After posting few tapes by the legendary Ebus Music I got back in touch with Carsten Olbrich,the mastermind of this label, I was planning to transfer this double compilation to my pc when he told me that he already had it as digital format,so this is his rip, I asked him to write an introduction to include in this post, after all, who better than him could write an intro for this great sampler???
Carsten is still very active and you can check his official webpage please go here.
He also plays in a cool radio each 1st Tuesday of every month(8pm to 10pm)please go here to listen to his show, and here the link for his playlists.
So I finish now and leave you all to his nice and detailed introduction.
Big thanx Carsten for passing me this compilation already in digital format and your great remembrances.Enjoy it!
~f~a~r~a~w~a~y~
click me
"I cannot remember my first
impulse to organize a "X-Mas Compilation". After a few
years of EBUS Music this was not the first compilation release, and
so I created a very simple flyer and asked also some friends from the
tapescene for contributions. The first deadline (end of Novemver
1991) was much too close to X-Mas. Some mastertapes reached me in the
mid of December, and I also ran a recall for artwork. At least the
X-Mas Compilation was planned to be released one year later in
December 1992. Well, it finally came out at Easter 1993, which was a
kind of dada-joke to me, even if some people found it strange to
listen to Christmas music in April ;-)
Didi was a christian
ex-junkie without confession, who later got some fame with his S/M
EBM project "Call" (first album "Domina")
L'Edarps A Moth was a good friend from Frankfurt, a very active
musician for the tape-underground. He was also the editor of the
"Independent-Kontakter" which came out at his "Büro
für Akute Planung". His two tracks were recorded at X-Mas 1989
and in 1990.
Richard Youngs was a new artist from England to me. He
already had a large discography and sent his 12"-vinyl-LP
"Advent" as present together with his master tape. He wrote
a detailed description of his traditional Christmas with his dad,
which I printed in the booklet.
Schmertz der Welten is my
own project. I altered the lyric of the German X-Mas-song "Alle
Jahre Wieder" into something ironic about violence against
children, and recorded to the original melody my very own version
(even if the vocals level is to low...). The other track
"Weihnachtsmann um Mitternacht" is still exclusive until
today like many other contributions.
Some more new contacts to me
were The Tall Bald Grandfathers, Xerpphyte, Dee Jay Emm (who sent
much more artwork than i could use), Majorana, Raimondo Del Prete,
SHA 261 and Chris Wind.
Chris Wind is a feminist writer, actress
and musician from Canada. I took three short pieces from her
"Christmas Album". After she received her free copy, she
replied with a thankful postcard, but wrote, that she didn't liked
any of the other tracks ;-)
Also Frak from the Swedish label
Börft Records contributed an exclusive track.
Matthias Schöller
was a musician from the local band "Vague Venture". He also
released a whole tape ("The Path") on EBUS Music.
Steve Hartwell from Peeved
Records, England sent tracks from "Deaf Goes East" and from
his better-known project "Dead Goldfish Ensemble".
Also Eiaculazione
Amusicale came on board. We had a little misunderstanding with the
artwork of his booklet-page. In this digitalized version for this Blog
you will find the exchanged page.
My friends Haiko Herden ("The
Evasion On Stake") and Alexander Pohle ("Beton Tapes"
sent their exclusive X-Mas Medley, which should only be released under a different artist name "Band Aids".
"Doves Under Chairwalk"
and "Cult Goes Culture" were both projects of Thomas
Deppermann who ran the tapelabel "Culture Tapes"
B.O.P. is a shortcut for
"Base Of Pyramid". The two persons behind (Tom Pyramid and
Ms McGuire) were a couple with whom i and the femalse drummer Anette
Bum Betz formaly made music as "Top Of Pyramid".
"Etat
Des Stocks" war Patrick Perent from the Belgian label "Red
Neon Tapes"
"Telepherique"
were Danijela Jochim, Rene Jochim and Klaus Jochim. Klaus was also my contact-person for the label "Drahtfunk Produkt".
