A Number Of Small Things/Labels/Pingipung products

Various Artists - Pingipung Plays: The Piano 13,99 €

This is the first part of the release-series which makes an acoustic instrument the centre of Electronica-compositions. Pingipung chose the piano, this famous wooden box, which on the one hand provides a long history of very different styles of music and which on the other hand serves today as a template for the many interfaces used for digital music production. Take a look at any music studio, it always shows a piano-keyboard as a control-device - so let's listen to what this keyboard was originally made for: Lawrence and Coloma evoke melancholy hooklines; Egobird, Peter Presto and Robert and Lippok & Barbara Morgenstern use the Piano as a striking soft ornament in their songs. Springintgut exploits recordings of piano-concerts; Hauschka, Nils Frahm and Adam Butler explore the sounds of the entire instrument with their microphones. And there are many more...

Various Artists - Pingipung Blows: The Brass 13,99 €

Where brass music and electronics become best friends: The second part of the Instruments-Compilations is dedicated to the sounds of the brass. Many of pingipungs friends from all over europe came together to express their ideas of what brass sounds can be used for. The results range between Big Band-voicings to Deep-Dub, from Klick-Techno to Ska, from Experimental-Electronica to downbeatesque french horn parties.

Sven Kacirek - The Palmin Sessions 13,99 €

Sven Kacirek has become popular as a virtuoso Jazz and Drum'n'Bass Drummer. For his first Solo-Album, he substitutes his drumsticks for brushes and his drumset for a marimba, wood, paper and glass. Sven electronically post-produces his minimal patterns to end up with a breathtaking live-ambient-sound. Throughout "The Palmin Sessions" one can witness the organic warmth of instruments recorded with precision which blend beautifully.

James Din A4 - Fistel Rose Power 13,99 €

It is kind of sad that occasions to celebrate heroes are so rare. Which might be down to the fact that the true heroes have become pretty rare, too. When I saw Dennis Busch aka James Din A4 for the first time and, accordingly, heard his music, that was one of those precious moments when you know that you've found something very special. In my capacity as a record distribution person at the time, I was in the lucky position to be allowed to proclaim my joy at the discovery to the world. Since then, for me, praising and distributing Dennis' label Esel hasn't just been a plain old mercantile operation, but a noble task, a quasi-religious mission, or in my case, even a compulsive act. Let us try (carefully!) to get to the bottom of the secret that makes Esel one of my very most favourite labels. Indeed, we'll have to proceed with extreme caution, as Esel seems like the settlement of a rare tribe, whose inhabitants are shy like pixies and bear names such as Krieghelm Hundewasser, Pastor Fitzner, Pop Dylan, and first of all: James Din A4. He is the local bandmaster, a shaman of music box melodies, choreographer of the tin soldier ballet... in fact, he is the king of idiosyncratic dance music. His music always grates, prattles, clatters and cheeps so close to the verge of chaos - you constantly have the feeling that everything will blow up in your face the next moment. Listening to his music is like watching bumblebees. In quiet amazement, you think that actually these kinds of things shouldn't be able to fly, but you're happy all the more that they do. When you look at his discography - a real horn of plenty - it becomes obvious that James Din A4 is someone who is likely to produce "a lot". But every record is an elaborate aesthetic gesamtkunstwerk, from the always breathtakingly quirky artwork to the completely unpredictable music. Something very special shines here, a broken beauty, warm human faultiness and the wise grin of a madman. For me one thing is certain: Without the incredible ideas of James Din A4, this world would be a much greyer place. He's the man with the paint buckets. Great to see that finally somebody set up a monument for him.

