Tape
Delphine Dora & Sophie Cooper – Think Away
Delphine and Sophie’s first collaboration, 2015’s “Distance Future”, was one of our most popular releases, gaining even more plays on Soundcloud than Daphne Oram. So, we are naturally delighted to be bringing you their second, “Think Away”. While the first album was recording in a big church, this one has a small cellar feel, all intimate atmospheres and subtle details. It’s the night to the first albums day, with hints of melancholy and darkness, crossing points ranging from Charalambides and United Bible Studies to John Cage and Jerry Goldsmith.
Limited edition of 80 gold cassettes with artwork by Lucy Atherton.
WAS28
Orange Car Crash – Simple Music
Orange Car Crash is an astounding debut release. It’s the solo project of Andrea Davi from Italian psyche wonders the Lay Llamas and the more dark, intense Mamuthones and the aptly named The Beautiful Bunker.
As with so much of the underground music coming out of Italy right now, categories become blunt tools for attempting to describe the sounds. What is it? Jazz? Ethnological Forgery? Psychedelic? Minimalist electronics? Percussion jams? Prog? All of the above? At once? And that’s just the first track. It’s a killer album and makes my day with every play.
WAS26
Taking orders now from our bandcamp page
Hush Arbors – Albion Way
five tracks of beautiful, blissful American primitive guitar stylings out in time for your Autumn sunshine adventures. Hush Arbors is the project of Keith Woods who as well as releasing albums for seminal labels like Digitalis, Ecstatic Peace & Blackest Rainbow, has also found time to play with Thurston Moore, Sunburned Hand of the Man, Current 93 and Six Organs of Admittance. He’s about to play a few NW USA shows with Cass McCombs.
Available to order now from our bandcamp page
WAS25
Nihilist Spasm Band / Metabolismus – split album
Honoured to be releasing this very fine and very wild split tape, the brainchild of Klemen from It’s Psychedelic Baby magazine who has kindly contributed sleeve notes.
On side one, we have Nihilist Spasm Band. Formed in 1965, they made the infamous Nurse With Wound list in 1979 for their sterling work in breaking down musical rules and boundaries through their weekly jams and sporadic releases. So sporadic they even took 11 years between their first and second albums. It is a marvelous thing to have them out on Was Ist Das?
Over on side two are the musical collective Metabolismus from Stuttgart, Germany who have been putting out mind-altering blasts of other music since 1989. Their fluid line-up sometimes includes Samara Lubelski Taking their cues from the NSB, they’ve gone and built their own instruments too for this one and laid down some rambunctious improve of their own.
Artwork by Polish artist Dorota Jurczak
Limited edition cassette with a download code, available to order now from our bandcamp page
Stuart Chalmers – In The Heart of the Wilderness
I first came across the astonishing sound experiments of Stuart Chalmers in 2012 when he put out his “Myths and Beasts” tape on The Lows and The Highs Records. Stuart is both a musician and a sound manipulator, creating his own sounds for his experiments. For this album, the sounds were made using a Swarmandal prepared with objects, effect pedals, tape and Yamaha VSS200.
WAS23 – limited edition of 50 and comes with a download code. Buy from our bandcamp page
Worship My Panther – This Is Scaldhouse
Worship My Panther is a new solo project from Woven Skull’s drummer Willie Stewart. However, for this album he’s put down the sticks and picked up the electronics to make up his own new musical genre – Scaldhouse. Mad, funky and freaky electronics – kind of in the orbits of Astral Social Club, Coil’s more whacked instrumental work, Hellvete or even Slash from Guns n Roses trying to make a funky techno record after not sleeping for five days
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Its a VERY limited edition of 60 copies. Was Ist Das? is moving to America this Summer so there’s two versions of this tape. The artist’s copies were made in Yorkshire on brown C35 tapes with cream cases came out 25th May. The label copies are going to be born in the USA and taking pre-orders now from our bandcamp page.
