Sunday 16 October 2011

YR ILIAD - special videos and artwork preview

YR ILIAD 'Welcome To Concrete'
FILE UNDER : Psyche / Drone / Folk

It's with great pleasure that we introduce you to YR ILIAD who will release their Paradigms debut 'Welcome To Concrete' in late October...

YR ILIAD is the magical collaboration of Geoff Morris, Christopher Giamo and Lee Camfield - three psyched-out stargazers from San Francisco, California. Their sun-drenced, blissed out instrumental drone-folk radiates throughout their Paradigms debut, "Welcome To Concrete". A glorious, organic and evocative opus, delicately conceived in a bunker that the band call home.

"Welcome To Concrete" is presented as a special, limited edition, silkscreened digi-pak. Available exclusively direct from Paradigms Recordings at www.paradigms-recordings.com from October 24th.

The artwork for the release is previewed below, along with two wonderful little videos for the tracks 'Alluvial Pour' and 'Bunker Days'. Enjoy!





Monday 10 October 2011

RASHOMON - artwork + release details unveiled

With eager anticipation, we here at Paradigms are proud to announce the release of RASHOMON's "Ashcan Copy - Film Music Vol 3" later this month as a special digi-pak limited edition. Featuring bespoke, screenprinted packaging, we're excited to premiere the artwork here on the Paradigms blog today. See below.




For the uninitiated, RASHOMON is Matt Thompson, founder member of London's prolific and intoxicating GUAPO. Thompson formed Guapo in 1993 and played with them until 2004, releasing 6 albums on labels including Cuneiform and Ipecac. From 2005 onwards RASHOMON has been his focus, releasing 3 albums so far. Taking influence equally from soundtrack composers such as Ennio Morricone and Toru Takemitsu, and artists like Magma, Univers Zero and Popol Vuh, RASHOMON is a rich experience of decadent exotica, "Ashcan Copy (Film Music Vol 3)" being no exception; a monumental collection of avant exploitation soundtrack / sound library recordings.

"ASHCAN COPY (Film Music Vol 3)" will be available exclusively from Paradigms Recordings on October 24th at www.paradigms-recordings.com. The track "Jigora", taken from the album, is featured on the free Paradigms Autumn sampler available now for download on the Paradigms website.

What the critics are saying :

“A restless Univers Zero/Popol Vuh vibe pervades, at times delicate and sensuous, but often heavy, oppressive and dark as a grave fitted with blackout blinds.” (Rock-A-Rolla Magazine)

“Krautrock like, montage styled collages of sound, banging rock structures, swirling organs, jazzy, minimal music and maximal music. Trip music that works well, even without any filmic reference.” (Vital Weekly)

“Matt's obviously been busy imbibing the spirits of Goblin, Fabio Frizzi and Angelo Badalamenti which loom large over these eight tracks. Those influences seep out from each cut like a carmine miasma, but most brilliantly never give the game away - this could just have easily been imagined and fashioned in the late '70s or today. His execution is scarily close to the original aesthetic, from frantically spiralling organ outings and acid-fuelled tension to authentic psyche-funk breaks, harrowed Moog jams and doomy chamber jazz, all played with an incredible instinctive touch” (Boomkat)

“The styles of music vary quite a lot from Goblin esque prog zombie horror, to kitsch sounding library music, eerie prog, elements of jazz. He's clearly listened to a lot of film soundtracks as the music he's created sounds super authentic. Excellent stuff!!” (Norman Records)

Sunday 4 September 2011

PREVIEW : NEW PARADIGMS T-SHIRT DESIGNS for Autumn 2011

We've been working recently on two brand new Paradigms t-shirt designs to accompany the releases we have planned throughout the Autumn. We're happy to preview the print designs here today. Artwork and shirt prints below. CLICK ON EACH IMAGE FOR A LARGER PREVIEW. Both shirts will be available to order shortly, exclusively from Paradigms Recordings. www.paradigms-recordings.com. Thank you.











