Taken from the album 'Piano Muisc 1-7' released as LP, CD and digital.


Editions Mego is proud to welcome Powell to its roster with a bizarre and strangely emotive new LP of synthetic computer works entitled Piano Music 1-7.

Via his own Diagonal Records imprint, his work on XL Recordings and, most recently, the opening of audio/film platform A Folder [afolder.studio], Powell has firm footing in the contemporary electronic landscape. During a wry and obstinate musical life he has twisted myriad synthetic forms into shapes that explore and expand upon the districts of post-punk, techno, noise + computer music, and in the the last year alone he has released four albums of hi-def abstractions, each inspired by a formalisation of music proposed by Iannis Xenakis. 

As an extension of this intense period of work/research/play with stochastic functions [using probabilities to compose music], various processes emerged that Powell then began to apply to more traditional musical events. Where ordinarily in his work the probabilities and relationships are used to define parameters such as wave-shape, folding, FM, filter modes etc., he now began to use them to create musical formations and visual scores that could be played back using any software/MIDI instrument [one of these can be seen on the rear cover of the LP release]. While mapping out this cartography of relations, he used a basic Grand Steinway sampler as a placeholder instrument; the longer the process went on, though, the more he began to embrace the acoustic properties of the synthetic piano and make it the bedrock for this new constellation of work. 

Piano Music 1-7, subtitled ‘Music for Synthetic Piano and Assorted Electronics’, consists of seven different synthetic islands strung together into a single composition. All were composed using the aforementioned processes that allowed Powell to play a piano, even if he never learned to do so with his hands. After all, ’In writing electronic music,’ Robin Mackay once wrote, ‘you also have to direct the invention of new tools.’

At times the piano skips gleefully over shadowing synthesis, whilst at others the synthetic sheets swarm and envelope the keys. The interplay between the two create a fantastical alternate reality, a cosmic machine in which time is eroded, shrunk and expanded, like a wax upon which operations and relations are inscribed or engraved. Many of the pieces express a playfulness or optimism verging on vitalism, as bundles of piano notes dance and interpolate with a never-repeating range of electronic gestures. The feel is of a brightly coloured flower-bed in various stage of bloom. This interplay of the [artifical] acoustic and the electronic builds on the pioneering processes developed by David Behrman in works such as Leapday Night, and Piano Music 1-7 could also be posited as a modern take on Conlon Nancarrow’s investigations for player piano. Similarly, the razor-sharp sonic properties and unfolding of non-human events recall the computer works of Xenakis and the surgical precision of Mego mainstay Florian Hecker.

Recorded in late 2020, these new Powell works propose not just a bold and bright vision of electronic music but serve also as a map with which, for 35 minutes at least, we can navigate our way out of the current milieu. As the artist himself remarks in the sleeve-notes, ‘. . . What emerged from this fog or soup [for me] were ideas and processes that felt affirmative and life giving — sensations I had always hoped to convey in my music. Perhaps the optimism or positivity I felt at these musical events unfolding, these clusters and knots tumbling in different directions across time, can also be felt by you.’

Music for Synthetic Piano and Assorted Electronics

Composed and recorded by Powell, 2020
Mixed by Powell and Tobin Jones at The Park Studios, London
Mastered by Russell Haswell

Art direction by Guy Featherstone
Photography by John Cronin

Powell 'Piano Music #1' (EMEGO 301)

Taken from the album 'Ett' released as LP and Download

Klara Lewis 'Shine' (eMEGO 190)

Taken from the album 'TO BEAT' released as CD / Download

COH 'Meguro 10-6' (EMEGO 197)

Taken from the album 'Quixotism' released as CD and Download.

Oren Ambarchi 'Quixotism Part 5' (eMEGO 202)

Taken from the album 'My Ghost Comes Back' released as CD and Download

Tujiko Noriko 'Through The Rain' (EMEGO 201)

In the early days of Mego prior to it’s transformation into Editions Mego a most unexpected release appeared amongst the radical roster. Out of all the twisted hard drive activity from PITA, General Magic, Farmers Manual etc appeared a very different kind of release. One made from a computer, but one with a softer atmosphere, cloud-like in sonic shape and even containing discernible melodies (!). This was the debut release from Japanese artist Tujiko Noriko which not only launched her career to a larger audience but opened the doors of Editions Mego to a broader range of experimental musical forms.

