ROUGH!
Meeuw Muzak 041
Pampidoo: Ghetto Rock
b/w Tapes: Brain Hunger Riddim
7" single
Man called Tapes tearing up the mixing desk once again, hard on the heels of his Vernon Maytone winner. This is another triumph – careering, hot and mental. Pampidoo does Tiger. ROUGH!
Available from Honest Jon's
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out now
Meeuw Muzak 038
Chris Imler: Vorwärts
b/w Tanzen
7" single
Chris Imler returns here on a 7" with a straightforward appellation to his new one-man bang-gang: IMLER. This new waxing on the Meeuw Muzak label brings us a spirited pair of ear-jingling primeval drumtasms, the first a jerry-rigged version of the Chris Montez classic Let's Dance and his own "sci-fi romanticist socialist anthem" Vorwärts on the flipside. ThereÕs a lot of kinetic energy here, everything being recorded live with a rhythmatist's ear for a chugging beat and waves of delayed gratification. Classic trembling Teutonic disco-punk, to my tea-curled ears at least. There's a similar-but-different dark narcotic tease to Vorwarts, which kind of shimmies in front of your nodding head like a cold war stripper. Again, maybe thatÕs just me. Something to do with smashing atoms anyway. Two thick slabs of propulsive, edgy sleaze. Use it to lose it.
Dodgy drummer Chris Imler, infamously involved in Spankings and Golden Showers (these are groups) has also previously been associated with work with Puppet Mastaz, Peaches, Namosh, Electronicat as well as being one half of the Driver&Driver duo with Patric Catani, with whom he has toured the world and recently released a double album entitled We Are The World, funnily enough. This year he has also played drums for Soffy O, Die Türen and for Stereo Total in a theatre play. This is not to mention a detour into fine arts with a sound installation with Patric Catani for the Robert Wilson Institute in New York, as well as numerous remixes. (Pete Um)
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Meeuw Muzak 039
Max Goldt / Felix Kubin / Mark Boombastik: Fog Frog
b/w Max Goldt: Ladies Ladies
7" single
“The future is female”, announces the well-known homosexual ironist Max Goldt here (on Ladies Ladies) speaking in 1983, long before getting married to a woman and thereby exhibiting a confounding yet admirable internal consistency. This finely-tuned sense of amibiguity will be familiar to those who have followed Goldt's work as a musician and then an author since the late 70s. He is of course also a noted columnist in the German-speaking world. Here on this record his lyrics and vocals are filleted from the historical timeline for a reconstitution involving the various talents of Mr Kubin and Mr. Boombastik.
Mark Boombastik: musician, singer, DJ and human beatboxer par excellence – giving the frogs something to hop to here on Fog Frog.
Felix Kubin: Ubiquitous celebrity in an alternative universe, but in ours a nebulous presence in the musical underground since the heyday of the Neue Deutsche Welle. A self-professed dadaist, one shouldn't try and linger too long on a definition for Felix.
He is, however, the wicked svengali whose tendrils traverse time and space to tickle this record into existence, because Side B's Ladies Ladies, as previously mentioned, is actually a post-feminist pre-ejaculation from way back when, here recently gently re-agitated in the Kubin studio. The 2003 “too-Neubauten” mix (involving electric heater percussion) of Fog Frog has been updated to a more judiciously organized final version, whilst still retaining the original tipsy-sounding recording of the famously discerning Mr Goldt in his hotel room. Aged like a fine wine, perhaps. Indeed the thin pining sounds come from a Fellini-inspired choir of wine-filled glasses. So, the old ladies meet the new frog princes and off they go. Here is the transformation. (Pete Um)
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out now
Meeuw Muzak 040
The Pitchshifters*
Goshen b/w 828
7" single
The Pitchshifters strike again! One man cheap keyboard phenomena from Japan. Goshen is very nostalgic and sad and includes some tapework at the beginning. 828 has a somewhat off-kilter and overactive drum machine and is much more in the 'happy' mode. All cheap sounding, all of the time. Can The World stop The Pitchshifters? (Scott Foust, Swill Radio)
Meeuw Muzak is less active these days, or so it seems, but I still cherish their releases. Hideto Aso is The Pitchshifters, who did a CDR back in 2003, of which Meeuw did a 7" before, using two tracks from that release, see also Vital Weekly 594. On this new 7" we have one old track, '828' and a new one, 'Goshen'. The old piece sounds like the previous release: loud lo-fi keyboards and wacky drum machine keeping a strange time measure to hold things together. This one, unlike the previous, is less sad, even lively perhaps, despite the loudness. 'Goshen', the new a-side, is a more introspective piece, almost ambient in approach and it seems that Aso got some new equipment and the new music is almost mellow in approach. 'Goshen' is a lovely little track, almost like a love song. Excellent stuff. (Frans de Waard, Vital Weekly)
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the original record in a new cover
available now
Meeuw Muzak 010
Atsushi Tominaga
056
7" single
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coming soon
Meeuw Muzak 038
Chris Imler
Vorwärts b/w Let's dance
7" single
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2nd edition (gone)
Meeuw Muzak 035
Titmachine
I wanna be your dog b/w Schneller
7" single
If you'd have asked me yesterday if I needed to hear another cover of the Stooges 'Wanna be your dog", the NO would've resonated like one of them Alps yodeller's in the Riccola commercial. But after hearin Titmachine's version of said overdone classic, I's liked to have choked to death on my cough drop. A tremendous neanderthalic, witchy all-fem DIY sucker punch right between the eyes of any of the greatest punk primitief classics you can name, right up there w/ Kleenex & Manisch Depressiv. I'd have pegged'em as Swiss too, but they's Dutch & much like their infamous elm disease, Titmaster is more than capable of complete devastation. The B-side a wondrous mess as well & I am goin to the front of the line to wait impatiently for their next amazing release. C'mon, let's have it! NOW! (Tom Lax, Siltblog)
The joyously eclectic Meeuw Muzak's latest pleasure is this little slab featuring an all girl no wave quartet which I gather draws members from Germany, Holland and the USA. Labeled only "Left" and "Right", the A side reveals itself to be a cover of Stooges "I Wanna Be Your Dog". Pounded out in a steady rhythm with vocals that are practically chanted, it comes off like The Fall in their early prime. The flip side is a quick blast of spoken German that rallies up into all the racket keyboards, guitar, bass and drums can muster. Quick and dirty like too many things aren't these days. (Eric Lanzilotta, Bixobal)
Titmachine’s cover of ‘I Wanna be Your Dog’ is a death-head of a cover, a radioactive beast guided by radar vibrations of green goo advancing in your direction, simultaneously falling to pieces and indestructible, sick with the mechanic lunacy of The Normal, strapped with a bandolier of explosives mercilessly precipitating towards detonation like some doomed version of Robby the Robot built by a feral pack of Dutch No Wave gal commandoes with the attitude of the Mo-Dettes bike-chain toting latino gang sisters, that beeping you hear is a measure approximating your distance to final dissolution, a racket which steps with purity of intent inside the white-heat twilight zone of nihilism infecting the immortal original. (20 Jazz Funk Greats)
Totally fantastic 7” in a classy sleeve from this all-girl idiot-avant garage group from the Netherlands. One side presents the all-time best cover of The Stooges “I Wanna Be Your Dog” (I know, but you gotta hear it) that crosses Shaggs/Suckdog style stumble-punk moves with the kind of holy goof-off modernist appeal of Index tackling “Eight Miles High” while the flip is a torrential amphetamine spike that is as disobedient as early Germs and kinda approximates what you always thought STP were gonna sound like in the wake of Julia Cafritz’s “HC Rebellion” on the first Pussy Galore LP. Forthcoming single on Siltbreeze too – highly recommended. (Volcanic Tongue)
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hot! hot! hot!