Friday 26 August 2011

TELE.S.THERION - a Paradigms micro edition coming this September



TELE.S.THERION
Limited Micro Edition of 100 copies only
, manufactured cdr presented in screenprinted arigato box available exclusively from Paradigms Recordings in September 2011. www.paradigms-recordings.com

File Under : Hermetic / Ritual / Drone / Musique Concrète / Metal / Avantgarde

TELE.S.THERION is the collaborative work of Italian sound artists Pietro Riparbelli / K11 and Sandro Gronchi. Releasing past works on such formidable underground labels as Touch, Aurora Borealis, 20 Buck Spin and Cold Spring, as well as their own Radical Matters imprint whilst also working with larger ensembles including Astral Lueur and Mortuary Drape, this TELE.S.THERION incarnation is set to release this colossal edition via Paradigms.

Almost 80 minutes in length, "Tele.s.therion" collects three monolithic pieces into a seven track album, featuring recordings from "The Chapel" - conceived as an acoustic audio installation for the Rothko Chapel, "Nature Unveiled" - based on the Current 93 album of the same name and "HINTHV.RITVVM" - based on Etruscan occult ritual texts.

TELE.S.THERION is an esoteric sigil based on the name of the temple of Eleusis. The symbolic current of TELE.S.THERION can be expressed in the "Rule of Silence" (Echemythia): the Law of the Cult of the Mystêryon, perceived through the Hermetic Laws of speculative Freemasonry. The double dotted "S" is the hidden sigil of the silenced form of Horus / Hor Pa Khered (Harpocrates) / Sigelion.

TELETH . SIGELION . THERION

Self proclaimed as "Acousmatic Black Metal", TELE.S.THERION is a powerful academic work, with the aim of developing a multi-dimensional sound diffusion system, arranged to promote a polyphonic, channelled state for the immersion into sound as ritual. Instrumental trans-communications via short-wave radio receivers, exploring high range distortion dimensions, medianic chanting, channelling, Ars Echemythia, phono-medianic recording sessions for prepared bass with metal coils through 13 speakers and 13 microphones, Hermetic sigil narrations and electro-acoustic field recordings are all brought together here as part of the TELE.S.THERION ceremony.

Saturday 20 August 2011

Paradigms vs Screenprinting

With the release of Paradigms #50 from Boston's OWLFOOD, we have set a new precedent in print design and visual presentation for the label into the future.

Having sourced a variety of heavyweight recycled boards to compliment a bold range of inks and metallic varnishes, we've begun to develop our own screen-printing studio, the first results of which being the OWLFOOD digi-pak; a two colour halftone design in silver and white. Each package is then hand folded, glued and packaged in a sealed presentation sleeve.

A delicate process of trial and error that has really captured the true creative essence of a Paradigms release, unlocking all kinds of new aesthetic possibilities and a most rewarding baptism of fire...












Thursday 4 August 2011

PARADIGMS RECORDINGS turns 50

Dear internet folks,

This month Paradigms Recordings will issue it's 50th release and with this approaching landmark, it's been a time of excitement, reflection and forward thinking in equal measure.

Paradigms #50 is a rather wonderful collection of recordings from a spectral trio from Boston going by the name of OWLFOOD; and their hazy, psyched outsider folk and delicate lo-fi songcraft pretty much sums up everything that the label has come to embody, in our humble opinion.

From our beginnings on New Year's Day 2006 with the release of Amber Asylum's "Garden Of Love", Paradigms has taken the path less traveled. Never content to limit ourselves by genre or style, rather following underlying moods and passions that drive exciting leftfield music; we've (hopefully) brought together an eclectic range of disciplines ranging from modern classical, krautrock, death ambient, indie slo-core, neo-folk, blackened noise, drone metal, avantgarde black metal and much more besides into a coherent series that, for us anyway, is not simply a catalogue of releases, but also very much a soundtrack to the way we live our lives and view the world. And it is that ever present idealism that makes this all so special for us.

