artist / title
LOGOPLASM
"Testa piena d'orche"
Electroacoustic / Experimental. Click on the following image to read the original press-release of "Testa piena d'orche" or click here to download it as a .pdf file.
CD-R
April 2007
"Rest Your Eyes On Verdant Soil"
Ambient / Drone Music. Detail coming soon. [more]
[to be released]
coming soon...
PHOLDE
"Aperture of the Internal Surface"
Dark Ambient / Sound Art / Experimental. Pholde is the dark ambient project of sound artist Alan Bloor who is also known for his extreme noise music project called Knurl. In the late '80s he began performing noise backgrounds at poetry readings in which he experimented with his bass guitar by placing metal objects on the strings to produce the sounds. Since that time, Bloor has delved heavily into experimentation with found objects as sound sources. While Knurl unleashes harsh noise performances and side-project Pyrox creates intense electronic drones, Pholde creates dark ambient soundscapes by the bowing and scraping of self-created metal sound-sculptures with hand files, smooth and threaded metal rods, angle iron and blocks of steel to produce atmospheric, haunting soundscapes. His music was released on many labels worldwide, including Alien8 Recordings, Gears of Sand, Mystery Sea, RRRecords, Taâlem and Troniks. As usually happened with all previous Pholde's works, the two pieces on "Aperture of the Internal Structure" were produced and recorded by Alan in single sessions without any overdub, using only his sound-sculptures as source material aided by reverb and some equalization... [more]
CD-R
100 copies
April 2007
Aperture of the Internal Surface [excerpt]
Manifested By the Occurrence [excerpt]
MATHIEU RUHLMANN
"The Earth Grows in Each of Us"
Electroacoustic / Experimental. Mathieu Ruhlmann is a visual and sound artist. He first began composing soundworks to accompany his visual art based on found material. He has created works for various labels in Europe, Canada and the United States as well as contributed to several compilations. He has also produced sound installations and held performances thorughout North America. He currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia. "The Earth Grows in Each of Us" was composed and recorded during Spring/Summer 2006. Instruments and sounds used on the album include: violin, piano, autoharp, accordion, bell, shruti box, voice, vinyl, wasps, seafoam, glass, tiles, fireworks, water, tree branch, metal, seedpod, pine cone, tone generator and stones... According to Mathieu's own words: "The main concept behind "The Earth Grows in Each of Us" was to create a soundwork addressing the regeneration of the life cycle. This work was created in 2006, the year of my 30th birthday. On this release there are five tracks. The first four track times refer to the numeric year of my birth, 1976... [more]
CD-R
100 copies
April 2007
HORCHATA
"Coleoid"
Ambient / Dark Ambient. Horchata is the name used by Michael Palace for his electronic music compositions. His music focuses on four major elements: complex beat music, dark ambient soundscapes, programmed compositional glitch music, and field recordings. Often a composition will include several of these elements. Palace has worked for a number of years as a research scientist at the University of New Hampshire's Complex System Research Center. His work there focuses on necromass or dead wood in Amazonia. During his numerous field visits to the rainforest, he has recorded sounds using various microphones and minidisk recorders. Modification of many computer simulations have yielded some interesting sound generating and compositional programs which are featured in newer recordings by Palace. After inviting him to take part to our 10th year celebrative on-line compilation in late 2005, we also asked him for a full-lenght release and "Coleoid" is the result. Exploring the darkest side of Horchata's music, the album is a one hour long journey recorded and assembled during 2006... [more]
CD-R
100 copies
April 2007
ANDREW DUKE
"From the Deep End"