Meeuw Muzak 031
Mark Boombastik
Plastik lieb b/w Hoffnung
7" single
Mr. Boombastik is apparently the world's #1 experimental human beatbox. I wouldn't have guessed that from the sound of these two tracks, but I believe it. Plastik Lieb sounds a lot like Sex Unter Wasser-era DAF and I mean that as a compliment. The B side is a very odd, but also funny piece of music. Excellent Meeuw release. Mesmerizing cover. The legend lives on. Fantastik, Boombastik! (The extra 'k' is an extra kiss.) (Scott Foust, Swill Radio)
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"I like you to be you"
Jack The Rapper
1946–2010
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still hot
Meeuw Muzak 037
Stefanie Ressin: 3 Wishes
b/w Asmus Tietchens: Salto Rückwärts
7" single
Split 7” of a cover of a Klaus Nomi song by Stefanie Ressin and a ‘version’ by Asmus Tietchens. Just like an old 12” disco 45. I was never into Klaus Nomi’s music that much as I found it a bit silly, but I thought his persona and voice were great. The A side is a fun synth-heavy pop number that would sound great in a club. This version is more minimal and NDW style than the original and all the better for it. The Tietchens version puts the song through the Asmus-izer and it becomes quite twisted up by the end. Another champion from the king of singles labels, Meeuw. (Scott Foust, Swill Radio)
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still hot
Meeuw Muzak 036
Norbert Möslang / Ralf Wehowsky
Einschlagskrater
7" single
Norbert and Ralf! Together at last! This 7" is just what you'd expect from these two. Unrecognizable splashes of sound coloured subterranean. The submarine cello bit at the end of side two is particularly effective. Meeuw continues to be the 7" champion of the world. (Scott Foust, Swill Radio)
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still hot
Meeuw Muzak 034
Ditterich von Euler-Donnersperg
O Du Fröhliche b/w O Tannenbaum Dub
7" single
I almost cried.
(Jim Goodall)
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still hot
Meeuw Muzak 033
The Pitchshifters
7" single
Very good single!
(Dennis Tyfus)
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still hot
Tom Recchion
Where were you on Christmas? b/w A Christmas filled with tears
Meeuw Muzak 032
7" single
Some strict editing certainly worked well on Tom Recchion contribution to what I call the darkest days of the year, or at least the most boring days. Like Mister Meeuw I don't like Christmas very much, but it's a fine day to play all your alternative tunes and avoid 'Last Christmas' and Mister Meeuw adds every year a new tune. Tom Recchion puts on his mood tune hat, and digs for some gospel preacher preaching where you were on christmas. The b-side has an even more sorrowful tune from a guy who lost his father and now he is all alone. Both pieces are precise and to the point. Let the season begin!
