Bleak Bliss

WHAT'S THE POINT?

The intention is to promote people who make beautiful music.

The intention is to introduce you to the people who have been carving their own path...with no care for what anybody thinks.

We try not to post things that are still for sale but sometimes post things that are not easily available. If you like what you hear, then find these people and tell them how great they are.

Better still, tell them and then seek out their new releases and buy them. We add links, when they are reliable and active, so that you can keep track if you so wish.

Always go straight to the artist or the label where possible. That way, the money goes straight to the people responsible for this art. These people rely on our support to keep going and make more quality releases!

Please feel free to leave comments as you go along...at least then we know you appreciate this stuff (or otherwise) and you're not just a bunch of freeloading file collectors.

If you made this music and we have pissed you off by posting any of this, please leave a comment in the post and the offending articles will be removed.

Seijaku - 静寂の果てに

Keiji Haino on guitar, vocals and eleactronics, Mitsuru Nasuno on bass and electronics with Yoshimitsu Ichiraku (of I.S.O., Omoide Hatoba, Nishinihon and Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO) handling even more electronics.

Recorded live at Club Goodman, Tokyo on November the 21st, 2014.

Double CD released on Doubtmusic in 2015.

After Seijaku

After Seijaku

Sanhedolin - 満場一致は無効

Slight name variation but it's the same band ...

CD released on P.S.F. Records in 2005.

Manjo Icchi Wa Muko

va - Aerial #4 - A Journal in Sound

From 1991, this issue of The Aerial features work by Anna Homler, Brenda Hutchinson, Erik Belgum, and more.

va - Aerial #4 - A Journal in Sound

Sanhedrin - さあ真ん中だどんな感じ

You'ld be forgiven for thinking that the only way you could make these kinds of sounds was by playing whilst running down a steep hill. However, to disprove a pointless point, this is Sanhedrin playing live in Tokyo at Earthdom on March the 3rd, 2007 and Live Inn Rosa on June the 9th, 2007.

CD released on Breathing Bass Records in 2008 that was only officially for sale during their Japanese tour in October of the same year.

Sun Head Ring

va - Aerial #2 - Spring 1990

Second issue (duh) of this sound art journal, released as a CD by ?What Next? in 1990. Includes music by Annea Lockwood, David Dunn, Hildegarde Westerkamp, LaDonna Smith & Davey Williams and more.

va - Aerial #2 - Spring 1990

Sanhedrin - 「好」の５W１H

Keiji Haino on guitar and vocals, Mitsuru Nasuno on bass and Tatsuya Yoshida on drums. Even though you think that you are familiar with the work of these three legends, Sanhedrin will still surprise and delight. Nothing else sounds like this.

CD released on Trailights Record in 2013.

Sukino Godaburyu Ichieichi

va - Frequenzen [Hz] / Frequencies [Hz]

This CD "documents the series of installations staged on occasion of the exhibition Frequencies [Hz] Audio-Visual Spaces Frankfurt, February 9 - April 30, 2002, Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, Germany." It was only available with the catalog of the show, which was a very large full-color book featuring images and text. Music by Alva Noto, Farmers Manual, Pommasl, CM von Hausswolff, Angela Bulloch, Ultra-Red, Mika Vainio, Ryoji Ikeda, Mark Bain, Ann Lislegaard, Knut Asdam, and the Customers. Another version of this was published as a stand-alone CD by Raster-Noton, but that version only included short excerpts of each piece, which seems pointless to me.

va - Frequenzen (Hz)/Frequencies (Hz)

Les Rallizes Dénudés - Volcanic Performance

I really thought that I'd already posted this. It wasn't until I received a request that I realised that I'd imagined it. Initial quantities came out with the Laid Down '76 Again disc as a bonus.

Five CD set released on Univive in 2008.

01 1975.11.03

02 1976.07.25

03 1976.07.25

04 1979 Etcetera

05 Laid Down '76 Again

The Birthday Party - The Bad Seed

To mark another inauspicious day in Badgerstump Towers, I thought I'd post the greatest 12" ever created. It's remarkable to think that this was released 34 years ago.

