WHAT THE COVER LOOKS LIKE:

WHAT THE RELEASE NOTES SAY:


"Aulos“ is a woodwind instrument from ancient Greece - like the tenor sax is a woodwind instrument of modern times. In its mythological meaning the Aulos symbolises ecstasy and this-worldliness. It was played by the Satyrs, who surrounded Dionysos, the god of earthly bliss. Will Jimi Tenor turn into Jimi Aulos on this joyful album? Find out yourself!

"Aulos“ is Jimi Tenor's second album on Philophon. Basically, the core crew is the same as on his Philophon debut „Order of Nothingness“: beside our Finnish singer and multi-instrumentalist we have again the two drummers Ekow Alabi Savage from Ghana and Max Weissenfeldt from Germany, the latter of whom is as well the producer of „Aulos“.

As the basic recordings were cut at Max’ former „Tonstudio Blütenring“ in Berlin-Kreuzberg, the finishing touch however happened at Philophon’s newly established „Joy Sound Studios“ in Kumasi, Ghana. Therefore the album presents some local guests from Ghana. First and foremost, the two Frafra-Gospel queens Florence Adooni and Lizzy Amaliyenga, who are featured on lead vocals on „Vocalize My Luv“ and the Frafra-Gospel classic „Ki’igba“, which Jimi re-arranged in his own musical language. Furthermore, you will hear a young shooting star of the vibrant music scene in Kumasi: Kofi Emma on the Kpanlogo, a Ghanaian drum which historically is the forefather of the well known Conga. Last but not least, we hear Pat Thomas’ guitar player Sergio Manuel on the krautrockish piece „128 Cosmic Rock“. The instrumental „Afroeuropean“ reflects in its title the bridge this album has built between the two continents.

This bridging also runs through the cover artwork: here the Ghanaian artist Babs provides his very personal interpretation of the epic painting Väinämöisen soitto by the Finnish painter Robert Wilhelm Ekman, who worked in the 19th century, which Jimi puts into a scenario surrounded by characters from Finnish mythology.

Jimi says: „Like the name of the album "Aulos" suggests I wanted to feature flute quite heavily on it. I love complicated melodies and structures, so there are a couple of songs where went just for it. Of course the core of the album is groove based music with African-style bass lines“.

„Aulos“ is another landmark in Jimi’s fruitful career, which started back in the 80’s in the dark corners of Industrial Music and which evolved consistently into his very own kind of a bright and playful Nature Music. 

Credits
SUGAR AND SPICE
Jimi Tenor - Vocals, Piano, Synthesizer, Key-Bass, Tenor Sax, Flute
Johannes Böhmer - Trumpet
Johannes Schleiermacher - Baritone Sax, Flute
Ekow Alabi Savage - Drums
Kofi Emma - Kpanlogo Drums, Percussion
Max Weissenfeldt - Percussion

SMALL THINGS
Jimi Tenor - Vocals, Piano, Synthesizer, Key-Bass, Tenor Sax
Johannes Böhmer - Trumpet
Johannes Schleiermacher - Baritone Sax
Ekow Alabi Savage - Drums
Max Weissenfeldt - Percussion

AULOS I
Jimi Tenor - Flute, Harp
Ekow Alabi Savage - Percussion
Kofi Emma - Percussion
Max Weissenfeldt - Percussion

TEN DIMENSIONS
Jimi Tenor - Vocals, Piano, Synthesizer, Key-Bass, Tenor Sax Flute
Johannes Böhmer - Trumpet
Johannes Schleiermacher - Baritone Sax
Max Weissenfeldt - Drums

AFROEUROPEAN
Jimi Tenor - Piano, Synthesizer, Key-Bass, Tenor Sax, Flute
Johannes Böhmer - Trumpet
Jason Liebert - Trombone
Johannes Schleiermacher - Baritone Sax
Ekow Alabi Savage - Drums
Kofi Emma - Kpanlogo Drums
Lizzy Amaliyenga - Percussion
Max Weissenfeldt - Vibraphone, Percussion

AULOS II
Jimi Tenor - Flute
Kofi Emma - Kpanlogo Drums

VOCALIZE MY LUV
Jimi Tenor - Synthesizer, Synth-Bass, Tenor Sax, Flute
Florence Adooni - Vocals
Lizzy Amaliyenga - Vocals, Percussion
Johannes Böhmer - Trumpet
Jason Liebert - Trombone
Johannes Schleiermacher - Baritone Sax
Ekow Alabi Savage - Drums
Max Weissenfeldt - Percussion