"Klimperei" is a well-known project of Christophe Petchanaz. He created a totally unique
version of "Stille Nacht" and dedicated the title to me.
"D.M.A.D.T." was a
a project of Carsten Vollmer from the label "Cat Killer" with
an exclusive track recorded live on 9 Oct 1991.
"Knut Baltz Formation"
existed even in the GDR. Florian Merkel sent four b/w photos from
1989 and 1990 which I used for the booklet.
Raimondo Del Prete with his
child sent a quite long "Christmas Pudding" from which I choose a short extract. At least I was a bit sad for them, that my
choice was that short.
SHA 261 wrote in a personal letter to me,
that the French word "Noel" comes from the meaning "No
Hell".
The X-Mas Compilation was
released in a limited edition of 100 copies."
There is no music in this post but a nice postcard that came out from the Satanic Sanction album by the mighty Sleep Chamber and a letter by Luciano Dari ,owner of the amazing Musica Maxima Magnetica,the label that released this album back in 1988-included with this letter there is a deviated review by somebody with a very narrow mind who got really scared at one Sleep Chamber`s gig back in the 80s.
Dark
Alceste De Socaï Vômie is Marc Alhanati,a French musician into
noise industrial and harsh electronics.He seems to be active with
this name during the early 90s.Sounds For Consciousness
Rape was a French label managed by Stephane Santini in Bordeaux.This
label was very active in the early 90s and it is
well-known for its
limited edition releases,in fact this tape+minicd came out in a clear
case designed to hold 2 cassettes, with various stickers, thin balsa
wood and clear inserts pasted on & in the case. Limited to 285
handnumbered copies.
I am not sure if they are still playing,there are some videos on youtube filmed in 2007 but with a different line up of those productions.
Numbered edition was printed in marker on side A of tape.
It came with one small xeroxed insert of image & artist's contact info-(all the scans provided here).
Fast and furious HC Punk from Hackeny (North London-UK),this is where this band come from.They have been active on and off for few years and they might as well re-form one day soon,in the meantime I have been asked by my friend John(the bass player) to post those 2 mini cds on my blog.
Another great album by this amazing band:Splintered was an experimental noise-rock band founded by Richard Johnson (Grim Humour
'zine, Fourth Dimension Records, Lumberton Trading Company, Adverse
Effect) when the band he was previously in, Playground, disbanded in
1989/1990. Splintered lasted until 1998 and also released many
side-project records, often on Steve Pittis' Dirter Promotions imprint
or Richard Johnson's Fourth Dimension label but likewise turning up on
labels such as Meeuw Muzak and Ralf Wehowsky's Selektion. Splintered
ground to a hiatus shortly following a European tour in late 1997 (with a
lineup including James Hodson, later of Faust, Hassni Malik, Colin
Bradley, Stuart Carter and Richo), although a final release happened
soon after. Stuart Carter, Hassni Malik and Richard Johnson then formed
Theme, a group more concerned with abstract textures, drones, occasional
eastern sounds, cut-ups and suchlike than anything resembling the
'rock' employed by Splintered. Theme continue to this day, plus there is
talk of renewed Splintered activity...
(info taken from discogs)
Other 2 tapes by the famous and incredible Big City Orchestra,I already spoke about them when I posted Baobab and Anguilliform.
"One of the most idiosyncratic and original groups of the past two
decades, BCO is not your standard Orchestra. Situated in the greater San
Francisco Bay Area, the band has released an enormous catalog of
recorded material over the past two decades. Formed in the late 1970's
the ensemble continues to maintain a free-flowing roster of artists from
around the world that collaborate on specific projects. Categorizing
the Orchestra into any given genre can be a task, as releases continue
to surprise even the most devout listener. There is never any way to
precisely classify the next BCO release. An album of authentic
sea-shanties? A wall of noise? A shimmering downpour of lullabies
whispered to the wind? A humorous or thought-provoking album of Sound
Collages? Vocal excursions set to make Rod McKuen blush? We press play,
leaning forward with slight apprehension. We await the first wave of
blissful deception. We are perpetually rewarded." 