ONAKABAZIEN - FUCK YALL LOVE YALL

FIRST RELEASE ON CC IN 7 YEARS!

ONAKABAZIEN - FUCK YALL LOVE YALL 
edition of 200 LPs, split release w/ Numbers Unlimited LTD.
streaming on all platforms as of April 2020.

ORDER HERE.

INFO BELOW:

The ecology of every local music scene contains multitudes of strata; media-savvy bands thrust onto international stages, dive bar favourites, wedding circuit covers acts, obscurant bedroom producers, et al... Toronto is host to countless iterations of each. It has also been the staging ground for the singular, enigmatic producer Onakabazien (aka Louis Percival), who has had an unusual career floating widely through some such realms as mentioned. While too little directly heralded, his body of work has seeped like a scentless gas into the consciousness of curious-minded cultural consumers in the form of his widely distributed productions for U.S. Girls (he co-wrote and produced ‘Damn That Valley’, ‘Pearly Gates’, ‘Incidental Boogie’, ‘Overtime’ and others), his collaborations with Slim Twig released by DFA, and in his score work for Unabomber: In His Own Words, the recently released Netflix documentary (including it’s theme song ‘MAN’ credited to yet another alter ego, The Worst). 

What has not yet been encountered by many listeners are the countless cassette tapes, and hard-drives stuffed largely with an unreleased rap oeuvre (few would guess that a producer best known for his work on successive U.S. Girls albums is secretly an anonymous rap auteur). A universe of instrumental donuts, rap remixes (most often colliding hard 90’s era bars with looped psych esoterica), and original Onakabazien lyrics. For the first time ever, the O has opened up his private vaults, allowing Calico Corp, the DIY label founded by Meg Remy & Maximilian Turnbull to release Fuck Yall Love Yall, a compilation of favourites recorded during a prolific period 2010-2013, selected by Turnbull in collaboration with the artist.

What emerges is a portrait of an eccentric MC oddity illustrating the trials of his former janitorial work (not many rap songs make mention of ‘toilet gloves’), exploring mystic philosophy and conspiracy in the process, and exposing with humour and pathos the reality of grocery shopping as impaired by a welfare budget. Indeed, the album resonates with deep seated curiosity about life, and a desire to live it vividly in the face of poverty. Many of the producers best works are ripped from dollar bin scores, rather than the top dollar rare-groove of some of his contemporaries. Despite that, respected rap scholar Passion Weiss proclaimed of the O that ‘while his name might not ring bells, the Toronto producer has been flipping the likes of Sun Ra, Ethiopiques and Kraut Rock since before it became Stones Throw’s bread and butter.’ Fortunately, FYLY also contains brief instrumental snippets of some of these flips, beats which weave through the lyrical fare, providing degrees of cohesion amidst an album which recreates a bizarre affinity between the aesthetics of MF Doom and Ariel Pink (perhaps most so on a completely reimagined cover of Hall & Oates ‘Abandoned Luncheonette’).

The release of FYLY is a hopeful first foray into making the acquaintance of a larger listenership. Considering that Onakabazien has close to 20 years (!) of unreleased works, with no doubt new works in process, 2020 may yet be the year in which more of this compiled work finds it’s way out of the O-rchive. There are enough beats for several volume’s worth of rapper’s delight, enough Wu-Tang remixes for an album length project, time may tell if these surface. For now Fuck Yall Love Yall is an introduction to a singular, esoteric mind; please meet the Onakabazien... 

THE ZACHT IS BACKT

Hey Y'all.

Almost exactly a year ago we released a 2xLP compilation featuring the best on tap from strange-music-overlords ZACHT AUTOMAAT. The first edition was in a pressing of 333. It sold out very quickly.

We now have a 2nd press, in a limited hand numbered edition of 222. Don't wait, this thing is a monster.

ORDER IT / LISTEN HERE.


'It is all too rare to hear a band like this, literally bursting at the seams with ideas. Zacht Automaat, the Canadian duo of Carl Didur and Michael McLean, have released an astonishingly diverse and kaleidoscopic array of music across eleven (!) albums in the past three (!!!) years, of which this gorgeously presented set distills the best two LPs worth of sounds. But even that abbreviated amount of music is almost impossible to encapsulate, filled as this record is with tape loops, cosmic workouts, lo-fi dirges, loping exotica-ish patterns, tuneful synth bliss, and modal psychedelia. They've clearly taken a page from Krautrock pioneers Faust, particularly the masterpiece that is Tapes, and let their imaginations and musicality run rampant. This is the best kind of totally listenable experimentation we can always get behind here, and the sounds they conjure hark back to so many long-time Other Music favorites it practically has us giddy, from Can, Cluster, Black Dice, Stereolab, Soft Machine, the Finnish psych underground, the Ghost Box roster, Bruce Haack, and Raymond Scott to a myriad of other brilliant artists we've championed over the years, while still managing to retain a distinct vision and voice. Yes, we realize we're asking you to fork over nearly $30.00 for a double LP from a band you've probably never heard of, but mark my words, you will not be disappointed. Limited to 333 copies, we have a small quantity available, and they most likely will not be coming back.' - Other Music

