"Like something out of pulp science fiction, the record known as Mad Music, Inc appeared in the Boston area in the late 70s without track titles, credits or contact information. Beautifully packaged, the record exuded a mystery so mysterious as to be entirely unclear if the creator(s) even realized how odd the whole thing was. To be clear -- this is not one of those phony discoveries that seem to show up with increasing regularity these days. Collectors have known about Mad Music for years, but the very few who know the story aren't talking. Play the record, and everything becomes more unclear still. . . . What is this music, and who is it for? Is it some mutant strain of new age, jazz, a soundtrack? Would it explain anything to know that the jam at the end of side one is called Gospel Disco? Does it help if we disclose that this lushly arranged album features professionals and amateurs working together? Is it a put-on? Or was there some greater purpose involved? The world may never know. For the fine folks who actually buy records, randomly selected copies come with one of a kind inserts -- authentic 35-year-old documents from the Mad Music archives -- an underwater loudspeaker catalog, a photo from the recording studio, an academic clipping entitled Cerebral Dominance in Musicians and Nonmusicians. But even if you buy the entire run and put it all together, this is one mystery you may never solve. We can promise you this -- you've never experienced anything like Mad Music, Inc." -Drag City.
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.