(Frans de Waard, Vital Weekly)
Absolutely dreadful collaged lounge music with movie voices or something on top. It sounds like a really dumb version of Byrne and Eno, which came out 25+ years ago. Why doesn't anyone care about the future anymore? I don't think I have ever heard anything by any LAFMS that wasn't pretty stupid. No exceptions here. (Scott Foust, Swill Radio)
Tom Recchion has been a artist/composer/art director in Southern California since the 1970’s. He is the co-creator of the legendary Los Angeles Free Music Society (LAFMS). At the time he discarded object making (though he employs it now) and concentrated on the ephemeral nature of sound. His early practice in low-tech sonic exploration presaged many of the genres exciting developments of the last quarter century: record manipulation, live tape loops, free improvisation, found and invented instruments, installation, and more. In the LAFMS his group The Doo-Dooettes became one of the 3 anchor points for the collectives endeavors as well as playing in AIRWAY, and many other groupings of the collective. He’s collaborated with Half Japanese, Jad Fair, David Toop, Christian Marclay, Mark Trayle, Oren Ambarchi, Keiji Haino, Max Eastley, to name a few, as well as plays in the improvisational group Extended Organ (Paul McCarthy, Joe Potts, Fredrik Nilsen and Mike Kelley). He’s remixed for The Electric Company, Sun and Jim Thirwell. He also occasionally writes for Wire magazine and has many recordings released. The solo releases 'Freak Show' (cassette only), 'Chaotica', 'I Love My Organ' and 'Soundtracks To A Color: Gold & Black' (which accompanied a large scale installation), were released in 2004. In 2006 a new solo CD came out in Italy on Giuseppe Ielasi’s Schoolmap label as their innagural release and a Christmas 7” single was recently released by Meeuw Muzak. His work has led him to many fruitful collaborations with film makers such as Janie Gieser. The result of which ended up being selected in the New York Film Festival of 1999 & Kirby Dick, as well as video artists Bruce & Norman Yonemoto and Branda Miller and has done work for the theatre, dance and performance artists. He has recordings on Birdman, Touch, PSF, RRR, Pinokoteka, Barooni, Sub Rosa, Idea, Staubgold, sound. and the Cortical Foundation. He was awarded a 2004 COLA Fellowship in the visual arts. In the summer of 2004 he was awarded Best New Genre/Uncatagorizable Artists by the LA Weekly Music Critics Poll. MOCA commissioned him to design and produce a listening room in support of their current exhibition 'A Minimal Future?' which lead to the production of a 6 hour DVD survey overview of minimal musicians and curated 3 concerts which helped give birth to MOCA’s Immersion Concert series curated along with Robert Crouch. He is developing a collaboration with monologist David Greenberger, another with sound artist John Weise. His most recent work was part of MOCA’s Visual Music exhibitions concert series, ‘See Hear Now!’ is an improvisation of sound and image with artist, filmmaker Jonathon Rosen. He also just completed work with film maker/puppeteer Janie Geiser on a theatre piece called “Invisible Glass” for Cal Arts that made it’s premier in April at the Redcat. Afterwards he participated in SASSAS’ summer sound. series in an evening of film makers and composers where he premiered 3 older video and film works from the 1970’s that had never been show. Following that he has performed with the ROVA Saxaphone Quartet along with Fred Frith, Nels Cline and Mark Trayle performing a version of John Coltrane’s 'Ascension' also at the Redcat. He is also a recipient of a Pasadena Cultural Arts grant for visual artists for which he will release a project called ‘78’, which is a 78rpm vinly 10” LP that will be ciculated in pubic spaces. Most recently he performed at the Getty Museum. As an art director/graphic designer Recchion has created CD packages for Robert Wyatt, Terry Riley, Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band, David Lynch & Julee Cruise, Los Lobos, Prince, Alanis Morrisette, The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson & Van Dyke Parks, Hermann Nitsch, TamTam Books and many others and a quartet of Grammy Nominations for Packaging Design.
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Hit the road Jack!
On August 15, 2006, Jack The Rapper performed for the last time in Belgium.
Jack and his family have moved to Australia.
Jack's prize winning video 'Café au Chocolat' is now online.
You can see it here.
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still hot
Die Christmaskameraden
Christmas Time b/w You are Father Christmas. Accept it
We have waited one year long and now it's finally here. Die Christmaskameraden are ringing your bell. You are Father Christmas.
Die Christmaskameraden are Tim Berresheim and Jonathan Meese. This is their so maniest record but the first to appear on a label other than their own New Amerika.
Meeuw Muzak 030
7" single
The label with the strongest tradition in releasing Christmas 7"s is no doubt Meeuw Muzak. Not because he likes Christmas very much, but he likes to sit at home and play his releases during that day. Die Christmaskameraden is probabely an one-off project by Jonathan Meese and Tim Berresheim, both well-known visual artists from Germany. Meese has a wide fascination for anything from Wagner to Stalin, and Ezra Pound to Rasputin. On this 7" they play synth, glockenspiel and sing about father christmas and even have a sort of disco rhythm on the second side, which could be seen as the extended dance remix. 'We are father Christmas, you are father Christmas' they sing. After the RLW and Tietchens, this is certainly much more weirder and way-out then those and is a most curious record indeed. Play this for your family on boxing day and disapproval will be your share. (Frans de Waard, Vital Weekly)
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still warm (and out of print)
Felix Kubin
Antarktis Slow Rock b/w Shakin’ Tundra (explicit mix)
Felix Kubin’s first single with a new version and new artwork
Meeuw Muzak 009
7” single
2nd edition
This record by Whirlwind Wizard of the Ivories, Felix Kubin, is a testament to why he actually became famous for his organ technique at health resorts in Baderstreick in what was once the Kingdom of Czechoslovakia. Various command performances for Middle Eastern despots, misled and misleading Eastern guru-types wit de beard and members of European royalty were not enough, it seems, to save him from becoming ensnared by a number of dubious occult and satanic organizations, where he had to whip it out on his much-beloved organ until a qualified solicitor and a brief sojourn in psychic rehab rescued him from a death worse than life. Now he spends his time acting as telepathic channel for space pioneer Urine Gagarin, who directs Felix and his organ from beyond the grave (he dead then?), compelling him to produce works like these. Meeuw Muzak have taken me quite by surprise with this 45RPM 7". Music for the not-quite-right-in-the-head types. I can't help wondering just how long it would take for a swarm of remixers to gather to beat their batter if more of this were released.
(Mark Poysden, Vital Weekly, 1997)
Hey, didn't we review this before? Yes, we did, in Vital Weekly 133 to be precise. But it had some mistakes: the a-side was not called 'Antarktis Flow' but 'Antartkis Slow Rock' and in the review a and b side were switched. This was the first release, in 1997 by a man named Felix Kubin, before stepping into the world of fame. So riding on this fame it's been re-issued with a new mix of the original b-side. The a-side is indeed a slow, rock-rhythm box piece, with nicely humming organ lines, a sweet little melody. A quasi eastern-Europe feel comes to live in the form of wind blowing over the tundra. And tundra's shaking ahead on the flipside, via a casio rhythm and a more up-tempo song. Here to similar eastern Europe feelings float by, in what is a very joyful and up-tempo song. Great to have it back in print.
