Minimal Wave Releases

Hunker

2012-01-19T21:40:47+00:00

We’re proud to announce our 34th release, a limited edition hand-silkscreened 10” release of Schedelvreter (which loosely translates as “Skull Gobbler”), the Dutch side project of brilliant minimal synth pioneer Danny Bosten, best known for his project Das Ding. The seven tracks were originally recorded in Danny’s home studio and self-released on a cassette entitled Hunker via his Tear Apart Tapes label in 1985. The newly remastered 10” release will be out in late January, and will be limited to 999 hand-silkscreened numbered copies pressed on black medium weight vinyl.
Unlike Das Ding, Schedelvreter is not pattern-based or sequenced, the synth sounds are hand played over a collage of found sounds. At the time, Danny was experimenting with a Crumar synth that was falling apart, and would sporadically create sounds that were like human voices. He created massive drum sounds by layering noise, using leftover four-track additions in reverse and some live drum recordings courtesy of his brother’s tapes. The end result feels narrative and filmic, like the sound track to an imaginary apocalyptic movie: bleak and desolate.

Minimal Wave Tote Bag

2011-10-17T23:33:03+00:00

Hand silkscreened Minimal Wave tote bag in durable 10 ounce black 100% cotton canvas. Made in the USA. Great for carrying records! Dimensions are: 18” wide x 15” high x 5” gusset and 1 1/2” wide x 23” long cotton webbing handles.

Minimal Wave Tote Bag (Natural)

2011-10-16T17:17:07+00:00

Hand silkscreened Minimal Wave tote bag in lightweight 7 ounce natural 100% cotton canvas. Made in the USA. Great for carrying a couple records! Dimensions are: 14.5” wide x 15.5” high and 22” long cotton enforced handles.

Orgelvärk

2011-10-05T22:07:54+00:00

Minimal Wave proudly presents a newly remastered vinyl edition of the cult Swedish cassette compilation Orgelvärk, subtitled “en stadig samling svensk synthmusik” – “a solid collection of Swedish synth music”. Orgelvärk is a compilation of Swedish synthpop, experimental and industrial music representative of the underground tape scene that thrived there in the 1980s. Many of the bands didn’t quite fit into one particular genre, and most remained unknown. They lived in small villages and were making what can be described as electronic folk music.
Orgelvärk was originally compiled and released on cassette in 1986 by Tor Sigvardson, also known for his own musi- cal project 18:e Oktober and cassette label Neuköln. The vinyl edition includes five previously unreleased tracks which were submitted to Tor for the original 1986 cassette release but due to space limitations, never made it on there. All the audio has been remastered from the original tapes especially for vinyl by Tor himself. Limited edition of 999 hand-num- bered copies, pressed on 160 gram vinyl and presented in a matte gatefold jacket with a letter from Tor accompanied by further information on the bands.

Automaticism

2011-10-05T20:41:06+00:00

Sympathy Nervous is the project of Japanese artist Yosihumi Niinuma. Influenced by both classical and Krautrock, he began recording in 1979, and released several records on the highly coveted Vanity label. He continued to record and self-release much of his work throughout the 80s and 90s. His sound is intelligent and probably the most unique minimal synth to come out of Japan. Exploring dystopian themes, his music is well balanced and beautifully recorded.

Automaticism features songs Yosihumi Niinuma recorded between 1979-1981. Most were originally slated for a cassette release but never saw the light of day until now. When the Tsunami washed away the coast of Japan last March 2011, Niinuma lost everything: an entire lifetime of recordings, instruments, hand built sequencers, and even his home. Fortunately, he had sent us his audio masters prior to the disaster. This release is fully dedicated to him, in memory of all his lost recordings. The record is pressed on 180 gram ultra clear vinyl and comes in a printed heavy clear sleeve, with Niinuma’s account of what happened on that day of March 11, 2011 and the months that followed. This is a benefit album, all the proceeds go to the artist. Special thanks to Narumi Omori for translation assistance and Gustavo Eandi for cover art.

Please note: Due to pressing plant delays, all orders which include this LP will be shipped after October 18th.

Cardiocleptomanie

2011-10-05T17:19:54+00:00

For our 31st release, Minimal Wave is proud to present Belgian pop trio Pas De Deux, best known for their participation in the 1983 Eurovision Song Contest. The group was formed in 1982 by Walter Verdin joined by Hilde van Roy and Dett Peyskens. They released two LPs and several singles along with some incredible video work produced by Verdin himself. Stylistically, their music is a bit post-punk and completely new wave with vocals reminiscent of the indie girl bands of the late 70s and early 80s. The slower tracks are quite dreamy, repetitive and hypnotic – resembling dream pop. The title track Cardiocleptomanie (originally released as a flexi-disc in 1983 and recently made available on V/A The Hidden Tapes) has been described as “a ‘less is more’ sum composed of drum machine, wood blocks and bongos, a few tasty minimal synth lines, and an overlay of repetitive female vocals that touch a Krafwerkian harmonic nerve.” The Cardiocleptomanie LP gathers the best of Pas De Deux’s newly remastered studio recordings and presents them as an edition of 999 hand-numbered copies on 180 gram blue vinyl. The record is housed in a printed inner jacket and spot color printed outer jacket with band photo and song credits.

