Ways to pay:
1. click on the "Add to Cart" buttons beneath each release and pay via paypal (super easy) 2. mail cash (hidden) or check (made out to NNF Records) to 6046 Roy St and include a note saying what you want. |
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NNF249—CS ($6) Rarely has a collab moniker felt as apt as this one. The one-off collab duo of Elliot Lip and William Burnett aka Speculator (no, not the hypnagogist dude) strikes a uniquely sublime synthesis of adrift-in-infinity astral synthesizer meditation and Legowelt-ish deep Chicago/Trax lab experiments. Cuts like “Toobin’ Problems” and “Friday Afternoon Toobin’” advance this latter agenda, soaring lazily through the stars on relaxed 303 bass bubbles and vintage drum machine skeletons, whereas others (esp. the B side) like “Snake River” and “Entering Snake Pass” summon more of a soundtrack/atmosphere vibe, cool cold dread and chrome tension coiling together like a reptile cyborg discovered in an alien space station (??). Originally released as a limited LP on Crème Organization in 2008, this has been a heavy-rotation NNF favorite ever since we heard it, and felt inspired to coax some new heads on board the Toobin’ trip by initiating this cassette edition. Pro-dubbed and imprinted tapes in full-color J-cards with a slightly revised layout of the original artwork. Edition of 150. AUDIO-VISUAL SAMPLE 1 AUDIO-VISUAL SAMPLE 2 |
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Avontuur NNF248—CS ($5) ‘Wayward Belgium electronics’ would require several volumes of a radical music encyclopedia to even loosely engage the topic, and part of that reason is the endless river of new names that keeps cascading up from the cobblestoned sewers. Thibault Gondard floated on to our music map early this summer with a self-released LP of overdriven keyboard muscle, echo-warped skrewed-down drum machines, lulling air raid sirens, stained glass synth tonal pools, and alien soul vocal manipulations, and Avontuur is his freshest (and best) batch of tracks, which also functions as a debut of sorts. The opening cut, "Avontuur," is as hybridized and electrifying as any he’s crafted thus far, slicing through the speakers with a stuttering codeine cassette-ready beat peppered with reverb handclaps and minimal keyboard riffs jacked through junk shop speaker cabinets. He’s just embarked on a two week European tour with ‘glue-wave’ post-punkers The Dreams so go huff his fumes live if he crosses yr flight path. Pro-dubbed and imprinted tapes in cases with J-cards designed by MB Brown. Edition of 150. AUDIO-VISUAL SAMPLE 1 AUDIO-VISUAL SAMPLE 2 |
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Pan Am Stories NNF245—CD ($10) Tape-warped phantom band Rangers finally unleashes the grainy, soaring, expansive prog-pop opus we always knew was floating inside the fretboard (and imagination) of multi-instrumentalist mystery maestro Joe Knight. The north Dallas-raised, San Fran-residing head Ranger grew up taking classical guitar lessons from a dude who claimed to have ‘toured with the Dead,’ and some of that brain-wonked jam agenda obviously seeped into the young Knight, who began recording his own loose, lo-fi jangle sprawls in 2005. But whereas last year’s critically lauded Suburban Tours LP found him condensing his cassette-crushed alien pop into 3 minute radio nuggets, Pan Am Stories uses the reverse strategy, letting each blurry strum pattern coast away and ride the breeze a bit before steering it into a fresh counter-melody or flanged-out guitar comedown. The extra breath and space gives the 13 songs a real sense of freedom and lightness and flight, layered in gentle blankets of fuzz, silky reverb, and audio collage riddles. A total saga, and a summit achievement of next-level invention for Knight as a musician (it’s insane he played/recorded every instrument on this thing!) and artist. Have been soaking in these tracks non-stop since we first heard ‘em this summer and are thrilled to get to share Stories with the world. 4-panel full-color CD digipaks (mastered by Carl Saff, who worked on Suburban Tours too) with micro-detailed collage art by Mr. Rangers himself; interior artwork by Knight and Anthony Yuen. Edition of 800. AUDIO-VISUAL SAMPLE 1 AUDIO-VISUAL SAMPLE 2 |
