27 Feb 2021

Rocket Probes – February 2021 playlist


VED – Ett visst fängelse

(Banging new single by this Swedish band)
VED

DJINN – Transmission
(Incredible album of eclectic, cosmic jazz from Hills/Goat members)
DJINN

Flowers Must Die – Live in Liege
(Live recording of a very special show in 2018 featuring guests Hanna from Hills and Laura from Julie's Haircut)
Flowers Must Die

The Utopia Strong – Ninth Art
Latest album in their beautiful live series of ltd hand made LPs)
The Utopia Strong

Oneida – The Brah Tapes
(New 'old' big O and lot's of it!)
Oneida 

Yerba Mansa – Five Years
(Amazing album of free-form psych on Box records, can't wait to see this lot live again)
Yerba Mansa 

The Stargazer's Assistant – Remoteness Of Light
(Mike from Utopia Strong and Dave from Guapo create haunting, psychedelic landscapes)
The Stargazer's Assistant

Miles Davis – The Lost Septet
(One review of this 1970 show said it is "more Sabbath than Sly Stone")
Miles Davis

Sosena Gebre Eyesus ‎– Sosena Gebre Eyesus
(This great album still getting a lot of plays...new reissue on Little Axe soon)
Sosena Gebre Eyesus

Byron Westbrook – Distortion Hue
(Great new album...on Hands in the dark)
Byron Westbrook

John Dwyer – Baphomet
(Great album....but this track in particular a bit special)
John Dwyer 

Dadawah – Peace and Love
(Saw a review once saying "this is the closest reggae comes to psychedelia")
Dadawah

Don Cherry & Terry Riley ‎– Tambourinen Session
(Impeccable immersions)
Don Cherry & Terry Riley

John Carroll Kirby – Conflict / Tuscany
(Some very fine Centrum recommendations)
Conflict
Tuscany

Moths and Locusts – A ram named drama
(Nice bit of fuzzy psych)
Moths and Locusts

Jericho – Jericho
(Another great La Novia release)
Jericho

Running – Art Seen
(Another banging Cherrystones recommendation)
Running

Kutiman – Maasai in Dub
(Psyched dub sounds)
Kutiman

Banabila, Erker, Samson –  Viewpoint
(Cheers to GNOD's Paddy for intro'ing this)
Banabila, Erker, Samson

Ryley Walker And Kikagaku Moyo -– Deep Fried Grandeur
(Nice 'space outs' recorded at Le Guess Who, with a bit of a sprinkling of Cave/Bitchin Bajas productions)
Ryley Walker And Kikagaku Moyo

Caterina Barbieri – Fantas for Saxophone and voice 
(Horns n' repetitions and scattered rhythms...cheers to Mike Bourne for turning us on to this)
Caterina barbieri 

Keith Hudson – Hunting
(Heavy)
Keith Hudson

EP/64 – EP/64-57
(With added doses of Ben Vince)
EP/64

Natural Information Society – Descension (Out of Our Constrictions)
(New Natural Information Society – recorded live at Cafe Oto)
Natural Information Society

Jaques Denjean – Nevrose
(Fuzzy French wonderfulness)
Jaques Denjean

Tanz Mein Herz – Quattro
(Drones and rhythms from France...another Paddy heads-up)
Tanz Mein Herz

Agitation Free - You Play For Us Today 
(Killer classic)
Agitation Free

Brightblack Morning Light – Star Blanket Child
(Another fine recommendation from Centrum)
Brightblack Morning Light

Sawdust Caesars – Flower Pop Show
(Old Rocket group of acid-punkers drop their first new track in many years on this comp...their debut album which is more than 25 years in the making is coming out soon apparently)
Sawdust Caesars

Listen to our 'updated monthly' Rocket Probes Spotify playlist' here:


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25 Feb 2021

Terrascope reviews Urdog's 'Long Shadows' album


They say:

Look up “Urdog” on the ol’ Google box and you’ll see that this mysterious three-piece Rhode Island outfit decided to take indefinite leave after their performance at  Terrastock 6 in 2006, which we’d like to think is something they’d planned and wasn’t due to anything we said or did at the time. Long Shadows 2003-2006 mines material from their two original albums and its welcome release marks something of a departure for those onwards and upwards forever questing Rocket twins, being their first foray into retro-land compilations. Either that’s an oddly artistic manifestation of cabin fever in these times of stricture or, as is more likely, a heartfelt expression of appreciation and a desire to bring to a wider audience a little known gem. And believe me when I tell you that this is an absolute pearl.  