Next up, please check out the superb I CAN FEEL THE MOLD IN ME from Canadian duo Zacht Automaat, which brews up some well-stewed W. Coast Sandozian freakout, plenny of nightmarish J. Meek and channels some tremendously mucky sub-‘Ultima Thule’ T. Dream motorik clatter, and all o’this via found sounds, berserk organ’drum duels and peak periods of Bavarian Knees-up. Imagine Holger Czukay and Uwe Nettlebeck constructing a mash-up LP from early German jazz, TV themes and Soft Machine out-takes and yooz close to hitting these druids’ pleasure centres, who (I must add) never outstay their welcome, each sonic foray involving audacious opening moments then fucking off right quick like. It’s a canny approach that leaves listeners still requiring more more more. - Julian Cope

'Multi-instrumentalists Carl Didur and Michael McLean share a long, intertwined history that stretches into the deepest depths of the Toronto and Hamilton underground rock scenes, including stints in momentary buzz bands (No Dynamics R.I.P.) and recurring gigs backing up Damo Suzuki of Can. But in just three years as Zacht Automaat, the duo have charted an equally convoluted course, pumping out no fewer than 11 releases—online or on cassette—of science-lab psychedelia. Their output forges a lineage of organ-tweaking freakiness that connects the earliest odysseys of Pink Floyd to ’70s Krautrock iconoclasts to modern-day mindbenders like Oneida, Caribou, and The Flaming Lips. Though all of Zacht Automaat’s music can be easily accessed by anyone with a couple of hours to kill on Bandcamp, this self-titled, double album–length collection provides a much more convenient point of entry into their hermetic sound world. This is no mere compilation of “hits,” mind you—it’s a two-hour crazy-quilt patchwork that savvily stiches together choice excerpts from much lengthier pieces into a brisk-paced, constantly mutating mix, like some avant-garde answer to Stars on 45. Their work encompasses intermission music for hockey arenas on Saturn (“Don’t Worry It’ll Be Future”), acidic psych-jazz splatter (“A Trip to See McLean on Holidays Pts. I, II & III”), and the most blissfully epic, otherworldly tribute to a Steeltown suburb ever (“Ancaster Heights”). In every instance, Zacht Automaat’s dizzying instrumentals emphasize the joyful, inclusive qualities of free experimentiation without teetering into indulgence, and the anarchic thrill of colouring outside the lines while still paying respect to those who laid down
the rules.' - The Grid (R.I.P.)

'Walk through the luminescent sliding doors and feel the weight evaporate from your body. Step through the archives of time and look out at the glass walls that hold back the drifting stars. Notice the spectral starships crossing paths in the distant view. The cosmic residue of their flight path carries waves of sound as they intercept the room’s speaker system. A digital screen scrolls like a conveyer belt filled with passing phrases, “Ancaster Heights”, “The Smiling Wilderness”, “Disturbed Ground’”, the script runs endlessly. The words are given meaning as each wave grows to an audible strength. On the outside, the distant vessels can be seeing touching down near foreign embassies, welcomed by euphoric sounds. The speculation is confirmed. Our own takeoff has begun, bound for the farthest reaches of these celestial zones. Set yourself free and take in the spectacular view.

This collection is a bag of magic borrowed from the enchanted hands of a band that evades hyperbole. Veterans of the interstellar scene, Carl Didur and Michael McLean have parsed the cryptex of popular music and entered into a new dialogue as Zacht Automaat. Adopting new methods and strategies, they have sewn together opposing forces before pulling them apart again to see all the pieces in a different perspective.

Through three years and 11 albums, ZA have melted countless minds and challenged the strength of an equal number of hard drives. Running in at around 80 minutes, this monolithic double LP and bonus CD nevertheless stands in a much bigger pool of music that is no less crucial. Those lucky enough to still find copies of the early Medusa tapes should not resist the urge to grip. Each album is a new zone to explore and this release should be considered the official tour for prospective visitors. Many thanks are owed to Calico Corp. for giving these songs the treatment they deserve.' - Weird Canada

FOR DEEPER READING CONSULT SLIM TWIG'S PRIMER ON THE ZACHT AUTOMAAT DISCOGRAPHY HERE.

ZACHT NACHT

ZACHT AUTOMAAT 2xLP IS SOLD OUT...


dream on another pressing if ya like.