Minimal Electronica / Glitch / Experimental. Andrew Duke has been composing, producing, remixing and performing music since 1987, plus scoring and sound-designing for film, television, video, web, theatre and radio. His music is consistently referred to by the media and listeners alike as continuously presenting a unique and distinct sound. He has been commissioned for 55+ remixes (for artists such as Aaliyah, Pink Floyd, Chicks On Speed, Heavy Meadows, David Kristian, etc.) and has licensed 125+ tracks to compilations. Based in Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada) he operates the Cognition Audioworks label and webzine. "From The Deep End" includes selected excerpts from recordings taken at four different live shows Andrew played In Toronto, Kingston, Halifax and Montreal between 2002 and 2004. The twentyfour untitled tracks combined on this double-disc set are all mixed together to create a complex and organic sonic continuum. Duke's explorations on "From The Deep End" range from classic clicks'n'cuts to dissonant ambiences passing through minimal vocations and subtle variations... [more]
2xCD-R
100 copies
April 2007
STEVE BRAND
"Looking Into the Other"
Ritual / Tribal / Ambient. Steve Brand has been creating sound art and visual art since the mid-80's. From 1995 to 2003 he was active as Augur, creating obscure and organic music which was released on many labels worldwide, including The Foundry, Manifold, Alluvial, Self-Abuse and others. During the years he had the chance to collaborate with artists such as Jeph Jerman (Hands To, Animist Orchestra), Rick Kitch (I Am Umbrella, Lucky Cricket), PBK, James P. Keeler (Wilt), Brooke Oates (Birds of Tin), etc. His atmospheres, alarmingly austere, with varying shades of gray, are drenched in allusion and a heightened sense of cinematic noir for the listener. According to his own words, "emotional aspects of a recording always come first". Consisting of six long tracks, "Looking Into the Other" takes up where "Awakensong" (...released on Afe in April 2006...) left off, expanding the exploration of twilight worlds. The album utilizes bells, synthesizers, voice, various flutes, medicine drums, cymbals, fiddle, rattles, prayer bowls, etc. Once again, with this work Steve has created an high quality and excellent album of deeply emotional music, and proved himself as one of the most inspired authors in contemporary Ritual Ambient... [more]
CD-R
100 copies
April 2007
BESTIA CENTAURI
"Teratogenesis"
Avantgarde / Experimental. Bestia Centauri is a solo electronic music project begun in 1999. "Teratogenesis" is its fourth release after "Ubbo-Sathla" (Somnambulant Corpse Recordings, 2002), "The Antideluvian Earth" (Afe, 2003) and "The Self Immolation Rite" (Somnambulant Corpse Recordings, 2004). The aim of Bestia Centauri is to create sonic landscapes that convey a sense of the numinous, the horrific, and the extra-human. Its sounds have much in common with those of electroacoustic music, but the compositional structures generally display a much greater sense of flow. With the new release, "Teratogenesis" (...an Eibon / Afe co-production...), Bestia Centauri defies once and for all the persistent mischaracterizations of its sound as belonging to the "Dark Ambient ghetto". Electroacoustic and computer music elements come brazenly to the foreground, and contribute even more so to the flow of "crawling chaos" that has always characterized and inspired Bestia Centauri’s compositions. The genesis and development of a monstrosity is the theme of this new work, which charts a course from mutated unicellular sonic DNA to the resultant life-form that reaches "from the jaws of the dragon, from the depths of the abyss"... [more]
CD
May 2007
[sold-out]
CRÍA CUERVOS
"Vor Feuerschlünden"
Electroacoustic / Experimental. Cría Cuervos is the music project of italian sound artist Eugenio Maggi. Influenced by surrealism, minimalism, Drone and Industrial music, Hard Core/Punk and Grind, his music has evolved from more noisy experiments and now sits somewhere in between darker ambience and electroacoustic. During the years he created several full-lenght solo works and also collaborated with artist such as Paul Bradley, Sparkle in Grey, Ninth Desert and Maurizio Bianchi. His music was released on many international labels: Immanence, Thisco, Mystery Sea, Taalem, Twenty Hertz and Dielectric Records. "Vor Feuerschlünden" (...German for "Before Throats of Fire"...) is Cría Cuervos's latest full-lenght offering and it probably is his best solo work to date . The album features two long tracks of electroacoustic / experimental nature, built using field recordings (...cicadas, gas, frogs, water...), self-programmed Theta waves, short waves and softwares. No synthesizers were used during the recording process... [more]