Brief introductory incantation aside, it’s ‘Ice On Water’ that hurls us full tilt into a mid-noughties maelstrom of tribal tub-thumping and chanting and kid-in-a-toy-shop gleefulness in the abuse of drums, guitars, Farfisa organ and goodness knows what else. This is the one that Chris Rocket gets asked about when he DJs it at gigs (older readers may remember those). Ah but strip it, and much else here, of all flimflam back to its essence and it could nestle or perhaps that should be lurk, somewhere under a broad folk canopy while simultaneously giving the disparate likes of Comus and Amon Duul I and II a fright. As things stand, though, it marks an experimental Devil may care approach, where wig outs and ambient blissfulness somehow co-exist and whereby, figuratively speaking, Father Yod’s crew go In Search Of Space to wild abandon. It would have all sounded anachronistic - but no less fun - at the time of release (or for that matter any time after about 1971), but which now sounds oddly prescient, fitting in with a lot of what labels like Rocket and indeed other labels like Riot Season and Cardinal Fuzz have been bringing us over the past decade. Incredibly this seems like the perfect fit, the missing piece of the jigsaw that links contemporary psychedelia with its primal sixties roots...

Read the rest here: Terrascope

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19 Feb 2021

J. Zunz announced to play Transmissions Waves (online) Festival

 

J. Zunz has been announced to play Transmissions Waves Festival which will happen on 12-14 March – we are so excited to finally get to see J. Zunz perform live. Also performing at the fest are the incredible Deafkids!!!

It is an online event and can be watched from here:

Transmission Waves

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Listen to The Utopia Strong live on Gideon Coe


Listen to The Utopia Strong live in concert on Gideon Coe's BBC 6 Music show that was broadcast on 18 February.

You can listen in full here: The Utopia Strong

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17 Feb 2021

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs to play this years Bigfoot Festival


Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs have been confirmed to play this years Bigfoot Festival

Bigfoot have a 'Book now - Pay later' COVID payment policy too, more info here:

Bigfoot Festival

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15 Feb 2021

New 'Sacrificial Blood' version of GOAT's World Music available


GOAT's 'World Music' is being pressed again due to the request of Record shops, plus from new/old fans wanting a new version.

So, you can buy this new 'Sacrificial Blood' (frosted clear/red splatter) version from Bandcamp now, and these will hopefully be shipping next week:

Bandcamp

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11 Feb 2021

Read Fuzzy Sun article on the current Greek scene, including Kooba Tercu


The say:

Kooba Tercu released their latest album ‘Proto Tekno’ on Rocket Recordings and it still plays a lot at my place. Tis experimental band fuses psych, noiserock and electronic music inro some gorgeous blend of krautlike trippy music...

Read the full piece here: Fuzzy Sun

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Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs album 'Off Cuts' available on Bandcamp


We have just put the labels copies of the 'Rough Trade Exclusive' Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs ltd edition album 'Off Cuts' up for sale on Bandcamp, we don't have loads but you can buy a copy from here:

Bandcamp

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Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs  – 'Off Cuts' 

In April 2020 Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs released their third ‘Viscerals’ – an album which showed an enormous leap forward in confidence, adventure and sheer intensity.

Incisive in its riff-driven attack, infectiously catchy in its songcraft and more intrepid than ever in its experimental approach, ‘Viscerals’ is the sound of a leaner, more vicious Pigs, and one with their controls set way beyond the pulverising one-riff workouts of their early days.

We would now like to introduce a new Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs album called ‘Off Cuts’ – a ltd vinyl only release (no digital/streaming available) containing previously unreleased versions of tracks taken from all three Pigs albums. These version were recorded live in various studios across the UK and presents rawer, more immediate, more intense versions of the songs you all know and love.‘Off Cuts’ is an essential listen for all Pigs fans and all fans of heavy, fuzzed rock!

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8 Feb 2021

Nowe Idzie Od Morza interviews Paisiel's João Pais Filipe


They say:

This conversation was supposed to happen a few times. First, before the 2019 Unsound Festival, where João Pais Filipe played three sets, then at the beginning of 2020. Finally, we managed to talk in the second half of the pandemic year. There were many reasons – during the last 10 months, the Portuguese drummer released no fewer than 5 albums, and more are still to come.

