A really great collection of work that sets the scene for the London Underground of the 60s – that heady cultural scene that was about to burst forth and shower the world with a huge range of new music that would influence listeners for decades to come! This package isn't that music – in that most of the artists here are American, mixed with contributions from a few key Brit talents too – and the whole thing works together to showcase the sorts of sounds that were a bit inspiration on the generation that would then inspire many others to come – a mad mix of modern jazz, electronic music, avant classical, groovy vocal, and even some compelling beat/poetry recordings too – all packaged together in an overstuffed 3CD set that makes for a hell of a journey in music! Artists include Ornette Coleman, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Charles Mingus, Daphne Oram, Modern Jazz Quartet, Aldous Huxley, Cecil Taylor, John Cage, Eric Dolphy, Annie Ross, Sun Ra, Gyorgy Ligeti, Allen Ginsberg, Jimmy Smith, Luciano Berio, John Coltrane, Chico Hamilton, Alexis Korner, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Albert Ayler, Joe Harriott, and many others. (Jazz, Out Sound) CD

Not what you might expect when shopping for African music – unique electronic sounds from Cameroon musician Francis Bebey – as heavy on keyboards as other 70s work is on guitar! There's still plenty of acoustic elements in the mix though, too – lots of earthy percussion at the bottom, which links some of these tracks to other styles of the time – even though some of the more unusual tunes here have these great electronic sounds that almost feel like they came from the late 70s German underground! The mix of modes is breathtaking – as if Moebius and Roedelius recorded with musicians from Lagos – shaking off the colder sounds of the Conny Plank side of the spectrum, to come up with a warm new style that's really unique! Titles include "La Condition Masculine", "Sahle", "The Coffee Cola Song", "Super Jingle", "Pygmy Love Song", "Agatha", "Catching Up", and "Divorce Pygmee". (Global Grooves, Out Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

A masterpiece of new music for guitar from the legendary Glenn Branca – a set that both draws on all the minimal experiments on the New York scene of the 70s, and the big wave of underground music at the end of the decade! Branca effortlessly fuses the rock and compositional communities here – working with Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, and artist Ned Sublette – in a fierce set of tunes that blend four guitars, electric bass, and drums – all with an instrumental frenzy that matches some of the best early jams from Sonic Youth. Branca's approach is less freeform, but has very much the same intensity – and titles include "Lesson No 2", "Structure", "The Ascension", and "Spectacular Commodity". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those landmark meetings of mighty talents that sounds even better on record than it does on paper – as the set somehow finds this really special space that's completely between all the best early 70s modes of both Terry Riley and John Cale! Cale was really coming into his own at the time as a solo act – creating amazing records after leaving the Velvet Underground, but also still tied to the deeper art scene from which he emerged. Riley was on the way to becoming one of the most popular of the more modern composers – thanks to a nod from The Who, and a big audience for his wonderfully trippy records on Columbia. The label allowed the pair to create this really special music here – sounds that borrow from Riley's minimalism, while also having some of the darkness of Cale's own compositions – and coming across with this jagged, almost modal sort of approach that's really great. Cale only sings on one song, and the rest of the set is instrumental – as Riley plays piano, organ, and soprano sax – and Cale joins in on bass, guitar, viola, and harpsichord. The two of them groove together in these totally cool tracks that build and build, with minimal lines repeating over and over in endlessly fascinating groove – in a way that touches on a weirdly funky mode! The cut "Ides Of March" has the potential to be dancefloor groover in the jazz dance scene, and there's lots of other great tracks like "Church of Anthrax", "The Protege", and "The Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles". (Rock, Out Sound) CD

Brilliant work from the modernist underground late 50s Paris! Andre Hodeir was one of the city's best-known jazz composers and arrangers at the time – a key part of the postwar scene, and its development into its own style away from strictly American sounds. Hodier's working here with a great batch of French players that include Martial Solal, Roger Guerin, Pierre Gossez, and Pierre Michelot – plus the then-French resident Kenny Clarke. The music swings much more than on other sessions of this type, and works extremely well throughout at blending tight jazzy lines with very "out there" concepts – especially in a way that we never really see in 50's recordings like this. Christine Legrand is on vocals, and although this was years before the Swingle Singers did their thing, and especially before they went onto do avant garde material by Berio, she's got these insane vocals here that are simply astounding. Tracks include "Jazz Et Jazz", "Trope A Saint-Trop", "Jazz Cantata", and "Osymetrios". Very good stuff, and unlike anything else we can think of! (Jazz, Out Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

Spacey sounds from the enigmatic Iasos – a legendary figure in the 70s underground – and an artist with a heck of a great ear for organic electronics and unusual recording techniques! This cool collection of Iasos' music was put together by Carlos Nino with the guys at Numero – and as such, it's got a really sensitive feel – a way of bringing together the sounds and stories that really get at the subtle genius of Iasos – packaged in a lavish set that also features lots of vintage photos too. The style is often quite personal, and almost naive – as Iasos works on guitar, keyboards, amplified flute, and other odd tape and studio effects – all flowing out with a style that's often a bit cosmic, and pretty darn compelling. Titles include "Crystal Petals", "Procession On The Horizon", "Cloud Prayer", "Rainbow Canyon", "I Passion You A Leap Of Love Flame", and "Spring Temple Forest". (New Age, Out Sound) CD

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