Modern Harmonic

Songs for a Freaky Hollywood Hotel! Influenced by ‘50s/’60s cocktail culture, the exotica of Martin Denny and a passel of other mid-century thrift-store denizens, Combustible Edison’s music already seemed like the lost soundtrack to some early-’60s Hollywood farce. With its woozy beatnik jazz and seductive bongo beat, this hip-swiveling score gets a first ever vinyl release! “That might be our Magical Mystery Tour,” says Combustible Edison bassist Nick Cudahy of his band’s experience creating...

With words as weapons and public infrastructure as his blank slate, John Fekner’s City Squad are always questing for the ineffable, even as they yearn for concrete change. Make no mistake, Idioblast is a serious party where everyone is welcome. Released in 1984, Idioblast is a lost classic, a future shock narrative ahead of its time, and yet completely of its era, like few artifacts before or since. The cover tips you off from the jump—a crude but effective collage featuring classic Fekner...

Preorder now! This title will be available May 24th, 2024. Please note that orders containing any items that are on preorder will ship in full when all items are in stock. The outsized sounds emerging from the Excelsior Mill organ captured here constitute a unique chapter in the Sun Ra story, a dizzying phantasmagoria that offers a whole new view on what Ra could do. It might thrill you; it might unnerve you; it might strum your heartstrings; it might spook the living daylights out of you....

Preorder now! This title will be available May 24th, 2024. Please note that orders containing any items that are on preorder will ship in full when all items are in stock. The outsized sounds emerging from the Excelsior Mill organ captured here constitute a unique chapter in the Sun Ra story, a dizzying phantasmagoria that offers a whole new view on what Ra could do. It might thrill you; it might unnerve you; it might strum your heartstrings; it might spook the living daylights out of you....

With words as weapons and public infrastructure as his blank slate, John Fekner’s City Squad are always questing for the ineffable, even as they yearn for concrete change. Make no mistake, Idioblast is a serious party where everyone is welcome. Released in 1984, Idioblast is a lost classic, a future shock narrative ahead of its time, and yet completely of its era, like few artifacts before or since. The cover tips you off from the jump—a crude but effective collage featuring classic Fekner...

When you wish upon a star… that turns out to be Saturn! Previously unheard Ra culled from the archives and compiled based on their association to that children's film corporation with the cartoon rodent. Pressed on earth on pink vinyl! Jazz aficionados and Disney nerds alike will marvel at how seamlessly Sun Ra and his Arkestra put their own unique twist on both well-known and overlooked Disney songs. Pink Elephants on Parade takes nine songs from Disney’s storied catalog and recontextualizes...

Wa-Waaaaah, wawawa wa-wa-waaaaah! Smell that rubber burn! This is the collection you've been waiting for, roarin' straight outta the showroom to shut down all those parts cars that've spent years masquerading as the real thing! Indeed, this one-of-a-kind, ground-up restoration is the only existing production model lovingly compiled from the original lo-mileage Mala master tapes! It's all here - the hits, essential album cuts, rare singles and more, soundin' better than you ever thought...

This title will be available April 12th, 2024. Please note that orders containing any items that are on preorder will ship in full when all items are in stock. Welcome to the sweet-but-savory, suspiciously sticky, and slightly sinful world of old-school movie theater intermission messages. It’s where big-band jazz, psychedelic rock, sequin-bedecked disco, virgin vanilla orchestrated pop, and more are pressed into service, with your satisfaction as the solitary goal. Thirsty? A jumping jazz...

Williams was one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, but she was also a victim of geography. Her technical brilliance, complete control of the piano, creative imagination, wit, and constant desire to stretch herself put her at the top of her field although relatively few (beyond her fellow pianists) seemed to realize it during her lifetime. Born and raised in Baltimore, she recorded her first three albums in her hometown. But other than a few lesser-known sets in Europe, a handful of...

Williams was one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, but she was also a victim of geography. Her technical brilliance, complete control of the piano, creative imagination, wit, and constant desire to stretch herself put her at the top of her field although relatively few (beyond her fellow pianists) seemed to realize it during her lifetime. Born and raised in Baltimore, she recorded her first three albums in her hometown. But other than a few lesser-known sets in Europe, a handful of...