Noriko’s particular synthesis of electronic abstraction, melody, voice and atmosphere has few peers as sound gently circles her mystical words morphing into a succession of emotive aural experiments framed as songs.

Noriko’s evolution since her debut Mego release has seen further solo works alongside collaborations as well as a shift into cinema, both acting and as director. 

On »Crépuscule« one can hear the influence the film medium has had on her music as visual insignia are invoked in the evocative audio at hand. Instrumental interludes further conjure a film landscape alongside the titles which also reiterate the cinematic form. 

This is synthetic music with a deep human presence. The mind of a human captured wandering the fantastic realms of the internal sphere is exquisitely rendered through machines which usually prompt one to disfigure such humanistic tendencies. The warmth, serenity and dream-like environment that Noriko conjures from her tools is what makes her such a unique and outstanding artist and »Crépuscule« is an epic testament to these powers.

The title »Crépuscule« perfectly encapsulates the somnambulant nature of the music where the nocturnal shifts evoke a broad sense of calm. »Crépuscule I« features a selection of shorter ‘songs’ whilst »Crépuscule II« allows more room for these songs / moods to breathe with only three songs running at broader longer duration. »Crépuscule« allows the listener to view the world through Noriko’s eyes. With her cunning ability to humanise machines a world of calm wonder is allowed to take focus in the frame.

Available as 2CD, digital and double-cassette. The later format by request of Noriko as it was this format she flung her debut mego demo onto Peter in Tokyo many moons ago.

Crépuscule I & II

Fossil Words

Tujiko Noriko 'Fossil Words' (EMEGO307)

»grain« is the third Innode release following on from »Gridshifter« in 2013 and »syn« in 2021.

A new methodology to make the album is applied yet again from the trio of Bernhard Breuer, Steven Hess and Stefan Németh. The approach is more an anti approach where the trio let the process of creation itself steer the development of the recording, without any prior conceptual agenda.

Irregular rhythmic patterns often served as the initial springboard for each piece with Breuer creating a loop either by playing drums or with the aid of a modelling percussion synthesizer. The results often bypass existing formulaic grids. The outfit embraced these anti-precision steps building shapes around the tarnished templates.

The process of building upon the core structures laid forth alters throughout. In the case of »Splitter« you can hear an example of Bernhard´s core loops dominating a skeletal audio sphere. The title of the track »Impactopium« reflects the process of its construction being a conglomeration of individual titles meshed into a whole. The audio is a non-linear compendium of several fragments of individual elements. A conscious method of exploring a more decentralised architecture saw three disparate elements layered randomly on top of each other with some synths added as a sonic seasoning at the later stages.

Elsewhere sonic elements are restructured in unusual ways. One member's contribution is completely stripped away, quiet sounds captured with contact mics are highly amplified, the last track introduces twisted themes of the first track.

The title »grain« refers to the roughness resulting from these explorations. It also takes note of the term grain as used in analogue photography or in the case of audio as a distorted signal, or »noise.« All of these elements, normally eschewed, are here embraced as a thematic thread to instigate the exploratory proceedings.

This is a playbox of inventiveness, a hall of mirrors and an endless search for unusual tactics and fresh results.

Tackling the initial loop tracks from a wide variety of strategic approaches Innode has concocted a strangely cohesive work. From sparse source material to heavy overdubs of overdubs »grain« is a uplifting collection of works from this relentlessly curious and exploratory Austrian outfit. Humans make the work but the random embracing of unexpected processes means the gentleman of the outfit is not fully ruling what becomes of these works.

grain

Splitter

Innode 'Splitter' (EMEGO311)

Klara Lewis’ latest offering is undoubtedly a heartfelt tribute to her friend, mentor and former label boss, Peter Rehberg. 

The opening track Thankful resides as a direct tribute to the track recorded under his PITA moniker, the timeless ‘Track 3’. A track of which the impact has been vast and deep, still rattling the walls of the now enormous worldwide experimental electronic scene. Countless new youth carve and project wildly distorted melodic digital matter which all falls back with a knowing or unknowing wink back to this original ground zero monster. Klara’s take on this is one that resides as a tribute to Rehberg with a cascading emotional melody gradually succumbing to a euphoric digital abyss. Thankful also comes across as a farewell gesture to her deceased friend with its beautiful, almost funerale tone. The abrupt ending is not only a method Rehberg would have relished but also a signifier of a life suddenly cut short. 

