and hazy psychedelic sixties dream pop ballads, with the band infusing their standard instrumentation with plenty of swirling effects, old school indie rock guitar leads, strange falsetto vox, sitar like buzz, lo-fi practice space drums, and a 4 track production that manages to sound DIY but still totally rocking and fuzzed out. Fans of the above bands will LOVE these guys, as well as folks into classic nineties indie rock like Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr and all the rest, as well as modern retro poppers like Best Coast. Easily one of our new favorite pop records!
MPEG Stream: "Bummer"
MPEG Stream: "Hey Friend"
MPEG Stream: "Cool Out"
MPEG Stream: "Shredder"

JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD We Are The Champions (Infinity Cat) lp 16.98
The first we heard from this fuzz pop duo was on a split 7" with Best Coast, and as much as we love BC, it was the oddly monikered Jeff The Brotherhood that knocked our socks off, due in part to low expectations based on the goofy name, but mostly based on their impeccable popsmithery. We described their sound as reminding us of "classic Weezer or old school noise poppers Further, also SF pop geniuses Ovens, super distorted guitars, weary stoned boy vocals, sweet harmonies, killer hooks, crazy catchy, with some tripped out spacey squiggly FX".
Thankfully, nothing has changed on JtB's debut full length, included is the aforementioned jam ("Bummer"), the track that had us smitten in the first place, but there's a whole mess of jams equally as fun and fuzzy and hooky, alternating between pure power pop janglefests, casio laced fuzz punk blowouts, stomping fuzzy dirges and hazy psychedelic sixties dream pop ballads, with the band infusing their standard instrumentation with plenty of swirling effects, old school indie rock guitar leads, strange falsetto vox, sitar like buzz, lo-fi practice space drums, and a 4 track production that manages to sound DIY but still totally rocking and fuzzed out. Fans of the above bands will LOVE these guys, as well as folks into classic nineties indie rock like Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr and all the rest, as well as modern retro poppers like Best Coast. Easily one of our new favorite pop records!
MPEG Stream: "Bummer"
MPEG Stream: "Hey Friend"
MPEG Stream: "Cool Out"
MPEG Stream: "Shredder"

JEFFERIES, PETER Elevator Madness (Emperor Jones/Trance) cd 13.98

JEFFERIES, PETER Elevator Madness (Emperor Jones/Trance) lp 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

JEFFERSON AIRPLANE Crown Of Creation (BMG) cd 14.98

JEFFERSON, BLIND LEMON I Want To Be Like Jesus In My Head (Monk) lp 22.00
For this list, we don't just have one, or two, but three of the Early Blues' heaviest hitters newly reissued on vinyl from the always amazing Monk label: Skip James, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and the "Mother of the Blues", Ma Rainey!!!
Perhaps the most well-known of the blind bluesmen and the quintessential purveyor of the Southern Gothic (it doesn't get much darker than "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean", though that song is not included here!), Blind Lemon Jefferson is one of the founders of the Texas Blues, and one of the first successful solo artists. Starting his career performing in brothels and barber shops, with his unique interplay of rural and urban blues techniques, as well as his lamenting theatrical vocal style, he was able to use his songs as a means to call attention to the plight of the poor and the destitute. Though he died at an early age (freezing to death in Chicago!), he managed to record nearly 100 songs in just a few years. This collection features some of his best, including "Black Snake Moan", "Bad Luck Blues", "Broke and Hungry", and "Beggin' Back".

