MERCY GIANTS RETURN TO TONEFLOAT WITH NEW ALBUM »STEEL DUNGEONS, MIGHTY FOES«
steel dungeons, mighty foes! will be out as a limited edition 180 grams clear vinyl in a picture sleeve (200 copies), complete with a cd copy of the album, and a cd in a deluxe mini album sleeve. copies can be pre-ordered now from our tonefloat store.
THE USE OF ASHES - LIVE AT PARADISO 2012
The Use Of Ashes' concert at Paradiso (October 2012) is now available over three parts
DIRK SERRIES - MICROPHONICS XXI-XXV : THE NEW ALBUM
microphonics xxi-xxv will be out on march 16, as a limited edition double 10inch in a numbered gatefold sleeve (150 copies on white vinyl, 300 copies on black vinyl), complete with a cd copy of the album, and a cd in a deluxe mini album gatefold sleeve. copies can be pre-ordered now from our tonefloat store.
a previously announced book edition has been cancelled for productional reasons.
tour dates
february – mono (japan) support tour
07 arena, vienna (austria)
08 randall club, bratislava (slovakia)
09 a38, budapest (hungary)
10 daos club, timisoara (romania)
11 club fest, belgrade (serbia)
12 park, zagreb (croatia)
13 posthof, linz (austria)
14 locomotiv, bologna (italy)
15 teatro moderno, agliana (italy)
16 traffic, rome (italy)
17 bloom, mezzago (italy)
19 epicerie modern, lyon (france)
20 music hall, barcelona (spain)
21 moby dick, madrid (spain)
22 paradise garage, lisbon (portugal)
23 hard club, porto (portugal)
march
31 fluister, dordrecht (the netherlands) with loscil
april
04 world minimal music festival 2013, muziekgebouw, eindhoven (the netherlands) with kronos quartet
18 roadburn festival, 013, tilburg (the netherlands)
official release show march 16 trix, antwerp (belgium) with stratosphere.
THE TONEFLOAT INTERVIEWS
a series of exclusive tonefloat interviews, by tobias fischer.
SAND SNOWMAN - 4 november 2011
AKHET - 3 november 2011
SAND SNOWMAN - 4 november 2011
AKHET - 3 november 2011
TONEFLOAT LABEL NIGHT LONDON: 28 OCTOBER 2012
tonefloat presents its first label night in london at 229 the venue (229 great portland street, london, w1w 5pn). tickets available via 229 and the tonefloat store at £12 / 15 euros.
performing on the night (doors 7pm) will be judy dyble, sand snowman, the use Of ashes and the sleep of reason.
judy dyble, the legendary and reclusive former fairport convention and trader horne singer, has re-emerged with the most powerful and personal album of her 41 year career. co-produced and co-written by no-man's tim bowness and cromer museum's alistair murphy and described by the bbc as 'a sophisticated triumph', talking with strangers is a rich combination of seductive melodies, cinematic arrangements and poignant autobiographical reflections that references aspects of judy's distinguished folk prog rock past, while forging a wholly contemporary identity that draws on judy's personal experiences over the last two decades and her renewed enthusiasm for making music. judy will be performing a rare one off london show at the tonefloat records label night in to celebrate the album's re-release on vinyl. special guest tim bowness will be joining judy on stage to perform songs from talking with strangers as well as songs from her new album.
last year's the world’s not worth it saw sand snowman's gavan kearney working with a handpicked cast of collaborators - including long-time muse moonswift, porcupine tree’s steven wilson, eden house vocalist amandine ferrari and use of ashes guitarist maarten scherrenburg (on drums) - to create a blissful world of unconventional, yet instantly beguiling compositions. whilst still working within a by now familiar territory delineated by folk, ambient and progressive rock at a chambermusical volume, elements from the world of classical music are featuring more prominently than ever, taking the project into a new direction. sand snowman will make a rare live appearance during the first london tonefloat label night.
over the past few years, alongside their own solo projects, dirk serries (microphonics, fear falls burning, vidnaobmana) and jon attwood (yellow6) have been slowly working on a trilogy of albums. this trilogy combines their own individual takes on guitar drone and ambience into something with its own character and style. the resulting music sees their guitars blend into slowly shifting soundscapes that take you to a different place and time. each album is a continuation of the previous one but differs on an almost subliminal level, making the listener realise over time that the sleep of reason is a slowly mutating, thematic and specific musical entity.