Lewis was 21 when her first album Ett was released by Editions Mego in 2014. Now at 31 years of age Editions Mego is very proud to present Thankful, a profoundly mature and emotional peak in Lewis’ career thus far.

The track Ukulele 1 is another tender tribute within an album made by a human, utilising contemporary technology with absolute sincerity, surprise twists and sublime emotion. The sound of the instrument in the title gently loops and deconstructs in a recording replete with the sound of the room it is recorded in. A human element appears at exactly the point an increasingly inhuman approach is becoming the forced raison d'etre today. Top!

One of Peter’s many repeated phrases was the word ‘top’. One he used at any occasion to agree with a vast array of subjects. With this musical tribute to Rehberg’s favourite phrase, Lewis conjures a short blast of mutant acid techno which shrivels and thrives as much as it lives and dies. 

Following Top we have the reflective and deeply moving 4U. No words. Just sounds. As it was. And lives on. 

Ukulele 2 sits at the end, as an epilogue of sorts, fashioning itself as an ouroboros with the return of the initial methodology of the previous track Thankful (track 3 tribute). This time around the sublime melody of the previous Ukulele 1 plays out in returnal as it is gently swarmed by all manner of digital play. 

Thankful is an emotionally considered and precise homage to the methodology and spirit of Peter Rehberg. A new work which inhabits the spirit for what this was written for and the general guise devised with the launch of the original MEGO label many moons ago.

Thankful

Klara Lewis 'Top' (EMEGO313)

A remix album can be one of many things; a homage to the original material, a deconstruction/reconstruction of the original material or as found here on Klara Lewis’ Thankful Remixes a deeply moving and soulful exploration of the sounds and ideas located within the original works. All participants are a part of Lewis’ Swedish network and were invited to participate, as peers and as friends.

The gifted multi-instrumentalist Pelle Westlin launches proceedings with an intimate and moving take on the track 4U reworking the original emotional reverse tape work into a deeply affecting piece for acoustic guitar, clarinet and voice. Lewis and Westlins paths crossed as teenagers in Uppsala when they were both starting out as musicians and Lewis has since been inspired by Westlins unique fragile tone.

Baba Stiltzs’ pivot from House Music to minimal and immediate guitar and vocals sparked Lewis curiosity and after Stiltz invited Lewis to remix his track “Stockholm” earlier this year Lewis couldn’t wait to return the invitation. Stiltz presents another guitar work, one which extends the original material to a unique untethered territory. This cover of the original Thankful is laid bare as the chords found in this work are subtly strummed amongst discreet ambience.

The legendary Swedish producer Peder Mannerfelt radically switches gears with his ecstasy ladden dancefloor take on the track Top. Ten years ago Mannerfelt invited Lewis to release an EP on his label and they have since been collaborators and friends. Mannerfelts’ life affirming experimental techno is a constant inspiration for Lewis.

A more recent appearance on the Stockholm scene is that of Lokalfrågan, a duo between artist rip ME (Em Silén) and electronic musician bas bleau (Nora Pollak). Lewis describes them as an intimate and atmospheric bedroom band and that is apparent here with their minimal and beautiful take on 4U. To compare and contrast the two versions of this track on this remix album is also a delight lending as they do to the open ended nature of the original compositions.

The final contribution is from Erik Enocksson, another of Lewis favourites. Enockssons’ music for the films “Farväl Falkenberg” and ”Man Tänker Sitt” soundtracked Lewis teens in Uppsala. Enocksson brings his signature euphoric melancholy with an effortlessly emotional take on Thankful. Enockssons' version is a moving meld of the original composition with stark edits and powerfully fragile acoustic guitar and field recordings.

The theme of the original Thankful LP was a sincere and heartfelt tribute to her friend and label mentor Peter Rehberg. With this follow up of collaborations Klara extends the gesture with an invitation to her immediate community of musicians and friends. The offer to rework the original material is also a means to show gratitude to the work and inspiration each have provided to Lewis’ own vision. Thankful once again showcases a variety of deeply affecting tracks as tributes and expands warmly on the original material.

Thankful Remixes

4U - Lokalfrågan Remix

Klara Lewis '4U - Lokalfrågan Remix' (EMEGO313RMX)

Taken from the album 'Live at MAXXI' released as LP, CD and download.

