69WATT: 2013

01/12/2013

Will Z

WILL Z - 12 Visions LP Edition

(release date 25/Dec/2013)

Will Z is one of the heads of Cosmic Trip Machine, one-man band and producer of Book of AM 'cult' project.

Listen http://amazingflyingclock.bandcamp.com/

Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKruNLLgbZk

Limited to 200 black and 100 coloured copies.
Gatefold cover with sticker. Fully laminated (matt) 180gr vinyl as usual.
YOU CAN BUY IT HERE 12 Visions Black vinyl AND HERE 12 Visions Coloured vinyl

Out Now Available on CD

The second solo album composed, played and produced by Will Z of Cosmic Trip Machine-fame, with subjects including alchemy, satanism, occult underworld, black mass, Christianity and faith featuring Majnun and oG (Cosmic Trip Machine), Alice Artaud and Juan Arkotxa (Book of AM). '12 Visions' features lyrics inspired by Basil Valentine's book, who allegedly was an alchemist monk. The album is divided in two parts, a white side and a black side. A totally mind expanding Hermetic-Satanic-Christian schizophrenic project. The vinyl will come (on ANAZITISI Records/69WATT) with a lot of wonderful and large pictures, while the CD is available with a special black carton packaging and bonus tracks. Buy HERE

WILL Z. message

The story of 12 Visions began in November 2011. I was totally immersed in The Book of AM I coproduced with Juan and Leslie. I discovered it was the kind of music I wanted to play, but I felt it would be a solo adventure. During one month, I composed every day a song or, at least, an idea I called « Daily Visions »: it was a new approach that required a lot of self-discipline. At that time, I read The twelve philosophical keys, a book by Basil Valentine (allegedly an alchemist monk) and illustrated by Michel Maïer. When it was the time to go further with my demos, the concept was perfectly clear in my mind : my « Daily Visions » will become 12 Visions and the lyrics will be inspired by Basil Valentine book.

The first session of 12 Visions took place at my home on 3 November 2011. I worked on three demos which lead to the first « complete » Vision, using the Brian Wilson Smile method: to record different parts as individual songs and to make a montage to obtain a final track. I needed a bigger sound, so I brought back the project to NoHype Studio. I had written a half project, six visions. The original first side was : The Road (without introduction), Salamander, Diamond Planet, Lalala, Spirit and Night of Sin. I was happy with the result and planned to complete it later with six other Visions.

In 2012, I fell in love with Mallorca, where I worked with Can AM on Book of AM, so I decided to spend more time there with my girlfriend. In this magical island, I composed Three Sisters, Deià Ghost and Free Frog. I kept the two first tracks because they fit well with the concept of 12 Visions and shelved Free Frog, which was great but not in the same mood than rest.

Later that year, what began as an album dedicated to Alchemy and Power of Salamander (Mallorcan symbol) became deadly serious !

At the end of September 2012, I made a dream about a succubus musician with a background of constant tube noises, which led me to take interest in Satanism. I read a lot about that subject, then chose to follow the path of Baudelaire in Les fleurs du mal, identifying Satan with the name of Hermes Trismegistus, and my music became darker and darker. J-K Huysmans novel, Là-bas, had a profound effect on me that carried onto 12 Visions. As a consequence, my new idea was to create the « negative » version of my first solo meditation project, Shambhala Album, recorded, produced, mixed and mastered in almost 10 days, earlier in 2012. The highlight of this « evil » period was Hermetic Spell, recorded with Cosmic Trip Machine and Alice Artaud. We played by night, only with candles lights and all dressed in capes. It was a black musical mass exploring unknown and terrifying landscapes.

With the recording of Three Sisters, two thirds of the album were finished. For the last portion, my first intuition was to melt acoustic and electric songs in the final 12 Visions. We made a couple of rehearsals with Cosmic Trip Machine but it didn’t work : for me, it wasn’t interesting to release a solo album which sounds like a Cosmic Trip Machine project. I needed one last idea to complete the opus. When I discovered The Trees, a Christian band, and Judee Sill, I knew it was the final missing inspiration. I divided the album in two parts, a white side and a black side, and worked on Travelin’ with Cosmic Trip Machine and Alice Artaud (because they appeared on the black piece, it sounded logical they were on the white piece too), featuring Juan Arkotxa from Can AM on flute.

That’s how, in April 2013, I closed the book of this Hermetic-Satanic-Christian schizophrenic project.

WILL Z.

16/10/2013

Paul Roland

PAUL ROLAND - Bates motel

WATT 2

(release date 5/Sep/2013)

Fancy a detour off the musical highway this Autumn? Cult English baroque rocker Paul Roland (who was once described as 'the male Kate Bush' by label mate Robyn Hitchcock) has left the mock gothic grandeur of his past albums such as 'Danse Macabre', the Edwardian proto-steampunk offerings of 'A Cabinet of Curiosities' and the dark woods of folk-themed 'Grimm' to plug his electric guitar in and thrash to death such titles as 'I Was A Teenage Zombie', 'Tortured By The Daughter of Fu Manchu', 'How I Escaped From Devil's Island' and the title track ‘Bates Motel’. Someone has evidently been listening to The Cramps and Johnny Cash!

"In the late 1980s I interviewed several members of the Velvet Underground for a national English newspaper and at the end of the interviews I asked Nico, Sterling Morrison and Maureen Tucker if they would be interested in recording with me and they seemed genuinely enthusiastic. So I wrote some songs for them and sent the tapes over to the states, but there were technical problems that couldn't be resolved due to the incompatibility of the tape formats at that time. There was no internet then so sub-mixes on metal spools had to be shipped over for them to add their parts and these weren't compatible with the American studio that Sterling was using at the time.

