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A long-overdue tribute to the legendary Moondog – one of the true visionaries of American music in the 20th Century! Moondog got his starts as a blind musician working the streets of New York at the end of the 40s, but he did so (as you'll note on the cover photo) with a range of unusual instruments of his own invention, and in a minimal, rhythmic style that linked together primitivism with higher musical ideals. Moondog's often been called "the father of minimalism" – and while his experiments of the 50s prefaced the work of Steve Reich, Terry Riley, and others, his work was also much more personal, and had an earthy intensity that's still tremendously powerful even decades later! This collection is one of the first to dip into the earliest of Moondog's recordings – his recordings for the Mars, SRC, Brunswick, and Moondog labels – which are presented here alongside selected tracks from his albums for Epic and Prestige, also of similar vintage. Nearly all the tracks here offer a very primitive blend of percussion that's sometimes mixed with unusual woodwind or stringed instruments – nearly all of Moondog's own invention – and the package also features some great notes on his long career, plus some photos that are as gripping as the music itself! Titles include "Down Is Up", "Big Cat", "Bumbo", "Rimshot", "Rabbit Hop", "Instrumental Round", "Be A Hobo", "Dog Trot", "Oasis", "2 W 46th Street", and "Why Spend The Dark Night With You". CD

Incredible sounds from the postwar avant scene in France – a small record, but one that's had huge impact over the years! This 3 track EP features compositions based around the "structures sonores" of Jacques Lasry and Bernard Baschet – both of whom create and play these amazing Harry Partch-esque instruments that are part sculpture, part percussive tools – very groundbreaking at the time, and still pretty amazing after all these years. Even more than the instruments, though, the high point of the album is the way that the orchestrations and sonic structures work together – as the whole thing feels like an otherworldly batch of space songs that recalls some of Moondog's work, and some of the other early Musique Concrete composers from the 50s. Tracks include "La Mort Du Clown", "La Danse Du Resort" and "Bolide". (Funky 45's, Out Sound) 7-inch, Vinyl record