CD-R
100 copies
April 2007
CORDELL KLIER
"Measure Here and Be Now"
Ambient / Minimal / Experimental. Cordell Klier is an avantgarde sound artist, graphic designer and label owner from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Since the beginning of his career in music Cordell has continued to carve his own trails and musical nitches with his sincere abilities to bridge the widest of gaps between many of the divided music cultures and sub-cultures. Sometimes to the dismay, and sometimes to the rejoicing of critics and fans alike. Through the years he has worked within many genres of sound. Everything from Noise to Metal, to Punk, Pop and Hip Hop, but currently recognising silence, drone, and glitch as his main mediums of output. Starting out in 1987 with his first Metal band Shadow, Cordell has since moved on to form numerous other acts such as Vedisni, Dream Eternal, Climb to Zalem, No Human Day, Monstrare, Under Crushing Wings and more. His music was successfully released by many labels worldwide including Ad Noiseam, Dragon Flight Recordings, Angle Records, Mystery Sea and many more. "Measure Here and Be Now" was recorded between September 2005 and January 2006, it features four tracks of minimal ambient and lowercase explorations... [more]
CD-R
100 copies
April 2007
EDWARD RUCHALSKI
"Dark Night"
Experimental. Edward Ruchalski is an american composer currently living in Syracuse, New York, where he teaches guitar. He has been commissioned by the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Helen Boatwright and Syracuse's Society for New Music. Ruchalski has also been the recipient of two Individual Artists Grants from the Cultural Resources Council in Syracuse for his compositions Private Harmonies, a series written for motorized string and percussion instruments, and Kafka Resolution, written for speaker and percussion. His music has been released worldwide on labels such as Humbug, Pseudoarcana, Foxy Digitalis and Taâlem; he also contributed to many compilations. For the last ten years he has been creating sound installations, motorized string and percussion instruments and playable percussive sculptures. The first edition of "Dark Night" was released on Foxy Digitalis back in 2004 and is probably one of Ruchalski most well-balanced works... [more]
CD-R
100 copies
April 2007
EDWARD RUCHALSKI
"Territorial Objects"
Experimental. We had the chance to listen to Edward Ruchalski's music for the first time when his "Refined Localities Part One" MiniCD-R 3" was released by Taâlem some time ago. Edward is an american composer currently living in Syracuse, New York, where he teaches guitar. He has been commissioned by the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Helen Boatwright and Syracuse's Society for New Music. Ruchalski has also been the recipient of two Individual Artists Grants from the Cultural Resources Council in Syracuse for his compositions Private Harmonies, a series written for motorized string and percussion instruments, and Kafka Resolution, written for speaker and percussion. For the last ten years he has been creating sound installations, motorized string and percussion instruments and playable percussive sculptures. His music has been released worldwide on labels such as Humbug, Pseudoarcana, Foxy Digitalis and Taâlem; he also contributed to many compilations. "Territorial Objects" is his latest full-lenght work, a collection of thirteen untitled short pieces recorded during 2005-2006 with the help of Michael Burton and Matt Broad. A complex and powerful work focusing more on the percussive and mechanical side of Ruchalski's music rather than on the droning elements... [more]
CD-R
100 copies
April 2007
FHIEVEL
"Preghiera per una stella"
