The Baijkonour Ghost - S/T

Whoa, this is a really heavy tape. Totally caught me off guard, particularly coming from the Cosmic Winnetou imprint of serene modular synth wizard Günter Schlienz. This self-titled release from The Baijkonour Ghost, is a loud, monolithic, swirl of guitar drone. Sometimes haunting and mysterious, at other times dark and menacing, and still others uplifting and spaced out. The type of release I typically associate with the Mid Western titans of the drone tape scene. The four piece outfit makes use of every bit of the c64 length, creating progression within each track, and over the entire work. For me, the standout closer, The Prince Of Whales, combines all elements of the tape, in a blackened overwhelming tide of frantic riffage. Feels like the soundtrack to the eye of the storm.

Available in an edition of just 80 hand numbered copies direct from Cosmic Winnetou. I suggest you move quickly, the rest of the new batch is already sold out.

Hering Und Seine Sieben Sachen - On Kwas

Heads up on a pair of delightfully contradictory releases in the second batch from Cosmic Winnetou.

First up, (see below for the second) is a challenging and charming sonic melting pot from Hering Und Seine Sieben Sachen, with On Kwas. There’s a calculated randomness to this that I particularly enjoy. Elements seem carefully selected for their lack of cohesion, and still play as complimentary. From the opening static driven pop structure, to the bubbling lava flows of garbled spoken sound, to the spiraling whirlwind of ragged drone, to it’s eventual resting place as a piece of windswept ambience, the front side translates into a bizarre and enjoyable confusion. With hardly a single intelligible word, a strongly identifiable narrative thread seems to run throughout the tape, driven only by the incredible editors’ eye carefully selecting each tone, timbre, and texture. Vivid stuff, really nice.

Strange and wonderful collage artwork printed in black and white. Pro dubbed, hand numbered edition of just fifty copies. Grab direct from Cosmic Winnetou (quickly, down to just a few copies).

Mark Bradley - Offerings

The second, (see above for the first) in a forward march of magnetic mind expansion from Cosmic Winnetou, comes in the form of Offerings from Mark Bradley. Clean, melodic modular synth work. Subtle shifts between the brief and numerous tracks create an incredibly unified aesthetic where things sound similar, and yet continue to surprise. I imagine the individual songs as winds blowing through autumn leaves clinging desperately to their branches. While fundamentally the same, with each separate moment, new leaves twist and reveal their shapes and colors, and then change again. A single action, yet unique and beautiful differences. I’ve enjoyed several of Bradley’s works this year, notably his output on Goldtimers, and I count this as the finest I’ve yet heard yet.

Edition of fifty, hand numbered, white shell tape, pretty much awesome. Unfortunately, this one is sold out at the source, but can still be ordered at the wonderful 905 Tapes.