WAS22
These Feathers Have Plumes / Isnaj Dui
For our second split album, we once again try to pursue a certain symmetry in our artists. These Feathers Have Plumes is the solo project of Andie Brown who was previously a member of Cindytalk, Remedial Queen of England and Infinite Space, Infinite Stars. Isnaj Dui is the solo project of Katie English, formerly of The Owl Service and one half of The Sly and Unseen. Andie’s instrument of choice is a collection of extremely large wine glasses fitted with microphones whilst Katie leans heavily towards the flute but both artists are expert producers and create atmospheric soundscapes.
Limited edition of 75 on white & black tapes and comes with a download code.
Available now from http://wasistdas.bigcartel.com/
WAS21
“…especially touched by magick…” – The Quietus
David Colohan – Hill Of The Moon
A very special double cassette release by David Colohan.
David is one of the co-founders of acclaimed Irish collective United Bible Studies and also helms his own Raising Holy Sparks. He also used to record as Agitated Radio Pilot. He’s always in The Wire these days and just before Christmas he was on a split release with his UBS bandmate Richard Moult
Imagine If Popol Vuh lived in rural Ireland and were in thrall to the local landscape and folklore then this is how it would sound. A hypnotic, devotional work imbued with strange, inexplicable, almost Neolithic atmospheres. It’s bloody wonderful of course and is only a limited edition of 100. Oh, and it comes with a download coupon.
WAS20
“quite simply a modern masterpiece. Atmospheric, evocative and drenched in an earthy beauty” – Grey Malkin, The Active Listener
“Something centuries old = mysterious and magical music…” – Fluid Radio
Various Artists – Noise In The Wood
A fund-raiser for Calder Valley Flood Relief Fund following the Boxing Day floods that affected the towns of Todmorden, Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd, Sowerby Bridge & Brighouse. All music on here recorded live at Was Ist Das? promoted gigs in the Calder Valley except for Aaron Dilloway’s set which was recorded at TUSK Festival 2015 by Sam Grant www.tuskfestival.com and for the Blown Out track which is from their album “Jet Black Hallucinations”.
Download version tracklisting:
1.Dean McPhee – Smoke & Mirrors (live at Hebden Bridge Masonic Hall 3/11/2013)
2.Ashtray Navigations – The Pink Margarine Cubes (live at Hebden Bridge Inkfolk 9/08/2015)
3.Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. – Cometary Orbital Drive (live at Hebden Bridge Trades Club 23/08/2014)
4.Dead Sea Apes – Knowledge And Conversation (live at Hebden Bridge Trades Club 21/10/2012)
5.Bird People – Calder Valley Rockaway (live at Todmorden Unitarian Church 15/08/2015)
6.UK Muzzlers – NoNoNoNo (live at Hebden Bridge Inkfolk 21/08/2014)
7.MV & EE with Mick Flower – Shit’s Creek (live at Cragg Vale Robin Hood 20/09/2012)
8.vert:x – Cube Abuse (live at Todmorden Golden Lion 28/09/2015)
9.Suzuki Junzo – Chi No Mure (live at Hebden Bridge Nutclough Tavern 25/10/2013)
10.Raising Holy Sparks – Everyone Yearns For The Boiling Black Sky (live at Todmorden Unitarian Church 16/08/2015)
11.Wooden Wand – Barstool Blues (live at Hebden Bridge Masonic Hall 27/09/2014)
12.Girl Sweat – Off The Tracks (live at Todmorden Unitarian Church 16/08/2015)
13.Hush Arbors – Gone (live at Hebden Bridge Trades Club (08/05/2012)
14.Chicaloyoh – The Sound of His Tenderness (live at Todmorden Unitarian Church 15/08/2015)
15.Isnaj Dui – The Way They Are (live at Todmorden Unitarian Church 15/08/2015)
16.Woven Skull with Core of the Coalman – Sea Grave (live at Todmordern Unitarian Church 16/08/2015)
