"Singing in Unison is the latest in a series of recordings from acclaimed sound artist, composer, and performer Yoshi Wada. Recorded live over two nights in 1978, on March 14th and 15th at New York Citys legendary performance space The Kitchen, Singing in Unison is a dramatic yet meditative work: modal improvisations for three male voices, singing, with great gravitas, in purposeful unison. These previously-unreleased recordings, featuring vocalists Richard Hayman, Imani Smith, and Wada himself are extremely powerful, with a glacial majesty and a sense of timeless wonder. Wadas earliest musical memories are of hearing Zen Buddhist ritual chants in his native Japan, and those memories are reflected in the deep vocalizations here; also evident is Wadas period of intense study with Indian master singer Pandit Pran Nath. Thus there is a definite "eastern" feeling to Singing in Unison, with further elements added by Imani Smiths Sufi background and Wadas interest in eastern European vocal styles, but the music is also informed by Wadas experiences in the Fluxus movement and as a member of the New York avant-garde community. The edgy atmosphere of 1970s New York City pervades these recordings, adding a hint of menace. Despite the fact that this is purely vocal music, fans of the slow-moving heaviosity of Sunn 0))) will appreciate Singing in Unison. Yoshi Wada has four previous releases on EM Records: Lament for the Rise and Fall of Elephantine Crocodile (EM 1074CD); The Appointed Cloud (EM 1076D); Off the Wall (EM 1078CD); and Earth Horns with Electronic Drone (EM 1081CD). This triple LP set features a complete version of both performances, March 14 and 15 (two and a half hours in total). Singing in Unison is a massive, monumental, monolith of vocal sound. 96khz/24bit digitally remastered. Liner notes written by Yoshi Wada, with English/Japanese text. Cover art by Yoshi Wada." -EM.
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.
"Singing in Unison is the latest in a series of recordings from acclaimed sound artist, composer, and performer Yoshi Wada. Recorded live over two nights in 1978, on March 14th and 15th at New York Citys legendary performance space The Kitchen, Singing in Unison is a dramatic yet meditative work: modal improvisations for three male voices, singing, with great gravitas, in purposeful unison. These previously-unreleased recordings, featuring vocalists Richard Hayman, Imani Smith, and Wada himself are extremely powerful, with a glacial majesty and a sense of timeless wonder. Wadas earliest musical memories are of hearing Zen Buddhist ritual chants in his native Japan, and those memories are reflected in the deep vocalizations here; also evident is Wadas period of intense study with Indian master singer Pandit Pran Nath. Thus there is a definite "eastern" feeling to Singing in Unison, with further elements added by Imani Smiths Sufi background and Wadas interest in eastern European vocal styles, but the music is also informed by Wadas experiences in the Fluxus movement and as a member of the New York avant-garde community. The edgy atmosphere of 1970s New York City pervades these recordings, adding a hint of menace. Despite the fact that this is purely vocal music, fans of the slow-moving heaviosity of Sunn 0))) will appreciate Singing in Unison. Yoshi Wada has four previous releases on EM Records: Lament for the Rise and Fall of Elephantine Crocodile (EM 1074CD); The Appointed Cloud (EM 1076D); Off the Wall (EM 1078CD); and Earth Horns with Electronic Drone (EM 1081CD). This triple LP set features a complete version of both performances, March 14 and 15 (two and a half hours in total). Singing in Unison is a massive, monumental, monolith of vocal sound. 96khz/24bit digitally remastered. Liner notes written by Yoshi Wada, with English/Japanese text. Cover art by Yoshi Wada." -EM.