João Pais Filipe is an extraordinary and original musician in terms of performance techniques. I had the opportunity to see him playing solo at the Tremor festival in 2019, when – using the unusual acoustics of a car garage that served as his venue – his music was intense, trance-like, indigenous, but also techno-like. The drummer from Porto is characterized by an extraordinary motoric sound, he hardly uses the kick drum at all, but he nuances the rhythm very well, playing on the floor toms, hi-hats and gongs. He creates gongs and cymbals on his own, expanding his musical sound arsenal as a sculptor. Not only do they have remarkable acoustic qualities (each is designed differently), but also visual ones – due to the texture, material and unusual sculptures that Pais Filipe places on them.

2020 showed his extremely broad horizons – from his motoric, krautrock incarnation with Burnt Friedman, through a more progressive style with GNOD, the powerful, metal sound with Julius Gabriel as Paisiel, but also an exploration of resonance and electronics with Rafael Toral. It is also the year of his second solo album, Sun Oddly Quiet. Below you will read about his musical path, his fascination with metallic sounds and Einstürzende Neubauten. At the end of the text is a brief review of his albums from the past months. If you missed out, now is the time to catch up...

Read the rest here: Nowe Idzie Od Morza

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5 Feb 2021

Celebrating February Bandcamp Friday


So as you may or may not know, Bandcamp have decided to carry on their 'no fee days' on the first Friday of each month from now until May

So as previously, it is a great time to buy some ltd Rocket albums and shirts - here's some of our latest releases we wanna shout about:

DJINN – Transmission LP
New album from this great duo feat GOAT/HILLS members, we only have 100 copies available on presale (300 will be going to record shops)

VED – Ett visst fängelse 7"
Banging new two track ltd edition 7" from these Swedish master of repetitive psych rhythms

GÅS – GÅS 7"
We found 15 copies of this highly sought after 7" – yes we could put it up on Discogs for £40 each but we decided to sell them to you at original price instead.

GNOD – Easy to Build, Hard to Destroy 2LP/CD
Double Ltd edition LP compilation on Pink/Black splatter of rare and unreleased GNOD tracks from 208-2011

Urdog – Long Shadows: 2003-2006 LP
Ltd edition Ice Black splatter vinyl version of this incredible retrospective compilation

GOAT – Requiem (Single LP edition)
Ltd Edition repress on 'Blue Flame' vinyl of this Rocket classic album, only 200 copies!

Pharaoh Overlord – 6 LP/CD
Immensely epic album '6' on 'Snake Bite' Yellow vinyl edition

Paisiel – Unconscious Death Wish LP
Stunning second album, ltd Red/Black 'colour-in-colour' vinyl

Anthroprophh – Toilet Circuit 7" EP
Repress on yellow vinyl due to speed of first pressing sold out

J. Zunz – Hibiscus LP
One of our fave releases from 2020, ltd Blue/White swirl vinyl

GOAT/GNOD – T-shirts
Reprints of classic GOAT and GNOD t-shirts available.

+ there are loads of other great albums, shirts and posters to pick up from the Rocket or individual bands Bandcamp stores:

Rocket Bandcamp

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4 Feb 2021

Swedish collective VED announce new single on Rocket


We are excited to reveal a new two track single by Malmö based band VED, their second for Rocket.

The single is released on 5th March and you can watch a great video made by Rocket's John O'Carroll for the killer groove driven track 'The Embrace Of The Oarfish' here via Backseat Mafia:

Backseat Mafia

This ltd edition VED 7" single can be preordered from 8am this Friday via this link (as part of the latest Bandcamp Friday):

Bandcamp

VED's ever evolving sound has always taken in many global influences, from Middle Eastern to African to the monotonous explorations of composers like Steve Reich and Terry Riley.

New track 'The Embrace Of The Oarfish' advances a propulsive pummelling of rhythms centred around a repetitive single bass note that masquerades like a menacingly deep percussive outlaw. The looming ribbon like nature of the track slithers like the giant sea serpent the title alludes too - some say the Oarfish can forecast earthquakes themselves, maybe its the resonance of the bomb shelter in Malmö that is the bands rehearsal space that imposes itself tremor like through their oscillating work. VED’s journey is a wholly unique controlled burn where rapid oxidation devours any listener into a blaze of restorative enchantment.