ZACHT AUTOMAAT SHOW

Now that we have both Carl & McLean (collectively known to the world as Zacht Automaat) in the same province for a short period, it seems like as good a time as any to both ring in the new year and officially celebrate their fantastic wax debut. A show is in order, and a show is to be delivered...

The wonderful Doc Dunn will accompany Coca-Cola (that cosmic duo comprised S. Twig and M. Remy - otherwise known as the muscle behind Calico Corporation) in a compliment towards the out-of-body experience the mighty ZA will surely bestow upon us.

We will have records, music, perhaps some candy - and most certainly fun. See you there Torontonians (and Japanese collectors who surely must be flying in specifically for this majestic event)!

'This collection is a bag of magic borrowed from the enchanted hands of a band that evades hyperbole. Veterans of the interstellar scene, Carl Didur and Michael McLean have parsed the cryptex of popular music and entered into a new dialogue as Zacht Automaat. Adopting new methods and strategies, they have sewn together opposing forces before pulling them apart again to see all the pieces in a different perspective.' - Weird Canada

'Their work encompasses intermission music for hockey arenas on Saturn (“Don’t Worry It’ll Be Future”), acidic psych-jazz splatter (“A Trip to See McLean on Holidays Pts. I, II & III”), and the most blissfully epic, otherworldly tribute to a Steeltown suburb ever (“Ancaster Heights”). In every instance, Zacht Automaat’s dizzying instrumentals emphasize the joyful, inclusive qualities of free experimentiation without teetering into indulgence, and the anarchic thrill of colouring outside the lines while still paying respect to those who laid down the rules.' - The Grid

'Next up, please check out the superb I CAN FEEL THE MOLD IN ME from Canadian duo Zacht Automaat, which brews up some well-stewed W. Coast Sandozian freakout, plenny of nightmarish J. Meek and channels some tremendously mucky sub-‘Ultima Thule’ T. Dream motorik clatter, and all o’this via found sounds, berserk organ’drum duels and peak periods of Bavarian Knees-up. Imagine Holger Czukay and Uwe Nettlebeck constructing a mash-up LP from early German jazz, TV themes and Soft Machine out-takes and yooz close to hitting these druids’ pleasure centres, who (I must add) never outstay their welcome, each sonic foray involving audacious opening moments then fucking off right quick like. It’s a canny approach that leaves listeners still requiring more more more.' - Julian Cope

'This shit is the best.' - Me

ORDER THE RECORD HERE!

U.S. GIRLS TEES!

New U.S. Girl's tees are for sale! I'll leave it to the girl herself:

New groovy shirts for sale! Lots of sizes, colors, and different gradients. Email for inquiries! Or paypal $20 (Canadian) to us.girlss@gmail.com along with your size preference and be surprised by the color scheme you get!

Image on the shirts is a section of this collage I made:

ORDER ZACHT AUTOMAAT 2xLP

ORDER THIS PUPPY RIGHT NOW.

HAND NUMBERED, LIMITED TO 333 COPIES.

COMES WITH EXCLUSIVE BONUS CD-R ALBUM'S WORTH OF UNRELEASED AUTOMAAT MATERIAL + DOWNLOAD CODE.

OFFICIALLY RELEASED NOV. 1st.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER 2XLP OFF OUR BANDCAMP MERCH PAGE.

WATCH A COMMERCIAL THAT'S GOOD FOR YOU

The ZA sound is one entirely difficult to pin down. While they’ve clearly (and admittedly) spent years worshipping at the altar of Soft Machine and their Canterbury cohorts, part of ZA’s great ability is to seamlessly and originally fuse sundry outsider musical strains. Echoes of Sun Ra, White Noise, Terry Riley, the Residents, Faust and baroque psych can be heard in their colourful works. Their innovative treatment of acoustic instruments (drums, piano, guitar, glockenspiel, flute, saxophone, etc...) to achieve otherworldly and synthetic tones swings at times between the eclecticism of pre-Autobahn era Kraftwerk, and the pop-quirk of Joe Meek.

The barrage of signifiers in the previous paragraph does little to acquaint you with just how exuberant and alive the Automaat listening experience can be. Their adherence to structured composition and the elated sense of melody they bring to their music is at odds with the academic persona that often comes with the notion of experimental musicians. Also to consider is just how modern their music can seem, putting them less in debt to their influences and more in line with a tradition of accessible yet innovative music making. Fans of modern music may see parallels with the lo-fi modernism of late Broadcast or Black Dice at their most accessible.

At their best, Zacht Automaat make music for all ages - for the child whose sense of wonder is easily inspired by the playful and exotic in music, to the refined older music fan who seeks a sense of the cosmic (or kosmiche) in their listening. Truly, ZA is for everyone.