JEFFERSON, BLIND LEMON Long Lonesome Blues: Lemon's Texts Revealed (World Arbiter) cd 16.98

JEFFERSON, BLIND LEMON See That My Grave's Kept Clean (Monk) lp 22.00
Monk Records returns with a second collection from legendary Texas blues master Blind Lemon Jefferson. The bulk of these songs were recorded in Chicago in 1927, showcasing Jefferson at the height of his powers, before boozing and the reckless lifestyle practiced by many bluesmen caught up with him at the end of the decade.... unless he died in a snowstorm, as has commonly been reported. Either way, Jefferson was the first superstar of the blues, and while he laid the groundwork for many other artists, he is truly one of a kind, an unbelievably powerful guitarist with a voice to match. Despite his star status, most of Jefferson's story remains a mystery, but when you listen to his music, you know this could be no one other than the man on the cover (the one known picture of him). His voice is a ghostly, high register wail rendered even more distant by Paramount Records' notoriously lousy sound quality. Still, none of Jefferson's power is diminished, and you will be blown away by his playing and his unconventional song structures, which often switch rhythms mid song for totally unexpected results. Two of the songs here, "He Arose From The Dead" and "See That My Grave's Kept Clean", were released under Jefferson's gospel oriented alter ego "Deacon L.J. Bates", presumably to put off record buyers who might take issue with prime Jefferson cuts like "Black Snake Moan" and "Easy Rider Blues". Lighter numbers, such as "Teddy Bear Blues" and "Hot Dogs", with its tap dancing rhythm accompaniment, help to showcase the wide range of material Jefferson knew so well, and this is essential stuff for anyone who wants to understand the origins of the blues. It doesn't get better than this.

JEFFERTITTI'S NILE Hypnotic Rivers Of Sound (Jnile) lp 9.98

JEGA .:Type Xero (Planet Mu) 12" 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Because Jega has only produced some compilation tracks and a legendary, impossible-to-find lp on S.K.A.M., they have remained in undeserved obscurity. Thanks to Mu-Ziq's new label, they have released two new recordings. Sharp and quirky beats fusing techno, electro and 80's Euro-pop. Much appeal to fans of Autechre, Mu-Ziq, Aphex Twin and even Vince Gil. Stellar. Highly recommended.

JEGA Geometry (Matador) cd 14.98
Dylan Nathan is Jega. Who were his college roomates? Richard James (Aphex Twin) and Mike Paradinas (Mu-Ziq). Maybe he spent more time actually going to classes and got a job or got married or something, but his music career has hardly been as prolific as theirs -- this is only his second album, following up his debut "Spectrum". Released on Paradinas' label (licensed by Matador), "Geometry" is a excellent piece of electronica, with skittering distorted beats giving way to melodic, moody atmospheres and back again. It'll definitely appeal to fans of Jega's college roommates, as well as Squarepusher and Autechre fans (the Rephlex/Warp/Planet Mu axis).

JEGA Spectrum (Matador) cd 13.98
Sharp and quirky beats - a fusion of techno, electro, so-called "drill 'n' bass", 80's europop and film soundtracks...for fans of Autechre, µ-ziq, Aphex Twin, and Vince Gil. Finally domestic. Stellar!

JEGA Spectrum (Matador) lp 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Sharp and quirky beats - a fusion of techno, electro, so-called "drill 'n' bass", 80's europop and film soundtracks...for fans of Autechre, µ-ziq, Aphex Twin, and Vince Gil. Finally domestic. Stellar!

JEL Greenball (6 months) cd 14.98
A collection of beats and instrumental gems from DJ Jel of the mighty Anticon collective. Recorded between 1997 and 2000, dark and funky and fucked up and groovy, everything you've come to expect from Anticon. Includes a bunch of amazing instrumental versions from the Them record, the Sole record, the Atmosphere record and tons more!
RealAudio clip: "Your Mother"
RealAudio clip: "Months Rent"

