ALTER

Blanck Mass / Helm / Lo Light

2011-11-23T06:58:00.000-08:00

Last Helm gig of 2011 with Blanck Mass (Ben from Fuck Buttons) and Lo Light (Dom from Factory Floor).

Tickets here: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/144840

Design A Wave tours Europe with Heatsick

2011-11-18T07:02:00.001-08:00

Design A Wave tours Europe for the first time next week with Heatsick, courtesy of the Rob Kito xmas booze run.

23/11/12 - Lost Property, Amsterdam

24/11/12 - Scheldapen, Antwerp (http://www.ultraeczema.com)

25/11/12 - TAG, Brussells

26/11/12 - Olympic Cafe, Paris

Tomutonttu * Helm * el-g - European Tour

2011-11-18T06:44:00.000-08:00

30/11/11 - West Germany, Berlin w/ Heatsick

31/11/11 - B50, Gent

1/12/11 - Karel's Space, Brussells (E mail infokarel@gmail.com for reservation - only 40 spaces)

2/12/11 - Patate House, Liege

3/12/11 - Olympic Cafe, Paris w/ I'D M Theft Able

4/12/11 - Atelier Biscuit, Clermont-Ferrand w/ The Dreams + TG (No Helm)

6/12/11 - Grrrrnd Zero, Lyon (No Helm)

7/12/11 - L'Ecurie, Geneva

9/12/11 - Dal Verme, Roma

10/12/11 - Cellar Theory, Napoli

http://www.kemiallisetystavat.com/tour/

HELM - November

2011-11-08T06:46:00.000-08:00

Wednesday 23rd - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds w/ Oneohtrix Point Never
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/135891

Thursday 24th - St Giles in the Fields, London w/ Oneohtrix Point Never
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/139199

Helm - Interview in The Wire, November

2011-10-13T17:12:00.000-07:00

Liberez - The Sound Projector, October

2011-10-13T17:10:00.000-07:00

Helm & Hieroglyphic Being in The Wire's "Below the Radar" comp.

2011-10-13T17:08:00.000-07:00

http://www.thewire.co.uk/subscribe/belowtheradar/

HELM news: new gigs & releases.

2011-10-05T06:28:00.001-07:00

14/10/2011 - Shacklewell Arms, Dalston w/ Mark McGuire + Whitman

24/10/2011 - The Garage, Highbury w/ HTRK + Tropic of Cancer

29/10/2011 - Power Lunches Cafe, Dalston w/ Call Back the Giants + Design A Wave

New Images will soon be releasing a new Helm LP called "Impasse". It contains the two tracks from the release on Low Point of the same name, plus two new tracks from that period which remained unfinished until recently. The tracks were mastered for vinyl by Jac Beloeil (Entr'acte) and the sleeve features artwork by Graham Lambkin. A track can be streamed from the Alter Soundcloud here: http://soundcloud.com/alterstock/helm-glazing-over-an-autumn

Savoury Days will be releasing a compilation LP this month which features a new Helm track that was created with unused sound sources from the "Cryptography" session. The track is titles "Statuesque" and sits alongside tracks from Call Back the Giants, Design A Wave, The Rebel, Door & The Window and Adam Bohman. More info here.

Helm will be touring Europe with Tomutonttu and El-g in December. We are trying to arrange gigs in Belgium, France, Italy and Slovenja. Please get in touch if you can help: alterstock@gmail.com.

"Cryptography" will soon be released digitally through Alter, and the album received a nice review in the October issue of the Wire by William Hutson.

Liberez on WFMU

2011-09-26T06:43:00.000-07:00

A track from "The Letter" was played on Scott McDowell's Long Rally show on WFMU.

http://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/41931

HIEROGLYPHIC BEING - CANCELED!

2011-08-07T08:54:00.000-07:00

Due to a visa issue, our gig tomorrow for Hieroglyphic Being has been canceled. We are gutted and can only apologise for any inconvenience caused.

For people who bought tickets, refunds will be generated automatically We Got Tickets. Any problems, then simply e mail info@wegottickets.com with your details.

Liberez press

2011-07-09T10:36:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple of print reviews for the Liberez record from De Bug (Germany) and Blow Up (Italy).

