For this new imprint’s inaugural release Celer collaborated with Japanese artist Yui Onodera, with mastering duties performed by 12k boss Taylor Deupree. While much of the established Celer sound centres upon thoughtful, droning austerity this album is given a very different shape by extensive field recording work from both Los Angeles and Japaninvolved. Woven into this tapestry of environmental sounds and floating tonality you’ll hear migratory birds, ice breaking on a frozen lake, temple bells and sounds made by people in restaurants or on public transport systems. Generic City offers an absorbing, occasionally hallucinatory portal into the audio topography of urban spaces. Gorgeous. File under deep ambient.

Visit our Celer section for more deep ambient goodness.

Kerry Leimer’s Palace of Lights label started in the early 1980s and quickly developed, in a small, way into a little hothouse of Eno-inspired fuzzy ambience, Fourth World workouts and generally pleasing music full stop. Along with Leimer, whose music formed the bulk of PoL’s releases, there were friends Marc Barreca and Michael William Gilbert; Leimer and Barreca were also in Savant. Visit our Palace of Lights section to be mesmerized by deep listening sounds, now available at Fathom.

excerpt of Inanimate Life by Mark Peter Wright by FathomDistribution

Inanimate Life is an ongoing audio catalogue, initially conceived whilst making a series of field recordings along the North East coast of England in 2006. For anybody who has walked, swam, sat or indeed attempted to record in these exposed conditions, they will be all too familiar with the experience of blustery coastal winds. During one such excursion I stood for some time watching and listening to seagulls drift on unseen and unheard thermals of air. I became fascinated by the intangibility of wind and its effect on physical objects. All around me seagulls were supported, pulled and caressed in suspended flight, sand was shaped and whipped into the air, coastal marram grass trembled and Victorian hand railings wailed.
This inaugural installment features some of natures most complex and vibrant audial worlds; including the creaking roots of wind blasted heather, the playful gusts that animate giant oak trees and the wailing drones that resonate along wired fencing. Inanimate Life examines these delicate thresholds in our environmental, auditory perception and unveils a world teeming with sonic activity. The catalogue offers a moment to settle upon these events and in doing so, settle the ear upon the elusive, often fleeting phenomena of sound.

Chott El Djerid by FathomDistribution

An attribute of a good work of art, besides craftsmanship and beauty, are revelations of a new details with each experience. Lazhareem Ul Leper by Muslimgauze certainly qualifies for its range of percussion instruments, atypical electronics, skillful de-construction of ethno-traditional music. In turn, said music is re-assembled with urban stylings with a technical deftness akin to the way a Shao-Lin monk wields weapons. The Staalplaat crew think this among the more unusual of Muslimgauze works, fans undoubtedly will think it both refreshing and as striking now as when first committed to DAT. Muslimgauze enthusiasts may recognize sounds from Izlamaphobia on the odd track as they were made roughly the same time, only Lazhareem is arranged differently and with more unique elements to form a stand-alone album. Stylistically Lazhareem straddles the line between ethno-electro releases like Silknoose for its pervasive use of Indo-Pak music melded with Persian and Mid-East; along with more Industrial releases like Izlamaphobia and Blue Mosque for its occasionally tight, near-mechanical loops. Fans will be pleased to notice never-before-heard (to this listener, at least) percussive textures layered into lush rhythmic harmonies punctuated by chimes on track five. Track ten is also singular for the way it opens with a clamor not unlike a knocked-over box of tin cans one moment, the next, this seemingly dissonant noise is harnessed and re-edited into a well-crafted rhythm track. Track six flaunts music production standards by rolling three or four tracks into one continuous 20 minute piece, vintage Bryn Jones. Yet another stand-out work is track seven, a piece that is more than its assemblage of rhythms and counter-rhythms and fused together, an underlying pulse takes possession of the track and ultimately the listener. Since 1995, masters for Lazhareem Ul Leper languished in Staalplaat vaults when it should have been put out for immediate appreciation by fans. This work of art is now available on CD, and not a moment too soon.

The Muslimgauze Preservation Society have excavated several previously unreleased DATs of Muslimgauze music to bring you the upcoming Camel Through A Needles Eye. Two and a half hours of Yin/Yang stylings that span two discs of driving, powerful electronics and lush, deep ambient atmospheres; Muslimgauze like you never heard. The upcoming set comes in a super jewel case with cover insert made and printed in Egypt, on papyrus paper, with an additional 9 panel fold-open full color insert that contains a poster and extensive liner notes. Pre-order available soon. Fathom Distribution was delegated by The Muslimgauze Preservation Society to disseminate these artifacts. Quantities will be limited on, to put it mildly, a very special Muslimgauze release.

Fathom Distribution, on behalf of the Muslimgauze Preservation Society, are pleased to offer, numbered limited edition hand silk screened retro-Muslimgauze posters. The color is predominantly black on manila with bits of gold, green, and brown mixed into the ink. Each poster is hand-numbered and printed on thick, manila tag stock. The image is a collage very much in the style Bryn Jones used for his album/cassette sleeves, letters, and zines during the 80′s. In fact, all the art work is by Bryn Jones, both previously used and unpublished images—’remixed’ by Toronto poster artist, Michael Comeau. Comeau is considered a ‘photocopy machine virtuouso’ who like Jones, eschews computer based design in favor of a more ‘ransom note’, hands-on approach. Comeau spent much time and effort to assemble these gorgeous 18 by 24-inch posters of no more than 300. Each copy comes with ‘liner notes’ that delves into Jones’ little known history as a graphics designer along with commentary by Comeau. $25.99 + shipping. Discount applied when you buy something else.

The Muslimgauze Preservation Society are a collective who intend to preserve the legacy of the late Bryn Jones through reprints of early art works and re-release of out-of-print (and previously unreleased) music in unique, highly collectible packaging. The poster you see is their first release. Fathom Distribution was selected to disseminate offerings on behalf of the Society.