Experimental. Luca Bergero was born in Italy in 1980. If his electronic engineering studies helped his meeting with algorhytmic composition, at the same time they gave way to his crisis for technologic music pushing him to the concrete sound. His constant doubt, the desire to bring back art to the state of an unconditioned phenomenon - finally back in man's hands - and the necessity for development, contribute to a severe creation balanced between opposite sound sources. In 2003 his lowercase work "Vetri di carta" was produced by S’agita Recordings. In February 2005 the Portuguese label Creative Sources Recordings released "Pocket Progressive", a trio improvisation recorded along with Luca Sigurtà and Claudio Rocchetti. His latest full-lenght work, "Le baptême de la solitude", was released in late 2005 by Petite Sono]. "Preghiera per una stella" (Prayer for a Star) is a long track composed in Spring 2006. Mainly built on long drones and tones, this release marks a definitive departure from Fhievel's ultra-minimal / microsound early works... [more]
MiniCD-R 3"
100 copies
April 2006
A034
"Chemical Nature"
Ambient-Electronica / IDM / Drill'n'Bass. After the successful debut disc of Two Dead Bodies released in April 2006 it's now time for some more Afe / Bar La Muerte co-productions. One of them is a034's "Chemical Nature". a034 is a one-man band conducted by Stefano Pulici from Mlan, Italy. This project was created some ten years ago without any definite ambitions and was brought to the public attention when its first CD album was released by Tijuana Records (...the very first manifestation of what later became Bar La Muerte...) back in 1999. Today a034 is still alive and kicking and Stefano is also involved in other projects such as Nuke Satori, Six Figure Nigga, Figli di Diapa (with Hyena and Mbst8) and Lava (with Bruno Dorella of OvO and Ronin fame). During the years, his music was released on CD and vinyl by labels such as Bar La Muerte, Hydrophonic, Blackbean and Placenta, FVA, Homesleep, Napalmed and Blackqirex. "Chemical Nature" is a034's latest full-lenght offering and is a more ambient / experimental affair if compared to his previous CDs. The common trait of most of the tracks on the album, is the use of sounds grabbed from natural sources in more synthetic contexts. All tracks on the album are mixed together to create a seventyfour minutes journey... [more]
CD-R
April 2007
THE INFANT CYCLE / UPHOLD
"Our Past Present (Now Then)"
Experimental. Jim DeJong (The Infant Cycle) and Muffy St. Bernard (UPhold) are pleased to be partnered with each other for "Our Past Present (Now Then)". Their friendship dates back to the early '90s Canadian experimental tape scene, and they have worked together on occasion. The Infant Cycle was begun in 1992 by Jim DeJong, as a 21st birthday present to himself. Since then he has steadily created a large number of releases working with both "musical" and "non-musical" objects to create soundscapes that don't easily fit ready-made descriptions. UPhold was formed by Muffy St. Bernard in 1993, growing out of early-morning radio experiments on CKMS, the University of Waterloo's campus station. Those experiments were honed in the group Mindsculpture (a.k.a. Mind-skelp-cher) and have matured over time. His music has been released through his own label, Dangermuff Enterproses, and through Jim DeJong's The Ceiling. "Unrelated Work Tapes 7/7/04" by The Infant Cycle is a new chapter in his series of aural collages based on his own past, present, future and non-existant releases, where he explores the wide possibilities offered by manipulation / juxtaposition of different portions of audio materials taken out of their original context. The four UPhold tracks include assorted synthesizers, field recordings, found sounds and voices, metal percussions and other low-budget electronic paraphernalia used to create very complex and cinematic experimental music... [more]
2xMiniCD-R 3"
100 copies
April 2007
THE INFANT CYCLE: Unrelated Work Tapes 7/7/04 [excerpt]
UPHOLD: Folded Memory Syndrome
DRONÆMENT
"Ezoterick Muzick"
Ambient / Experimental. Dronæment is active since 1997 and is the main musical project of Marcus Obst who lives in the South area of what once was East Germany. After a few amazing tape albums he joined the Drone Records serie with the "Wassermond" 7", which was based on a collaboration with Jim De Jong, followed soon by a split LP with The Infant Cycle (Jim De Jong again....). Since then he released some marvellous albums on Dachstuhl, Nauze [Muzick], Mystery Sea, Le Cri De La Harpe and Field Muzik. Everyone with an even small interest in Drone / Experimental music should immediately put their hands on them. After the wonderful "Yr" (released with the help of our friends at Blade Records) and "Allein... Unter Menschen" (a remastered CD-R version of one of his early tapes), this is the third Dronæment album released by Afe. Needless to say that we're very proud about this. "Ezoterick Muzick" was inspired by repeated listenings of indian traditional music and is a successful attempt at creating meditative / relaxing ambient music... [more]
