The Hafler Trio should need no introduction. A forerunner of the oh-so-hip hauntology movement (though never by "their" admission, of course), Andrew McKenzie and his associates/collaborators -- recently including Pan Sonic, Autechre, Fovea Hex, Jónsi Birgisson, David Tibet, Blixa Barageld, and less recently Chris Watson (formerly of Cabaret Voltaire, currently a resident BBC sound recordist putting out fantastic field recordings on Touch Music) -- have been steadfastly exploring and redefining what's possible with sound as early as 1979, since The Hafler Trio's beginnings as part of the post-Throbbing Gristle industrial fallout in Britain (including but not limited to Coil, Current 93, Nurse With Wound, and Psychic TV -- the last of which very briefly included McKenzie within it's ranks). So, after over two decades of elaborately packaged and endlessly fascinating releases, you ought to have a few of them. But perhaps you've been wondering about that "Simply Superior" logo found on many Important Records releases? A message sent to David Tibet to be posted on durtro.com can perhaps shed some light on the matter:

http://www.simplysuperior.org is an attempt, by the Hafler Trio and its esteemed associates, to address the situation with which the marketplace confronts those engaged in the creative act and to equitably deal with interactions there, thus providing an alternative way of approaching the problems and benefits such opportunities offer. Rather than complain about how changing circumstances affect creativity, it is an attempt to create a place where such endeavours can be seen in a new light, and take root in a new soil. Finally, it is also an attempt to repay the debt of being allowed to exist in this fragile system for many years.

For those of you accustomed to Andrew's peculiar manner of communicating ideas, that ought to be enough; for the rest of you adventurous consumers increasingly jaded by commercial music but a bit bewildered with McKenzie's prose, a summary: With the beginning of the new year, The Hafler Trio have opened an online store of epic proportion, addressing the ideological and monetary divides between so-called "high class" art/gallery art and Sound Art with a most intriguing item for sale. At Simply Superior, in addition to being stimulated visually and aurally, you'll find that an edition-of-one, personally crafted Hafler Trio release is available for any rabid fan willing to shell out nine-hundred-and-ninety-nine euros. Lord knows if I'll ever be able to afford one, but it's certainly exciting and probably worth saving up for. In the meantime, the shop also features less expensive items from the h3o back catalog available for considerably more affordable prices, with the assurance that an increasingly varied selection of products will be available as time goes on.