A sellout. Not an orchestra, not The Erased Tapes and not Penguin Cafe. Where are you taking yourself!

Beautiful combination of melody and rhythmical pattern!

Coriolis

Track taken from the album "Euplexia" due out April 18th 2014.

Having spent the first half of 2013 working on two site-specific installations; UnThread in Southend, and After the Flood as part of Hebden Bridge Arts Festival, Isnaj Dui (aka Katie English) presents the follow up to 2012’s ambitious year-long Duodecim project.  Euplexia, Isnaj Dui’s most recent studio album, sees a return to the raw, edgy sound prevalent in earlier works, yet combines this with the maturity of composition which English has refined over the years.

With Euplexia, Isnaj Dui has drawn on aspects of her installation work and the journal-like nature of Duodecim to combine field recording and sampling alongside her trademark concert and bass flutes and dulcimer.  Using coil pickups, dictaphones and other electronics to build unstable textures and throbbing basslines, English has created a soundscape that is at once serene and grating.  Whilst the trademark schizophrenic nature of tracks is in check, this album also sees a move towards more dissonant harmonic structures and high frequency playing on the flutes.  The CD comes packaged in a hand-printed sleeve. 


isnaj dui / fjoeg

Mammal Hands - Kandaiki

Prelude Op. 1, No. 14

‘Apologues’ will be released by Erased Tapes on September 11, 2015 on LP/CD/DL and can be pre-ordered from www.erasedtapes.com/store/index/ERATP075
or via iTunes here: http://snip.ftpromo.net/apologues

Masayoshi Fujita, the Berlin-based Japanese vibraphone player, also known under his alias el fog came to the attention of label founder Robert Raths a few years ago. Not only because the vibraphone is an intriguing instrument, but also the way Masayoshi treats his instrument and draws ethereal and layered sounds, is what truly attracted him to Masayoshi’s work.

Having released more ambient-based/electronic recordings of the vibraphone under el fog, Masa became more interested in the sound of the vibraphone itself. He started to compose acoustic pieces and released the first solo album under his real name, titled ‘Stories’, in early 2013. ‘Apologues’ sees Masayoshi for the first time use an array of instruments besides his lead instrument – such as the violin, cello, flute, clarinet, French horn, accordion, piano and snare drum played by friends, but arranged by Masa himself.

In addition to the mallets, Masayoshi often plays the vibraphone with a violin or cello bow, like on ‘Tears of Unicorn’ and ‘Knight and Spirit of Lake’. He would also place bead strings on the vibraphone bars to create an ambient shimmer that can be heard on songs like ‘Moonlight’ and ‘Swallow Flies High in the May Sky’. The latter was composed to let the clarinet express its characteristics and tell its story, whilst the vibraphone takes a supporting role. “The clarinet sounds very warm and soft and very ‘spring’ to me”, says Masa.

“With this album the main idea was to evoke images, atmospheres, sceneries and stories in the listener, the images that have accumulated in myself. At the same time it was an exploration of the unexplored beauty of the vibraphone, and also a pursuit of the charm of the instrumentation and the music itself. Erased Tapes releases a lot of great stuff and naturally became my favourite label of late. And I thought it would fit well to my music.” – Masayoshi Fujita

OFFICIAL WEBSITES: masayoshifujita.com · erasedtapes.com

Apologues

Moonlight

Masayoshi Fujita – Moonlight

A remix of 'Haystacks' from Terminal Nostalgia by Dmitry Avgrafov.

Haystacks (Dmitry Evgrafov Remix)

Initially being released as a limited 12" vinyl edition on Record Store Day 2017, it will be re-released on vinyl, CD and digital formats on June 16th due to popularity. Pre-order 'Umbrella' on EP/CD/DL: http://phonofile.link/umbrella

Worlds collide as the iconic Penguin Cafe and Japanese producer Cornelius' mutual admiration for one another led to them joining forces for this four-track Umbrella EP.

The pair crossed paths in 2012 when Penguin Cafe were touring in Japan, and Cornelius’ band Saryu Saryu supported them in Tokyo. Since then they decided to seize the opportunity to work together, and have reworked and reimagined existing tracks of their own, alongside two new Penguin Cafe songs.

“Meeting up with Cornelius in Tokyo felt like such good fate we kind of had to do something together. And this two-way remix worked great as we could work from different sides of the planet but still end up with something by us both. His electro vibes inspired us not just with Birdwatching but also Dull Sun and it's a path we carried on down with the new album.... so glad we did that.” — Arthur Jeffes

“I was listening to Penguin Cafe since high school so was excited to be able to collaborate with them.
When I went to see their show in Tokyo I was surprised that they performed Bird Watching at Inner Forest. It was an honor for me. If there is a chance to collaborate again, I look forward to that day.” — Keigo Oyamada (Cornelius)

The complimentary sounds of Penguin Cafe on piano and strings, merged with the electronic soundscape of Cornelius, form this special collaborative piece.

Umbrella EP

Buy 12"/CD/DL

Penguin Cafe - Solaris (Cornelius Mix)

Pre-order 'Union Cafe' on LP/CD/DL: http://phonofile.link/union-cafe

Erased Tapes has the huge privilege of reissuing the original Penguin Cafe Orchestra’s last ever studio album Union Cafe including a first time vinyl edition — out December 1st 2017 to coincide with the 20th Anniversary of founder Simon Jeffes’ passing in 1997.  