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3 Feb 2021

Nicola from Julie's Haircut releases solo album under the name Muni on Backwards Records


Listen to the debut album by Muni, Nicola from Julie's Haircut' new solo project on Backwards Records:

Muni

Ltd edition vinyl of 300 copies available to buy

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2 Feb 2021

DJINN – duo feat GOAT & Hills members announce new album 'Transmission'


DJINN return with a new album for Rocket Recordings. The album titled 'Transmission' is released on ltd edition LP on 26 March.

Watch the band made video for first single to be released, the cosmic jazz of 'Love Divine', exclusively via The Quietus here:  

The Quietus

The album which is ltd to 400 copies will be available to preorder on Orange/Red Swirl vinyl from 8am this Friday (as part of the latest Bandcamp Friday). We will have 100 copies up for presale, the other 300 will be available in local record shops.

Bandcamp

All copies will receive a free download code of the album + the bands 2020 cassette release 'Avant de servir'.

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Transmission’ is a intrepid step into new terrain for DJINN - the mantric rhythms are hypnotic here, the freeform extrapolations hit new peaks of vivid abandon, and the moments of calm are blissfully meditative. Yet their sound palette extends into refreshing collisions of intent and metaphysical intensity that echo across the psychic landscapes of Sunburned Hand Of The Man-style freak-folk, as well as the polylingual fusion of jazz, European and Asian music that Don Cherry essayed on 1969’s ‘Eternal Rhythm’ and 1973’s ‘Organic Music Society’.

Amidst these intoxicating and richly eclectic soundworlds, the band are just as comfortable invoking Popol Vuh (as on the mellotron-abetted title track) Art Ensemble Of Chicago and the lineage of Swedish underground music that found epiphanies in the radical folk-psych of Arbete Och Fritid whilst also sounding - crucially - like no-one but themselves. 



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1 Feb 2021

Anthroprophh feature on Artrocker fundraising compilation for Resonance FM


They say:

"21 For 21"
Bands Raising Funds for Resonance FM Radio

Curated by Artrocker Radio

Available via Bandcamp for the month of February only during Resonance FM's fund raising period.

Buy here: Artrocker 

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The bands: The Lovely Eggs / Snapped Ankles / AK/DK  / Shopping / USA Nails / Barringtone / Japanese Television / Hey Colossus / Girls in Synthesis / The Callas / Lower Slaughter / Die Die Die / War on Women / Big Lad / Blacklab / Democrash / Anthroprophh / Global Charming / JC Satan / Slift / Pet Crow /

Resonance is a groundbreaking 24/7 radio station which broadcasts on 104.4 FM to central London, DAB to Greater London, nationally on Radioplayer and live streamed to the rest of the world.

Resonance needs to raise £20,000 to get us through these difficult times. Free media - operating two independent 24/7 radio stations on FM and DAB in five UK cities - inevitably costs money. They can't maintain their services without your help. Our dedicated community of 250 programme-makers and volunteer engineers donate their expertise week-in, week-out to keep Resonance on-air.

http://fundraiser.resonance.fm/

https://www.mixcloud.com/PaulArtrocker/

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Artrocker Radio has been broadcasting with Resonance FM for over a decade now, blasting out the far-from-easy-listening tones of the international underground 'indie' scenes that encompass the energetic sounds of genres such as post-punk, psych, garage rock, hardcore punk, krautrock, synth-wave, darkwave, new-wave, no-wave, and many of the numerous metals from thrash to doom. With Paul and Lewis at the helm, we've also focused on what is happening on the live scene in London in order to encourage you to get out and see live music or at least support it...... until this, troublesome year.

But reflecting a year of innovative crowd and fund raising events and releases from the DIY music scene we've decided to do likewise and compile a collection / compilation of some of our very favourite bands. The bands have contributed tracks for free, so you simply have to make a purchase of the compilation on bandcamp in order to contribute to the Resonance FM fund raising. You can contribute as much as you'd like.

The Bands - some names you'll know, some will be new to you - that's how Artrocker works - today's unknowns are tomorrow's favourites.

"21 for 21" will include 21 of our current favourite bands who have featured prominently on the show.

Many thanks to all the bands and labels for generously contributing to this compilation.

We keep Artrocker Radio going because we love what we do and we think it is important to give exposure to the underground and DIY scene. Resonance FM have been tirelessly supportive of Artrocker Radio for which we are extremely grateful - we can only conclude they feel the same way. Resonance FM love what they do and believe it important to give exposure for all kinds of shows, not just Artrocker. We think it is vital to keep it going for another ten years. The beauty is, that you can play a part.

Paul and Lewis, Artrocker Radio

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