JEL Soft Money (Anticon) cd 14.98
One of the problems with bands, and labels, who put out record after record, and we're talking a new record every week or month, even if they're all great, is it's tough to keep caring. That sort of happened to us with Anticon. When we first heard that twisted Anticon indie hip hop, we were blown away, we're still blown away actually, the bizarre loops, the totally skewed approach to hip hop and sampling, it was new and fresh, weird and wonderful. But, we needed to take a break. We'd get done reviewing a new Anticon record and there would be two or three more out. So we're back on track, just in time to review the newest from Jel. And as always it's a good 'un! Loping loopy samples, all sorts of strange sounds, and unfunky funkiness, some of the vocals are a little stilted and sound straight out of the eighties (Fresh Prince anyone?) but some are right on and perfectly compliment Jel's fuzzy blissed out beatscapes. Definitely dark and laid back, some of the more ambitious tracks sound like they could be Endtroducing outtakes which is high praise for sure.
Guests include Stefanie Bohm of Ms. John Soda, Wise Intelligent of Poor Righteous Teachers, Why?, Fog, Dosh, Pedestrian. And it's produced by Anticon stablemate Odd Nosdam.
The first few customers who order the new Jel will get a free Jel turntable slipmat with the album art on one side and the cool giant ant Anticon logo on the other!
MPEG Stream: "To Buy A Car"
MPEG Stream: "All Day Breakfast"

JELINEK, JAN Kosmischer Pitch (Scape) cd 16.98
The world of 'dreamy electronica' has been polluted by those better aimed at selling you a Volvo then actually taking you to a different state of being, but thankfully there are still talented and lucid minds like Jan Jelinek who actually does create music that makes your mind wander and washes away your moment in time. The sound is much warmer and organic sounding then the super click n' cut sounding Loop-finding-jazz-records he released a few years back. This time Jelinek seems to be going beyond creating an amazing surface sound (referred to as wallpaper in an earlier AQ review) and has created an album that actually seeps through walls and time and space and slowly melts into your ears. Highly Recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Planeten In Halbtrauer"
MPEG Stream: "Universal Band Silhouette"

JELINEK, JAN Kosmischer Pitch (Scape) lp 16.98
Also, now in stock on vinyl! Our recent review of the cd version: The world of 'dreamy electronica' has been polluted by those better aimed at selling you a Volvo then actually taking you to a different state of being, but thankfully there are still talented and lucid minds like Jan Jelinek who actually does create music that makes your mind wander and washes away your moment in time. The sound is much warmer and organic sounding then the super click n' cut sounding Loop-finding-jazz-records he released a few years back. This time Jelinek seems to be going beyond creating an amazing surface sound (referred to as wallpaper in an earlier AQ review) and has created an album that actually seeps through walls and time and space and slowly melts into your ears. Highly Recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Planeten In Halbtrauer"
MPEG Stream: "Universal Band Silhouette"

JELINEK, JAN Loop-finding-jazz-records (Scape) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
It may be a strange obsession, but The Wallpaper Lifestyle is something which has been popping up in the collective consciousness of Aquarius. It would be nice to say that it's the lust for chic Danish furniture, sharp Italian clothes, and hot Scandinavian androgynes... but let's be honest, it's clearly the fantasy of having a lot of money. Can real people really afford The Wallpaper Lifestyle?
Anyway, Jan Jelinek must have the same fantasy and has constructed the perfect soundtrack. It's a blissful electronica record full of all of the click 'n' dub that one would expect from Scape Records (run by Pole's Stefan Betke). The title is a bit misleading as this has very little to do with jazz, and more having to do with the process of creating the record (by fragmenting the sounds from his jazz vinyl collection through the sampler to arrive at the very Pole electro-dub). So clean. So digital. So Wallpaper.

JELINEK, JAN Tierbeobachtungen (Scape) cd 16.98
Seems like you can almost trace the evolution of Jan Jelinek's based on just his album covers. While his early releases were packaged in monotone no frills minimalist sleeves his more recent releases have been covered in designs with much more blur, mystery and texture. And it's pretty accurate to say that the same goes for the sounds he's been creating. Gone our the days of his crisp, clean and ultra linear creations, making way for a much more seductive world of murky and rich soundscapes. In fact, this outing's cover art first made us think that it was on the Hapna label, and it actually does have the sort of sound would be quite at home on that fine label as it demonstrates a mysterious almost field recording like sound mixed with organic electronica, which also had us wondering what it would sound like if Boards of Canada got their heads out of the clouds and buried them in the mud.
MPEG Stream: "Palmer Aus Leder"
MPEG Stream: "Tierbeobachtung"

