Early work from bassist Barre Phillips, and a set that stands as a key starting point to an amazing run of records for decades to come! Phillips is playing here solo throughout, live and in a church – a setting that creates a wonderful resonance in his sound, as he moves throughout one long improvisation without any overdubs or effects at all – a progression that's breathtaking throughout, and handled very differently here than any of his similar records from later years. There's a bare, stripped-down quality that's incredible – and at a time when German saxophonists were blowing their heads off, or UK contemporaries were mixing jazz with electric rock, the whole thing is a very personal, very unique moment in sound! (Jazz, Out Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

An early moment of genius from composer Gavin Bryars – and a set that was issued on Brian Eno's Obscure Records label in the mid 70s, which ensured that Bryars' music found a larger audience outside the realm of avant classical! That turns out to be a good thing here, as the music here is almost of its own genre – warmer and more personal than some of the arch modes of the CRI generation – as Bryars mixes a small string group with his own piano, a bit of spoken word, and tapes of additional strings – which add in this eerie sort of ghost vibe to the piece – a slight current of sentiment, but not in a romantic way. The second piece is equally important to Bryars' career – the wonderful "Jesus Blood Never Failed Me Yet" – which uses a found recording of the older song by an elderly singer, then echoed and augmented by work from Michael Nyman on organ and Derek Bailey on guitar, plus a bit of strings. LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique project from the Serbian underground of the 80s – a record that mixes together global elements, electronics, and some other live instrumentation – all in a way that's as tuneful as it is experimental, and which has a nice sort of post-punk sense of freedom throughout! The music reminds us a lot of some of our favorite work from farther up on the European scene – particularly records on the Crammed label, as this set shares a similar sense of wider sensibilities coming into play with new technologies of the time, yet handled in a way that's very personal and poetic. The duo bring a bit of vocals to the record, but most of the music comes from the interplay between acoustic and electronic elements – on titles that include "Gitanes", "Gajeiro", "Rhinoceros II, "Sometimes At Nine", "In The Sky", and "Rumba Balcana". (Rock, Out Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

A really amazing bit of free jazz – hardly the set of solos you might guess from the title, and instead a performance of live improvisation by a larger group – done at the famous Leo Castelli Gallery, an important locale for avant activity on the downtown scene in New York in the 70s! There's more of a European free jazz vibe going on here than some of the loft work of the city at the time – with searing work from leader Richard Landry on tenor, soprano sax, and electric piano – alongside Richard Peck on tenor, Robert Prado on trumpet, Jon Smith on tenor, Allan Brafman on alto, and David Lee on drums – all captured on tape by Kurt Munkacsi, the sonic force known for some more important avant classical sides of the time. The set features seven selections in all – some pushing well past the 15 minute mark! (Jazz, Out Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic! This is one of the best of the early Morton Subotnick albums – and it's one long composition filled with raw anologue synth sounds, mixed in such a way that resembles some of the best early French work in the same vein. Very scary stuff – and with less nonsense than some of Subotnick's other albums! LP, Vinyl record album

A wild set of electronic work from the American heartland of the 70s – a set that claims to bring you to a "higher stage of truth" – but which has a sound that's a lot more bracing at times than more meditative electronic and new age albums from the decade! Steve Birchall works on a Putney EMS, and really pushes the boundaries of its sonic spectrum – soaring out into space at times, while ruminating in dirtier territory at others – all with a really well-crafted approach that does show a sense of direction amidst the madness! Titles include "Music of the Spheres", "Summer Memories", "Cosmic Carousel", "Abacaba", and "Poseidon's Meditation." LP, Vinyl record album

With Sun Araw, Butchy Fuego, M Geddes Gendras, and Tony Lowe. (Rock, Out Sound) LP, Vinyl record album