Here is an English translation of the De Bug review by my good friend Steven Warwick:

"Remarkable and imaginative almost ritualistic music from the duo Liberez from England. JH and PW have done this together with the vocalist and writer NB as well as TJS. The ritualistic element comes from the repetitive use of percussions and loop based drones from other instruments. The powerful use of the voice of the musician is used rather as another instrument than as a usual "singer", using heavily mechanised arrangements and the use of harsh distortion and other "disturbing noises" manage to not bring to mind ethno-ritualistic comparisons, but rather give the music an abstract, unique raw industrial character. Very exciting/ impressive!"

You can also hear a track from the record on The Wire's AIMM show on Resonance from last Thursday. Linked here.

Happy customers.

2011-07-06T06:32:00.000-07:00

Hieroglyphic Being & Design A Wave live in London!

2011-07-01T06:17:00.000-07:00

ALTER & COCADISCO present...

Thursday the 4th of August

HIEROGLYPHIC BEING (USA, Live)
DESIGN A WAVE
COCADISCO DJs

Hieroglyphic Being is one of the many projects of prolific Chicago dance producer Jamal Moss. As well as being responsible for an extremely solid output of ultra leftfield house / acid / whateveryouwanttocallit, he also runs the excellent Mathematics label which has served as an outlet for his own work (IAMTHATIAM, Africans With Mainframes, I.B.M) and other likeminded artists such as Steve Poindexter and Analogous Doom. Expect a massively celestial set full of rough edits, and the airing of some new material - this is an extremely rare chance to see the man in action on UK soil (the last show in London was 4 years ago!) so don't miss!

Support comes from London based DIY synth practitioner Design A Wave, and the DJs of Cocadisco playing the finest electro / italo / minimal wave bangers from doors 'til late!

@ The Victoria, Dalston
451 Queensbridge Road, E8 3AS
Doors at 8pm
£5adv

Tickets: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/125096

Design A Wave live in Estonia.

2011-06-01T06:16:00.001-07:00

Design A Wave live at the Schilling Festival, Estonia. July the 3rd 2011.

http://schilling.ee/2011/esinejad#designawave

Porta 3 - Apiary Studios

2011-05-26T09:53:00.001-07:00

ALT05: Liberez - "The Letter" LP

2011-05-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

“The Letter” is the first album by Liberez, a group formed by recording engineer John Hannon and Pete Wilkins in Southend. The project began life exploring a deconstruction of the traditional “band” form before expanding to a quartet with the addition of vocalist Nina Bosnic, and multi-instrumentalist Tom James Scott (Bo Weavil Recordings).

Musically rooted in improvisation, the band sought a progression from the loosely described "noise rock" sound at their inception into wider areas of sonic exploration. The tracks were recorded as a mixture of sessions at Hannon’s studio and external locations where fleeting incidents were captured on crude equipment such as mobile phones, and portable cassette recorders. It was a piece of text written by Bosnic that gave birth to the initial concepts that formed the backbone of “The Letter”, and new ideas with regards to incorporating her voice were then created within the group. Bosnic's vocals on this record bear little resemblance to traditional singing or melody but instead use the inflection and cadence of speech to play with syntax. The repeated phrases and deconstructed sentences give the record an unusual and disconcerting atmosphere, acting as a sinister bedfellow to the sharp and broken sound of the guitar and heavily treated drums. Whilst these instruments may represent rock’n’roll, Liberez are content to take influence from the likes of Robert Ashley rather than Chuck Berry.

"The Letter" is a bold first statement from a group who are taking full advantage of what they have at their disposal, and proudly displays the vast frequency bandwidth that they now work within.

Recorded and mastered by John Hannon at No, Rayleigh, 2009 – 2010.

Vinyl cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates and Mastering, Berlin, March 2011.

Edition of 300 copies.

Liberez - I. Capt Wyclaf by alterstock

Liberez - Atheist Rabble by alterstock

The Order Of Death

2011-01-29T21:10:00.000-08:00

Design A Wave live at 113 Dalston Lane last year performing a cover of PiL's "The Order Of Death" and "Iso Bum II" from the "Live On Your Yard" 12".

2011

2011-01-08T18:37:00.001-08:00

Liberez, live!