JELINEK, JAN AVEC THE EXPOSURES La Nouvelle Pauvrete (Scape) cd 16.98

JELLO Voile (Peacefrog) cd 16.98
Peacefrog Records has typically published the more soulful strains of Detroit techno with a steady stream of releases from Moodymann, Herbert, Robert Hood, Ian O'Brien, Glenn Underground, and Planetary Assault Systems. So, Peacefrog seems to be an unusual home for Darrel Fitton, whose back catalogue as Bola and Gescom (in collaboration with Autechre) ranks very highly within IDM circles. Nevertheless, Fitton's debut recording as Jello bridges the increasing stylistic chasm between IDM and soulful Detroit techno. At the heart of "Voile" Fitton uses the midtempo / downtempo IDM rhythmic skitter that can be found on those Bola / Gescom recordings, but has smoothed out much of the dis-ease found in most post-Aphex electro-paranoia. As the album begins, Jello seems like a slightly friendlier version of Bola and still firmly entrenched within the IDM aesthetic, yet as the album progresses, Fitton gradually turns his focus towards a jazz-tinged electronica with Lamb / Portishead female vocals, digital approximations of bass-slapping, Rhodes organs melting into the alien jazz sentiments of Herbie Hancock, and stream of consciousness beat poetry.
RealAudio clip: "Vibe-A-Rolla"
RealAudio clip: "O'verb"
RealAudio clip: "Shinoque"

JELLYFISH Spilt Milk (Charisma) cd 12.98
We are definitely masters of hyperbole. We admit it. So many of our reviews boldly proclaim records to be "the best ever" or "the most retarded ever" or the ever popular "most fucked ever". The thing is, at least from where we're sitting, there CAN be more than one "best ever", and there ARE many "most fucked" records ever... why not? It depends on your mood, what you're doing, where you are, stereo or headphones, car or computer, happy or sad, depressed or romantic, and hell, it could be as simple as a whim. Sometimes, you feel like listening to a specific record, and for that 40 minutes, it is without a doubt, THE BEST RECORD EVER. Now, granted, some 'best records ever' are all time top 10's, while some are favorite records of the summer, and others are favorite make out records, or whatever, but all of them are awesome. For us to make that sort of proclamation, a record has to completely rule, totally kick our ass, and get the shit played out of it! But sometimes, it's not hyperbole. Sometimes a record ABSOLUTELY IS, one of the best pop records EVER MADE. Like Jellyfish's Spilt Milk.
This is not a new release or anything, not even a remastered reissue, but 13 years after it was released, it still gets played A LOT, and still pretty much destroys every other pop record around. Jellyfish started out as a bellbottomed, paisley psychedelic retro combo, but quickly blossomed into a completely amazing, heavy rock power pop supergroup. Not in the sense of being made up of members of other famous bands, but in the sense that they were an absolutely super amazing rock group!!! Jellyfish took the over the top bombast and incredible harmonies of Queen, the perfect summery pop of the Beach Boys and mixed in their own off kilter approach to power pop. Incredibly intricate and complex arrangements, but done so deftly as to never take away from the inherent catchiness of the songs. The guitars are huge, crunchy and heavy, like a super charged Brian May, the drumming is incredible, heavy hitting, super creative, and as catchy on their own as any of the guitar parts or vocal lines. In fact, the one time we saw Jellyfish live, vocalist / drummer Andy Sturmer managed to sing all of these incredible harmonies WHILE playing incredible drum parts, on a STAND UP kit!! Totally blew our mind. A look at the cover and the incredible arrangement of instruments in the studio gives an idea of how epic and amazing this record sounds, gongs, timpani, strings, piano, organ, acoustic guitar, harp, xylophone and more and more and on an on.
Some of the songs are delicate and sweet, soft and shimmery, some are bombastic and heavy, some are sweet simple lullabies, others are incredibly complicated slabs of ultra complex prog pop, but every song on here is a stone cold classic. If there were any justice in the world this record would have been HUGE, and Jellyfish would be playing arenas and making music videos and still making even more incredible records. But sadly, the world wasn't ready for this kind of intelligent, heavy, proggy power pop and the band hung it up soon after. But what a way to go. Just listen to the sound samples and see if you aren't immediately kicking yourself for waiting more than a decade to dig in to this utter pop brilliance.
MPEG Stream: "The Ghost At Number One"
MPEG Stream: "Joining A Fan Club"
MPEG Stream: "All Is Forgiven"
MPEG Stream: "New Mistake"