LOVER’S BRIDGE
Jimi Tenor - Organ, Piano, Tenor Sax, Flute
Ekow Alabi Savage - Vocals, Drums, Percussion
Johannes Böhmer - Trumpet
Johannes Schleiermacher - Baritone Sax, Flute
Max Weissenfeldt - Xylophone, Tuned Drum Ensemble, Percussion

128 COSMIC ROCK
Jimi Tenor - Vocals, Synthesizer, Key-Bass, Tenor Sax
Johannes Böhmer - Trumpet
Johannes Schleiermacher - Baritone Sax
Sergio Manuel - Guitar
Max Weissenfeldt - Drums

MY BABY
Jimi Tenor - Vocals, Piano, String Machine, Key-Bass, Tenor Sax, Flute
Florence Adooni - Vocals
Max Weissenfeldt - Drums, Percussion

KI’IGBA
Jimi Tenor - Organ, Glockenspiel, Key-Bass, Tenor Sax, Flute
Florence Adooni - Vocals
Lizzy Amaliyenga - Vocals, Percussion
Johannes Böhmer - trumpet
Jason Liebert - Trombone
Johannes Schleiermacher - Baritone Sax
Ekow Alabi Savage - Kpanlogo Drums, Percussion
Max Weissenfeldt - Drums, Percussion

AULOS III
Jimi Tenor - Flute
Ekow Alabi Savage - Bongo Drums
Kofi Emma - Percussion
Max Weissenfeldt - Perussion


Produced and mixed by Max Weissenfeldt

Recorded by Benjamin Spitzmüller (A1, A2, A4, B2, B3, B4) and Manou Bouillon (A5, B1, B5) at Tonstudio Blütenring, Berlin with additional recordings by Jimi Tenor at Studio Capito de Nieve de Kontula, Helsinki and Max Weissenfeldt at Joy Sound Studios, Kumasi

Mastered and cut by Mike Grinser at Manmade Mastering, Berlin
Cover painting by Babs Arts, Kumasi
Photo by Toimi Tytti
Graphics by Jana Weiz and Florence Adooni

All songs composed and arranged by Jimi Tenor, except Lover’s Bridge is composed by Jimi Tenor and Ekow Alabi Savage and Ki’igba is composed by Alogte Oho, Jimi Tenor and Max Weissenfeldt

Executive producer: Max Weissenfeldt

WHAT THE COVER LOOKS LIKE:

WHAT THE RELEASE NOTES SAY:

All pieces written by Preserved Sound Artists
Mastered by Ian Hawgood
Original artwork – Cover To Cover I by Adrian Lane

"Invisible" is an album of original pieces written and recorded as blind collaborations in response to the COVID-19 crisis by 11 Preserved Sound artists: Aaron Martin, Adrian Lane, Ales Tsurko, Benjamin Louis Brody, Cédric Dind-Lavoie, Glacis, Neal Heppleston, Tess Said So, Thomas Méreur, Trigg & Gusset and Visionary Hours.

All proceeds of the sale of "Invisible" will go to support children affected by COVID-19 across the developing world via the charity Mary’s Meals. £7.95 is the cost Mary’s Meals is able to feed a child for half a year. With the UK government doubling donations until January 31, 2021, each album sale will essentially feed a child in the developing world for an entire year.

The word "Invisible" not only refers to the concept that the COVID virus can’t be seen, but also that contributing artists collaborated on the pieces blindly without knowing what each other was recording. The album showcases the combined response of Preserved Sound’s community of artists to the unfolding COVID crisis – with the individual pieces coalescing to create a cohesive whole.

"The joy of this record is not so much to be found in its methods of creation, as clever as they may be, but in just how seamlessly it all comes together and how beautifully all the strands intertwine" – Stationary Travels

"Over the course of the album, the invisible becomes visible: while individual connections are hard to glean, an overall sense of connection develops" – a closer listen

Credits & Collaboration information:

an occasIonal hushed word – adrian lane (with cédric dind-lavoie,
aaron martin, thomas méreur)

melt – trigg & gusset (with glacis, tess said so, ales tsurko)
ADALGUTRIVI – ales tsurko (with adrian lane, trigg & gusset,
visionary hours)

lou’s harmonium – cédric dind-lavoie (with neal heppleston, adrian lane,
visionary hours)

the lamplighter – neal heppleston (with benjamin louis brody,
thomas méreur, ales tsurko)

lament: a meditation for sustained instruments – benjamin louis brody
(with tess said so, trigg & gusset, aaron martin)

left behind and irretrievably lost – thomas méreur (with neal heppleston,
aaron martin, visionary hours)

you are born – glacis (with benjamin louis brody, aaron martin, tess said so)

pre peri post – visionary hours (with cédric dind-lavoie, adrian lane,
thomas méreur)

dig – tess said so (with benjamin louis brody, trigg & gusset, ales tsurko)

roots fall into the river – aaron martin (with cédric dind-lavoie, glacis,
neal heppleston)

WHAT THE COVER LOOKS LIKE:

WHAT THE RELEASE NOTES SAY:

The music we make has become place based, it happens here. Perhaps it could only happen here. It grows from connections, mistakes, intrusions, exploration. These are chance moments, and as John Cage puts it, recordings of such chance moments are “… of no more value than a postcard”.