CD-R
150 copies
April 2006
[sold-out]
STEVE BRAND
"Awakensong"
Ritual / Tribal / Ambient. Steve Brand has been creating sound art and visual art since the mid-80's. From 1995 to 2003 he was active as Augur, creating obscure and organic music which was released on many labels worldwide, including The Foundry, Manifold, Alluvial, Self-Abuse and others. His atmospheres, alarmingly austere, with varying shades of gray, are drenched in allusion and a heightened sense of cinematic noir for the listener. Consisting of nine tracks, "Awakensong" was recorded and mixed in early 2005, and is an highly enjoyable excursion into good meditative / ritual / tribal Ambient music. The album utilizes shakuhachi, Native American courting flute and bass flute, udu, medicine drum, camel bells, gongs, voice, prayer bowls and keyboards... [more]
CD-R
100 copies
April 2006
UR
"Triadic Memories"
Industrial. Ur were born in early 2005 as a collaboration between Federico Esposito and Mauro Sciaccaluga, both active in the italian hardcore circuit. They were later joined by Andrea Ferraris, past and present member of Burning Defeat, Permanent Scar, Onefineday, Deep End and One By One. Their music is mostly based on free improvisation and its sonorities can't easily be described without referring to the seminal work of the well-known and wildest Industrialists of the late '70s / early '80s. "Triadic Memories" is their first "official" disc and comes after the self-released "Baptism & Birthday". There is a strong dramatic feeling in their powerful sound, where everything seems to reproduce a sort of wedding between the modernity of the media and the primordial instincts of the performers... [more]
CD-R
133 copies
April 2006
SIDRA
"A Swampadelic Blessing of Downtown SF - The Official Bootleg"
Post-noise Guitar Grooves / Desktop Jazz. Sidra is a new collaborative project between P. NG5361. Bandera (from post industrial Italian pioneers Sigillum S, Sshe Retina Stimulants, Komplet and many other sonic extremities) and Tiberio Longoni (former guitarist of seminal Italian punk originators Jumpers and 198X, as well as 80’s psychedelic legends Peter Sellers & The Hollywood Party). Here they have decided to give a jarring audio shape to their long standing friendship and merge very different musical histories through a common cultural background (where series of antagonist social / ideological references show a cutting edge mix of future driven and vintage alternative expression modes). The result so far is a dense mesh of post-noise guitar canals, mating with desktop jazz and redefining blues as heard from the ears of hybrid creatures from a Yellow Lagoon… [more]
CD-R
100 copies
April 2006
Burnt State of Evolved Mind
Swamp and Bridges as Hippy Revenge
Torn Sidewalks, Once More
TWO DEAD BODIES
"Reflect"
Experimental / Extreme / Tribal Noise Rock. We're particularly glad to introduce an Afe / Bar La Muerte co-production. This release is the first collaborative effort between us and the famous italian independent label. This disc is also very important because it is our very first non-electronic release. Yes, the music on "Reflect" was electronically assembled and processed, but its intimate consistence is of a Noise / Rock nature. Two Dead Bodies is an extreme music project that involves Luca Mauri and Andrea Reali, both originating from the hinterland of Milan, Italy. They both are already active in the impro / jazzy / freeform band I/O and in the white funk wavers Kokoro Mayikibo. Two Dead Bodies were born in the hot summer of 2005 when Luca and Andrea recorded their first tracks during a sunny afternoon impro session. After recording, all audio material was re-processed, re-mixed and mastered by LooKe (Luca). Divided in five parts, it was given the title of "Reflect". There is a strong sense of primordial instability in the music of Two Dead Bodies... [more]
CD-R
133 copies
April 2006
Part 1 and 2 [excerpt]
Part 5 [excerpt]
A.A.V.V.