Michael Mayer, Cologne, 18.02.2008. Translated by Peter Gebert

Iso68 - Space Frames 13,99 €

Jazz, dear followers of independent pop music, is not a competitive sport. It's a feeling - like in Mr. Fingers' acidiferous classic, "House is a feeling". And somewhere between the melting polar caps of Jazz and House, between the principles of division of labour and of sound studies driven by machine-made rhythm, the iso68 duo too arrive at an archaic modernism that is all their own - made up of electrically charged Hohner clavinets, radiophonic workshops with David Tudor, and a bag of fermented grass, to be smoked preferably with Augustus Pablo's excursions on the melodica. What time is it? It's pretty late, but iso68 are not about vague indietronic swirling, they're about positioning their wibbly-wobbly sound paintings quite deliberately near the places of longing of musical culture. Near Sun Ra's grand keyboard improvisations, like in the holiday song "the great punster", near the strange duos on the British electronic label Warp and their bunker-line studios in the sand, in the same song. iso68 create melodies that you can pick out from hundreds of music pieces, that are carried our way through the ether, that waft across the plashing waves of a lake, or that say hello! to us straight from a manhole cover next to the autobahn, like a ghoul. Is that a combo jamming, or is the ensemble being bolted together by a top engineer at a mixing board? I can't tell, but the incredibly long drawn-out notes send shivers down my spine, and I mistake the iso68 track "plano piloto" for the main theme of an old French soundtrack by - what's his name again? - and that's a good sign. With iso68, the beats are always in the front, but not for a single moment you become aware of it. Or else, such as in the cooled-down ice machine crusher "Forestrain", they evolve into a smouldering atmosphere-roller: no escape, I assure you. Everything here is dense, at the same time diaphanous, friendly, focused and yet incomparably relaxed. Jazz! It's amazing how there are only two permanent members to iso68, but on their new and fourth album "Space Frames", Thomas Leboeg and Florian Zimmer put so much feeling (there it is again!) into the details of sounds that you could just as well call them a collective. A sound collective, traversing electronic space, jamming.
Julian Weber, July 2008 (Translation by Peter Gebert)

Hey-O-Hansen - Sonn und Mond (Rare and Unreleased Austro-Dubtracks 1995-2009) 13,99 €

With "Sonn und Mond" Pingipung presents an insight into the archives of the Austrian Dub Act Hey-O-Hansen. "Sonn und Mond" is far more than just a "Best-Of". As the subtitle reveals, this record collects "Rare and Unreleased Austro-Dub Tracks", which are in the first place scarce gems from the last decade's oeuvre of this outstanding duo. Hey-O-Hansen have been famous for their musical output on remote formats such as rare vinyl singles or even on cassette tapes, through their own label heyrec. Following the contribu-tion "Rflu" to the compilation "Pingipung Blows: the Brass", "Sonn und Mond" is the first feature-length cooperation between Pingipung and Hey-O-Hansen.
Why Austro-Dub? Obviously, Helmut Erler and Michael Wolf who are Hey-O-Hansen originally come from Austria. Raised to the off-beats of Tyrolian folk music, then practising offbeats in Ska and Rocksteady bands they eventually moved to Berlin in order to explore samplers and sequencers for their music, alone or as Duo. Soon they had their profes-sional studio, call it the musical instrument of Dub. And they literally carried it on stage for their many gigs.
This is what makes Hey-O-Hansen's tracks so special. Their extraordinary skills and tricks in sound engineering join their detailed, Lo-Fi playfulness which is based on the artistic cross-grainedness of the duo and the fact that they appreciate the openness of a live per-formance as essential for their compositions. Maybe that is why numerous guest musicians appear on this record; for example Dirk von Lowtzow (Vocals), Gordon Odameteys (Per-cussion), Olaf Rupp (Gitarre), and Kazumi (Vocals), just to name a few.
In Hey-O-Hansen's music the deepness of Dub is always combined with the catchiness of a Chanson or the stubborn straightness of a dancefloor track. Although "Sonn und Mond" shows above all the versatility of Hey-O-Hansen by pointing at hidden beauty, this record contains several hits and evergreens such as "J'ai peur" or "Dreams never die".

School Of Zuversicht - Randnotizen From Idiot Town 13,99 €

Pingipung presents the debut album from “School of Zuversicht” with the release of “Randnotizen from Idiot town”.
This release is special for several reasons:
First, we are delighted to be able to welcome the first female artist to Pingipung for the first time in the label’s eight-year history. Second, as a label we have gone back to our analogue roots by releasing the work on vinyl. Third, we think the music is absolutely fantastic: with its mix of minimal club beats, great elements of pop and lyrics somewhere between confidence and skepticism, “Randnotizen from Idiot town” is a seminal work encompassing different aspects of urban music and cultural styles.
The singer behind "School of Zuversicht" is DJ Patex from Hamburg. As well as conquering the world as part of the “Knarf Rellöm Trinity”, she is also known for her performances at the most famous dockside shack, the Golden Pudel Club.
The exuberance of this work from “School of Zuversicht” is reflected in the colourful combination of different players from a host of genres. Collaborators in “Randnotizen from idiot town” include Pascal Fuhlbrügge, Knarf Rellöm, Guz, Hans Platzgumer, Maurice Summen (Die Türen), Plemo and Stefan Götsch (The Dance inc.).

