Alga Marghen Record Label

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—01. Eliane Radigue’s Jouet Electronique.

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If I had to single out one record label that could do with a little praise for being as deeply underground as it is important to documenting overlooked 20th century music, it would have to be Alga Marghen. Renowned for releasing a wide range of historical obscurities, outsider artists and new music compositions, the Italian label has issued important works by David Behrman, Max Neuhaus, Hermann Nitsch, Charlemagne Palestine and Eliane Radigue, among others. Though hard to find in most local record shops, there are a number of online stores that stock a variety of Alga Marghen LPs – of which one of my personal favourites is shown above.

—Forced Exposure

Undercover 03816 T-Shirt

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—01. 100% cotton.

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Undercover’s Television pieces for Spring-Summer '15 created quite a stir when the collection was first shown last year, causing plenty of people to raise all kinds of grievances. Most seemed to call-out the large graphic treatments and liberal use of photos from their two album covers. I myself am a huge fan of Tom Verlaine and his fellow band members and feel they are far and away the strongest group associated with the late '70s NYC punk venue CBGB. For me, this T-shirt, while very pricey, uses all the right Marquee Moon references, making it just about the best one you can find for a band with an absolutely sterling output.

—Available from Union

H.Usui – Sings The Blues

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—01. LP and CD.

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If Hiroyuki Usui’s latest record, Sings The Blues, shares any similarities with Holy Letters, his previous album of spare, haunting blues experimentalism released under the moniker L, it is destined to be one of my new favourites. It was put out by the genre-defining label VHF early last year, and it is recommended to fans of Loren Connors, Jandek and Six Organs of Admittance. What I have heard in my minimal sampling so far is very promising, but ultimately I am saving myself for one revelatory, all-encompassing first listen.

—VHF Records

Nick Klein – Failed Devotee

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—01. Available on 12-inch vinyl.
—02. Limited release.

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Nick Klein is a large figure in the Brooklyn noise community, but his new record on the Unknown Precept label should finally start to earn him serious recognition the world over. While Nick's music is certainly noisy, it still packs more than enough rhythmic wallop to get your head banging. This sets it apart from the vast majority of noise records, as this 12-inch absolutely devastates in clubs, something I can personally attest to. The sonics are brutal but often possess an almost triumphant synth section that sounds like it was recorded live in a church, as opposed to being the result of turning nobs in his studio. 

—Available from Other Music

Men of Bissao – The Shadows Bleed Here and Follow Us Here

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—01. Cassette cover.
—02. Released on Nostilevo.

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Nostilevo is one of those rare labels that only attaches its name to mesmerizing music. This tape from Men of Bissao is no different, it's shadowy hellscapes clawing at your inner ear, while simultaneously appealing for a human touch. Their name also references and condemns the violence of slavery, adding an element of conscience in a genre where bands frequently try to use unsavory historical references to shock audiences.

—Available from Nostilevo

Jon Gibson – Visitations LP on Superior Viaduct

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—01. First-time vinyl reissue.

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Superior Viaduct, which turned up on my radar last year, are making available some of the most unique and diverse albums from multiple genres. In spite of their consistently eclectic output of reissues, seeing an upcoming LP release from the experimentalist Jon Gibson still made me do a double take. The label write-up explains, "Visitations, Gibson's first release under his own name, originally appeared on the Chatham Square imprint in 1973. Inspired by the books of Carlos Castaneda, Gibson departs from the structured repetition of his minimalist peers and takes the listener on an aural journey—spanning organic field recordings, ambient flutes and synthesizers, and free-flowing textures. Visitations' two side-long tracks are at once solemn and unsettling, making this an astonishing debut that firmly establishes (the artist) as a pioneer in his own right.”

—Superior Viaduct

Blowing Up The Workshop T-Shirt

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—01. Design by Elyn Middleton.
—02. Hand-stamped logo.

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Blowing Up The Workshop has grown to be one of the best and most respected mix series on the internet, featuring a who's who of the most vital names in left field electronic music. After you're undoubtably swayed by the Shawn O'Sullivan, Siobahn or Helm mixes, make sure to support by buying one of their beautiful new T-shirts. It looks to me like some kind of Issey Miyake-inspired collage, but whatever it is, it looks great.

—Available from Blowing Up The Workshop

Contemporary Art Gallery presents Nurse

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Contemporary Art Gallery
555 Nelson Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 6R5
Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26, 12-6pm

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Nurse describe themselves as "a group of tonal alchemists that intend to create free improvisational music" and this weekend they'll be performing at Vancouver's Contemporary Art Gallery. Over two six-hour peregrinations on Saturday and Sunday, the minimal drone band will be exploring the ebb and flow of their improvised sounds, playing off one-another in a transformative journey of calming reverberation.

—Contemporary Art Gallery
—SoundCloud: Nurse