Kalacakra - Crawling to Lhasa (1972)

ARTIST`````Kalacakra

ALBUM`````Crawling to Lhasa

GENRE`````Psychedelic, Krautrock

YEAR````````1972

What?

German psychedelic underground band- released only Crawling To Lhasa album.

“A legitimate reissue of this great spacey, psychedelic album from 1972. A duo perform, & the final result is lots of guitars, flute, electric piano and old synthesizers & percussion plus some additional instrumentation, & lots of creepy spoken recitation. This is a CLASSIC! ‘’Kalacakra’s blend of mantras, blues, folk and stoned psychedelia gained Crawling To Lhasa a well deserved curiosity value, yet they were an altogether more eclectic and strange band than any of their possible mentors.’‘-The Crack In The Cosmic Egg.”

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Staff Carpenborg and The Electric Corona - Fantastic Party (1970)

ARTIST`````Staff Carpenborg and The Electric Corona

ALBUM`````Fantastic Party

GENRE`````Krautrock, Esoteric, Out There, Experimental, Psych

YEAR````````1970

What?

Defined as very early Krautrock and limited to a 500-only release, this album, from the Spanish reissue label, has always been considered “lost” to the genre, mainly because it wasn’t released on the usual Krautrock labels. It was, in fact, handled by Maritim. What were the owners of this K-Tel-alike outfit thinking of? How this drug-addled freak-out made it onto that roster is anyone’s guess. Imagine The Story Of O published by Mills & Boon. The record sleeve suggests James Last, but the music pushes boundaries, bestowing rhythm to free jazz, plus psychedelic jams drenched in nasty effects. Think of Can on a strange (as opposed to future) day, or a primordial Amon Düül. If you’re into Krautrock, get this record now.

From last.fm

...Imagine Reynols or Yahowha 13 gone lounge, trying to entertain a bunch of jet-setters at some hip, swinging ’60s party… It’s called Fantastic Party after all and that’s what it was meant as, a party record! Some cheesy German record label in 1970 put this together, presumably paying (with drugs?) a bunch of studio musicians to create a one-off psychedelic exploitation album by a nonexistent “band”. A dime a dozen back then, maybe, but these guys really really went for it. It is pretty darn tripped out...

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V.A. Mandarinen Träume: Electronic Escapes from the Deutsche Demokraktische Republik 1981-1989

ARTIST`````Various

ALBUM`````Mandarinen Träume: Electronic Escapes from the Deutsche Demokraktische Republik 1981-1989

GENRE`````Cosmic, Disco, Leftfield, Kraut

YEAR````````2010

What?

I only have this 8 track long compilation but if you have the links for the original 15 track long one please post a link.

Review from RA

The task of reviewing an anthology of music so virulently steeped in socio-political context raises two problematic questions. First: should a fair appraisal of artistic merit ever draw upon historical reference in order to justify present relevance? Second: if it must, can one ever hope to do so accurately without first-hand experience of the juncture to which it is so inextricably linked? A conclusive answer to either is elusive. Fortunate, then, that Mandarinen Träume should present enough of an aurally visceral experience in itself to avoid getting bogged down by such post-structuralist digressions.

Read the whole review.

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DRIVING STEREOLAB (2007)

COVER DESIGN IS BY ME:-) just a little tribute.
YOU WANNA SUPER MOTORIK RIDE?
ARTIST`````````````STEREOLAB
ALBUM`````````````DRIVING STEREOLAB
GENRE`````````````INDIE PROG-KRAUTROCK
YEAR```````````````2007
COMPILATION BY VALENTIN

WHY?
This band is probably my first aware encounter with the indie post rock fever of the 1990's. I used to listen Stereolab insanely from 1998 till late 2002 - collected all their albums, EP's, singles and live performances and could consider myself being a fan (I hate that word). Many people find them irritating but also - many find them to be brilliant . I find them to be imortant for personal reasons - their "catchiness" and at the same time "alternativness" and "indieness" freed my musical taste (opened my eyes to say it in a kitchy way:) They present a positive, most original underground look on our naive world.

Few days ago I found my long lost Stereolab discography CD and added some missing albums (from 2002 - 2007). Now I present you my personal selection which only I could call "Best of" or "Stereolab's greatest". This selection spans their entire career, except for their first 2 albums which I didnt include because of poor production.

For people who dont know who they are - read the "BASIC BIOGRAPHY" txt below. Enjoy this fine, most influental super-cute and long lasting, seriously independent band.

BASIC BIOGRAPHY
Called "one of the most fiercely independent and original groups of the Nineties", Stereolab were one of the first bands to be termed "post rock". Their primary musical influence is 1970s krautrock, which they combine with lounge, 1960s pop, and experimental music. They are noted for their heavy use of vintage electronic keyboards, and their sound often overlays a repetitive "motorik" beat with female vocals sung in English or French. Stereolab often incorporate socio-political themes into their lyrics. Some critics say the group's lyrics carry a strong MarxistSurrealist and Situationist cultural and political movements. However, Gane is skeptical of labels such as "Marxist pop", and defends the band against accusations of "sloganeering".

message, and Gane and Sadier admit to being influenced by the

Although many of the band's albums have been underground hits, they have not found larger commercial success. The band were released from their recording contract with Warner Music when Warner's imprint Elektra Records folded. The release was reportedly due to poor record sales, and since then Stereolab's self-owned label, Duophonic Records, has signed a distribution deal with Too Pure. Duophonic holds the copyrights to the band's recordings, and on the label the band have released many limited-edition records.

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