A sampler of our 2020 Explorers Series releases, featuring tracks from Levinson/Mahlmeister, Matt LaJoie, Armageddon Experimental Band, Matchess, and Powers/Rolin Duo!

As our label has grown over the past 11 years or so, we've made a name for ourselves as purveyors of psychedelic music & indie rock, but we've always had one ear towards unconventional sounds. We are always looking for new doors to step through, and we started our "Explorers Series" of cassettes/digital releases to shine a second light on the more outré music we're into and the sonic explorers who create it.

TIM.EXP-001: Levinson/Mahlmeister "Shores"
This Chicago duo features two old friends of ours who have dove deep into the world of modular synthesis over the past few years. As collaborators, they compose cinematic soundscapes of ambient electronic music suitable for contemplation, concentration and relaxation.

TIM.EXP-002: Matt LaJoie "Light Emerging"
We have been big fans of Matt's work from all the way back to his Herbcraft days up to his current solo iterations & nom de plumes & his work via Flower Room Records with his partner Ash Brooks. "Light Emerging" features two sidelong cosmic guitar improvisations to help guide you thru these days.

TIM.EXP-003: Armageddon Experimental Band "Cries From Planet Earth"
We'd been loosely following Mac Blackout's work for years now, but his new focus on saxophone and improvisation has really opened up his sound. AEXB features his longtime musical partner Rob Karlic on synth & drums and guitarist Adam Kroos, shifting tectonic plates of sound & fury across the album's eight tracks. A warning shot of righteous, elemental passion.

TIM.EXP-004: Matchess "Huizkol"
Any fan of our label knows Whitney Johnson's Matchess project has been a longtime fave; we've released three albums so far & are proud to add "Huizkol" to that roster. The seven updrafts of "Huizkol" are an opportunity to engage with your own skepticism or belief in the effects of sound on the body. The album consists of 7 tracks on each side, 7 minutes each, a meditation on the dualities of sevens. The Active mix is suited to listening while doing, and the Passive mix is intended for devoted attention to inner reality. The theory of brainwave entrainment suggests that through sustained listening brain activity will adapt to the rate of beating binaural frequencies. Huizkol gradually raises this rate to an energetic centerpiece before returning to an ultimately relaxed state.

TIM.EXP-005: Powers/Rolin Duo "The Nightland"
Not too many to there that channel the sounds that the Powers/Rolin Duo are harnessing; Rolin's Fahey/Basho-inspired American Primitive guitar ragas meld effortlessly with Jen Powers' amplified/effected hammered dulcimer resulting in two beautiful sidelong pieces that channel the pastoral beauty of Popol Vuh's kosmiche meditations strained thru the cheesecloth of the "New Weird American psychedelia".

Stay tuned for info on the next batch of stunning releases we've got lined up for 2021, including cassettes by Brian Case, Landon Caldwell, Nondimension, Farida Amadou, Shells, Bil Vermette, Dorji/Meadows/McColm Trio & more!