(Frans de Waard, Vital Weekly, 2005)
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also still warm (and out of print)
Felix Kubin feat. Mark Boombastik a.k.a. D Großmutter
I Hate Art Galleries b/w Stelle am Mund
Meeuw Muzak 026
7” single, pink vinyl
2nd edition
side A: I Hate Art Galleries
Felix Kubin – organ, MS20
Mark Boombastik – vocal
Lucile Desamory – backing vocal
Klaus Oldanburg – backing vocal
recorded 01.03.03 at Galerie Van Gelder, Amsterdam
thank you: Helgi Thorsson, Magga Gudmundsdottir, Galerie Van Gelder
side B: Stelle am Mund
Felix Kubin – MS20, vocal
Mark Boombastik – human beatbox, vocal
cover: Albert Oehlen
Die Muzak-Barone mit ihrem unbarmherzig guten Geschmack und ihren bösen Scherzen sind nur schwer zu schlagen. An diesem raren Gegenstand, der von MC Albert Oehlen (Mister Leiterwagen Records) aufwendig »gestaltet« oder verpackt wurde (in etwa wie fette Fish and Chips), sind ein paar Genies des Genres beteiligt. Wenn Sie nicht wollen, müssen Sie die Schallplatte nicht einmal hören, das tut der starken Wirkung des Objekts (Kunst?) keinen Abbruch. Die Seven-Inch selbst hat eine Farbe, die mir auch bei Druckern bisher noch nicht untergekommen ist (etwas zwischen altem, vergammelten Erdbeer und dem billigen, dunklen Purpur der Lippenstifte von Großmüttern nach einer Packung Mentholzigaretten zu langweiligem Rosé). Erwarten Sie ja nicht, dass ich über die Musik (Noise) auf dieser Platte auch nur ein Wort verliere, ich hüte dieses Geheimnis, damit Sie ebenfalls Ihren Spaß haben. Ich könnte jetzt natürlich mein krankes Hirn anstrengen und mindestens zehn Personen auf der ganzen Welt nennen, die sich auf diese Veröffentlichung gestürzt haben, aber da sie mir vom wunderbaren Sebastian Reier (Stora) auf noch wunderbarere Art geschickt worden ist, weiß ich, dass sich die Neuigkeit in Windeseile verbreitet. Kaufen Sie das gute Stück oder verlassen Sie unverzüglich den Raum! PS: Ich habe nicht die leiseste Ahnung, wo Sie diese Single auftreiben könnten, das müssen Sie schon selbst herausfinden! (Noël Akchoté, Skug / Übersetzung: Friederike Kulcsar)
Two heavily touted, up and coming superstars on one 7"! Value! The A side is two guys yelling 'I hate art galleries' over and over, over a minimal synth and drumbox. The B side is a superb NDW style song. The future of music? I don't really think so, but it would be a lot better than what we have now. I Remain Optimistic, Boombastik. (Scott Foust, Swill Radio)
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The T.Raumschmiere remix of ‘Stelle am Mund’ is on the 'Dark Side of the Pudel' 12".
Released by Pudel Podukte
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Meeuw Muzak 041
Pampidoo: Ghetto Rock
b/w Tapes: Brain Hunger Riddim
7" single
Man called Tapes tearing up the mixing desk once again, hard on the heels of his Vernon Maytone winner. This is another triumph – careering, hot and mental. Pampidoo does Tiger. ROUGH!
Available from Honest Jon's
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out now
Meeuw Muzak 038
Chris Imler: Vorwärts
b/w Tanzen
7" single
Chris Imler returns here on a 7" with a straightforward appellation to his new one-man bang-gang: IMLER. This new waxing on the Meeuw Muzak label brings us a spirited pair of ear-jingling primeval drumtasms, the first a jerry-rigged version of the Chris Montez classic Let's Dance and his own "sci-fi romanticist socialist anthem" Vorwärts on the flipside. ThereÕs a lot of kinetic energy here, everything being recorded live with a rhythmatist's ear for a chugging beat and waves of delayed gratification. Classic trembling Teutonic disco-punk, to my tea-curled ears at least. There's a similar-but-different dark narcotic tease to Vorwarts, which kind of shimmies in front of your nodding head like a cold war stripper. Again, maybe thatÕs just me. Something to do with smashing atoms anyway. Two thick slabs of propulsive, edgy sleaze. Use it to lose it.
Dodgy drummer Chris Imler, infamously involved in Spankings and Golden Showers (these are groups) has also previously been associated with work with Puppet Mastaz, Peaches, Namosh, Electronicat as well as being one half of the Driver&Driver duo with Patric Catani, with whom he has toured the world and recently released a double album entitled We Are The World, funnily enough. This year he has also played drums for Soffy O, Die Türen and for Stereo Total in a theatre play. This is not to mention a detour into fine arts with a sound installation with Patric Catani for the Robert Wilson Institute in New York, as well as numerous remixes. (Pete Um)
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Meeuw Muzak 039
Max Goldt / Felix Kubin / Mark Boombastik: Fog Frog
b/w Max Goldt: Ladies Ladies
7" single
“The future is female”, announces the well-known homosexual ironist Max Goldt here (on Ladies Ladies) speaking in 1983, long before getting married to a woman and thereby exhibiting a confounding yet admirable internal consistency. This finely-tuned sense of amibiguity will be familiar to those who have followed Goldt's work as a musician and then an author since the late 70s. He is of course also a noted columnist in the German-speaking world. Here on this record his lyrics and vocals are filleted from the historical timeline for a reconstitution involving the various talents of Mr Kubin and Mr. Boombastik.
Mark Boombastik: musician, singer, DJ and human beatboxer par excellence – giving the frogs something to hop to here on Fog Frog.
Felix Kubin: Ubiquitous celebrity in an alternative universe, but in ours a nebulous presence in the musical underground since the heyday of the Neue Deutsche Welle. A self-professed dadaist, one shouldn't try and linger too long on a definition for Felix.