17.Richard Dawson – Judas Isacriot (live at Todmorden Unitarian Church 16/08/2015)
18.Bridget Hayden – Non-Linear Chaotic Problem (live at Inkfolk 30/03/2014)
19.Carlton Melton – March of the Cicadas / Out To Sea (live at Hebden Bridge Trades Club 16/04/2014)
20.Blown Out – Transgalactic World Eater
21.Aaron Dilloyway – Live At Tusk
Tape version track listing:
Side A
1.Dean McPhee – Smoke & Mirrors
2.Ashtray Navigations – The Pink Margarine Cubes
3.Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. – Cometary Orbital Drive
4.Dead Sea Apes – Knowledge And Conversation
5.UK Muzzlers – NoNoNoNo
6.Wooden Wand – Barstool Blues
7.The Lamp – Someone Playing Dulcimer To The Ducks
Side B
1.Raising Holy Sparks – Everyone Yearns For The Boiling Black Sky
2.The Sly And Unseen – Here We Are, Here We Are
3.MV & EE with Mick Flower – Shit’s Creek
4.Chicaloyoh – The Sound of His Tenderness
5.The Lamp – Hebden Dawn Chorus (dub)
Side C
1.Bird People – Calder Valley Rockaway
2.Hush Arbors – Gone
3.Girl Sweat – Off The Tracks
4.Bridget Hayden – Non-Linear Chaotic Problem
5.Richard Dawson – Judas Isacriot
6.Damo Suzuki Network – Bridge Medley
7.The Lamp – Very Heavy Water
Side D
1.Suzuki Junzo – Chi No Mure
2.Woven Skull with Core of the Coalman – Sea Grave
3.Carlton Melton – March of the Cicadas / Out To Sea
CD Tracklist
CD 1
1.Dean McPhee – Smoke & Mirrors
2.Ashtray Navigations – The Pink Margarine Cubes
3.Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO – Cometary Orbital Drive
4.Dead Sea Apes – Knowledge & Conversation
5.Bird People – Calder Valley Rockaway
6.MV & EE with Mick Flower – Shit’s Creek
7.The Sly And Unseen – Here We Are, Here We Are
8.Chicaloyoh – The Sound of his Tenderness
9.The Lamp – Fiddler & The River
CD 2
1.Raising Holy Sparks – Everyone Yearns For The Boiling Black Sky
2.Wooden Wand – Barstool Blues
3.Girl Sweat – Off The Tracks
4.Hush Arbors – Gone
5.UK Muzzlers – NoNoNoNo
6.Suzuki Junzo – Chi No Mure
7.Richard Dawson – Judas Iscariot
8.Bridget Hayden – Non Linear Chaotic Problem
9.Carlton Melton – March of the Cicadas / Out To Sea
10.The Lamp – Hareandhoundsound
Limited edition of 25 double cassettes and 50 double CDRs plus a bandcamp download
WAS19
Gwendolen Osmond – The Mermaid
Very excited to be putting out the debut solo release from Gwendolen Osmond. Gwen is a multi-disciplinary artist, involved heavily in dance as well as music and film. She is a member of the duo Crystal Mirrors who have shared stages with Natural Snow Buildings, Wanda Group and Paddy Steer. They also put out releases on the ever collectable Folklore Tapes series.
“The Mermaid” is a series of haunting, piano-led songs with reverb drenched vocals in English and French. The songs evoke the melancholia of a seaside resort enveloped in cold weather, perfect for Winter. Cover photo and design by myself.
This is a very limited edition of 40
WAS18
Order from http://wasistdas.bigcartel.com/
Recent Posts
- Delphine Dora & Sophie Cooper – Think Away
- Lo Imp – Nosferatu
- Orange Car Crash – Simple Music
- Hush Arbors – Albion Way
- Nihilist Spasm Band / Metabolismus – split album
- Stuart Chalmers – In The Heart of the Wilderness
- Worship My Panther – This Is Scaldhouse
- These Feathers Have Plumes / Isnaj Dui
- David Colohan – Hill Of The Moon
- Various Artists – Noise In The Wood
- Gwendolen Osmond – The Mermaid
- Jake Blanchard – Shade
- Various Artists – Industria Tropical
- Ø+yn & Madrugapha – The Dark Side of the Moon
- Cheval Scintillantes
- Delphine Dora & Sophie Cooper – Distance Future
- Chicaloyoh / Terrine – Elles Sont Barrées Elles Ou Quoi?
- Bird People – Constellations
- Suzuki Junzo – If I Die Before I Wake
- Ekca Liena – Lacia Is Joined