JEMAA EL FNA Morocco's Rendezvous Of The Dead: Night Music of Marrakech (Sublime Frequencies) dvd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Those expecting a documentary in the traditional sense, wherein a huge film crew with lighting rigs and hired security take over a small village while an authoritative voice-over gives you a blow by blow account of what unfolds before your eyes may be disappointed. This is a one man, one camera production. Shot entirely at night, relying on the good will of the participants, and leaving the interpretation up to you, the viewer, filmmaker Hisham Mayet takes us on a tour of Marrakech, Morocco's Jemma El Fna -- "the central square of the final outpost before one ventures into the great beyond of the western Sahara desert". All along the square people, mostly men, gather in circles around individual and groups of musicians. playing oud, banjo (!!!), various bowed instruments and percussion, the performers are accompanied by singers ranging from seasoned veterens working the crowd to youthful amateurs. In one section a young girl, maybe 7 or 8 years old sings and dances as an envious peer looks on. Perhaps one of the coolest moments though is when our cameraman stops by a gentleman set up in the square with his portable turntable and classic 7"s, sampling for us some of his favorites, crackly with age, and carefully wiping off the beautiful but worn jackets for us to see. Clocking in at 50 minutes, there's not a dull moment on this disc. While we forwarn those living overseas that this disc is NTSC, it is also region-free for those with multi-region players.

JENERIK, SCOT : R. H.Y. YAU Meat (Auscultare Research) cd 12.98

JENNIFER GENTLE The Midnight Room (Sub Pop) cd 13.98
Yay! The return of the all too underrated Italian outfit known as Jennifer Gentle. Their 2005 release Valende was in constant rotation when it came out and we've been looking forward to the follow up ever since. Now down to a solo project of Marco Fasalo, yet just as dynamic and pleasing as the prior outings as a full band. Think Syd Barrett era-Pink Floyd filled with off-kilter melodies, eerie and demented instrumentation and some downright catchy harmonies! Making the most out of some strange and lovely sounds, piano, guitar and even kazoos, some of us fell instantly in love with this and it just keeps sounding better and better every time we hear it. While they come at pop songs from a distinctly different direction, thsy seem to be kindred spirits of Deerhoof, as they both use a sonic pallete of crazy colors and wild flights of musical fancy. So good!
MPEG Stream: "Take My Hand"
MPEG Stream: "Telephone Ringing"
MPEG Stream: "Granny's House"

JENNIFER GENTLE Valende (Sub Pop) cd 13.98
There is something about this band I really like, though I can't necessarily put my finger on it. A friend of mine described Jennifer Gentle in the following manner and I don't think I could have done a better job. "Jennifer Gentle is like biting into an acid sandwich. It's like Deerhoof reading Alice In Wonderland. Like Sister Seance Stepple, her eyes as black as treacle, sitting in a cave of candy floss, on the side of Witch Mountain. It makes the goblins giggle with delight." Ok... to this I'll add the following: Jennifer Gentle is an Italian duo, their band name derived from a Pink Floyd lyric. Valende is their US debut release. Their music generates something I'm not sure exactly how to digest but that's why I like it so!! Jennifer Gentle tours as five piece this year in support of AQ faves Dead Meadow so be sure to go check em out!
MPEG Stream: "Universal Daughter"
MPEG Stream: "I Do Dream You"

