about
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UPDATED May 24th, 2012
Several DIgital Editions of Faith Strange Recordings are now available through Bandcamp.
The first two Digital Editions are A Guide For Reason ‘I – VI’ and, A Guide For Reason ‘VII – VIII’. There are plans for others to be posted, in particular some of the out of print Life With The Lions recordings circa 1992 – 2008, which some dear people have inquired about. This will enable others the opportunity to hear these releases who do not own a stereo system anymore and only listen to music on portable digital devices and it will be in line with the desire to keep the recordings catalog available after the initial pressings are out of print in the physical domain. This will also open the door for others to purchase superior sounding FLAC files as well as 24 bit wavs (when available) through the only artist-friendly on-line music service giving recording artists the freedom to offer these choices. Faith Strange has also made it possible the opportunity for those who want the choice of receiving both the digital edition immediately as well as the physical format mailed to them, together at an economical price.
UPDATED March 29, 2012
Two new recordings have been released:
Fazio - Élégie
The first of two guitar works for March 2012, Mike Fazio steps out of his orchestramaxfieldparrish nom de plume and delivers a work of riveting guitarsonics for the ages. Expanding on the concept of abstract guitar improvisation started on the Actualities Tapes series from the 1980′s New York underground DIY scene, and later on widespread cd form with 2008′sThe Silent Breath Of Emptiness, Élégie takes this concept one step further into three, long form, electric guitar compositions. Part of a planned series of abstract guitar recordings to be released in the future.
Strictly limited one time cd edition of 200 in a matte finished digipak, handmade booklet & vellum wrap.
Recorded and mastered in 96K / 24 bit audiophile audio.
This exquisite guitar work can be purchased in the Faith Strange shop.
Soundbites can be heard on the soundpage.
Fazio - All At Once The Remote Go Forth My Soul And My Seeking, The Unknowable Becomes Known
The second of two guitar works released March 2012, this one on Quiet World out of the U.K., is now available. This new work consists of improvisations for guitar, recorded in one pass on the beautiful morning of August 21, 2011. A unique collection of sublime, mystical and thought provoking guitarsonics. The track ‘Extending Wings’ can be heard here.
“For the past few years I’ve been the lucky recipient of a series of stunning (both visually and aurally) albums from New York musician Mike Fazio. Working under an array of pseudonyms – ‘Gods Of Electricity’, ‘orchestramaxfieldparrish’, ‘A Guide For Reason’ – he has provided me with hours of immersive fun. Now simply using his surname, Mike has provided us with a stunning set of improvised solo guitar pieces that will bend your head in all mannner of interesting ways.”
- Quiet World label description
UPDATED December 02, 2011
Planned for 2012 are several new Faith Strange Recordings. The beginning of the year will see Fazio – Élégie (The Years Between The Wars – Volume I). Somewhat delayed due to several pressing & printing conflicts but will now be released in the early part of 2012 on cd. There is a Volume 2 & Volume 3 in the works but these will not see the light of day until 2013.
There will be another guitar album from Fazio also to be released in the early part of 2012 but this one will be on another label run by a dear fellow traveler of the Æther, but any more than this bit of info will not be divulged until then. These two albums can be seen as somewhat of a continuation of ‘The Silent Breath Of Emptiness’ being collections of guitar improvisations but very much stand on their own as unique guitar statements.
There will be two Gods Of Electricity works released, ‘Thus Spoke’ & ‘Night And The City’, both only available on extremely limited runs of 180 gram audiophile lp’s, the first commercially available recordings since 2009′s contribution to ‘The Trakwerx Collective’. These albums showcase the new expanded line up of the ensemble and will act as the springboard for their first live shows in the New York area in the new year.
There are two A Guide For Reason releases finished (IX – XI – Interiors) & (XII – XXII – The Vast Apart) and these will be available as 24 bit downloads as well as in several other formats. Both of these works take the project two steps further towards redefining the unclassifiable. Interiors being quite a tense listen and The Vast Apart being just the opposite.
