Gather ‘round the telescope ever’buddy, we got new stars to observe! It’s been two years since we first discovered the Musique Fragile constellation — a three-star cluster of full-length albums by Khôra, Nick Kuepfer, and Les Momies De Palerme — and now another linked cluster has become visible in the night sky. Kanada 70, Pacha, and dual strobe star Hangedup/Tony Conrad are set to become official additions to the growing constellation on June 26, and to commemorate the event Constellation is releasing a 3LP set documenting each star’s most beautiful “sounds of burning.” Since the first Musique Fragile volume, Constellation has released (incredibly) Evangelista’s In Animal Tongue, Matana Roberts’ COIN COIN, Tindersticks’ The Something Rain, and Colin Stetson’s towering New History Warfare Vol.2: Judges, so one would be wise to keep an ear open to anything new coming from our extreme neighbors to the north. Here’s the rundown.
— Kanada 70 a.k.a. Craig Dunsmuir has been recording loop-based music in Toronto since 2006, releasing dozens of albums in limited CD-R editions over the years influenced by everything from “abstract techno, industrial and noise music to prog-rock, African funk, no wave and metal.” Vamp Ire will be his very first vinyl release, and based on the microphone I installed in his toilet at home, he’s very excited and nervous to be reaching a wider audience this summer. Listen to two tracks b4 u buy at the Chocolate Grinder.
— Pacha is the solo moniker of superpercussionist Pierre-Guy Blanchard, who has performed with countless ensembles around the world since the early 00s, previously brushing up against Constellation’s leg in 2006 as a special guest on Black Ox Orkestar’s Nisht Azoy album. Affaires Étrangères sees Blanchard “feel da rhythm” for 40 minutes over a series of hypnotic Middle-Eastern processionals. Wear shorts while listening.
— Hangedup is the duo of Eric Craven and Gen Heistek, who put out three AMP’d up instrumental punk albums on Constellation in the early 2000s. Tony Conrad is Dr. Drone Ph.D. Transit of Venus sees Conrad teach Hangedup how to keep their third eye pried open as far as it’ll go, and the result recalls some of the same taffy-pull jamming that went on between the good doctor and Faust in 1972.
Each album is packaged in its own screenprinted jacket and comes on 180 gram vinyl and looks PRETTY!! Limited to 500 hand-numbered copies, so act now; here’s a 26-minute mix of album tracks to help lubricate this deal:
Kanada 70 Vamp Ire tracklist:
01. Ignore Dub I
02. Mou
03. Krankqui
04. Molle
05. Delivery
06. Gnaer
07. Errora High II
08. Chimura
09. For T.O. (Perish)
10. Annoyo
11. Redrag
12. Thumas
13. Redsidled
14. Scorpi
15. Doubles
Pacha Affaires Étrangères tracklist:
01. L’Aeroport de Charlo
02. Macedonian Mind
03. Modern Malaise
04. La Gare De Podgorica
05. Tunel
06. Ankara
07. Starcevo
08. Le Soviet
Hangedup & Tony Conrad Transit of Venus tracklist:
01. Flying Fast n Furious
02. Transit of Venus
03. Principles
04. Bright Arc of Light
05. Gentil the Unlucky Astronomer
06. Panorama from Maxwell Montes
• Constellation: http://cstrecords.com
More about: Tony Conrad