The Bad Seed

They say it's better to give than to receive (although that clearly depends on what's on offer) so I thought I'd throw in some things that I posted in 2010ish: Kousokuya and the Live At Shinjuku JAM dvd; the Kawabata Makoto post (and I've added the Pulsating Electric Force cdr that was the fifth installment in the Private Sound Drawing series); YBO²; Vajra and Hanatarash.

José Luis Castillejo - The Book of I's

The sound poet José Luis Castillejo is a fascinating guy. Apparently, he was born into Spanish aristocracy and served as ambassador to Hungary in the 1960s, during which time he was also writing and distributing privately-pressed books of his concrete poetry to friends. This piece, recorded in 1997 and 1998 and released as a very small-run LP by Alga Marghen in 1998, features Castillejo reading from one of those books. It's a challenging listen for sure, but I think you can handle it.

José Luis Castillejo - The Book of I's

Olivia Block, Seth Nehil, BusRatch - Untitled

Collaborative performance by American composers Block & Nehil with Kyoto's turntable destroyers BusRatch, recorded in 2000 and subsequently remixed and edited by the artists. Released as a limited CDR in 2001 by PARA Disc, the house label of the Parallax Records shop in Kyoto.

Olivia Block, Seth Nehil, BusRatch - Untitled

Olivia Block & Petra Klusmeyer - Oil and Water/Pandora's Box

Classic exchange of source material by Olivia Block and Petra Klusmeyer, released as a limited CDR in 2001 by BOXmedia.

Olivia Block & Petra Klusmeyer - Oil and Water/Pandora's Box

Margaret De Wys - I OH

The only solo album by Theoretical Girl Margaret De Wys, and it's a scorcher. When you first play the album, you might be tempted to turn the volume up to better hear the faint mouth sounds and breathing, but don't do it. Trust me.

Margaret De Wys - I OH

Bernard Heidsieck - Derviche/Le Robert

A very long sound poem comprised of 26 pieces, one for each letter of the alphabet, written between 1978 and 1986 and recorded between 1982 and 1986. While a few tracks appeared on sound poetry compilation cassettes in the 1980s, this is the entire work on three CDs with a 200-page book, released by Al Dente in 2004.

disc 1
disc 2
disc 3

Bernard Heidsieck - Respirations Et Brèves Rencontres

"Each piece is name after a poet that Heidsieck is having an imaginary conversation with. In each case he uses the sounds of that poet breathing which have been taken from recordings of that person reading." Improbable but true.

Three CDs that were included in a book published by Al Dante in 1999.

One

Two

Three

Bernard Heidsieck - Poème-Partition X

Two recordings of Bernard Heidsieck's sound poem "Poème-Partition X", both recorded in 1960. Released as a very limited edition LP by Alga Marghen in 1996.

Bernard Heidsieck - Poème-Partition X

Vertonen - Return Of The Interrobang

This is probably just me ... but ... this is the sound of a party in a club in an alternate dimension that is so close to you that only a particle physicist could get you admission. What do you mean "that makes no sense"? You won't be saying that when I'm sitting at the bar sipping on my Piña Colada!

CD released on Blake's Crippled Intellect Productions in 2005.

Return Of The Interrobang

Vertonen - Orchid Collider

On this release, Blake Edwards delivers so much variety and covers just about everything you droneheads could possibly want. Just dive in.

CD released on his own Crippled Intellect Productions in 2005.

Orchid Collider

Vertonen - Rogyapas Bath

Beautiful drones that are perfectly attuned to the landscape on the cover ...

C20 released on What We Do Is Secret in 2007.

Rogyapas Bath

PCRV / Vertonen - Deep Time

Matt Taggart and Blake Edwards creating sublime dreamscapes before finding the ear next to the white picket fence and showing us what lies beneath.

CDr released on Power Silence in 2009.

Deep Time

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THE FUTURE?

We still don't know...we're making this shit up as we go along!

As always, dripfeed us a few requests, we still have changeable minds!

All requests are welcome, no matter what genre!

PRACTICALITIES!

We have had to change file hosts many times since we started in 2009.

Most of the older links are undoubtedly dead. If we were to try to keep every link going there would literally be no time for new posts.

Given that we have an untold number of things that we think need to be heard, it's not possible to do both.

Some things may be re-upped but (as always) we are unlikely to pay any attention to "anonymous" requests.

Entertaining (rather than desperate) requests may stand a chance but don't bet on it!

Get Engaged!