¡para!helion: Fourth - When Technology Fails

 Haven't really been paying attention, but Dave pointed this out to me last time I saw him...seems we've had almost 15000 downloads of this ¡para!helion record over at the Free Music Archive. I always felt like this was one of the best projects I was ever involved with...it seems others agree.



Recorded summer 1999, improvised live to two track.Players: Dave C- Trumpet, effects, percussion; Jeff K- Electric Balilaika, effects; aboombong - Clay Djemba, acoustic bass; Chris & co. - Djemba, additional percussion.

Free Music Archive Updates

I just did a large update to the aboombong artist page over at the Free Music Archive. Along with asynchronic, the FMA now hosts Boom Dispenser remixs: A Chronic Groove Feeder, as well as all of the ¡para!helion albums. Of course, FMA downloads are MP3 only. If you are interested in lossless versions of these albums, go to aboombong's Bandcamp page, or the ¡para!helion pages over at the Internet Archive (here, here, here, & here). As a preview of the FMA updates, here's a quick FMA mix of tracks off of each of the newly uploaded albums.


I have also added a"Tip The Artist" link to the FMA page for those of you who feel inclined to support the work here at Pen & Mallet monetarily. Or you can just use the "Donate" buttons here at Pen & Mallet (like the one below). Of course, word of mouth is as powerful a support for a DIY artist as cash, so if you like any of the music you find here, please spread the word. Your friends and followers all know you have great taste. (^_~)

A final note: The FMA feature of Drag Along Behind in Ten Tracks to Sync Volume 2 has led to several people incorporating it into their own creations. Updates with links to video & audio are available on the previous Pen & Mallet post related to TTSV. Check 'em out and leave the creators a comment.

¡para!helion-Fourth: when technology fails

This is the final ¡para!helion release here at Pen & Mallet. Due to human errors and technology failures, these tracks needed some significant work to remove unwanted clipping, digital feedback, and other nastiness. There are still some minor cracks, pops, skips, and screeches on the record. I think the music holds up, however, despite the rawer audio quality. These tracks come from the same sessions as greater than 3, so they include the trio plus some additional players here and there. Available wav, flac, ogg vorbis, mp3. Enjoy.

Album: Fourth: when technology fails
Style: late night dream states
Recorded summer 1999, improvised live to two track.
Players:
Dave C- Trumpet, effects, percussion
Jeff K- Electric Balilaika, effects
me- Clay Djemba, acoustic bass
Chris & co. - Djemba, additional percussion


Tracklisting:
1) Destroy!
2) From 11 to 6 to 3
3) Ring Modulator (echoplex)
4) String Drum

UPDATE: I have updated a previous post to make it easier to find all of the "lossless" posts now available on Pen & Mallet. You can, of course, search by genre, date, band name, or click on the "FLAC" tag as well.
UPDATE: This record is featured over at undomondo. They've got a lot going on over there. Worth checking out. Drop by and vote for ¡para!helion.

¡para!helion: >3 (never released material)

Album: >3
Style: high altitude meditations
Improvised and recorded live to two track summer of 1999
Players:
Dave- Trumpet, effects, percussion
Jeff - Electric Balilaika, effects
me- African Kettle Drums, Dumbek, Clay Djemba, 1940's wooden field snare, clanks, mic stand gooseneck, booms, crashes, & scrapes.
Chris & co. - Djemba, additional percussion

Of all the music I have posted here at Pen & Mallet, the two ¡para!helion releases are the ones that I personally listen to the most often. I have always chalked that up to the fact that ¡para!helion's music was all improvised. None of the overlearning under a critical ear that goes into creating and perfecting composed songs goes into the creation of improvised music, so, for me, it feels easier to listen to the songs as music, rather than as a product of my ego. In other words, it's easier to let go and hear the songs as songs without being critical of my own performance or wishing I had one more take to move the song closer to the ideal version that I carry around in my head.

Of course, ¡para!helion has been duking it out with Waltz Bop Shop for the most downloaded music at Pen & Mallet, so maybe I like them 'cuz they're good records. Hard to tell.

Anyway, today we have 6 never released songs taken from the Midaq Alley and 3 Miles from Mecca sessions. At the time we put those two releases together, these didn't make the cut primarily due to non-musical issues like less-than-ideal microphone placement, or minor equipment failures. After 10 years not hearing these, I don't find that those issues hurt these tracks much at all, so I thought I would share them.

Several of these tracks include additional players beyond the trio including ¡para!helion's original drummer, Chris (iirc) and a gang of percussionist he brought over for one or two of our night recording sessions. Track's one and two come from the very last ¡para!helion session, with Ghazna being the last song we ever recorded.

All files are available in lossless Flac, Ogg Vorbis as well as Mp3 from the internet archive.



Tracklist (player plays all six tracks):
1) Chabolo
2) Ghazna
3) Bactra
4) Haraiva
5) Lampaka
6) Nagarahara

¡para!helion - 3 Miles from Mecca

Album: 3 Miles from Mecca
Style: Opium Den Ambiance
Released in very limited quantities in 1999

Players:
Dave- Trumpet, effects
Jeff - Electric Balilaika, effects
me- African Kettle Drums, Dumbek, Clay Djemba

This is the first ¡para!helion release that I played on (Dave & Jeff had released some earlier work with a different drummer). The bulk of these were recorded live at Mecca coffeehouse in Albuquerque to entertain the troops as Basement Films projected and archived a massive donation of educational films. We played with films projecting on every available piece of wall space. The first and last track were recorded in Dave's living room.

Get "3 Miles from Mecca" (@ 320)
Update: available at the internet archive (Flac,Ogg Vorbis,mp3 or stream or original posting).

Note: player plays the whole album.
Enjoy.

¡para!helion- Midaq Alley

Album: Midaq Alley.
Style: Dirges from the desert.
Released in very limited quantities in 1999.
Featuring:
Dave-Trumpet, effects
Jeff - Electric Balilaika, effects
Me - percussion, loops, and acoustic bass.
Improvised and recorded live to two track.

Get part one and part two (@320)
Update: available from the internet archive: on one page (here includes FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, mp3) or on two (part one & part two)

Track List:

1) Allal
2) The fqih
3) Istikhara
4) The Waters of Izli
5) Mejdoub
6) The Wind at Beni Midar
7) The Story of Lahcen and Idir
8) 1000 days of Mokhtar
9) Abhilash Talkies (Thanks to Ernie for the mumbling.)
10) Ayemenem
11) Naxos
12) The Fqih (Slight Return)

Read a review of Midaq Alley here