He is, however, the wicked svengali whose tendrils traverse time and space to tickle this record into existence, because Side B's Ladies Ladies, as previously mentioned, is actually a post-feminist pre-ejaculation from way back when, here recently gently re-agitated in the Kubin studio. The 2003 “too-Neubauten” mix (involving electric heater percussion) of Fog Frog has been updated to a more judiciously organized final version, whilst still retaining the original tipsy-sounding recording of the famously discerning Mr Goldt in his hotel room. Aged like a fine wine, perhaps. Indeed the thin pining sounds come from a Fellini-inspired choir of wine-filled glasses. So, the old ladies meet the new frog princes and off they go. Here is the transformation. (Pete Um)
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out now
Meeuw Muzak 040
The Pitchshifters*
Goshen b/w 828
7" single
The Pitchshifters strike again! One man cheap keyboard phenomena from Japan. Goshen is very nostalgic and sad and includes some tapework at the beginning. 828 has a somewhat off-kilter and overactive drum machine and is much more in the 'happy' mode. All cheap sounding, all of the time. Can The World stop The Pitchshifters? (Scott Foust, Swill Radio)
Meeuw Muzak is less active these days, or so it seems, but I still cherish their releases. Hideto Aso is The Pitchshifters, who did a CDR back in 2003, of which Meeuw did a 7" before, using two tracks from that release, see also Vital Weekly 594. On this new 7" we have one old track, '828' and a new one, 'Goshen'. The old piece sounds like the previous release: loud lo-fi keyboards and wacky drum machine keeping a strange time measure to hold things together. This one, unlike the previous, is less sad, even lively perhaps, despite the loudness. 'Goshen', the new a-side, is a more introspective piece, almost ambient in approach and it seems that Aso got some new equipment and the new music is almost mellow in approach. 'Goshen' is a lovely little track, almost like a love song. Excellent stuff. (Frans de Waard, Vital Weekly)
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the original record in a new cover
available now
Meeuw Muzak 010
Atsushi Tominaga
056
7" single
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coming soon
Meeuw Muzak 038
Chris Imler
Vorwärts b/w Let's dance
7" single
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2nd edition (gone)
Meeuw Muzak 035
Titmachine
I wanna be your dog b/w Schneller
7" single
If you'd have asked me yesterday if I needed to hear another cover of the Stooges 'Wanna be your dog", the NO would've resonated like one of them Alps yodeller's in the Riccola commercial. But after hearin Titmachine's version of said overdone classic, I's liked to have choked to death on my cough drop. A tremendous neanderthalic, witchy all-fem DIY sucker punch right between the eyes of any of the greatest punk primitief classics you can name, right up there w/ Kleenex & Manisch Depressiv. I'd have pegged'em as Swiss too, but they's Dutch & much like their infamous elm disease, Titmaster is more than capable of complete devastation. The B-side a wondrous mess as well & I am goin to the front of the line to wait impatiently for their next amazing release. C'mon, let's have it! NOW! (Tom Lax, Siltblog)
The joyously eclectic Meeuw Muzak's latest pleasure is this little slab featuring an all girl no wave quartet which I gather draws members from Germany, Holland and the USA. Labeled only "Left" and "Right", the A side reveals itself to be a cover of Stooges "I Wanna Be Your Dog". Pounded out in a steady rhythm with vocals that are practically chanted, it comes off like The Fall in their early prime. The flip side is a quick blast of spoken German that rallies up into all the racket keyboards, guitar, bass and drums can muster. Quick and dirty like too many things aren't these days. (Eric Lanzilotta, Bixobal)
Titmachine’s cover of ‘I Wanna be Your Dog’ is a death-head of a cover, a radioactive beast guided by radar vibrations of green goo advancing in your direction, simultaneously falling to pieces and indestructible, sick with the mechanic lunacy of The Normal, strapped with a bandolier of explosives mercilessly precipitating towards detonation like some doomed version of Robby the Robot built by a feral pack of Dutch No Wave gal commandoes with the attitude of the Mo-Dettes bike-chain toting latino gang sisters, that beeping you hear is a measure approximating your distance to final dissolution, a racket which steps with purity of intent inside the white-heat twilight zone of nihilism infecting the immortal original. (20 Jazz Funk Greats)
Totally fantastic 7” in a classy sleeve from this all-girl idiot-avant garage group from the Netherlands. One side presents the all-time best cover of The Stooges “I Wanna Be Your Dog” (I know, but you gotta hear it) that crosses Shaggs/Suckdog style stumble-punk moves with the kind of holy goof-off modernist appeal of Index tackling “Eight Miles High” while the flip is a torrential amphetamine spike that is as disobedient as early Germs and kinda approximates what you always thought STP were gonna sound like in the wake of Julia Cafritz’s “HC Rebellion” on the first Pussy Galore LP. Forthcoming single on Siltbreeze too – highly recommended. (Volcanic Tongue)
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hot! hot! hot!
Meeuw Muzak 031
Mark Boombastik
Plastik lieb b/w Hoffnung
7" single
Mr. Boombastik is apparently the world's #1 experimental human beatbox. I wouldn't have guessed that from the sound of these two tracks, but I believe it. Plastik Lieb sounds a lot like Sex Unter Wasser-era DAF and I mean that as a compliment. The B side is a very odd, but also funny piece of music. Excellent Meeuw release. Mesmerizing cover. The legend lives on. Fantastik, Boombastik! (The extra 'k' is an extra kiss.) (Scott Foust, Swill Radio)
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"I like you to be you"
Jack The Rapper
1946–2010
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still hot
Meeuw Muzak 037
Stefanie Ressin: 3 Wishes
b/w Asmus Tietchens: Salto Rückwärts
7" single
Split 7” of a cover of a Klaus Nomi song by Stefanie Ressin and a ‘version’ by Asmus Tietchens. Just like an old 12” disco 45. I was never into Klaus Nomi’s music that much as I found it a bit silly, but I thought his persona and voice were great. The A side is a fun synth-heavy pop number that would sound great in a club. This version is more minimal and NDW style than the original and all the better for it. The Tietchens version puts the song through the Asmus-izer and it becomes quite twisted up by the end. Another champion from the king of singles labels, Meeuw. (Scott Foust, Swill Radio)
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still hot
Meeuw Muzak 036
Norbert Möslang / Ralf Wehowsky
Einschlagskrater
7" single
Norbert and Ralf! Together at last! This 7" is just what you'd expect from these two. Unrecognizable splashes of sound coloured subterranean. The submarine cello bit at the end of side two is particularly effective. Meeuw continues to be the 7" champion of the world. (Scott Foust, Swill Radio)
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still hot
Meeuw Muzak 034
Ditterich von Euler-Donnersperg
O Du Fröhliche b/w O Tannenbaum Dub
7" single
I almost cried.