Cities Of Steel And Neon

2011-10-04T13:02:11+00:00

Minimal Wave proudly presents Cities Of Steel And Neon, a compilation of early tape recordings by Greek electronic pioneers In Trance 95. In Trance 95 was formed by Alex Machairas and Nik Veliotis when they were just 18 years old. From its inception, the duo shaped their sound using portable analogue synthesizers and drum machines, becoming one of the first artists in the minimal synth / cold wave / EBM vein to come out of Greece in the 80s. They released two singles, one 12”, and one album as well as appearing on several compilations at the time. Now for the first time ever, songs from their vast archive of unreleased 4-track tape recordings have been made available.
Cities Of Steel And Neon features material recorded between 1988-1989: the unreleased 4-track recordings, the highly lauded first single Desire To Desire / Brazilia, and a rare version of 21st Century European Temptation. The LP, an edition of 999 hand-numbered copies, is pressed on 180 gram black vinyl and housed in a matte jacket with semi-gloss inner sleeve depicting 1989 video stills of the the duo. Special thanks to Peter Miles Studio for the sleeve design and Matthew Bakkom for supplying the cover image.

Hot-Bip

2011-06-09T02:29:57+00:00

Minimal Wave is proud to present a full length LP by French mastermind Philippe Laurent. The LP is entitled Hot-Bip, a pseudonym Laurent used throughout the 80s and 90s and also the title of his 1983 cassette on Fraction Studio. Hot-Bip features tracks recorded between 1979-1988, most of which have either remained unreleased or only previously appeared on scarce 80s experimental cassette compilations. Laurent’s music can be described as spacey synthpop, containing much depth and range. It is edgy, political and pushes the limits, transforming his sound beyond one specific genre. Hints of classical influences as well as electro influences can be heard. Hot-Bip showcases Laurent’s best musical output from the 80’s and includes some very avant-garde pieces from as early as 1979. A limited edition of 999 hand-numbered copies, this LP is pressed on 180 gram, translucent red vinyl and housed in a black and white matte printed heavyweight sleeve

Futurisk - Lonely Streets Remixes

2011-05-14T17:49:58+00:00

Minimal Wave takes an old sound in a new direction entirely, giving Futurisk’s classic ‘Lonely Streets’ a modern shake-up through a remix package from current artists – out now on MW’s sublabel reserved for new music and old favorites, Cititrax.
Futurisk, an electro-punk group made legendary by their anarchistic records and explosive live shows, mysteriously disappeared from a thriving scene in 1984. With an electric and dynamically layered sound (created with pre-midi instrumentation), the South Florida group left an indelible mark in the crates of disco and minimalist collectors dotted around corners of the world, including LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy (who gave a complimentary wink to Futurisk in 2003 by using ‘Push Me Pull You (Pt. 2)’ on the delightful Colette # 5 DFA Comp CD). Minimal Wave’s own history with Futurisk runs a few years back, starting first by including an unreleased 1982 version of the track ‘Meteoright’ on the label’s ‘Found Tapes’ vinyl LP in 2007. Subsequently, Minimal Wave released the retrospective full-length vinyl ‘Player Piano’ LP to celebrate the band’s 30th anniversary last year, culling material recorded between the years 1980 to 1982, with all of the tracks on their two 7-inch releases mixed in with rare studio recordings and early 4-track tapes.
The Futurisk ‘Lonely Streets Remixes’ includes remixes by four of the band’s biggest fans, each of whom have a sound as iconic as the band themselves: Chris Carter (Throbbing Gristle, Chris & Cosey), Tom Furse (The Horrors), Prince Language (DFA, Editions Disco) and Complexxion from the UK.
“For the remixes, we wanted to make sure that they werent ‘modernized’ or ‘techno’ versions of the tracks, but remixes with the same analogue and dance/rock sensibilities of the time when the original tracks were created, utilizing those very same stem tracks. I believe we have accomplished this with the forthcoming ‘Lonely Streets’ Remix 12inch vinyl.
The first remix 12inch will be dedicated to the track ‘Lonely Streets,’ with a remix by synth legend Chris Carter, whose version is one that I would have dreamed of doing back in 1982, had we the time and funds and equipment. Prince Language’s version captures the feel of the song beautifully with the utilization of all the stems, especially the real drum tracks that were part of Futurisk’s signature sound, stirring up the No Wave styles that also influenced us at the time. It was also a pleasure to hear Tom Furse’s Moroder-esque electropunk take, sounding like a missing track from a late 1970′s sci-fi flick and finally Complexxion’s track with the feel and approach of Arthur Baker, Martin Rushent, Daniel Miller and Kraftwerk of course, all of which were big influences on the members of Futurisk.”
- Jeremy Kolosine (founding member of Futurisk)

The Hidden Tapes

2011-05-14T17:02:18+00:00

A compilation of Minimal Wave from Around the World ‘79-‘85. The Hidden Tapes features rare, unreleased, and licensed tracks from as far as Japan and the former Yugoslavia. Most of the bands on this compilation recorded on 4-track tape in their bedroom studios while two of them went further to collaborate by sending tapes through the mail. The sounds on this record range from raw proto-industrial to naive danceable Belgradian new wave, to filmic synthesizer music to more complex, vocal-driven melodic synthpop. The Hidden Tapes presents songs from Danton’s Voice, Oskarova Fobija, The Fast Set, Sympathy Nervous, Pas De Deux, Unovidual + Tara Cross, SS-Say, Robert Lawrence + Mark Phillips, Kym Amps and Reservé, all lovingly remastered. Thanks to everyone involved in making this happen. Limited edition of 999 numbered copies, pressed on 180 gram vinyl, and housed in heavy printed jacket accompanied by inner jacket with photos and info.