Hey-O-Hansen - We So Horny – Serious Pleasure Riddims 13,99 €

''Welcome to the world of sound, as defined by Hey-ø-Hansen!'', the horn is calling out over the valley half a minute into this album, accompanied by a thick but persistently wobbling bass line it is appropriately announcing the heavy-weight of the new Hey-ø-Hansen soundsystem.
Hey-ø-Hansen are known to combine genuine hand made sounds of their unpredictable legendary live performances with electronic music created in relative freedom with the charm of an obvious laidback attitude. Hey-ø-Hansen, two Austrians in Berlin, operate already for more than a decade - depending on the occasion they expand or shrink. In fact since Michael Wolf and Helmut Erler started to play together as Hey-ø-Hansen, they have been functioning as a unit to host guests to form a trio or quartet, sometimes even larger like in the case of this record.
For ''We So Horny'' Hey-ø-Hansen have dropped the vocals. Only a few samples remain, sparsely sprinkled over some of these ''Pleasure Riddims''. This does not hinder the completeness of the production. It stands as a cohesive whole and the loss does actually work in favor of the instruments at play, and makes them shine. We hear Hey-ø-Hansen fledged to become an ensemble - complete with percussion, guitar and wind instruments they are entering compelling new terrain. Hey-ø-Hansen's bass frequencies, drones and expansive reverbs seem to demand submission, but rest assured Hey-ø-Hansen bear no malice toward anyone. The bass in conjunction with the triumphant brass works so overwhelmingly at times that one may voluntarily surrender.

Sven Kacirek - The Kenya Sessions 13,99 €

Pingipung presents „The Kenya Sessions“ - an enchanting cooperative mission featuring Sven Kacirek, our experimental drummer and electronic producer, and musicians from Kenya.
„The Kenya Sessions“ is Pingipung’s second album by Sven Kacirek. It is the result of an extended visit to the country with live and fieldrec sessions which he later processed in his studio in Hamburg. Sven Kacirek plays with local Kenyan stars such as 80 year-old female vocalist Ogoya Nengo, or with Joseph Oganga, who delivers amazing patterns with his „Nyatiti“, a traditional string instrument.
It’s sometimes difficult to tell the parts recorded in Kenya from those overdubbed by Sven Kacirek himself. His own compilation of Marimba, Bassdrums and brush patterns forms a musical thread that he weaves skillfully into the live sessions. At times joyfully straight (Arsenal Aluny Vilage) at times mellow and melancholy (Mariae, Paperflowers).
Sven Kacirek and some of the Kenyan musicians will bring this fantastic material to international stages in early 2011.
The Linernotes by Goetz Steeger illustrate in detail the creative recording process of this record.
Sven Kacirek has a background as virtuoso jazz drummer. He studied at Drummer’s Collective in New York, played several Solo-Shows at the World Drum Festival and has written books on the experimental use of electronics on the drumset. On his solo debut „The Palmin Sessions“ (Pingipung11) in 2007 he presented his original ambient aesthetics made from silent patterns recorded on paper, wood, or glass surfaces: „Sven’s frantic drumming is really a pure pleasure to listen to ... his instruments join together in a deeply meditative study“ (Foxy Digitalis).

Springintgut - Summer Of Seven 1/7 5,99 €

Two straight bouncers from Andi Otto aka Springintgut open the series. After touring through India last winter, he brought home some antique vinyl records with south indian string music. These have been micro-sampled for the tracks, overdubbed with his own cello playing and a drum machine. Two odes to the animals in Bangalore, the eagles above, and the dogs underneath.

Peter Presto - Summer Of Seven 2/7 5,99 €

Peter Presto is not only the founder of Pingipung, he's also the chap who did the first release on the label in 2002. Since then all of his dub sound has been available on 7inches, cause it's simply the best format for these little gems. For Summer Of Seven he has reworked a theme from a classic computergame adventure in his very own vivid, happy-go-lucky dub style. Peter loves the melodies!

Hey - Summer Of Seven 3/7 5,99 €

Hey is Helmut Erler, one half of Hey-Ø-Hansen, the fabulous Austro-Dub band from Berlin that already did three releases for Pingipung. In “Wuzlguzl“ he presents a children's song from Austria. In his original dialect he sings about the five fingers on the hand and what they have to do with the plums on the tree! The flip turns the song into a psychedelic lullaby.

A.J. Holmes - Summer Of Seven 4/7 5,99 €

Peaktime! This one definitely qualifies as a summer record. A.J. Holmes is the self-titled “King Of The New Electric Hi-Life“. After moving back to London three years ago the guitarist and DJ has played quite a role in the booming afrobeat scene there and formed a new band called “The Hackney Empire“. For the Summer Of Seven series he contributes two remixes of tracks from London based artists the Very Best and Xylitol.