(Jim Goodall)
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still hot
Meeuw Muzak 033
The Pitchshifters
7" single
Very good single!
(Dennis Tyfus)
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still hot
Tom Recchion
Where were you on Christmas? b/w A Christmas filled with tears
Meeuw Muzak 032
7" single
Some strict editing certainly worked well on Tom Recchion contribution to what I call the darkest days of the year, or at least the most boring days. Like Mister Meeuw I don't like Christmas very much, but it's a fine day to play all your alternative tunes and avoid 'Last Christmas' and Mister Meeuw adds every year a new tune. Tom Recchion puts on his mood tune hat, and digs for some gospel preacher preaching where you were on christmas. The b-side has an even more sorrowful tune from a guy who lost his father and now he is all alone. Both pieces are precise and to the point. Let the season begin!
(Frans de Waard, Vital Weekly)
Absolutely dreadful collaged lounge music with movie voices or something on top. It sounds like a really dumb version of Byrne and Eno, which came out 25+ years ago. Why doesn't anyone care about the future anymore? I don't think I have ever heard anything by any LAFMS that wasn't pretty stupid. No exceptions here. (Scott Foust, Swill Radio)
Tom Recchion has been a artist/composer/art director in Southern California since the 1970’s. He is the co-creator of the legendary Los Angeles Free Music Society (LAFMS). At the time he discarded object making (though he employs it now) and concentrated on the ephemeral nature of sound. His early practice in low-tech sonic exploration presaged many of the genres exciting developments of the last quarter century: record manipulation, live tape loops, free improvisation, found and invented instruments, installation, and more. In the LAFMS his group The Doo-Dooettes became one of the 3 anchor points for the collectives endeavors as well as playing in AIRWAY, and many other groupings of the collective. He’s collaborated with Half Japanese, Jad Fair, David Toop, Christian Marclay, Mark Trayle, Oren Ambarchi, Keiji Haino, Max Eastley, to name a few, as well as plays in the improvisational group Extended Organ (Paul McCarthy, Joe Potts, Fredrik Nilsen and Mike Kelley). He’s remixed for The Electric Company, Sun and Jim Thirwell. He also occasionally writes for Wire magazine and has many recordings released. The solo releases 'Freak Show' (cassette only), 'Chaotica', 'I Love My Organ' and 'Soundtracks To A Color: Gold & Black' (which accompanied a large scale installation), were released in 2004. In 2006 a new solo CD came out in Italy on Giuseppe Ielasi’s Schoolmap label as their innagural release and a Christmas 7” single was recently released by Meeuw Muzak. His work has led him to many fruitful collaborations with film makers such as Janie Gieser. The result of which ended up being selected in the New York Film Festival of 1999 & Kirby Dick, as well as video artists Bruce & Norman Yonemoto and Branda Miller and has done work for the theatre, dance and performance artists. He has recordings on Birdman, Touch, PSF, RRR, Pinokoteka, Barooni, Sub Rosa, Idea, Staubgold, sound. and the Cortical Foundation. He was awarded a 2004 COLA Fellowship in the visual arts. In the summer of 2004 he was awarded Best New Genre/Uncatagorizable Artists by the LA Weekly Music Critics Poll. MOCA commissioned him to design and produce a listening room in support of their current exhibition 'A Minimal Future?' which lead to the production of a 6 hour DVD survey overview of minimal musicians and curated 3 concerts which helped give birth to MOCA’s Immersion Concert series curated along with Robert Crouch. He is developing a collaboration with monologist David Greenberger, another with sound artist John Weise. His most recent work was part of MOCA’s Visual Music exhibitions concert series, ‘See Hear Now!’ is an improvisation of sound and image with artist, filmmaker Jonathon Rosen. He also just completed work with film maker/puppeteer Janie Geiser on a theatre piece called “Invisible Glass” for Cal Arts that made it’s premier in April at the Redcat. Afterwards he participated in SASSAS’ summer sound. series in an evening of film makers and composers where he premiered 3 older video and film works from the 1970’s that had never been show. Following that he has performed with the ROVA Saxaphone Quartet along with Fred Frith, Nels Cline and Mark Trayle performing a version of John Coltrane’s 'Ascension' also at the Redcat. He is also a recipient of a Pasadena Cultural Arts grant for visual artists for which he will release a project called ‘78’, which is a 78rpm vinly 10” LP that will be ciculated in pubic spaces. Most recently he performed at the Getty Museum. As an art director/graphic designer Recchion has created CD packages for Robert Wyatt, Terry Riley, Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band, David Lynch & Julee Cruise, Los Lobos, Prince, Alanis Morrisette, The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson & Van Dyke Parks, Hermann Nitsch, TamTam Books and many others and a quartet of Grammy Nominations for Packaging Design.
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Hit the road Jack!
On August 15, 2006, Jack The Rapper performed for the last time in Belgium.
Jack and his family have moved to Australia.
Jack's prize winning video 'Café au Chocolat' is now online.
You can see it here.
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still hot
Die Christmaskameraden
Christmas Time b/w You are Father Christmas. Accept it
We have waited one year long and now it's finally here. Die Christmaskameraden are ringing your bell. You are Father Christmas.
Die Christmaskameraden are Tim Berresheim and Jonathan Meese. This is their so maniest record but the first to appear on a label other than their own New Amerika.