2010-11-23T05:34:00.000-08:00

Liberez will be playing at the Colchester Arts Centre on Sunday the 28th of November, supporting Part Chimp.

http://www.colchesterartscentre.com/

Distribution

2010-11-23T05:24:00.000-08:00

As of the 22nd of November (ie, yesterday), Alter is now distributed in the UK via Cargo Records. Please e mail info@cargorecords.co.uk for any distribution enquiries. Direct mailorder will still operate as usual through the store.

Any other enquiries should, as ever, be directed to alterstock@googlemail.com.

ALT04: Hieroglyphic Being - "A Romance Of 2 Planets" 12"

2010-11-23T05:19:00.001-08:00

Alter is delighted to announce the release of a new e.p from HIEROGLYPHIC BEING, aka Jamal Moss, who has been active on the Chicago dance scene for over 15 years as a prolific DJ, producer and artist in his own right. With his Hieroglyphic Being project he has nailed a highly unique sound that draws from a melting pot of influences such as Acid, Chicago House, Industrial and New Age music, which is produced through primitive means and successfully captures a raw intensity that other artists in his world often promise, but rarely ever deliver convincingly. His work stands alone in his field as being highly individualistic, and Jamal continues to follow his own special path after countless releases for labels such as International Deejay Gigolos, Mathematics, 6277, and even Sony Europe. "A Romance Of 2 Planets" presents three new pieces of off center techno which incorporate primal four to the floor drum machine stabs, erratic and disjointed melodies that duck and dive around arpeggiated synth lines, and a self imposed rough style of editing.

Limited to 500 copies on 12" vinyl, cut at 33rpm, and housed in colour LP sleeves.

Available direct from the online shop.

Distributed in the UK by Cargo Records. Please contact info@cargorecords.co.uk for distribution enquiries. Please use alterstock@googlemail.com for overseas, and other enquiries.

ALT03 - Design A Wave - "Live On Your Yard" 12"

2010-11-23T05:15:00.001-08:00

Tom Hirst has been making music for many moons. Initial buds featured tape collages, distangled pop music, various dictaphone experiments, and over time all this meshed and warped into his solo musical venture known as Design A Wave. Initiated in the late 90s, the project was loosely named after one of the gangs in the Troma film Surf Nazis Must Die which, alongside other similar movies and music of it's time, informed a particular vision of an idealized weird - a trashy synth orientated 80s B-movie soundtrack, which provided an aesthetic platform on which to dive, surf and ride.

Over time the sound grew vocals, a live component formed, and a shift away from abstract recordings via more overt emotional territory brings us to the current byproduct. "Live On Your Yard" is an E.P that presents 4 tracks of emotive and melancholic synth pop that point towards the eccentricity of artists like Snakefinger and Tuxedomoon, the synthetic slickness and charity shop glamour of Italo Disco, and the misery of coldwave. This is the first vinyl release in Design a Wave's 10 year history, following on from a slew of humble and privately distributed cdrs, and also the first Design A Wave recording to feature external musicians - Melissa Osborne on synth, and Will Saunders on bass.  

Limited to 300 copies. Recorded by John Hannon at No Recording Studio 2010, and mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates and Mastering.  The track "Remedy" will also appear on the Rough Trade Shop's "Synth Wave 10" compilation, due for release in November 2010.

Available direct from the online shop.

Distributed in the UK by Cargo Records. Please contact info@cargorecords.co.uk for distribution enquiries. Please use alterstock@googlemail.com for overseas, and other enquiries.

Design A Wave on Rough Trade Shops "Synth Wave" compilation

2010-11-22T11:26:00.000-08:00

The Design A Wave track "Remedy" is featured on a new compilation of contemporary synth pop that has been released today by the inhouse label at the Rough Trade shop. It can be ordered from here.

Video clip for "Remedy" below.

Design A Wave - Remedy from des wav on Vimeo.

Design A Wave - Live tomorrow

2010-11-13T09:10:00.000-08:00

http://www.113dalstonlane.com

Shop.

2010-11-01T06:12:00.000-07:00

The Alter online shop is now open, stocking the back catalogue and other related items!

http://alterstock.bigcartel.com/

Liberez website.