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Pan Am Stories NNF245—2xLP ($22) Tape-warped phantom band Rangers finally unleashes the grainy, soaring, expansive prog-pop opus we always knew was floating inside the fretboard (and imagination) of multi-instrumentalist mystery maestro Joe Knight. The north Dallas-raised, San Fran-residing head Ranger grew up taking classical guitar lessons from a dude who claimed to have ‘toured with the Dead,’ and some of that brain-wonked jam agenda obviously seeped into the young Knight, who began recording his own loose, lo-fi jangle sprawls in 2005. But whereas last year’s critically lauded Suburban Tours LP found him condensing his cassette-crushed alien pop into 3 minute radio nuggets, Pan Am Stories uses the reverse strategy, letting each blurry strum pattern coast away and ride the breeze a bit before steering it into a fresh counter-melody or flanged-out guitar comedown. The extra breath and space gives the 13 songs a real sense of freedom and lightness and flight, layered in gentle blankets of fuzz, silky reverb, and audio collage riddles. A total saga, and a summit achievement of next-level invention for Knight as a musician (it’s insane he played/recorded every instrument on this thing!) and artist. Have been soaking in these tracks non-stop since we first heard ‘em this summer and are thrilled to get to share Stories with the world. Black vinyl LPs (mastered by Carl Saff, who worked on Suburban Tours too) in gatefold jackets with micro-detailed collage art by Mr. Rangers himself; interior artwork by Knight and Anthony Yuen. Edition of 850. AUDIO-VISUAL SAMPLE 1 AUDIO-VISUAL SAMPLE 2 |
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True Breath NNF241—12" ($12) A fresh voice is hard to find – especially in these days of such dense digital air (‘in the Shadow of the Power of Babble’ internet philosophers say). So it was with nuanced joy that we found ourselves spellbound and seduced by this young Tokyo gem-gleaner’s neon gallery of dynamic Casio nightlife masks, each of which is impeccably crafted and swathed in a fog basket of her effortlessly haunting Cocteau Twins-y shadow vox. There’s a wonderfully hushed vibe to Sapphire Slows’ most translucent tracks, beats materializing out of stray radio waves and metropolis static, electric piano memories washing away into the silent skyline of skyscrapers, synths congealing like synthetic whispers. The perfect soundtrack to urban insomniac wandering and wondering and lingering too long; almost like a Toyko take on Night Bus. True Breath is her stateside debut EP after one previous 7 inch on Big Love, and 2012 should see a full-length plus some global gigging so soak in her subtle night moves now while the breath is still warm. Black vinyl 12 inches in bilingual new wave patterned shadow portrait jackets designed by A & B Brown. Edition of 500. AUDIO-VISUAL SAMPLE 1 |
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Cabaret Cixous NNF240—LP ($13) BACK IN STOCK!! FINAL REPRESS OF 500 COPIES. Estonian Euro-beat enchantress Maria Juur aka Maria Minerva has had a lively 2011 already – releasing a chic suite of glamour-pop abstractions via her debut, Tallinn At Dawn, as well as a sultry, sideways bedroom disco EP (Noble Savage) on 100% Silk – and it’s still summer. But time is money and money talks (or something) so rather than let a hot streak go cold Ms. Maria has crafted a fresh 11-song dream ride down fascination street, which we’re pumped and proud to unveil: Cabaret Cixous. Apparently there’s a tradition/inside joke amongst a fringe strain of Estonian bands where you have to name yr album something with ‘cabaret’ in the title, but regardless of one’s knowledge of this micro-custom, Cab Cixous is a gorgeous, gauzy thrill, slip-streaming from cracked-crystal karaoke pop singles (“These Days,” “Ruff Trade,” “Soo High”) to slow-motion synth-washed ballads (“Lovecool,” “Spiral”) to radical miscellzanies (the alien soundsystem banger, “Laulan Paikse Kaes,” a cellphone-fidelity Abba cover, etc) and beyond. A beautiful, bizarre record, full of the weird vision and hazed-out soulfulness that’s everything we love about music. Black vinyl LPs in jackets with retro-CGI landscape art designed by Estonian visualist Ronald Pihlapson, plus a full-color insert. Edition of 700. AUDIO-VISUAL SAMPLE 1 AUDIO-VISUAL SAMPLE 2 |
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NNF238—LP ($12) San Franciscan Peter Berend’s mystery mixtape unit, KWJAZ, flashed forth this debut self-titled slab of “post-plastic sublime decomposed luxury grooves” on cassette via his own rarified Brunch Groupe imprint early in 2011 and the 120 listeners lucky enough to grip a copy know who they are. It only took half a listen before we green-lit this tape-degraded gem for vinyl treatment and we are dee-lighted to present it thusly. Comprised of two side-long suites, “Once In Babylon” and the oddly monikered “Frighteous Wane,” KWJAZ nimbly ebbs and flows the proceedings through airy cloud-jazz passages (complete with smoky crystal vibes keys and narcotic hiss-hazed horn sections), bouncy weirdo dub-funk vignettes, stretched-out syrupy synth stews, and smooth faux-Steely D soft-rock abstractions, all without ever sounding schizo or style-hoppy. A major feat, and a real riddle of an LP that deepens and ripens with each spin. Hopefully you were savvy enough to catch him on his recent coast-to-coast summer tour with Swanox and Sudden Oak; if not, tune in to this. Black vinyl LPs (mastered at Dubplates in Berlin) in jackets with cosmic floral artwork by Austin Cho/Casey Grr. Edition of 700. AUDIO-VISUAL SAMPLE 1 |
