photos by Greg Cristman

Master Musicians of Bukkake @ Issue Project Room

Much like its inspiration, the Pan-devoted, beatnik-adored Master Musicians of Joujouka, the floating infinity conjured by the Master Musicians of Bukkake draws on a tradition that echoes across millennia. Around in various formations since 2003, the Seattle entity has coalesced into a seven-piece in time for its first East Coast performance, headlining a marathon tribute to avant-everything label Important Records in the Issue Project Room courtyard. MMoB's collaborative web includes psych-trance-ritual ecstatics from Earth, Sun City Girls and the free-improv world, which makes each new project a mutable feast of electronic drones, Buddhist temple bells, gamelan breakdowns, fuzz-box meditations, and innovations like "Rag-Dun Tibetan trumpet" and "leprosy synth." -[Time Out]

Despite the rain and subsequent relocation indoors, Important Records strutted like a peacock at Issue Project Room, showing off their roster with performances by headliner The Master Musicians of Bukkake, as well as Cave, Chord, Helena Espvall & Fursaxa, Kouhei Matsunaga, New Monuments, Duane Pitre, and Diane Cluck (no Ocean, unfortunately)).

More pics from the show are below...

Continue reading "Important Records showcased @ Issue Project Room - pics (Master Musicians of Bukkake, Chord, Cave & more) "

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Chord - "EbMaj9 (descent)" (MP3)

Chord (photo by Michael Rhodes)

Trevor de Brauw of Pelican will be at Issue Project Room in Brooklyn on August 15th with Chord, his "powerambient" project devoted to dissection of the riff. It's their only current tour date and part of the killer Important Records showcase that the band is now playing in support of their upcoming LP Progression. The record, due on Important in early November, is the follow-up to Flora which hit via Neurot Recordings in 2009.

For the new album three single-chord compositions were charted out, one freeform and tone driven, one long-form piece with charts dictating the players' intensity of performance, and one grid-like chart where each players' note continually shifts, though the combination of voices continue to maintain the chord... Six chords were chosen and arranged in a progression that encompasses two separate performances of each of the three compositions. Though the CD and LP share a similar internal structure and can be listened on their own, they are intended to be played concurrently, forming the full six chord arc of the total piece.

CD and LP tracklistings, as well as a video are below. Dig on the first CD track above.

Continue reading "Chord releasing 'Progression' (MP3), playing Important show"