Meeuw Muzak 030
7" single
The label with the strongest tradition in releasing Christmas 7"s is no doubt Meeuw Muzak. Not because he likes Christmas very much, but he likes to sit at home and play his releases during that day. Die Christmaskameraden is probabely an one-off project by Jonathan Meese and Tim Berresheim, both well-known visual artists from Germany. Meese has a wide fascination for anything from Wagner to Stalin, and Ezra Pound to Rasputin. On this 7" they play synth, glockenspiel and sing about father christmas and even have a sort of disco rhythm on the second side, which could be seen as the extended dance remix. 'We are father Christmas, you are father Christmas' they sing. After the RLW and Tietchens, this is certainly much more weirder and way-out then those and is a most curious record indeed. Play this for your family on boxing day and disapproval will be your share. (Frans de Waard, Vital Weekly)
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still warm (and out of print)
Felix Kubin
Antarktis Slow Rock b/w Shakin’ Tundra (explicit mix)
Felix Kubin’s first single with a new version and new artwork
Meeuw Muzak 009
7” single
2nd edition
This record by Whirlwind Wizard of the Ivories, Felix Kubin, is a testament to why he actually became famous for his organ technique at health resorts in Baderstreick in what was once the Kingdom of Czechoslovakia. Various command performances for Middle Eastern despots, misled and misleading Eastern guru-types wit de beard and members of European royalty were not enough, it seems, to save him from becoming ensnared by a number of dubious occult and satanic organizations, where he had to whip it out on his much-beloved organ until a qualified solicitor and a brief sojourn in psychic rehab rescued him from a death worse than life. Now he spends his time acting as telepathic channel for space pioneer Urine Gagarin, who directs Felix and his organ from beyond the grave (he dead then?), compelling him to produce works like these. Meeuw Muzak have taken me quite by surprise with this 45RPM 7". Music for the not-quite-right-in-the-head types. I can't help wondering just how long it would take for a swarm of remixers to gather to beat their batter if more of this were released.
(Mark Poysden, Vital Weekly, 1997)
Hey, didn't we review this before? Yes, we did, in Vital Weekly 133 to be precise. But it had some mistakes: the a-side was not called 'Antarktis Flow' but 'Antartkis Slow Rock' and in the review a and b side were switched. This was the first release, in 1997 by a man named Felix Kubin, before stepping into the world of fame. So riding on this fame it's been re-issued with a new mix of the original b-side. The a-side is indeed a slow, rock-rhythm box piece, with nicely humming organ lines, a sweet little melody. A quasi eastern-Europe feel comes to live in the form of wind blowing over the tundra. And tundra's shaking ahead on the flipside, via a casio rhythm and a more up-tempo song. Here to similar eastern Europe feelings float by, in what is a very joyful and up-tempo song. Great to have it back in print.
(Frans de Waard, Vital Weekly, 2005)
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also still warm (and out of print)
Felix Kubin feat. Mark Boombastik a.k.a. D Großmutter
I Hate Art Galleries b/w Stelle am Mund
Meeuw Muzak 026
7” single, pink vinyl
2nd edition
side A: I Hate Art Galleries
Felix Kubin – organ, MS20
Mark Boombastik – vocal
Lucile Desamory – backing vocal
Klaus Oldanburg – backing vocal
recorded 01.03.03 at Galerie Van Gelder, Amsterdam
thank you: Helgi Thorsson, Magga Gudmundsdottir, Galerie Van Gelder
side B: Stelle am Mund
Felix Kubin – MS20, vocal
Mark Boombastik – human beatbox, vocal
cover: Albert Oehlen
Die Muzak-Barone mit ihrem unbarmherzig guten Geschmack und ihren bösen Scherzen sind nur schwer zu schlagen. An diesem raren Gegenstand, der von MC Albert Oehlen (Mister Leiterwagen Records) aufwendig »gestaltet« oder verpackt wurde (in etwa wie fette Fish and Chips), sind ein paar Genies des Genres beteiligt. Wenn Sie nicht wollen, müssen Sie die Schallplatte nicht einmal hören, das tut der starken Wirkung des Objekts (Kunst?) keinen Abbruch. Die Seven-Inch selbst hat eine Farbe, die mir auch bei Druckern bisher noch nicht untergekommen ist (etwas zwischen altem, vergammelten Erdbeer und dem billigen, dunklen Purpur der Lippenstifte von Großmüttern nach einer Packung Mentholzigaretten zu langweiligem Rosé). Erwarten Sie ja nicht, dass ich über die Musik (Noise) auf dieser Platte auch nur ein Wort verliere, ich hüte dieses Geheimnis, damit Sie ebenfalls Ihren Spaß haben. Ich könnte jetzt natürlich mein krankes Hirn anstrengen und mindestens zehn Personen auf der ganzen Welt nennen, die sich auf diese Veröffentlichung gestürzt haben, aber da sie mir vom wunderbaren Sebastian Reier (Stora) auf noch wunderbarere Art geschickt worden ist, weiß ich, dass sich die Neuigkeit in Windeseile verbreitet. Kaufen Sie das gute Stück oder verlassen Sie unverzüglich den Raum! PS: Ich habe nicht die leiseste Ahnung, wo Sie diese Single auftreiben könnten, das müssen Sie schon selbst herausfinden! (Noël Akchoté, Skug / Übersetzung: Friederike Kulcsar)
Two heavily touted, up and coming superstars on one 7"! Value! The A side is two guys yelling 'I hate art galleries' over and over, over a minimal synth and drumbox. The B side is a superb NDW style song. The future of music? I don't really think so, but it would be a lot better than what we have now. I Remain Optimistic, Boombastik. (Scott Foust, Swill Radio)
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The T.Raumschmiere remix of ‘Stelle am Mund’ is on the 'Dark Side of the Pudel' 12".