Written by Paolo Conte, published by Sugarmusic Spa, L'Alternativa Ed. Musicali

Voices From The Lake 'Max' (EMEGO 209)

Rivet’s new album for Editions Mego is an uplifting and joyous affair coming in the wake of tragedy and disenchantment. It is yet another rebirth from an artist willing to take a step back and reprise the current situation he is in. Mika Hallbäck has a long credible history in the Swedish underground. First recognised for his industrial techno works under the Grovskopa moniker he worked privately on more experimental works that eventually came out as On Feather and Wire, an album released on Editions Mego in 2020. After much acclaim for this bold new direction that blended electronic abstraction, pop and industrial forms into a heavy synthetic trip two tragedies struck. One was the passing of label boss Peter Rehberg and then the passing of his dog Lilo, who was as close as a companion one could have. These events led to the release of the more unsettling follow up L+P-2 (Lilo and Pita minus two) on Midnight Shift Records in 2023. Peck Glamour sees Rivet return to the reawakened Editions Mego with an album of optimism inspired by reconciliation with loss and further explorations of new mental/sonic realms.

Hallbäck defines his approach as not being married to any particular machine, instrument, process or genre. However he holds a particular affinity to sampling, of which, he says, provides the dirt and grit amongst what would otherwise be pristine, generic machine music. The contemporary crate digging method of scouring obscure download music bogs for unique sounds was his preferred research practice.

Peck Glamour is an album full of tracks brimming with the excitement of exploration. It's the results of a mind informed by punk, industrial, techno, dancefloor, disappointment, trauma and rebirth. Here the synthetic and authentic is viewed simply as the same means of human rationale and expression.

The opening, ‘Catch Up to Light’, sets the scene with ecstatic and odd fluorescent vocals sliding amongst crystalline likembe whilst synths swirl amongst the external festivities. ‘Orbiting Empty Cocoon’ is somewhat a homage to the alien sound worlds of The Orb, one which takes the listener deeper into a mind melting array of teased potential as visual elements are executed in a mask of audio wizardry and euphoric staccato rhythms, the later being a nod to Singeli music. ‘Patitur Butcher’ is more dance frontal utilising the Ghatam drum and a YouTube rip of a Chinese language lesson. ‘Plastic Bag Putain’ was made during the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and should be clear of its intent. ‘All that Heaven Allows’ is a marimba cover of an imaginary Love Parade anthem. 'Kyrie Geire’ potentially briefly fills the void left by the demise of Coil. The entire trip of Peck Glamour is sewn up with ‘We left before we came’ whereby extraneous recordings of double bass player Gregory Vartian-Foss (tuning/strumming/moving the bass) are superimposed with local field recordings to create a gorgeous bed of sounds acting as an exciting exit music to this sharp collection of cinematic ear excursions.

Peck Glamour

All That Heaven Allows

Rivet 'All That Heaven Allows' (EMEGO317)

Hüma Utku returns to Editions Mego with her new album. 'Dracones’. The title Dracones makes reference to the mediaeval latin term "Hic sunt dracones" (Here be dragons), marking the unexplored, dangerous places on world maps, expressing the fear of chaos, the unexpected and the unknown.

This new work by the Istanbul sound artist is a sonic journal of an expedition into uncharted territory, one which occupies self and domesticity. Inspired by Utku’s experience of matrescence, Dracones explores the themes of familial demonology, metamorphosis and homecoming as well as human relationship to the experience of love woven layers of euphoria, alienation and consumption.

Musically, Dracones traverses a wide array of sonic tools whereby industrial sounds are imbedded with certain psychological angles, this is an album where, all matter meshes into a sly snapshot of the human experience with a tension and release exposure occurring frequently with dark corners opening up to bright layers of electronic experimentation.