JENNIFER GENTLE Valende (Sub Pop) lp 12.98
There is something about this band I really like, though I can't necessarily put my finger on it. A friend of mine described Jennifer Gentle in the following manner and I don't think I could have done a better job. "Jennifer Gentle is like biting into an acid sandwich. It's like Deerhoof reading Alice In Wonderland. Like Sister Seance Stepple, her eyes as black as treacle, sitting in a cave of candy floss, on the side of Witch Mountain. It makes the goblins giggle with delight." Ok... to this I'll add the following: Jennifer Gentle is an Italian duo, their band name derived from a Pink Floyd lyric. Valende is their US debut release. Their music generates something I'm not sure exactly how to digest but that's why I like it so!! Jennifer Gentle tours as five piece this year in support of AQ faves Dead Meadow so be sure to go check em out!
MPEG Stream: "Universal Daughter"
MPEG Stream: "I Do Dream You"

JENNIFER GENTLE AND KAWABATA MAKOTO The Wrong Cage (A Silent Place) cd 10.98
A cool live recording from 2002 that finds Acid Mothers Temple mainman Kawabata Makoto joining his pals in Italian psych rock combo Jennifer Gentle for some sprawling, dreamy, druggy, droney, buzzy, fuzzy psych rock workouts. The opener is a slow build from crowd sounds to thick warm undulating swells, everything wreathed in hazy effects, sun dappled and woozily laid back, some cool processed vox that sound more like the bellow of a distant horn, and then of course, after a few minutes of dreamy drift, the song blossoms into a wild tangle of dueling guitars, a sky full of jagged melodies and shards of feedback, a violent sky full of sound, floating above that churning, fuzzy motorik groove that started things off. The rest of the record follows suit, the band slipping from stripped down and minimal to totally blown out and frenzied, even dipping into what sounds like some alien folk music or some abstract 20th century experimentation, but even at its noisiest, or weirdest, the sound remains surprisingly melodic and dreamlike.
This is actually a 2008 reissue of a previous version, originally released in 2002, and tacks on a nearly 20 minute bonus track from another live collaboration the same year.
ONLY SIX COPIES IN STOCK, this is out of print, the label is no more, so once these are gone, they are gone forever.
MPEG Stream: "Bring Them"
MPEG Stream: "Man From Mu"

JENNINGS, WAYLON Early Outlaw (Fruit Tree) cd 15.98

JENNINGS, WAYLON Folk-Country (BMG) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

JENNINGS, WAYLON The Dark Side Of Fame (The Omni Recording Corporation) cd 17.98
Another awesome collection of lost unsung country from Omni, this time, a collection of tracks from country music legend Waylon Jennings, from a period in Jennings' career that most folks consider a low point, before he had busted out as an 'outlaw', a younger man, playing by the rules, just another cog in the Nashville country music machine, whose music, to many, was safe and predictable, constantly simply striving for a hit. This collection begs to differ, big time, gathering up a whole mess of Jennings' best tracks from the period, and while to be fair, the sounds are definitely different than what we're used to from this outlaw, a lot of these songs are pretty fantastic. If these tracks were recorded by any other country singer, no one would bat an eye, but the enduring power of the outlaw era to follow seems to have permanently tainted these songs, which is definitely a shame.
The title track is dark and ominous, with some sitar like buzz, and some awesomely cinematic strings, and of course Jennings nails "Delia's Gone", haunting and intense, complete with some cool creepy female backing vox, this whole collection is super cool, weird covers, strange instrumentation, fuzz guitars, more of that sitar like buzz, lush instrumentation, lots of pop, subtle psychedelia, he may have been trolling for a hit, but it seems like maybe he was still doing his own thing, even if it was a bit too subtle for most folks to notice.
Fans of any of the Omni reissues will dig this too, and Waylon obsessives might do well to give these tracks another try. As always with Omni, the cd comes with a massive booklet packed with tons of photos, liner notes, old album covers and all sorts of other Jennings ephemera.
MPEG Stream: "Don't Play The Game"
MPEG Stream: "MacArthur Park"
MPEG Stream: "The Chokin' Kind"
MPEG Stream: "Six Strings Away"
MPEG Stream: "Rock, Salt And Nails (With Lee Hazlewood)"