Released by Pudel Podukte
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MM001..Tabernakel 7” [out of print]
MM003..Gerogerigegege: Veel Plezier 7” [out of print]
MM004..Kapotte Muziek: Luisteren naar... 8” [out of print]
MM005..Aube: Sacrament 7” [out of print]
MM006..RLW/Aube: Organized 10” [out of print]
MM007..v/a Vage Geluiden 10” [out of print]
MM008..Roel Meelkop: Blauw Plaatje 7” [out of print]
MM009..Felix Kubin: Antarktis Slow Rock 7” [both editions are gone]
MM010..Atsushi Tominaga (WrK): 056 7” [out of print]
MM011..Reznicek and The Manuela Boys: Playa Non-stop 7” [out of print]
MM012..Mark Poysden: Hi Octane Orgasm 7” [out of print]
MM013..Rafael Toral: Lullabies 7” [out of print]
MM014..Af Ursin: Hauskaa Joulua 7” [out of print]
MM015..Jailhouse: Quilla 7” [out of print]
MM016..Voice Crack: Ballchannel 7” [out of print]
MM017..Karate Timmendorf: We are Karate Timmendorf 7” [out of print]
MM018..Leif Elggren: Cutting Crowns 7” [out of print]
MM019..Sasker Scheerder: Boomcar 7” [out of print]
MM020..Joe Colley: Clay Sound 7” [out of print]
MM021..Jailhouse: Christmas Day 7" [out of print]
MM022..Titankatzen: Achtung Debakel! 7” [out of print]
MM023..Paska: Christmas Album 7” [out of print]
MM024..Screamers: Cholo Jump 7” [out of print]
MM025..Primitive Calculators: Glitter Kids 7” [out of print]
MM026..Felix Kubin feat. Mark Boombastik: I Hate Art Galleries 7” [out of print]
MM027..RLW: Merry Merry 7” [out of print]
MM028..Jack The Rapper: Dutroux Rap 7” [out of print]
MM029..Hematic Sunsets: Weihnachten im Aroma Club 7” [out of print]
MM030..Die Christmaskameraden: Christmas Time 7" [out of print]
MM031..Mark Boombastik: Plastik lieb 7"
MM032..Tom Recchion: Where were you on Christmas? 7" [out of print]
MM033..The Pitchshifters 7" [out of print]
MM034..Ditterich Von Euler-Donnersperg 7" [out of print]
MM035..Titmachine 7" [both editions out of print]
MM036..Möslang / Wehowsky: Einschlagskrater 7"
MM037..Stefanie Ressin / Asmus Tietchens: 3 Wishes / Salto Rückwärts 7"
MM038..Chris Imler: Vorwärts 7" [new]
MM039..Max Goldt / Felix Kubin / Mark Boombastik: Fog Frog 7" [new]
MM040..The Pitchshifters*: Goshen 7" [new]
MM041..Pampidoo / Tapes: Ghetto Rock / Brain Hunger Riddim 7" [out of print]
Up next: Harry Merry
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Meeuw Muzak singles are available from
A-Musik (Cologne)
Stora (Hamburg)
Fusetron (Brooklyn)
Tedium House (San Francisco)
Worm (Rotterdam)
Boekie Woekie (Amsterdam)
Halfwithal (Nijmegen)
Antenne (Tilburg)
Rumpsti Pumpsti (Berlin)
Drone Records (Bremen)
Sozialistischer Plattenbau (Hamburg)
Bimbo Tower (Paris)
Börft (Karlskrona)
Lallallal (Turku)
Swill Radio (Amherst)
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email
17.01.2012
MM003..Gerogerigegege: Veel Plezier 7” [out of print]
MM004..Kapotte Muziek: Luisteren naar... 8” [out of print]
MM005..Aube: Sacrament 7” [out of print]
MM006..RLW/Aube: Organized 10” [out of print]
MM007..v/a Vage Geluiden 10” [out of print]
MM008..Roel Meelkop: Blauw Plaatje 7” [out of print]
MM009..Felix Kubin: Antarktis Slow Rock 7” [both editions are gone]
MM010..Atsushi Tominaga (WrK): 056 7” [out of print]
MM011..Reznicek and The Manuela Boys: Playa Non-stop 7” [out of print]
MM012..Mark Poysden: Hi Octane Orgasm 7” [out of print]
MM013..Rafael Toral: Lullabies 7” [out of print]
MM014..Af Ursin: Hauskaa Joulua 7” [out of print]
MM015..Jailhouse: Quilla 7” [out of print]
MM016..Voice Crack: Ballchannel 7” [out of print]
MM017..Karate Timmendorf: We are Karate Timmendorf 7” [out of print]
MM018..Leif Elggren: Cutting Crowns 7” [out of print]
MM019..Sasker Scheerder: Boomcar 7” [out of print]
MM020..Joe Colley: Clay Sound 7” [out of print]
MM021..Jailhouse: Christmas Day 7" [out of print]
MM022..Titankatzen: Achtung Debakel! 7” [out of print]
MM023..Paska: Christmas Album 7” [out of print]
MM024..Screamers: Cholo Jump 7” [out of print]
MM025..Primitive Calculators: Glitter Kids 7” [out of print]
MM026..Felix Kubin feat. Mark Boombastik: I Hate Art Galleries 7” [out of print]
MM027..RLW: Merry Merry 7” [out of print]
MM028..Jack The Rapper: Dutroux Rap 7” [out of print]
MM029..Hematic Sunsets: Weihnachten im Aroma Club 7” [out of print]
MM030..Die Christmaskameraden: Christmas Time 7" [out of print]
MM031..Mark Boombastik: Plastik lieb 7"
MM032..Tom Recchion: Where were you on Christmas? 7" [out of print]
MM033..The Pitchshifters 7" [out of print]
MM034..Ditterich Von Euler-Donnersperg 7" [out of print]
MM035..Titmachine 7" [both editions out of print]
MM036..Möslang / Wehowsky: Einschlagskrater 7"
MM037..Stefanie Ressin / Asmus Tietchens: 3 Wishes / Salto Rückwärts 7"
MM038..Chris Imler: Vorwärts 7" [new]
MM039..Max Goldt / Felix Kubin / Mark Boombastik: Fog Frog 7" [new]
MM040..The Pitchshifters*: Goshen 7" [new]
MM041..Pampidoo / Tapes: Ghetto Rock / Brain Hunger Riddim 7" [out of print]
Up next: Harry Merry
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Meeuw Muzak singles are available from
A-Musik (Cologne)
Stora (Hamburg)
Fusetron (Brooklyn)
Tedium House (San Francisco)
Worm (Rotterdam)
Boekie Woekie (Amsterdam)
Halfwithal (Nijmegen)
Antenne (Tilburg)
Rumpsti Pumpsti (Berlin)
Drone Records (Bremen)
Sozialistischer Plattenbau (Hamburg)
Bimbo Tower (Paris)
Börft (Karlskrona)
Lallallal (Turku)
Swill Radio (Amherst)
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17.01.2012