It was 1972 in the South of France when Simon had an unfortunate experience with food poisoning which lead to a much more fortunate circumstance when a vivid dream, induced from his illness and depicting a dystopian future, conceived the Penguin Cafe; a charming place where solace, harmony, and the orchestra’s unique music could be found amidst brutal concrete structures and darkness. For the following 25 years, Simon carried out this vision bringing brightness into a world full of noise. Sadly, after his passing, the original orchestra disbanded, but the doors to this happy place reopened when his son Arthur decided to continue his father’s legacy under the name Penguin Cafe.

The continuation of the PCO began at London’s Union Chapel in 2007 when Arthur and the original musicians commemorated Simon 10 years after his death. Another 10 years forward, 2017 will see Penguin Cafe pay tribute to him once again at the Union Chapel on December 11th where they will perform Union Cafe in full – a union from all corners of this magical world.

Union Cafe was the fifth, and the last studio album by Penguin Cafe Orchestra. It was initially released in 1993 merely on cassette and CD, and will now be given a new breath of life, for the first time available on vinyl, and another chance to reach old and new fans alike. 

“Union Cafe was the last studio album recorded by the original Penguin Cafe Orchestra and marked a move towards a definitive English pastoral sound combined with larger string arrangements set against longer solo piano pieces. With this last album they got even closer to the PCO idea of squaring the circle of intellectually challenging modern music that is still actually beautiful. For me this has always been a contender as my favourite PCO album, and the fact that it never ended up on vinyl was more to do with the way things were in the early 90s, and chance rather than it being deliberate. So in that sense this release is righting an old wrong. The slow development of the pieces means that you can really get lost in them and vinyl is of course the perfect way to do that.” — Arthur Jeffes

Arthur very kindly gave access to the original Union Cafe painting that currently lives in his North London home studio, created by Arthur’s mother Emily Young and now photographed by Alex Kozobolis for this special reissue edition.

Union Cafe

Buy 2LP/CD/DL

Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Nothing Really Blue

Order 'Union Cafe' on LP/CD/DL: phonofile.link/union-cafe

Erased Tapes has the huge privilege of reissuing the original Penguin Cafe Orchestra’s last ever studio album Union Cafe including a first time vinyl edition — out now to coincide with the 20th Anniversary of founder Simon Jeffes’ passing in 1997.

It was 1972 in the South of France when Simon had an unfortunate experience with food poisoning which lead to a much more fortunate circumstance when a vivid dream, induced from his illness and depicting a dystopian future, conceived the Penguin Cafe; a charming place where solace, harmony, and the orchestra’s unique music could be found amidst brutal concrete structures and darkness. For the following 25 years, Simon carried out this vision bringing brightness into a world full of noise. Sadly, after his passing, the original orchestra disbanded, but the doors to this happy place reopened when his son Arthur decided to continue his father’s legacy under the name Penguin Cafe.

The continuation of the PCO began at London’s Union Chapel in 2007 when Arthur and the original musicians commemorated Simon 10 years after his death. Another 10 years forward, 2017 will see Penguin Cafe pay tribute to him once again at the Union Chapel on December 11th where they will perform Union Cafe in full – a union from all corners of this magical world.

Union Cafe was the fifth, and the last studio album by Penguin Cafe Orchestra. It was initially released in 1993 merely on cassette and CD, and will now be given a new breath of life, for the first time available on vinyl, and another chance to reach old and new fans alike.

“Union Cafe was the last studio album recorded by the original Penguin Cafe Orchestra and marked a move towards a definitive English pastoral sound combined with larger string arrangements set against longer solo piano pieces. With this last album they got even closer to the PCO idea of squaring the circle of intellectually challenging modern music that is still actually beautiful. For me this has always been a contender as my favourite PCO album, and the fact that it never ended up on vinyl was more to do with the way things were in the early 90s, and chance rather than it being deliberate. So in that sense this release is righting an old wrong. The slow development of the pieces means that you can really get lost in them and vinyl is of course the perfect way to do that.” — Arthur Jeffes

Arthur very kindly gave access to the original Union Cafe painting that currently lives in his North London home studio, created by Arthur’s mother Emily Young and now photographed by Alex Kozobolis for this special reissue edition.

Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Kora Kora

Beck.  NYC  73 - 78.   from the album REWORK_Philip Glass remixed

Gonzales - Gogol

Founded by sonic architect and explorer Robert Raths aka ghostworker in 2007, Erased Tapes is a truly independent record label that has disrupted the industry and rejuvenated the musical landscape. The London-based label has consistently nurtured genre-defying artists from all around the world without losing its avant-garde ethos.

2015 saw BBC 6 Music radio presenter Mary Anne Hobbs stage an Erased Tapes evening featuring Nils Frahm and A Winged Victory For The Sullen at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the prestigious BBC Prom. It was the fastest selling ticket of the entire season. Shortly after Erased Tapes was awarded Best Small Label 2015 at the AIM Awards.

On February 5th 2017 Erased Tapes opened the doors to its new East London home, marking the 10th anniversary by introducing fans and the public to the new Erased Tapes Sound Gallery.

“Ten years of one of the most important record labels of the last few years“ — Gilles Peterson

"Over the last decade, Robert Raths’ label Erased Tapes has developed a sonic profile perfectly in step with the growing taste for quiet, meditative works on the cusp of ambient and chamber music" — The Independent

“The heart-string-tugging London label that floats gently between 20th century composition and ambient music” — Rolling Stone

Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Kora Kora

Erased Tapes

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