Postcards then. From Godley Moor. With Love.

Credits

The lo-fi tracks are a collage of local field recordings, traditional & new original songs, and semi-improvised instrumentals. This album was created during the autumn of 2020, between the cross quarter days of Lammas and Samhain, and is being released to coincide with December's Bandcamp Friday. This album will be followed by ‘Postcards’ for Winter (in February 2021) and Spring (in May 2021), and was preceded by Postcards from Godley Moor, Summer in August 2020.

Digital downloads come with pdf copies of the limited edition cards.

All songs written / arranged by Mark Waters & Kate Gathercole.
Recorded and home mixed in the Radar Station.
Mastered by Ian Carter - many thanks Ian.

WHAT THE COVER LOOKS LIKE:

WHAT THE RELEASE NOTES SAY:

Sweet Company is the second album by Jabu.
 
Where their first LP, Sleep Heavy, was an unflinching exploration of grief, dark and disembodied, Sweet Company’s deep, sedative soul feels like more of a lovers’ outing: optimistic, becalmed, looking outwards as well as inwards, and longing for the kind of human connections where ego and self-consciousness might dissolve. It is perhaps also an exhortation to love and accept yourself, to recover a lost innocence and peace – that paradise which has always been lost.
 
Released via their own do you have peace? label, Sweet Company is on the one hand a very intimate and private-sounding work - the sound of life played out in a room, a bubble, a home, a head. The rhythms of everyday domesticity: listening to the plants, cars in the street, voices through the wall…. going to work, not going to work, sleeping heavy or not sleeping at all. Wavering on the brink of a revelation, of something just beyond the material world, while you wait for the kettle to boil.

The core Jabu trio of producer Amos Childs and vocalists Jasmine Butt and Alex Rendall is present and correct. Sweet Company has the exhilarating sweep and confidence of a collaboration between people who trust and understand each other implicitly, and, secure in that knowledge, are able to give the absolute best of themselves to us. As before, Jasmine’s voice is a textural, painterly instrument, layered and blurred into abstraction, resisting the limits of language; the songs she sings on are portals into vast internal landscapes where the normal rules of gravity are suspended, every sound is smothered in a cathedral-like resonance, and you're both fearful and hopeful that you might never find your way back out again. Alex takes a more narrative, confessional and no less engaging pop tack: as on the gauzy, decelerated 2-step of ‘Lately’, with his masochistic, self-mocking entreaties to “be cruel to me […] I like it when you make a fool of me”. 
 
Childs has a true hip-hop fiend's ear for a striking sample, and how to loop it to most hypnotic and rapturous effect, but here takes things to ever more powerfully uncanny and auteurish places, drawing inspiration from the voidal bliss-outs of shoegaze (AR Kane’s amniotic dream-pop epic 69 is one influence cited) and the space-time disturbances of dub, commanding both a raindrops-on-cobwebs delicacy and an immense, oceanic pressure. His productions seem to resist linear progression - instead they move by a kind of unstoppable diffusion, like weeds reclaiming an unkempt garden, or alien flora patterning the sea-floor and coral-caves of the subaquatic level of a computer game which may exist only in your, or his, imagination. 
 
Perhaps it's Daniela Dyson, the British-Afro-Colombian artist who contributes her vivid, energising poetic mysticism to two tracks, who best sums up Sweet Company's ambition and effect: “Me quiero perder en los momentos tan puros en su esencia que Las Horas mismas se detienen para ser testigo de nuestro amor” (I want to lose myself in the moments so pure in their essence / that The Hours themselves stop to bear witness to our love…). For a precious half an hour, we're invited  to celebrate the smallness of our lives - and the limitless grandeur which that smallness contains. When it ends, we step back from the brink but things aren’t quite the same anymore: we’re haunted by what we briefly almost knew. 

Credits
Vocals & Lyrics by Alex Rendall, Jasmine Butt & Daniela Dyson
Strings on Slow Down & Blood Pink recorded and arranged by Rakhi Singh & Sebastian Gainsborough
Production by Amos Childs
Additional Production on Lately by Bridget Schurch

Cover Photography by Paulina Korobkiewicz
Design by Patrick Savile