born in 1979 as mekanik kommando, the band first surfaced in 1980 with a flexidisc included with dutch postpunk magazine 'vinyl'. mekanik kommando all but instantly found themselves in the midst of the ultra movement, signing with emi's wereldrecord imprint and guesting on the cure's pornography tour. soon, however, they would move on to different musical horizons. once they'd completed the transformation to a krautrock and 60s beat infused eerie blend of folk and psychedelia, the band changed their name into the use of ashes with the release of 1988s the castle of fair welcome. since then, new material has been published with increasing infrequency thanks to the formation's scrupulous attention to quality. following in the wake of firetree (1996) and ice67 (2004), the use of ashes returned to the limelight with the hand of tzafkiel, the first episode of their conceptual white nights trilogy - which they would follow up with glowing lights and, in 2012, flake of eternity.
DIRK SERRIES AND JON ATTWOOD UNLEASH THE SLEEP OF REASON: 4 LPs PLUS CD
the sleep of reason embark on a short european tour – october 8 tonefloat label night, 229, london (uk); 29 stadtgarten, cologne (germany); stuk leuven (belgium); 31 zentralcafé k4, nürnberg (germany); november 1 (h)ear, heerlen (holland); 2 markthalle, hamburg (germany); 3 christuskirche, bochum (germany); 4 tonefloat label night, paradox, tilburg (holland).
limited to 200 copies only, the set not includes the trilogy of lps, but also a one-sided live lp recorded during the tonefloat label night 2011, and a cd with a selection of tracks taken from the three studio albums.
the release date is october 9, and it's available for pre-order now from our store.
ASTRALASIA RELEASE VINYL ONLY ALBUM VOYAGE TIL TOMORROW
the release date is october 9, and it's available for pre-order now from our store.
DIRK POLAK AND MARK RITSEMA ARE POLAR TWINS WITH DEBUT ON TONEFLOAT
the mixture of classic pop, artrock, folk, chanson, with a continental european touch, flashes of avant-gardist texture, but love songs in any way, bring polar twins in the fortunate situation to present their product with solemn pride: a humble totem of consciousness.
wee small hours at swansneck is out as a regular edition on cd in japanese style mini album cardboard sleeve, as well as a limited edition of 200 copies on 180 grams clear vinyl in spotvarnished gatefold picture sleeve, with cd copy of the album.
polar twins embark on a short album release tour with the use of ashes with dates in amsterdam (paradiso), rotterdam (de unie) and nijmegen/beek (bartholomeuskerkje). check the gigs section for details.
MAARTEN VAN DER VLEUTEN : ARE YOU WORTHY?
providing a sometimes fearful insight into his current state of mind, van der vleuten has conceptualised are you worthy? as an at times alienating soundtrack for both his own life and that of the listener. although his entirely idiosyncratic ambient visions are again at the heart of the music, van der vleuten never abandons his house roots either, intertwining these two sides of his musical personality into, dare we say it, his best album to date, and available on cd only.
the release date is october 9, and it's available for pre-order now from our store.
STILL LIGHT'S ROSARIUM ON 45RPM 2LP AND CD
the warm reception of lything, published as part of the tonefloat/c series – the label’s testlab for new acts, called for a follow up. kirill nikolai gladly obliged and has, for his second album under still light moniker, widened his perspective even further. the result is mesmerizingly eerie, yet bewilderingly beautiful new album rosarium, recorded at various locations in the usa and ireland.
rosarium has been carefully mastered by peter van vliet (the use of ashes) and is out on cd, as well as a limited edition audiophile 45rpm 2lp, complete with copy of the cd.
a dedicate minisite on still light and the new album can be found here.
the release date is october 9, and it's available for pre-order now from our store.
THE USE OF ASHES CONCLUDE WHITE NIGHTS TRILOGY WITH FLAKE OF ETERNITY
following up on 2008’s the hand of tzafkiël and glowing lights (2009), which both had a distinct inner world approach, flake of eternity is most of all a reflection on the first two entries of the trilogy and the events spawned by them, which eventually culminated in a return to the concert stage for the formation after a ten year hiatus. taking the approach of their live shows as a point of departure, the use of ashes entered the st. temple studios with an outer world state of mind and saw the story through to its blissful conclusion.
flake of eternity is available as a limited edition of 500 copies on 180 grams vinyl in picture sleeve, and a regular edition on cd in japanese style mini album cardboard sleeve. to celebrate the completion of the trilogy, there will be a deluxe edition of 100 copies in a box with the vinyl and cd version of white nights: flake of eternity, a cd copy of the radio play das licht in der ferne, a 180 grams black vinyl lp live at lux, space for the other cds and lps in the white nights series, plus inserts. this handmade set available from october 28.
the release date for the cd and lp is october 9, and it's available for pre-order now from our store.
the use of ashes embark on a short album release tour with polar twins with dates in amsterdam (paradiso), rotterdam (de unie) and nijmegen (merleyn). check the gigs section for details.