Paradigms has often been mistaken for a "metal" label but in our eyes that is only a small fragment of the overall vision. Our love of the classic 4AD label history is no secret and these days we spend more time investigating exciting works on Rune Grammofon, sound library tapes, long lost exotica soundtracks, ritual ambient recordings or the rich lineage of acid folk than we do trawling the crypt for the latest black metal grimness. But we were lucky enough to have been entraptured by the potent purity and sheer otherworldliness of the death metal and black metal underground way back in the late 80's and that period still remains one of the most important of our lives. Oh, the tales we could tell...

But with all things in life, you've got to move forwards and revivalism has never been a part of the Paradigms agenda. We've also been very honoured to work with a vast array of talented artists over the past five years, including the wonderful Jarboe and Kris Force on selected releases as well as introducing pioneering works from Gnaw Their Tongues, The Angelic Process, Titan, Murmuüre and many more besides. In contrast, some of our most urgent and boundary pushing editions have remained under the radar but we hope that one day the works of Heart In Mouth or Book Of Sand for example will be revisited with renewed curiosity and zeal as they remain important cornerstones in our musical universe.

The last few years have obviously also seen distinct changes in the way music (and information in general) has been communicated. In the age of shortening attention spans and blogspot music sharing, we still remain dedicated to presenting our releases in physical form, with diligent attention to presentation, design, aesthetics and ecological packaging. We still believe in an all encompassing musical experience and currently sourcing innovative packaging, beautiful inks and new printing techniques to further heighten the visual parallel to the musical. We still love the joy of buying new records (most often way too many records, but oh what a joy it is!) and assume that as you are reading this, you do too, which is glorious.

In reflection, each of the fifty releases now on Paradigms are all intrinsically linked to what has made it all very Paradigms. It's most difficult to look back and perhaps pick a few personal favourites that stand out over time to us, however some of our boldest achievements of which we are most proud still remain the glorious chamber music of Hallvardur Asgeirsson, the delicately curated "Death Aesthetics" compilation, the sheer lush beauty of Fog In The Shell's "Private South" and our recent voyages into astral jazz / electronica with Höhlenmusik Ensemble.

So, where does all this take us into the future? We already have a vast array of plans for the Autumn and beyond, with a selection of more limited, micro editions on cassette and cdr, alongside the more traditional Paradigms releases. Expect some rather wonderful explorations into drone folk, esoteric exotica and some rather harrowing occultist ritual drone over the coming months and where this will take us next, who can tell...

In conclusion, we're most thankful and grateful to everyone who has supported Paradigms and become a part of what we do. Without the small niche of listeners who understand and appreciate vibrant, eclectic leftfield music our endeavours would be fruitless. And special thanks to my good friend Andrew at Aurora Borealis, Jonathan Selzer, Mat "Kvohst" McNerney and Andee at Aquarius Records who are all constant sources of inspiration.

May we all drink and feast valiantly in the meadhalls together.

Paradigms Recording / August 2011
www.paradigms-recordings.com

Tuesday 26 July 2011

CHELSEA WOLFE - American Gothic

One artist who is currently bewitching our turntable and haunting our evening playlists is LA songwriter, CHELSEA WOLFE, who's 2010 debut "The Grime & The Glow" quite literally chilled our souls with it's dirging resonance of somber doom-folk. Limited to a mere 500 copies and now long sold out, we're very pleased to have this masterpiece in our hands and her follow-up album "Ἀποκάλυψις" which is set for released next month is eagerly anticipated around these parts.

Interestingly, she just completed a west coast tour of the US only yesterday with a full band; in support of Thrill Jockey Records' NYC black metal artists, Liturgy, before she embarks on a selection of the finest Scandinavian festivals next month as a solo performer. And her cover version of Burzum's "Black Spell Of Destruction" is perfection. Delicate, introspective songwriting at it's heart, with a dark, brooding gothic fog throughout. Quite marvelous.