The haunting opening track ‘A World Between Worlds’ tackles pregnancy, of which Utku was experiencing when making this record. The emotional, physical, spiritual and mental experience of this journey is all documented here.. This track features the ‘Lyraei’, an electromagnetic string instrument and modern interpretation of the ancient lyre, that was built and played by Mihalis Shammas. ‘Comfort of The Shadows’ moves from within to without, what was once hidden is now exposed. Utku’s ability to conjure the visual in the sonic is at the forefront as howling electronics give a distinct impression of movement. ‘A Familial Curse’ presents a desire to break the cycle of generational trauma with a creeping sense of dread that rolls into an industrial rhythm prior to landing in a beautiful place represented with shimmering guitar tones. ‘Here be Dragons’ is a rich and dark evocation, a spooked surrender to the themes of the record whereby Utku’s wildly distorted voice beckons all manner of phantasmagoria over cello and recordings of her ultrasound. ‘Care in Consume’ engages in further sonic exploration as a means of conjuring ‘matriphagy’, with its unique psychic energy coursing through electronic veins. ‘A House within a House’ could also be read as a body within a body as the pulse of ultrasound audio rattle amongst a cage of thudding rhythms and swirling electronics, one also ending in optimism as an exquisite melody is born from the prior fire. The striking journey ends with the more soothing ‘Ayaz’a’, a track embracing love and all the hardships that a period of fundamental metamorphosis brings, this is a heartfelt dedication to her son and concludes an album draped in life, experience, joy and pain.

Dracones is a deeply visual journey through inner and outer worlds, a space where symbolic evocation is supreme and passive listening is not an option.

All tracks composed,performed and recorded by Hüma Utku  
Buchla 100, vocals, cello, electric guitar performed by Hüma Utku  
‘’A World Between Worlds’’ features the ‘Lyraei’ built, played and recorded by Mihalis Shammas  
Buchla 100 recorded in EMS Stockholm 2022-2023

Mixed by Enyang Urbiks  
Mastered by Heba Kadry, NYC  
Cover Artwork by Marco Ciceri  
Design by Tina Frank

Dracones

Hüma Utku 'Comfort Of The Shadows' (EMEGO318)

Editions Mego reissue the 2001 release Asuma by Finnish artist Ilpo Väisänen. Originally released on CD this is the first ever vinyl issue, remastered by Rashad Becker. 2001 is a landmark year for the artist following a wave of success from the notable outfit Väisänen formed alongside Mika Vanio, Pan Sonic (as they were now known then). Following a string of highly acclaimed and influential releases such as “Vakio”, “Kulma”, “A’ and “Aaltopiiri” Pan Sonic had toured the globe extensively leaving a trail of blown expectations and rumours of all manner of objects in venues cracking or falling apart due to the immense sound the duo concocted with their unique instruments.

Taking a break from the ecstatic cacophony of Pan Sonic, Väisänen retreated to work on a solo release which conjured the spirits of the former outfit whilst simultaneously carving out a more personal take on these new electronic forms.

Asuma is a precise study of drones, rhythms, clicks, ambience and gentle confusion. Whilst inhabiting a zone of abstraction the results also move in a natural field as Väisänen’s native Finland permeates these recordings as much as the idea of experimentation itself.

Autioitu 1 opens the album as delicate pinball rhythms bounce across the spectrum as a hairy drone hovers underneath. The mood is both intriguing and unsettling. Tukahduttaja is a delightfully disorientating sound sculpture that is hard to pinpoint what it actually is. Klikki is comparable to a microscopic version of Pink Floyd’s “Several Species Of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together In A Cave And Grooving With A Pict”. Asumaton is a foreboding miniature acting like a segway to Vallitseva which embraces the icy clicks that punctuates much of the Pan Sonic output. Arvioimaton Ongelma is an audio riddle whilst Jaettu jitters around a dancefloor crawl. Autioitu closes proceedings as a gentle ambient thumper. Asuma is awash with contradiction and mystery. This is time wrapped in twisted turns and rewards a neat payoff for those interested in the absolute fringes of electronic ‘dance’ music.

Ilpo Väisänen 'Autioitu 1 [2025 Remaster]' (EMEGO037)

In 1978, at the University of London, the Physicist David T. Kemp made an unusual discovery. Kemp noticed that faint sounds, known as Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs), revealed the existence of the cochlear amplifier, a mechanism responsible for sound sensitivity and frequency resolution. This discovery proved that the ear is an active rather than passive organ. 

Following this discovery the experimental music world embraced these findings by incorporating them into sound works. Maryanne Amacher was a notable early pioneer of this technique resulting in large scale sound works, the likes of which audiences had never encountered prior. Since these early explorations the use of OAEs has spread more widely in the experimental music landscape, notably by Editions Mego artists Florian Hecker and Marcus Schmickler.

“I believe the kick of techno can be an agent to shapeshift sounds and infiltrate settings” - Jung An Tagen 

Stefan Juster aka Jung An Tagen is known for conceptual works and has a large back catalogue of intriguing ideas and sounds. Revenge of the Speaker People is another adventurous release, one which takes the Otoacoustic discoveries of David T. Kemp and applies them to a techno framework. OAEs are fragile and can collapse quickly when combined with other elements. Jung An Tagen’s success in combining OAEs with beats is therefore quite an achievement, without precedent. 

