Morphine

COHEN, CHARLES - A Retrospective

Double CD compilation of those enchanting Charles Cohen vinyl releases + two unreleased recordings. Packaged in a rigid double CD box with booklet. Philadelphias Charles Cohen, free-jazz improviser and synth composer, has managed to remain almost unknown outside of his local improv scene for decades. This retrospective of his early works, all recorded between 1976-1989, testify to the understated genius of his work. Fleeting between polyrhythmic cosmic patterns, gravity-tarred bleeps and noise, outer-worldly melodies, all executed with unfathomable astuteness and grace, this collection showcases the breadth of this idiosyncratic electronic musician. One of the few people to master the rare Buchla Music Easel, his work since the 1970s has focused almost exclusively on this instrument. With his first solo European tour hypnotizing audiences in early 2014, his work is finally reaching a wider audience, enchanted by his mesmerizing yet deeply focused approach. His roaming, raw synths, rhythmic intensity and immersive drones have resonated with uncanny familiarity for a younger generation of electronic experimentalists. This double CD release combines all three LPs released on Morphosis Morphine Records in 2013, excavated from Cohens archives; The Middle Distance" featuring his early works from the Philadelphias "No Mans Land" art installment, the University Of Texas in El Paso and The Painted Bride Art Center performances as well as "Dance of the Spiritcatchers," originally issued in 1980 on Zero Records; "Group Motion," a live recording from a dance theater piece in Philadelphia of the same name and "Generator," a live recording from Generator Sound Art Gallery in NYC (featuring the Music Easel and the even rarer Buchla 700 series, apparently the only two known recordings of this instrument ever formally released); and Music for Dance and Theater, a further collection containing some of Cohens collaborations and performances in theater pieces and art installations by Jeff Cain and Tonio Guerra, amongst others. This selection includes two previously-unreleased tracks "Conundrums" and "Slow Blue and Horizontal." Each track has Cohens immediately captivating hallmark, equal parts playful and mysterious. A stunning retrospective, unearthing a wealth of truly beautiful material." - Morphine.

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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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