JENNINGS, WAYLON When Sin Stops (Masked Weasel) cd 14.98
This could be considered the runt of the litter in the trio of country reissues on Masked Weasel (the others being Willie Nelson and Buck Owens). It's not so much Waylon himself (as big a country songwriting/singing mensch as the others), but the material is definitely not Jennings at his zenith. Then again, it must be stated that these are all early, early Jennings tracks. His earliest. This one is still worth picking up if only for historical reasons -- to hear the earliest foundations of this seminal country artist. As one might deduce, being his earliest recordings, just about, if not all, of the tracks here are not from his pen. One of the best covers he does though is the opener "Crying" which is as heart felt as Orbison's version, but possibly bests it. The production is haunting and sounds as though Waylon is crooning to an empty auditorium. It's almost worth it to buy this disc for this track alone. Like the other two, this disc comes with great biographical notes from our pal Kurt Wolff (of the Rough Guide To Country Music fame).
MPEG Stream: "Crying"
MPEG Stream: "White Lightnin'"

JENNY PICCOLO Discography (Three One G) cd 14.98
Oh how we love Jenny Piccolo. They were screamo before there was such a thing. Before screamo meant big hair and eyeliner. Jenny Piccolo were a whirling white hot ball of furious grinding power-violence. A live set would be 20 minutes long and feature 40 songs, not to mention a mess of broken guitars, smashed drums, sweat, blood and utter chaos. This disc collects pretty much everything, including splits and comps, and is a head crushing ear splitting anvil to the back of the head. 30 second bursts of black hole grindmetal mayhem, super dense, ultra complex blasts of dizzying blurry hypergrind. So fucking furious and so goddamn AWESOME! You like the Locust? Pig Destroyer? Man Is The Bastard? Mohinder? Agoraphobic Nosebleed? Drop Dead? Crossed Out? And somehow you missed out on Jenny Piccolo? It's time to make things right.
52 songs. 36 minutes.
MPEG Stream: "Joined At The Brain"
MPEG Stream: "Six"
MPEG Stream: "Wood Breaking Manifesto"
MPEG Stream: "One Watt"
MPEG Stream: "Product Of Power"
MPEG Stream: "Purity Control"

JENSEN SPORTAG s/t (Midisport) cd 12.98
When we think of Nashville, maybe tweaked out art damaged techno is not the first thing that comes to mind. But lucky for us, some pretty fucked up and great damaged electronic pop IS in fact coming out of the country music capitol of the world, courtesy of Jensen Sportag. With cover art and guest vocals on a track by Ariel Pink you can begin to imagine what kind of wonderful weird world Jensen Sportag inhabits. And any link to the totally nuts Ariel Pink should give you an idea of what's in store. Citing influences from Sun City Girls to Autechre to R. Steevie Moore, this is most definitely outsider techno in all its warped glory. While electronic music is jam packed with way too many posers aiming to make the cleanest, the crispest, the dreamiest and the smoothest music around, it's so damn refreshing to hear someone remember that for the most part electronic music is best when it's cheap, sleazy and out of control!
MPEG Stream: "Graves"
MPEG Stream: "Ms Violet"
MPEG Stream: "Thundercover"