"Breaking Down the Barriers 1995-2005, Ten Years of Afe"
Electronic / Experimental / Alternative. A free on-line compilation released to celebrate our tenth year of activities. It includes contributions by more than 250 international electronic and alternative musicians/bands... [download]
MP3 album
November 2005
LEEZA
"Living in a Pixel"
Electronica / IDM. Six years passed since Afe released Plasmic, Luca Di Mattei's adventorous lo-fi electronica debut disc. During all this time Luca has been busy working on his many musical projects (Leeza, Hendy Van Morris, Bill Catez and Jabba) and had a few releases on Afe (including the humorous "Macrohard" by Bill Catez and his participation to the monumental Teddy Bear Remix Project) and on his own label called Moonfear. Leeza's music is generated using a laptop computer and no other electronic devices. It has its main roots in what was once called Intelligent Techno, and is clearly inspired by the good records published during the '90s by labels such as Warp, Rephlex, Skam, etc. With "Living in a Pixel", he has crafted an album of classic melodic electronic compositions which are very rarely tuneless... [more]
CD-R
April 2006
A.A.V.V.
"...a gift for... (°I°)"
Experimental / Alternative. This mp3 release is a gift for (°I°) a.k.a. Etero Genio a.k.a. known as Mario Biserni, one of the best italian underground music journalists. It includes exclusive contributes by 3/4HadBeenEliminated, aal, Andrea Belfi, Cría Cuervos, Elio Martusciello, fAb + (etre), Fabio Selvafiorita, Giuseppe Ielasi + Nicola Ratti, I/O, IOIOI, kar, Klaaro, Logoplasm, Madame PRosa, Andrea Marutti + Giuseppe Verticchio, MB, Mugen, Norm, OvO, Passo Uno, Pirandèlo, Pleo, Punck, S.Talker Inc., Luca Sigurtà + fhievel, Sinistri, Sparkle in Grey and Talk Show Host... [more]
MP3 album
January 2006
AIDAN BAKER
"Dog Fox Gone to Ground"
Experimental. Canadian artist Aidan Baker is probably one of the most prolific experimental musicians around, exploring the deconstructive sonic possibilities of the electric guitar as a primary sound source, creating music that ranges from experimental to post-rock to contemporary classical. Since year 2000 he had an impressive number of releases spreaded worldwide through various well-known and respected labels: S'agita Recordings, Mystery Sea, Taâlem, Le Cri de la Harpe, Drone Records, Die Stadt and many others, including his own Arcolepsy Records. "Dog Fox Gone to Ground" is Aidan Baker's first release on Afe. It was entirely and spontaneously composed, performed and recorded in mid 2005 using only acoustic guitar and real time effects, it doesn't contain any overdubs or other studio tricks... [more]
CD-R
100 copies
April 2006
[sold-out]
NON ETHOS
"Syk Asfalt"
Electroacoustic / Experimental / Dark Ambient. Non Ethos was a side-project of Norwegian Hærleif Langås (...now active as Northaunt) up to around 2003. It was a no-rules project that dived deep into experimental soundworks, drones and isolationism. It was just like a musical terrain vague, undefined but still loaded with hidden meanings. During its existence, a few Non Ethos discs were privately released in very small editions by the author himself. One of them, "Hidden Structures, Lost Places" was re-released by Afe back in 2000; now it's the turn of "Syk Asfalt", which comes in a completely remastered and revised version. According to the author's words, this album is a meditation on time, urban emptiness and nature's destructive forces, the ever ongoing erosion, the crack in the asphalt that slowly spreads, unheard, unseen, in the urban nights, sometimes patched by street workers but never stopped, just like we can't mend the cracks in ourselves. The whole "Syk Asfalt" keeps its promises from the beginning to the end, and Non Ethos has the great merit of being able to create such a strong and evocative record with just a few, but very effective, elements... [more]
CD-R
100 copies
April 2007