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Bureau B

TIETCHENS, ASMUS - Litia

"Released in 1983, the Litia album concluded Asmus Tietchens' études phase and bid a farewell to rhythmic synths -- well, almost. All the signs of "pseudo pop" as heard on Biotop (BB 141CD/LP), Spät-Europa (BB 142CD/LP), and In die Nacht resurfaced: squeaky sounds and protracted, rattling rhythms grouped into abstract forms through their accentuated artificiality. Sporadic noisiness is as much a part of it as is a winking gesture, which should not detract from the basic sobriety of the work, however. Musik aus dem Aroma Club (1998) is Tietchens' first openly-parodic work, not that he had ever lacked humor. Take the plays on words in his titles, with "Unterhaltungsmusik" mutating to "Unterhaltsmusik" ("light" music becomes "livelihood" music) or the appropriation of terminology from respiratory medicine ("Nebulizer" is another word for an atomizer). The banality of everyday life proves itself to be unconquerable: "Auf Elf" ("On Eleven") refers to the fact that the piece is archived on a tape with the number 11 -- nothing more profound than that. What sets Litia apart from its three predecessors is the wider pool of instruments at Tietchens' disposal. For the first time, he had a digital rhythm machine which could play samples; then there was the Korg Polysix synthesizer, a hybrid of analog and digital technology. The polyphonic transition piece could not actually create samples, but could at least simulate the sounds of instruments. As the Korg Polysix and rhythm machine could be synchronized, "a whole new world of sound" beckoned. Günter Körber of Sky Records exited the scene after Litia, as Tietchens turned his attention to "rhythmic-harmonic set pieces." It was not until 1996 that Rattenheu was issued, featuring material which dated back to 1984 and now -- augmented by further tracks from this period -- representing the fifth "Zeitzeichen" album to be reissued by Bureau B." - Bureau B .
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After nearly a decade of false starts, multiple game plans veering off the rails, and a handful of shattered hopes and/or dreams, the odyssey is finally complete—the new Fusetron site is here.

This is the first phase of a multipart rollout that will span the next few months: the currently browsable stock includes miscellaneous new releases from the past 8+ months (we have a lot of catching up to do), plus approximately a third of our backstock. Note that we’ve reduced/slashed prices on many titles and will continue to do so in order to make room for new stock. We’ll also be expanding / tweaking / improving / debugging the site itself (for example, we still have work to do on the automated international postage system, not to mention the inevitable inventory discrepancies that come with transferring an ancient and massive database to a new system).

Over the next few months, as we take inventory, clean house, and delve into our storage, we will be uploading thousands of additional items, gradually, on a near-daily basis. This will include the majority of the LPs, as well as many titles, in all formats, once thought long-gone. Many currently “sold out” items are likely to resurface.

Finally, once our general backstock is up (probably in the next two or three months) we’ll begin making our extensive stockpile of rarities available online for the first time: tons of random out-of-print titles, "deadstock," warehouse finds, secondhand collectibles, etc., accumulated over the past few decades.

Frequent/returning customers will be getting early access to these items. Details to follow on how this will work (a priority mailing list? a 'frequent flyer'-like program?), but it will not be based on dollars spent. We want to reward those who consistently support us, especially in the discogs marketplace era (to those who show up trying to poach five copies of a one-off rarity, and nothing else, ever… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ).

So—we suggest you take some time to dig through the site—even we’ve been surprised by what’s been turning up, and there’s much more to come.
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