The first CD comprises the  results of Juster’s experiments, resulting in some of the strangest techno committed to digital since the initial burst of the Mego label. A series of head spinning, ear tickling extreme electronic miniatures bleed in a continuous form. This adventurous and playful music would likely have many a raver run to the bathroom. There is a tangible subversive delight in mixing in such sounds to what is ostensibly ‘club music’.

Because the record had this clear divide of beat + otoacoustics the idea came to see how the material would lend itself to a series of remixes. The second CD has remix contributions from a selection of artists from the Editions Mego stable alongside Juster’s own ETAT imprint along with DJ Nervoso from the Príncipe crew. The results are a headspinning variety of Otoacoustic mayhem as the likes of Evol, Thomas Brinkmann, Ellen Phan, Nik Colk Void and others fold these initial bizarre sounds into even more twisted shapes. Revenge of the Speaker People is a daring, playful and audacious release. One that will baffle your ears, neighbours and dancefloor clients.

Revenge of the Speaker People

Revenge of the Speaker People [Collage] (EMEGO321)

Widely regarded as one of the most uncompromising works in experimental noise, Kevin Drumm’s Sheer Hellish Miasma is once again available on vinyl. First released on CD in 2002 on the original Mego label, the album remains a landmark in extreme electronic sound and is an essential and ferocious document of Drumm at his most inventive.

The history of Drumm’s Sheer Hellish Miasma is one of resilience to the twists of underground trends that have come and gone since its initial release. Using guitar, tape manipulation, microphones, pedals, analog synthesizers, and subtle computer processing, Sheer Hellish Miasma is an overwhelming experience: a sonic onslaught of storming feedback, fractured textures and  an unrelenting energy. At once brutal and meticulously composed, the album offers a singular vision at the outermost edges of sound art.

For seasoned noise veterans, Sheer Hellish Miasma offers a bracing soundscape filled with exquisitely abrasive textures and more than enough hidden detail to warrant repeated listening – a distinct voice in the increasingly same-sounding world of abstract electronic noise. For everyone else, Drumm’s journey through the noisy underworld is likely to inspire fear or, in an optimistic case, fearful admiration. 

Drumm’s Sheer Hellish Miasma is an abstract noise classic with this 2LP reissue being an artefact of eternal power.

Sheer Hellish Miasma

Cloudy

Kevin Drumm 'Cloudy' (EMEGO053)

Pioneering experimental electronic record receives first-ever complete vinyl pressing, featuring expanded content and exclusive liner notes.

Editions Mego release the highly anticipated vinyl reissue of Get Out, the groundbreaking second album by Peter Rehberg under his influential PITA moniker. Originally released in 1999, this seminal work stands as a landmark achievement in experimental electronic music, praised for its revolutionary fusion of ear-splitting noise and melancholic melodies.  Moving beyond the era's trend of pure abstraction, Get Out represents a pivotal moment when experimental electronic music began exploring new territories laying forth a path which many artists would subsequently follow.  

This expansive reissue marks a significant milestone for collectors and enthusiasts, presenting all 12 tracks from the 2008 eMego CD version on vinyl for the first time. The inclusion of the rare Detroit live recording (remastered by Jim O’Rourke) provides invaluable insight into PITA's performance practice during the album's original touring cycle, whilst new liner notes from Jim O'Rourke and Chris Clepper provide further personal and anecdotal insight.  

Since its original release, Get Out has been recognized as essential listening for understanding the evolution of experimental electronic music in the late 20th century. This authoritative reissue ensures that Rehberg's visionary work remains accessible to new audiences while providing longtime admirers with the definitive version of this crucial album.

Get Out

Get Out 3

Pita 'Get Out 3' (EMEGO029)

Editions Mego welcomes KMRU back to the fold. Kin is Kenyan born, Berlin based, sonic wizard Joseph Kamaru’s second release on Editions Mego, following on from the classic 2020 release Peel. Since the release and subsequent praise for Peel, the artist has been a staple on the electronic scene performing on numerous stages and festivals worldwide in tandem with a flood of media recognition. Kin could be construed as the second child following Peel. The project came out of initial discussions with Peter Rehberg about what a Peel sequel would sound like. Kamaru is quick to clarify that Kin is not that record; “I'll know when that record will come and when I'll make it. It's already happening... or maybe it lives within both of these Mego records”.