So the songs were shelved, until now.

I had spoken to Sterling several times on the phone and he had written back saying that he was keen to record and he liked the songs, particularly the structures, I remember, but I didn't pursue it, thinking that we had all the time in the world to get together. Then sadly he died and soon after so did Nico. Then my own music went off in a more psych-folk direction and I forgot all about the PR/VU project. But recently after making a number of intimate acoustic albums I was itching to rock again and I thought it was time to dust off the songs I had written for them and complete those which I hadn't finished.

'Bates Motel' is not Paul Roland imitating the Velvet Underground - that would be pointless - it is the album that I would have made with Mo, Sterling and Nico had I been a bit more aggressively ambitious and made sure the opportunity wasn't lost."

For those who might find the pace rather bracing, there are also a couple of spaced-out psych tracks (including a paean to the dark Indian goddess Kali) and a creepy tale or two with a suitably atmospheric setting - one inspired by a ghost story written by England's master of the macabre M.R. James ('The Wailing Well'). The lighter side of Roland's macabre humour is embodied in a couple of classic Sixties psych-punk tracks with a twist (‘Tortured By The Daughter of Fu Manchu’ and 'Crazy' which we think could have been written for Green Day), plus a sly pastiche of self-righteous evangelical preachers on the gospel tinged 'Promised Land' and a typical Roland offbeat Arabian adventure ‘Khatmandu’ featuring Curly, Moe and Stagger Lee ("and me with a half-assed plan to find the lost city of Genghis Khan").

New remixed sound and alternative cover artwork to the Sireena 2013 CD edition.

Limited to 200 black and 100 coloured copies. Factory sealed album. 180gr vinyl

YOU CAN BUY IT HERE Bates Motel Black vinyl AND HERE Bates Motel Coloured vinyl

“As for Paul Roland, if anyone deserves credit for spearheading Steampunk music, it is him. He was one of the inspirations I had in starting my project. He was writing songs about the first attempt at manned flight, and an Edwardian airship raid in the mid-80’s long before almost anyone else….” Joshua Pfeiffer (of Vernian Process) on the Steampunk Bible website http://steampunkbible.com/2012/04/in-memoriam-joshua-pfeiffer-interviews-paul-roland-part-i

PAUL ROLAND is a prolific recording artist and the author of more than 30 books on the subject of true crime and the occult. He has been called the ‘Edgar Allen Poe of psych-pop’ and, more recently, ‘the Godfather of Steampunk’.

Since the appearance of his first album ‘The Werewolf of London’ in 1980 (a John Peel favourite and a regular feature at the legendary Bat Cave) Paul has written and recorded 15 albums which have earned him a loyal cult following in the UK, Europe and the US.

Formerly managed by June Bolan, the widow of T. Rex frontman, Marc Bolan, Paul spent the past 30 years spinning tales of Victorian villains, eccentric Edwardian inventors and the supernatural against a backdrop of gothic-psych-baroque pop which culminated with the ‘Re-Animator’ album featuring songs inspired by the horror fiction of H.P. Lovecraft and contributions from members of Caravan. Other guest musicians on Roland’s albums include Robyn Hitchcock, Bevis Frond, Nick Nicely, Knox of the Vibrators and Andy Ellison (of John’s Children).

Album success on labels such as Bam Caruso, Imaginary and New Rose led to Paul’s first European tours and releases in France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the USA and Japan. He also received offers to work with film composer Michael Nyman and members of the Velvet Underground for which he penned the songs on his latest album, ‘Bates Motel’, a collection of macabre tales with a sinister garage and psych rock setting. ‘Bates Motel’ was released on limited edition vinyl September 2013 by ANAZITISI Records/69WATT, Athens, Greece.

www.paulroland.de

Free sound samples can be heard at :

www.cdbaby.com/cd/proland15 and www.youtube.com/realpaulroland

Also visit: www.facebook.com/RealPaulRoland

Contact PAUL via www.paulroland.net (author site)

The Flash Fever

THE FLASH FEVER - S/T

WATT 1

(release date 5/Sep/2013)

The debut album from Saint-Petersburg, Russia based power-trio The Flash Fever shows a bright palette of influences and genres. Although in general it is 70s inspired fuzzy psychedelic rock one can find something from stoner, progressive rock, funk and even hip-hop there. Fast loud and fuzzy riffs stand nearby tuneful choruses which are flavored with bluesy solos. Two singers make the sound differs from track to track and even through one song. All that components are mixed in turmoil of madness and heavy vibes.

Limited to 200 black and 100 coloured copies. Factory sealed album. 180gr vinyl.

YOU CAN BUY IT HERE The Flash Fever Black vinyl AND HERE The Flash Fever Coloured vinyl

THE FLASH FEVER started in 2010 by three friends decided to serve the society with rockin': Slava (vocal, guitar), Boris (vocal, bass), Andrew (drums). Actually after one and a half year of playing and recording first EP, Andrew decided to turn from music to medicine, so Slava and Boris were to find a new drummer. While searching for a drummer Slava and Boris started a new group called Juice Oh Yeah - the jazz influenced stoner-doom duo with Slava playing drums and Boris playing fuzzed fretless bass plugged into 3 amplifiers. It took a couple of months but then appeared Sasha beating and destroying drums in Keith Moon manner. So the Flash Fever recorded their debut album in the summer 2012. It took only 4 days in 2S-studio in Saint-Petersburg. It wasn't long to record but was long to release and now it's out via 69WATT records. The band mostly plays shows in Saint-Petersburg but as well tours a little in central Russia and is looking for opportunities to move to Europe.