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Too Down To Die NNF237—LP ($12) LA’s most downer erosion architects continue their 6-year-deep narco drip into psych-streaked bleak house, the latest saga of which is Too Down To Die, the band’s first full-length since March 2010’s Burners LP and the journey there-and-back was a cryptic and crooked crawl. The entirety of Side A is dominated by “Parallel Wanderer,” a lumbering kosmische bruiser triptych and consistent live staple that spills from astral ambient dread (bathed in crystal piano and trademark MGG modular synth textures) into a loner riff march before detonating into a wasted ghost-rock vacuum. The B features a suite of songs new and less-so, from the industrial headbanger “Universal Migration” to the nod-out braindead negative throb closer, “Afterburners.” Out of step and out on the ledge. Recorded at Green Machine in East LA and cut at Dubplates in Berlin. Black vinyl LPs in jackets with blasted orb artwork plus a photocopied insert. Edition of 600. AUDIO-VISUAL SAMPLE 1 |
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Streetwise NNF235—12" ($11) Rolling like a stone (thus no moss, man), LA Vampires recontextualizes into a new collab EP, this time with SF-gone-NY lovers rocker Ital. Each song was pieced together from a rainbow of sources – screwed tape loops, multiple drum machines, layers of synth lines and phasings, analog samplers, live vocal remixing, etc – and the results are what you might expect: raw asymmetrical bangers blasting down dim concrete hallways streaked with chemical graffiti and bootleg club lights. Too gritty and blasted for dancing but too bangin’ to sit still, this is a real mutant zone, a white label 12” found in a sewer seething with dry ice and recorded through a wall. Wake up and weird out. Life’s too lame to play it straight. Black vinyl 12 inches in spineless no-hole Euro-style jackets with 90s videodromed art and layout by Spencer Longo. Edition of 600. AUDIO-VISUAL SAMPLE 1 |
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Enlightenment NNF233—7" ($5) Was exactly a year ago that Sebastien Forrester’s debut EP of kraut-lounge instrumentals under the Holy Strays flag, Hyperion, first flew loud and lo-fi in the winds of the internet. Enlightenment is the French craftsman’s first time on vinyl and he seizes the opportunity to explore drastically different terrain, so: props for change, always. The A side title track is a deftly minimal slow-burn new-wave exotica vibraphone vibe-out, rolling on sparse waves of skittery digital hand percussion and crystal reverb guitar raindrops. Some vocals drop in halfway through to intone something deep and unknown and then the song takes flight, spiraling into a halo of echo chamber drum processing and feathery keyboard lines. The flip (“Phrenesia”) actually sounds more like the single of the two, revving a soft house pulse into a pastel skyline laced with tremolo clouds, blissed voice samples, and even a weird phaser-guitar “solo.” Hazy and exquisite, and a perfect teaser for the in-progress HS full-length we keep hearing rumors about. Vinyl 7 inches (350 on white, 100 on black) in pro-printed glue-pocket sleeves with iridescent minerals art/design by Monsieur Strays himself. Edition of 450. |
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Music For The Tactile Dome NNF230—LP ($12) The hermetic kosmische lexicon of San Fran-based synth synthesist/composer Jesse Reiner (Jonas Reinhardt’s founder and principal architect) has been simmering and swelling at a steady clip the past few years (2010’s Powers Of Audition was def a highlight), but the added talents of drummer Damon Palermo (Mi Ami), bassist Diego Gonzalez (Citay, 3 Leafs), and guitarist Phil Manley (Trans Am, more) has levitated the JR Experience to a whole new head-music hall o’ fame. Recorded in Berlin, mixed in SF, then mastered/cut back in Berlin at Dubplates, Music For The Tactile Dome is easily the most deep-trip micro-focus Jonas odyssey to date, nine technicolor fractals of glittering synthesizer skyways and master-crafted pulsing kraut terrariums. A handful of tracks (“Smokey Jotus,” “Hander Zader,” etc) invoke more of the classic live JR vibe, with propulsive cold-grooved rhythm sectioning, but by and large Dome is designed for heavy headphone communion, an expanding magic eye tapestry of brainwave activity constellations. Those who caught their Euro tour last year with Rene Hell know how expert this crew reigns in the live environment so go see them if/when they pass through your area code; on tour with Cloudland Canyon currently. Black vinyl LPs in jackets with beautiful spectrum-assemblage cover art by Sean Patrick. Edition of 650. AUDIO-VISUAL SAMPLE 1 |