It is this deft ambiguity and vague tiptoeing around the concrete that encapsulates the ambiguous sound world of Kamaru’s vision.

Kin was started early 2021 in Nairobi with Kamaru exploring his noisier palette of sounds encompassing distortions reminiscent of the sounds he would muster from in his youth when playing guitar. He paused making this record for a year as soon as Peter died, then slowly returned to it through 2022 resulting in the immense new work we have here.

The charms within Kin lay as Easter eggs revealing the true identity behind the colourful sonics only after multiple deep listens. With Trees Where We Can See sets the tone by way of a warm swaying melody inviting the listener in for further investigation. In 2022 KMRU and Mego stalwart Fennesz toured the USA together resulting in a strong friendship and also, the second track here, Blurred. A neat Mego/Editions Mego loop as such. Blurred arranges twangy guitar strums alongside glistening glaciers of shimmering drones. They Are Here represents a darker hue as melancholic clouds of shadowy noir tap directly into the listener's nerve stream. Maybe takes a detour into a bristling euphoric electronic storm whilst We Are screeches in a pattern formation not unlike a highly abstracted Aphex Twin forcing its way out of a hard drive. By Absence concludes proceedings, operating as both exit music and a portal to further sonic investigation with acoustic bellowing residing amongst a kaleidoscopic backdrop.

Kin is a trip that rewards close repeated listens as all the colours and textures, nuance and narratives unveil themselves. This isn’t a record to be glossed over, magic rewards concentration.

Kin is a record to be Played slow and LOUD.

For Pita.

All tracks written, produced, mixed by Joseph Kamaru  
Blurred co-written & produced with Christian Fennesz  
Mastered by Stephan Mathieu at Schwebung Mastering  
Photography: Joseph Kamaru  
Layout & Design: Nik Void  
Cut by Andreas Kauffelt at Schnittstelle, Berlin

With Trees Where We Can See

KMRU 'With Trees Where We Can See' (EMEGO319)

Taken from the album 'It’s Hard For Me To Say I’m Sorry' released as LP, CD and Download

Christian Fennesz & Jim O’Rourke 'I Just Want You To Stay (excerpt)' (EMEGO 221)

Taken from album 'The Labyrinth Of The Straight Line' released as CD and Download

The Labyrinth Of The Straight Line

Cindytalk 'In Search Of New Realities' (EMEGO 219)

Taken from the album 'Modern Methods For Ancient Rituals' released as 2LP and download

Modern Methods For Ancient Rituals

The Transcendence Orchestra 'Upper Windrush' (EMEGO 246)

Taken from the album 'Agent Im Objekt' released as LP and Download

Jung An Tagen '20:02 [3] starts logging #public / 23:08 <Y> THIS WAS THE LAST MESSAGE' (EMEGO 248)

Taken from th album 'Ecstatic Computation' releasedas LP and Download

Ecstatic Computation

Caterina Barbieri 'Fantas' (EMEGO 259)

Taken from the album 'Simian Angel' released as LP, CD and Download

Oren Ambarchi 'Simian Angel' (excerpt) (EMEGO 264)

Taken from the album 'Ingrid' released as one sided LP and digital

Klara Lewis 'Ingrid (excerpt)' (EMEGO 270)

Taken from the album 'The Oystercatcher' released as LP and Digital.

Cucina Povera & ELS 'Marmori' (EMEGO 284)

Taken from the album 'Peel' released as 2LP and Digital

Peel

KMRU 'Why Are You Here' (EMEGO 289)

Taken from the album On Feather and Wire released as Vinyl and Digital.

Rivet 'Mag Mich' (EMEGO 293)

Taken from the album 'De Natura Sonorum' released as 2LP
Premiered at the Salle Wagram in Paris on 3rd June 1975.

Bernard Parmegiani: accident / harmoniques (REGRM 009)

Taken from the album Caterina Barbieri - Fantas Variations released as 2LP and Digital

Fantas Variations

Bendik Giske 'Fantas for Saxophone and Voice' (EMEGO 279)

Jay Mitta 'Singeli Fantas' (EMEGO 279)

Independent record company based in Vienna.
For Spectrum Spools go here: https://soundcloud.com/spectrumspools

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