god bless
&
viva la revolución
m
f
MF’s 20 favorites of 2011:
(in no particular order)
Kate Bush – 50 Words For Snow
Gavin Friday – Catholic
Peter Gabriel – New Blood
Miles Davis Quintet – Live In Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series Volume 1
David Sylvian – Died In The Wool – Manafon Variations
Johann Johansson – The Miner’s Hymns
Peter Murphy – Ninth
Jakszyk, Fripp and Collins – A Scarcity Of Miracles
Robin Guthrie & Harold Budd – Bordeaux
Levin Torn White – s/t
Ian Holloway & Banks Bailey – A Slow Feather Falls
Chubby Wolf – Turkey Decoy
Autechre & The Hafler Trio – ah3eo & ha3oe (ae303)
Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto – Summvs
Andrew Chalk – Violin By Night
Elodie – Echos Pastoraux
Conrad Schnitzler, Borngraber & Struver – Con-Struct
Van Der Graaf Generator – Grounding In Numbers
ø – Heijastuva
Vladislav Delay Quartet – s/t
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UPDATED on June 25, 2011:
Ye of all things of strange faith are happy to be presenting Gods Of Electricity for the live stage in the future. Shows are being addressed and will be announced when finalized…
Two new works have been released May 2011:
A Guide For Reason – I – VI
A Guide For Reason – VII – VIII
- more info on these two wonders of creation can be found here: A Guide For Reason
A short video has been posted on Vimeo for “One Of These Is True. This Is True.” taken from VII – VIII. Minimal and to the point. It can be viewed here.
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faith strange recordings now out of print:
Jo Gabriel – The Unreachable Sky – fs4 (please visit jogabriel.com for reprinted edition)
Jo Gabriel – Tinderbox – fs3 (please visit jogabriel.com for reprinted edition)
l.w.t.l. – a.k.a – fs11
life with the lions – The Garden
life with the lions – …these dream days – fs1
life with the lions – …of dream days
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On the stereo… (heavy rotation wafting out of my Summer windows) June 2011:
The Stranglers – Black And White (United Artists – 1978)
David Sylvian – Died In The Wool (Samahdisound – 2011)
Elodie – Echos Pastoraux – (La Scie Dorée – 2011)
Ian Holloway & Banks Bailey – A Slow Feather Falls (Quiet World – 2011)
Af Ursin – Aika reissue (La Scie Dorée – 2011)
SoiSong – qXn94… (SoiSong 2008)
Andrew Chalk – Violin By Night (Faraway Press – 2011)
Lama Gyurme & Jean-Philippe Bykiel – The Lama’s Chants (Narada – 2005)
XTC – Skylarking (Geffen – 1986)
Darren Tate – The Night (Fungal 2010)
Stan Getz -Dejavu Retro Gold Collection – (Recording Arts 2001)
ø – Heijastuva (Sähkö Recordings – 2011)
ø – Oleva – (Sähkö Recordings – 2008)
Supersilent – 10 (Runegrammofon – 2010)
Miles Davis Quintet – Winter In Europe 1967 – Gambit – 2011)
Brian Eno – Discreet Music (Obscure – 1975)
Gyorgi Ligeti – Kammerkonzert / Ramifications / Lux Æterna / Atmospheres – (Wergo – 1988)
Fovea Hex – Here Is Where We Used To Sing (Janet Records – 2011)
Art Blakey – The Jazz Messengers – (Columbia – 1956)
Max Eider – Disaffection – (Tundraducks – 2010)
Eric Dolphy – The Complete Last Recordings In Hilversum & Paris 1964 – (Domino – 2010)
anbb – Mimikry – (Raster-Noton – 2010)
Peace,
-mf-
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- this blog was designed to elaborate on the musical works of composer M. Fazio and vocalist J. Ladd within the context of the experimental art pop ensemble of life with the lions (est. 1992), the solo work of M. Fazio under the nom de plume of orchestramaxfieldparrish (est. 1999) and the left field electronic explorations and remix work of duo M. Fazio and T. Hamlin working under the project name of Gods Of Electricity (est. 2005), as well as an assortment of other projects that may or may not be in progress at one particular moment, all under the umbrella of Faith Strange Recordings (est. 1992) – a totally independent music imprint.
occasionally this blog will comment on the works of fellow travellers near and dear to us as well as reviews on the works of other experimental artists that have truly inspired our own music.
and occasionally this blog will (hopefully) spur discussion and debate about happenings that have affected us, more often than not, in a very direct manner.
moreover, this space will be used to comment on the present state of affairs of today’s independent music scene and how it affects the daily lives and careers of experimental artists, with the goal of bringing together like-minded artists to instigate change in the present status quo.