JENSSEN, GEIR Cho Oyu 8201m: Field Recordings From Tibet (Ash International) cd 15.98
Since the early '90s, the Norwegian electronic musician Geir Jenssen has dazzled his audience with an astute handling of rhythmically laced ambient electronica, working under the moniker Biosphere. For a while, it seemed that he might make the jump into more commercial ventures after he licensed one of Biosphere tracks for a Levi's commercial, acting as something of a precursor to the entrepreneurial spirit embodied by the likes of Moby, Air, and even Boards of Canada. But Jenssen quite literally had other mountains to climb instead of economic ones. In 2001, Jenssen ventured to Tibet to climb Cho Oyu, the 6th highest mountain in the world. Such a pursuit was not conducted out of blind ambition, for Jenssen is also an accomplished alpinist with the terrain of Norway proving to more than an adequate training ground for his quest.
Like any self-respecting electronic musician, Jenssen brought with him a mini-disc recorder and a set of microphones to collect field recordings. While the ensuing recordings have been billed as "Field Recordings From Tibet," Jenssen isn't entirely true to the field recording ethos, by grafting a handful of his environmental recordings onto rhythmic templates which could easily find their way onto one of his Biosphere records. As deft as Jenssen is with a skeletal loop and abstracted ambience, these tracks seems too refined and polished for the concept at hand: a brutally self-reflective journey to the top of the world. Jenssen's recordings work best when he merely filters out the unwanted frequencies from his recordings, leaving the details of the work to speak for themselves. Here, highlights include the bells from a yak caravan as their shepherd tries to lead them around the Himalayan mountains, and the shortwave radio recordings of air traffic controllers guiding aircraft through the turbulent winds of Tibet. Jenssen also manages to capture plenty of windswept soundscapes of that mountainous region.
This album is really quite good, although it pales slightly when compared to fellow Touch field recordist Chris Watson or lesser known environmental composers such as Tarab or Scott Smallwood. Still, some great listening...
MPEG Stream: "Zhangmu: Crossing A Landslide Area"
MPEG Stream: "Palung: A Yak Caravan Is Coming"
MPEG Stream: "Camp 1: Himalayan Nightflight"

JEPSON, WARNER Totentanz and Other Electronic Works, 1958 - 1973 (Melon Expander) cd 19.98

JERICHO JONES Junkies Monkeys and Donkeys (Akarma) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Late '60s Israeli psych rock group Churchill's is well liked here at AQ -- indeed, it's one of Windy's all time faves -- so we were quite curious about this Arkarma reissue by the band Jericho Jones, which was the hard rockin' '70s incarnation of the Churchill's line-up. Recorded in England, this is essentially the second Churchill's album, but with a new singer and a new name 'cause they didn't want to offend the Brits. And also, how could a record called "Junkies Monkeys and Donkeys" not be good? Released in 1972, it's very 'of the period', and pretty much what we expected. The Churchill's were into Led Zeppelin (they covered "Living Loving" after all), and this sort of bluesy hard rock psych is a logical progression of their pop psych sounds. "Junkies Monkeys and Donkeys" is nothing incredible, but manages to rock hard (they almost sound like Bad Company) as well as having mellower moments of melodic bliss. Some good songs, some forgettable ones. We'd say "get the Churchill's disc first" but we rarely are able to get it in stock (it's an Israeli import that's often unavailable, unfortunately).
RealAudio clip: "Man In The Crowd"
RealAudio clip: "Freedom"

JERMAN, JEPH Second Attention (Anomalous) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
After making Borbetomagus-like muscular free jazz in Blowhole and doing experimental tape manipulations as Hands To, Jeph Jerman has begun releasing work under his given name, to produce a primitive response to the technologically driven "lowercase sound" of minimalism (i.e. Bernhard Gunter, Steve Roden, Loren Chasse, etc.). While he has been known to use some amplification in his work, "Second Attention" is a piece of minimalist texturalism that is based solely upon how the microphone picks up Jerman's striations of natural objects. Pine cones, seed pods, shells, hollowed out drift wood, and carefully chosen rocks are scraped and tapped together to create a subtle field of pure texture. Difficult work to get into, but well worth the effort.
RealAudio clip: "selection 1"
RealAudio clip: "selection 2"