Goto80 - Summer Of Seven 5/7 5,99 €

Goto80 from Sweden is one of the heroes of the chiptunes scene. He makes his music only with old soundchips, above all the SID chip from the C64. The two songs he delivers here prove once more that he is a brilliant composer with this very peculiar sound. Nerd tech info: “Sombanova“ uses a 16 millisecond loop for all the instruments except the drums. The vocals of “Mamasita” have been improvised by Acid Terrorist.

Iso68 - Summer Of Seven 6/7 5,99 €

For their Summer Of Seven tracks Iso68 have, as usual, recorded many live instruments. We hear drums, guitar, keys, and brass, mixed into two tight tracks which unfold their addiction not at first glance. But after several plays the two pieces by Florian Zimmer (who also plays with the bands Saroos and Jersey) and Thomas Leboeg (member of Hamburg's Popband Kante) become essential beauties.

James Din A4 - Summer Of Seven 7/7 5,99 €

James Din A4 is the master of a stumbling, stubborn MPC Techno style “made for dancefloors which have not been invented yet“ - as a reviewer of his Pingipung album in 2009 wrote. These two tracks mark the end of the series, and they do it with a playfulness and in the best of humours. For DJs who like to break the rules.

Sven Kacirek - The Kenya Reworks 7,99 €

The response to Sven Kacirek’s album „The Kenya Sessions“ (Pingipung 20) was overwhelming. The cooperation between the drummer-producer from Hamburg and musicians from Kenya links Electronica with African recordings in a unique, exciting fashion. It therefore has been and still is being praised in various scenes from Techno to Jazz to World Music. The CD will receive the award „Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik“ in May 2011, category: „Nu and Extreme“.
Also friends of the label have been enthusiastic about e quality of this material. Pingipung therefore releases a 10inch vinyl with reworks of the album in the end of May.
Lawrence, Hamburg’s most melancholy House Artist, co-owner of the Labels Dial, Smallville and Laid dedicates himself to the track „Kayamba Tuc Tuc“. He reduces the track to its essence, without adding anything new, and edit full of wisdom with heartfelt warmth.
Taprikk Sweezee is the best known moniker of the musician Nikolai von Sallwitz next to Gizmog or Fussel. Taprikk Sweezee builds his soul glitch beats with ease, and he is by the way the most convincing electronic performer we know these days. One single track was not enough for his mix. We’d love to see him dance with all the Kenyan musicians who play on his two originals of choice, „Kayamba Tuc Tuc“ and „Mariae“.
Furthermore on this 10inch: A rework of „Paperflowers“ by Sven Kacirek himself, created in cooperation with Samy Deluxe producer Sebastian Winkler. Finally, less a bonus but maybe the secret highlight: The exclusive Sven Kacirek Track „Takaye Village“!

Wols - Unframe from 13,99 €

"Unframe" is the debut album of the young Russian duo WOLS. A lively dubstep scene has been thriving for years in the Russian Federation, barely noticed in the west. WOLS are no copycat and bring more to the floor than just a bass whip. On "Unframe" you'll find majestic hymns ("International"), cut-up avant hip-hop beats ("Geek Rudohop"), dub tracks whose jittery cheerfulness is reminiscent of Aphex Twin ("Araamu's Army Vs. Our Sneakers") or their own unique electronica steppers with heart, soul, and the most wonderful pads ("Bathyscape Finds a Music Box"). But despite the occasional dreaming WOLS always focus on the floor, with their old Soviet vintage synths and drum computers holstered as sonic weapons.

"WOLS seem to have every base covered on Unframe but far from sounding confused, it actually comes together as a whole rather well. If these guys were based in the UK, people would probably be raving about them and rightly so." (thedigitalfix.co.uk)

"'Bathyscape Finds A Music Box', for instance, is gorgeous - hesitant and elusive, its alien shivers intertwining awkwardly with twitchy snares." (The Wire)

"...un des groupes les plus prometteurs du moment." (Benzinemag)

School Of Zuversicht - Neubaugebiet - Remixe From Idiot Town 7,99 €

Pingipung presents ten selected remixes for „Randnotizen from Idiot Town“ (2009) by "School of Zuversicht".
"School Of Zuversicht" is a band collective around front lady DJ Patex. Extensive live shows, a living room called Golden Pudel Club in Hamburg, and countless side projects by Patex and her musicians sum up to an impressive peer group. 10 famous friends have now expressed their affection to "School Of Zuversicht" with their contributions to this remix collection.
We are proud to introduce sounds by Die Boys (Deichkind), Station 17, Festland (Zickzack) and Paulo Olarte (Liebe Detail), as well as our Pingipung heroes WOLS and Mister Tingle.

2 of the10 Remixes are on the 7" (Die Boys + Festland), all the others will be available as a free download with the 7"!