Released: A SACRED CLOUD

You can now pruchase the limited edition cassette release of A SACRED CLOUD‘s album ENSOLEILLÉ, 1972 via our Bandcamp site. Officially released on September 7th at the Sonic Boom Cassette Store Day Fair.

A Sacred Cloud is the Montreal based experimental electronic/guitar/drone/ambient/noise duo of Maggie Cho and Johnathan Woo. The album was mastered by Sandro Perri. Vinyl LP edition will be released by Jeunesse Cosmique in November.

Order via Bandcamp or check out the sounds below and be prepared to drift into a the ecstatically bleak retro-futurist android sheep daydreams of Vangelis-in-hell on a cloud that’s only silver linings.

IN DECLINE: Cassette Store Day Exclusive

The iconic Sonic Boom record store in Toronto is celebrating the first ever “Cassette Store Day” by hosting a CASSETTE FAIR on September 7th, 2013.

Tape and micro labels from across the city (and beyond) are participating, including Arachnidiscs Recordings. As it happens, we’re coming up on our 100th release and wanted to do something special for the auspicious serial number AD100. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to do a retrospective compilation covering material from some of our long out-of-print titles.

The result is IN DECLINE SINCE ’99.

A limited run of 10 home-dubbed C60 tapes (in a choice of two colours) will be available EXCLUSIVELY at the cassette fair. It compiles 17 tracks pulled from previous compilations and releases since the label was forged in 1999. Featured artists include Gown, Amarillo Stars (pre-Gown project), Partli Cloudi, Cellar Doors (pre-Elfin Saddles project), Apollo Ghosts (rare early track), New Yaki (collaboration between Gown, Partli Cloudi and Moonwood), Flatbed (brutal west-coast noise rock), Early Man, Everything For Everyone (Crusties/Down With Everything related), and more.

The best part? These puppies are going to be FREE with purchase of any Arachnidiscs tape at our table (or at cost for $2).

The best part, that is, aside from the music, of course.

Another unexpected boon of this project was the experience duping the tapes by hand. I hadn’t done that since the ’90s, before I started Arachnidiscs (with the advent of CD-R). There’s something truly satisfying about home dubbing, a real sense of accomplishment, a real connection to the release I’d forgotten about (even though most of our packaging is done by hand, the tapes and CDs are pro-duped). Folding the inserts and stickering the tapes, sliding them neatly in the box… it’s a real zen zone. A completely different experience than having a case of completed tapes arrive on your doorstep and it reminded me why I wanted to run a label in the first place.

Not that I’d want to dub a run much larger than ten by hand. So I highly recommend, if you’re able in the Toronto area, you make it down to Sonic Boom (795 Bathurst St) on September 7th (noon til five) to get a copy, There will not be a second run.

New TRANZMIT Bandcamp Site

BABEL subsidiary TRANZMIT has a new dedicated web presence of its own. TRANZMIT focuses on sound collage, live radio sampling, musique concrete, industrial, audio manipulation, ambient noise, urban field recordings, and the like. Uneasy listening, dark-ambient, dystopian soundscapes.

The Bandcamp site features the definitive mixes of all the TRANZMIT sessions since 1997  in 8 albums.

Check it out HERE.

Also, listen to a brand new track: NACHTANGST

UPCOMING: BABEL/TRANZMIT will be featured on an Arachnidiscs split-cassette with ROSS BAKER early this fall.

Arachnidiscs Dispatches sign-up

 

If you’d like to receive (probably infrequent) updates on Arachnidiscs Recordings new releases and whatnot, please add yourself to our ARACHNIDISCS DISPATCHES list.  We’re going to try out the Mail Chimp service so…

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SEMEN PRIEST RELEASED

C40 // w/DOWNLOAD // $6.66 (CAD +$3.34 int’l shipping)

CLICK HERE TO ORDER (Direct Paypal link)

Or HERE w/instant DL (Bandcamp)

Electro-funk, post-punk dystopian dub nightmares. Chilled psychedelic pop daydreams. Futuristic streams of anime unconsciousness. Gothic bubblegum doom fantasies. Romance. Violence. Action. Wealth. Decay.

SEMEN PRIEST came to our attention when we received a demo package, mailed from somewhere in Canada, containing a blood-filled condom and a vaguely threatening letter (“You should do our tape. xoxo Semen Priest. PS- We know where you live.”). Easily the most unusual demo-package the label has ever received (full story HERE), the CD-R of SEMEN PRIEST’s album that accompanied it prompted us to sign the band instead of notifying the RCMP. Even if we still don’t know who they are. Worst case scenario: Doing a run of pretty awesome cassettes is relatively inexpensive way to ensure your house doesn’t get burned down.