2010-10-12T09:48:00.001-07:00

Liberez now have a presence online. Their debut LP "The Letter" is currently in the works, and will now see the light at the start of 2011.

http://www.liberez.moonfruit.com/

The Lowest Form of Music

2010-10-12T09:42:00.001-07:00

I am looking forward to the forthcoming three day Los Angeles Free Music Society event in London, that my pals at Second Layer and Harbinger Sound have been busy organizing. I have been telling anyone bored enough to listen for the past few years that Hijokaidan is the greatest live band I have ever seen, and I am both excited and terrified to be seeing them again in equal measures. I will also be djing at some point on the Sunday, so see you there.

Helm - Live in London, 18th of October

2010-10-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

Helm will be opening for Demons and Sick Llama at the Grosvenor in Stockwell, on Monday the 18th of October. More info available here: http://www.upsettherhythm.co.uk.

In some other belated Helm related news, the performance at last months Sotto Voce festival is included in the write up of the festival in this months issue of The Wire Magazine. Going back even further, a review of August's gig with Graham Lambkin and Call Back The Giants is up on the Foxy Digitalis site here: http://www.digitalisindustries.com/foxyd/features.php?which=491. Better late than never, eh?

October 2010

2010-10-12T09:18:00.001-07:00

Here are some videos of the Brussells based artist El-G from his recent European tour. After previous releases for SS, Kraak, and Nashazphone, Alter will be releasing the forthcoming El-G album on vinyl in early 2011.

hectolitre - october 2010 - èl-G from fab five on Vimeo.

él-g live in Paris @ Instants Chavirés / october 2010 from Lo Gé on Vimeo.

él-g live in Genève - excerpt @ L'Ecurie * Cave 12 from Lo Gé on Vimeo.

The next two releases will be 12"s by London based synth group Design A Wave, and the warped acid of Hieroglyphic Being from Chicago. These will be ready to order at the start of November.

Liberez - "Atheist Rabble"

2010-06-07T16:01:00.000-07:00

Liberez (Top: Tom James Scott & Nina Bosnic, Bottom: l-r John Hannon, Tom James Scott, Pete Wilkins)

Liberez are a group from Southend which was born out of a long running collaboration between former Woe members, John Hannon and Pete Wilkins. Recently joined by multi-instrumentalist Tom James Scott (who is also responsible for two excellent cds of solo guitar on the Bo Weavil label), and Nina Bosnic, they release their first LP entitled "The Letter" on Alter in the Autumn of this year. It is a phenomenal record of deconstructed improvisations that form a semi-industrial landscape of sound, whilst evoking a heavily dark and foreboding atmosphere. Hear the track "Atheist Rabble" from it below:

Liberez - Atheist Rabble by alterstock

Helm - "To An End" : Foxy Digitalis review, and Swill Radio catalogue.

2010-06-07T15:37:00.000-07:00

"To An End" by Helm has been reviewed by Foxy Digitalis: http://www.digitalisindustries.com/foxyd/reviews.php?which=5536

The record is also now available in the US from the great Swill Radio distro. Thanks to Scott Foust for the great write up. http://www.anti-naturals.org/swill/

ALT02: Tomutonttu / Oneohtrix Point Never - Split 7"

2010-05-24T16:56:00.001-07:00

To mark the occasion of their UK tour, Alter is proud to present this vinyl pairing of Finland's TOMUTONTTU (Kemialliset Ystavat's Jan Anderzen), and New York's ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER (Daniel Lopatin). Both artists contribute two new tracks that, whilst being sonically different from each another, create a unique synthesis formed from a DIY approach to electronic music, which makes this pairing both logical and inevitable. Tomutonttu's "Likaiset Pilvet" sees Anderzen diving deep into his archives, and re-emerging with something new after a heavy editing session. The track kicks off with some fragmented electronics, bringing to mind an image of a dozen Bernard Parmegiani records all melting in unison. The second half sees a shift in pace and a more playful atmosphere, introducing elements such as rhythmic loops and other scattered sounds that, as a whole, bear similarities to Eric Copeland's recent output. OPN's "Wayland Lincoln Border" is a continuation of Lopatin's synth work, which is already well recognized in his young career. Building deep layers of warm sound from trance-like synth melodies, Lopatin's music is evocative of motion as it never feels stuck - always evolving, constructing and deconstructing new worlds from sound, and here he provides the perfect counterpoint to Anderzen's chaos.