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936 NNF217—CD ($10) Sometimes it feels so simple: two of our favorite people in one of our favorite bands release one of our favorite records of all time. 2009’s Imaginary Falcons was its own genius slushpile of tape-hissy drift-dub haze anthems, no question, but 936 takes every facet of the Peaking Lights mighty diamond and shines it to fluorescent perfection. The songwriting is insane; “All The Sun That Shines,” “Amazing & Wonderful,” “Tiger Eyes (Laid Back),” etc, all seep into yr mindstream and float there like melodic gold dust. Indra Dunis’ silky soul-jazz keys and tranced vocals have never sounded so exquisite, and Aaron Coyes busts out the best bass/drum loops and sneaky dub guitar of his musical lifetime. Recorded by Luke Tweedy at Flat Black Studios in Iowa City (where both the NNF Wet Hair LPs were tracked) and mastered in Berlin, 936 retains the cool crate-digger grit of their earlier highlights, but within a much more vivid spectrum of sound. Could not be more jazzed and honored to unveil this total groove-wave classic. CD version includes two bonus tracks from the same recording sessions not chosen for inclusion on the LP. CD digipaks with vintage art by the band, plus some stills from their "All The Sun That Shines" video. Edition of 500. AUDIO-VISUAL SAMPLE 1 AUDIO-VISUAL SAMPLE 2 |
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936 NNF217—LP Sometimes it feels so simple: two of our favorite people in one of our favorite bands release one of our favorite records of all time. 2009’s Imaginary Falcons was its own genius slushpile of tape-hissy drift-dub haze anthems, no question, but 936 takes every facet of the Peaking Lights mighty diamond and shines it to fluorescent perfection. The songwriting is insane; “All The Sun That Shines,” “Amazing & Wonderful,” “Tiger Eyes (Laid Back),” etc, all seep into yr mindstream and float there like melodic gold dust. Indra Dunis’ silky soul-jazz keys and tranced vocals have never sounded so exquisite, and Aaron Coyes busts out the best bass/drum loops and sneaky dub guitar of his musical lifetime. Recorded by Luke Tweedy at Flat Black Studios in Iowa City (where both the NNF Wet Hair LPs were tracked) and mastered in Berlin, 936 retains the cool crate-digger grit of their earlier highlights, but within a much more vivid spectrum of sound. Could not be more jazzed and honored to unveil this total groove-wave classic. Black vinyl LPs in jackets with vintage/bootleg art by the band. Edition of 600. AUDIO-VISUAL SAMPLE 1 AUDIO-VISUAL SAMPLE 2 |
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Prophecy Of The Black Widow NNF212—CD ($9) Limited CD digipak edition of Umberto's 2010 giallo gem. Here's what we said about the LP version: "Prophecy Of The Black Widow is his sophomore LP and though the badass evil Italo goth-synth horror-score blueprint of From The Grave remains, the main variation is that the overall vibe has bled subtly from 70s Argento/Carpenter-isms into more of an early/mid-80s creep-scape. There’s still plenty of eerie nightmare keyboard riffs and witch-disco breakouts but the synths squelch with more of a neon retrofuturist bent and there’s even one brazenly feelgood ‘we beat the bad guys’ closing credits studio anthem, the literally-titled, “Everything Is Going To Be Okay.” Full-color 4-panel CD digipaks with new interior artwork by madman goodtimer Tim Goodwillie. Edition of 500. AUDIO-VISUAL SAMPLE 1 AUDIO-VISUAL SAMPLE 2 |
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Make It Real NNF188—CD ($8) After a six-month hiatus, a complete line-up overhaul, a trip to SXSW, a UK/EURO tour, and a full year-plus of only playing shows and writing songs and amassing totemic objects, finally Pocahaunted return to the recorded realm with their first album since 2008. Time flies when yr having not not fun and all that. Make It Real collects seven of the band’s 2009 live staples for a 40-minute-ish collage of basement body music, garage dub damage, outsider funkadelic sprawl, voodoo rhythm workouts, duo femme soul vocal dynamics, dripping gold sweat, and dream fulfillment. Recorded barefoot and shirtless and direct to tape at Green Machine Studio in summer ’09 by M. Geddes Gengras and featuring guest bamboo sax by jazzmaster Alex Gray (of Dreamcolour/Deep Magic) and mastered by James Plotkin. Matte CD digipaks with warped LA post-Parliament utopia artwork by vision wizard Spencer Longo. Edition of 500. AUDIO-VISUAL SAMPLE 1 AUDIO-VISUAL SAMPLE 2 |
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