Edition Telemark

POPULARE MECHANIK - Hi-Fi Is Sweeping the Country!

"Populäre Mechanik is an improvisational group from Berlin playing a unique amalgam of Fluxus-inspired garage rock, free jazz, and live electronics. It was originally founded in the early 1980s by Wolfgang Seidel who had previously been the original drummer for West-Berlin leftist rock band Ton Steine Scherben and after that became a long-time collaborator of Conrad Schnitzler with whom he played in Kluster and Eruption, as well as in duo recordings. Recently, Seidel emerged as an author and has published a number of writings on the history of free rock and experimental music in Western Germany -- especially Krautrock -- most notably the book Wir Müssen Hier Raus (Ventil Verlag, 2016) that is still awaiting its English translation. The music of Populäre Mechanik is rooted in equal parts in the pop music socialization of its members and the desire to experiment and incorporate cues from free improvisation and avant-garde music, while retaining a sense of enjoyment and playfulness, avoiding all pitfalls that are often present in rock-based progressive music. The name of the band is a nod to the 1950s and 1960s era of US science and technology magazine Popular Mechanics and was chosen as a statement of positive affirmation of the modern age, against the dystopias offered by much of punk and Industrial music at that time. The first incarnation of Populäre Mechanik released a 7" single and two cassettes, parts of which have recently been compiled on a CD/LP on Bureau B (BB 186CD/LP, 2015). It broke up during the 1980s. In 2005, Seidel revived the name for a new line-up -- himself being the only common member -- that played in a similar vein. This second incarnation of Populäre Mechanik can be heard for the first time on this double-LP. The line-up features improvised vocals by Alex Bulgrin, who otherwise performs as a garage rock singer with Berlin's '60s music collective Beatorganization, as well as Sven Hanke (table git, synth), Marcus Jaeger (guitar), Lars Jeschke (piano, keyboards), Kolja Nixdorf (trumpet), Matthias Sareika (bass, synth), and Wolfgang Seidel (percussion, synth). All recordings were made between 2005 and 2014 in Populäre Mechanik's rehearsal room. Full-color, gatefold sleeve with photos and extensive liner notes by Seidel explaining the history and musical positions of the group; Edition of 300." - Edition Telemark.
  • Sale
  • Regular price $40.00


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.
I understand these terms

Sale

Unavailable

Sold Out