Released in an edition of 500 copies with cover art by Jan Anderzen.

Price: £5.
Order: alterstock@googlemail.com

These will be ready to ship on the 1st of June. In the UK this will be available from Volcanic Tongue, Second Layer, Norman Records, Rough Trade, Blackest Rainbow, Bleep, and the artists themselves on the tour which starts on Thursday. Mimaroglu will have copies in the US.

ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER / TOMUTONTTU - UK TOUR, MAY 2010

27th - Freebutt, Brighton
28th - Common Place, Leeds w/ Mick Flower/Neil Campbell + A Band
29th - Arts School, Glasgow
30th - Saki Bar, Manchester
31st - Cargo, London w/ Goodiepal

29/5 - Design A Wave live in London with Heatsick.

2010-05-12T14:51:00.001-07:00

New contact.

2010-04-12T13:20:00.000-07:00

Please direct any future label inquiries to alterstock@googlemail.com.

Cheers.

Wednesday

2010-03-28T15:07:00.001-07:00

"To An End" - Rough Trade write up.

2010-03-25T15:59:00.000-07:00

"'to an end' is the debut solo recording from luke younger of birds of delay and the human race. a haunting composition of field recordings, tape loops, percussion, and electronics, 'to an end' touches on musique concrete, power electronics, drone elements, and tone poetry to build a solid narrative whilst evading the genre fetters inherent in such terms. part one completely envelopes the listener within a cocoon of deep foreboding, invoking an aural journal of the plague years which thrills as much as it frightens. part 2 offers a glimmer of light through the dark expanse, with bell like tones floating through clouds of haze. there's a feeling of event and aftermath to this slab which is utterly unique... an awesome offering."

UK Shops / Distros stocking ALT01

2010-03-25T15:51:00.000-07:00

The Helm LP is available in the UK from:

Second Layer
Volcanic Tongue
Blackest Rainbow
Unrest Productions
Rough Trade
Norman Records

Please e mail youngerluke (at) yahoo (dot) co (dot) uk for any wholesale enquiries.

ALT01 / PM73: Helm - "To An End" LP

2010-03-04T11:40:00.000-08:00

HELM - "TO AN END"

"'To An End' is the debut solo album from London, UK's Luke Younger (also known as 1/2 of Birds of Delay). The album is comprised of an extremely complex network of intricate layers and mixed sounds. A haunting composition of field recordings, tape loops, percussion, and electronics (among other things) create an extremely tense and daunting audio tapestry which leaves the listener pondering the intense meaning of the sounds chosen. Repeated themes arrive suddenly and then shift into new passages seamlessly creating a surreal environment of confusion and alienation. All of the carefully mixed and slow morphing passages are balanced by surgical editing technique (while leaving the tired "cut-up" techniques behind.) While the albums first piece has many properties of concrete and sound poetry reminiscent of the work of Charles Amirkhanian or Bengt Hambraeus, it does not confine itself to these genre of these works. On the album's flipside, field recordings and mysterious tape audio swell in and out of the mix, gone before you can fully realize it was ever there. Soft washes of white noise float delicately on the surface of an infinite curious hum. A sense of unease simultaneously locks in with an aura of beauty, both worlds compromising to share a space with each other in an extended phantom tone. The long excursion into a wash of calm tone could float away forever, its as profound as the discovery of pure silence or the sound of a massive skyscraper collapsing to the ground. It's not about it's size, it's about the overbearing weight, which this album carries loads of." - John Elliott 03/03/2010

Released March 2010 on Alter (UK) and Peasant Magik (USA). Recorded and mixed by Luke Younger and John Hannon at No Recording Studio. Mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering, and limited to 300 copies in LP sleeves designed by Bill Kouligas.

Sound sample here.

To order e mail youngerluke @ yahoo . co . uk

Cost: £13
Postage: £2.50 (UK) / £3.50 (EUR) / £5.50 (ROW).
Payment via Paypal.

Wholesale enquiries (UK, Japan, Australia) to youngerluke @ yahoo . co . uk.

Distribution and wholesale for Europe and USA from:
Pan (Europe) http://www.pan-act.com
Peasant Magik (USA) http://www.peasantmagik.net