TONEFLOAT LABEL NIGHT TILBURG: 4 NOVEMBER 2012
performing on the night (doors 4pm) will be ex-wise heads, polar twins, the use Of ashes and the sleep of reason.
ex-wise heads is the outcome of a chance meeting between bass player colin edwin (porcupine tree) and multi-instrumentalist geoff leigh (best known for his work with the legendary henry cow). since forming the band around a shared interest in north african trance music in 1998, ex-wise heads have developed and explored their own idiosyncratic sound with five album releases, blending bold improvisations with highly developed ambient and rhythmic elements. absorbing and unique, yet still accessible, latest release schemata showcases the duo's ever developing fascination with soundscapes, minimalism, atmospherics, unusual instrumentation and hypnotic rhythmic patterns around the core elements of colin edwin's forceful bass playing and geoff leigh's fearless and spontaneous flute and saxophone solos.
polar twins are the two baritones dirk polak and mark ritsema who fronted (in)famous dutch underground bands like mecano (dirk) and spasmodique (mark) in past decades. the songs and voices of polar twins were already heard from the dark cafes of athens to the posh art-galleries of amsterdam and berlin. in 2005 the two met at an art exhibition and developed an almost instant, creative friendship when mark proudly joined the newly revived mecano, one of his favourite early 80s bands. by the time mecano collapsed for the second time, dirk and mark had written their first song. the bulk of wee small hours at wwansneck (their debut on tonefloat) was written during august 2008, in the after hours at mark's place in rotterdam. late 2010 polar twins started recording. composing and recording on and off, the last mixes were finished one memorable sunday in february 2012. this mixture of classic pop, artrock, folk, chanson, with a continental european touch, flashes of avant-gardist texture, but love songs in any way, bring polar twins in the fortunate situation to present their product with solemn pride: a humble totem of consciousness. for this occasion, polar twins will perform as a full band six piece line-up.
over the past few years, alongside their own solo projects, dirk serries (microphonics, fear falls burning, vidnaobmana) and jon attwood (yellow6) have been slowly working on a trilogy of albums. this trilogy combines their own individual takes on guitar drone and ambience into something with its own character and style. the resulting music sees their guitars blend into slowly shifting soundscapes that take you to a different place and time. each album is a continuation of the previous one but differs on an almost subliminal level, making the listener realise over time that the sleep of reason is a slowly mutating, thematic and specific musical entity.
born in 1979 as mekanik kommando, the band first surfaced in 1980 with a flexidisc included with dutch postpunk magazine 'vinyl'. mekanik kommando all but instantly found themselves in the midst of the ultra movement, signing with emi's wereldrecord imprint and guesting on the cure's pornography tour. soon, however, they would move on to different musical horizons. once they'd completed the transformation to a krautrock and 60s beat infused eerie blend of folk and psychedelia, the band changed their name into the use of ashes with the release of 1988s the castle of fair welcome. since then, new material has been published with increasing infrequency thanks to the formation's scrupulous attention to quality. following in the wake of firetree (1996) and ice67 (2004), the use of ashes returned to the limelight with the hand of tzafkiel, the first episode of their conceptual white nights trilogy - which they would follow up with glowing lights and, in 2012, flake of eternity.
TF100 ON CD
early 2010 we released tf100, a lavish 108-page book, complete with an album. the leading artists on tonefloat have teamed up in various constellations and in promptu line-ups. tf100 now includes collaborations between, among others, steven wilson, theo travis and sand snowman and a duo between dirk serries and maarten van der vleuten. over the year, we've had many requests for a cd edition of the album. late 2011, tonefloat signed a distribution deal with europe's largest distributor bertus. instantly impressed by the tf100 book that was handed as present upon signing the deal, bertus again suggested a cd edition of tf100. an offer we couldn't refuse. carl glover outdid himself with a beautiful mini album style gatefold sleeve in which the album is available from april 6, and can be pre-ordered now.
by late 2011, we had sold half of the 1000 book editions that were printed. we are now offering the remaining 500 copies of the books in an expanded edition which not only contains the album on a double 10inch but also includes a cd copy in a plain pvc sleeve. as most copies will be available via bertus (which means we can introduce new music lovers to the label), a limited number will be available via tonefloat. copies can be pre-ordered now from our tonefloat store.
a lasse hoile directed video of california falling can be viewed on tonefloat's youtube channel.
FEAR FALLS BURNING: DISORDER OF ROOTS 2x10", CD + CONCERT
born in 2004 in the wake of the ambitious dante trilogy on relapse records, dirk serries conceptualised fear falls burning as a follow-up to his vidnaObmana moniker. unleashing a maelstrom of hypnotically pulsating guitar drones, the project would turn develop a tireless live activity and spawn a dizzying array of releases, most of them on vinyl. on 2008’s frenzy of the absolute, today widely considered a classic, the project reached its peak, fusing its by then trademark sound with live drums and guest musicians from the realms of the contemporary underground metal scene.at the same time, frenzy of the absolute marked the end of fear falls burning. over the course of its four years, Serries’s ongoing search for the essence of his sound had resulted in the founding of a new project called microphonics. harking back to his more intimate, minimalist ambient phase, it represented a sum and summary of his past and present embodied his musical personality more fully than any of his previous aliases. clearly, fear falls burning had fulfilled its mission and reached its point of destination.
and yet, with the end in sight, serries has resurrected fear falls burning for a concluding album statement entitled disorder of roots, and a last salute. on june 2, 2012 at the paradox club in tilburg, fear falls burning will return for a gig involving three of the guest musicians on the record - tim bertilsson (drums), frank kimenai (electric bass) and michiel eikenaar (vocals).
to anyone who's been part of the journey, the event will present a welcome occasion to bid fear falls burning a well-deserved and final farewell. a visitors will receive a free 7inch with additional exclusive tracks!
concert details and reservation infos can be found here.
the album itself will be available from april 6 as a limited edition clear vinyl double 10inch in gatefold sleeve, complete with a cd copy of the album (limited to 200 copies), and a cd in a deluxe mini album gatefold sleeve. copies can be pre-ordered now from our tonefloat store.
BASS COMMUNION: CENOTAPH
described by steven wilson as a sequel to ghosts on magnetic tape, cenotaph is, in fact, far more than that. just like its renowned predecessor, still regarded by wilson as an all-time favourite in his oeuvre, the new album turns spatial relations upside down, with otherworldly fields of microscopic crackle hovering in the foreground, as cavernous drones ominously flow underneath like steaming streams of molten metal. but whereas ghosts on magnetic tape would transform haunting passages found on old vinyl records into concise and highly organic textures, wilson has considerably expanded the dimensions of the music this time. carving out vast aural sculptures – cenotaphs of sound – from them, the album is made up of four massive compositions around the twenty-minute mark. each of them is a world onto itself, marked by the gradual appearance, temporary continuation and eventual decay of events within a non-linear continuum. and, for the first time in bass communion history, these mysterious cycles are propelled by a slow, brooding rhythmical pulse.the subcutaneous sense of motion – a distant heartbeat rather than a fully-fledged groove - is complemented by a refined and highly variegated colorplay: cenotaph, perhaps uniquely in the bass communion discography, combines and reconciles the light-drone- and dark-ambient-sides of the project, with nocturnal atmospheres and blissful hums standing side by side. this dual nature of the record matches its pervasive feeling of emotional ambiguity and if there's a concept at work here, it is never spelled out in full. instead, the album remains true to the gut feeling wilson has always considered vital for his endeavours. as he puts it himself: "the sound is amorphous, spectral, "old", like clouds of rust and decay. it's ghosts hovering above the tower. music that broods and transforms the room you play it in into a place where time stands still and phantom orchestras beam carrion crow unease into your soul from a time long ago."
steven wilson on facebook: "it's a very dark and spectral album, four 20 minute clouds of brooding drones, perhaps closest in style to previous albums such as ghosts on magnetic tape and loss, but looser in a way. there will also be a limited 700 copy double vinyl edition using a different mix - i tried several different approaches during the development of the music, the mix selected for the cd makes more use of rhythm, while the vinyl mix is more ambient."
the release date is november 10, and the release is available for pre-order now from our store. copies should also be available on most of the dates on steven wilson's upcoming solo tour.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)