Jazz snare & ride cymbal meet classical Indian tabla & pakhawaj! What happens when one of the best jazz drummers of all time combines efforts with one of India’s most renowned tabla players? Voilà! Rich À La Rakha. Calypso-flavored compositions, spontaneous jams, and a genuine instrumental dialogue between the two greats truly makes this a one-of-a-kind listen. Cut all analog! In 1968, as young America’s interest in Indian classical music was surging to its peak, Alla Rakha made a landmark...

Jazz snare & ride cymbal meet classical Indian tabla & pakhawaj! What happens when one of the best jazz drummers of all time combines efforts with one of India’s most renowned tabla players? Voilà! Rich À La Rakha. Calypso-flavored compositions, spontaneous jams, and a genuine instrumental dialogue between the two greats truly makes this a one-of-a-kind listen. Cut all analog! In 1968, as young America’s interest in Indian classical music was surging to its peak, Alla Rakha made a landmark...

Jazz snare & ride cymbal meet classical Indian tabla & pakhawaj! What happens when one of the best jazz drummers of all time combines efforts with one of India’s most renowned tabla players? Voilà! Rich À La Rakha. Calypso-flavored compositions, spontaneous jams, and a genuine instrumental dialogue between the two greats truly makes this a one-of-a-kind listen. Cut all analog and pressed on colored vinyl! In 1968, as young America’s interest in Indian classical music was surging to its peak,...

An F-bomb saturated hip-hop call & response club cut...from Sun Ra?! • An iconic demonic slice of Saturnian splendor, one of the most coveted releases in the Ra canon!• Features the emblematic “Nuclear War” anthem, earmarked to be played like an air raid siren when we as a society decide to pack up and call it a planet. A cut further popularized by Yo La Tengo.• Stunning new cover art blending favorite elements from the handmade original Saturn pressings.While the most renown track in...

Nico’s iconic post-Velvets return to rock! As one critic memorably put it, when Nico spoke it was like coffin-lids creaking. When she sang it was like listening to ravens taking off 13 at a time. Nico was like nothing rock music had ever seen or heard before or since. In Paris in the seven year gap between the recording of The End and the release of Drama Of Exile, Nico appeared to be doing little more than feeding a heavy heroin habit. When she met Aura Records founder Aaron Sixx after a gig...

Soothing Sounds for Saturnians! Sun Ra, notorious for his aggressive keyboard attack and seemingly schizophrenic stylings, here offers a unique selection playing the celeste-like Fender Rhodes electric piano, which has a distinct sound (think Doors' "Riders on the Storm") and an interesting history. This is Ra sound at his most relaxed and contemplative state. This Sun Ra 1980 solo set at Haverford College has been kicking around the internet and in the digital libraries of Ra collectors for...

SPECTRAL STOMPERS AND GRAVEYARD GROOVES! • NEW REPUGNANT CANDY CORN ORANGE VINYL PRESSING!• BOTH THE CD AND LP FEATURE A BONUS DVD OF SPOOK SHOW MADNESS.• THE LP FEATURES A ZINE STYLE INSERT WITH COPIOUS LINER NOTES! Something Weird has exhumed a crypt full of classic Spook Show promos and radio spots monstrously mashed together with fiendish rare surf and garage rock instrumentals. Includes a delightfully deranged DVD featuring Monsters Crash the Pajama Party and more bone-chilling freakouts...

Unfiltered North Carolina ‘60s garage rock from Asheville teen stompers The Satyrs! This LP features previously unissued tracks and their lone 1965 single - all bookended by two savage versions of the title track! The contents of this “lost” tape have since been restored and are included on this LP along with the Satyrs’ 1965 originals. Two versions of “Don’t Be Surprised,” the Mark V and the Wal-Mor version, bookend this artifact of true North Carolina garage.  In their brief, explosive...

The creation myth behind Temptation weaves a tale of reinvention nearly as fantastic (in both meanings of the word) as that of its lead performer Chaino. The clatter of jungle birds, the chatter of frolicsome monkeys, and the gruff bellow of a majestic lion all conspire to challenge the woofer and tweeter of any listener’s hi-fi. Since its initial very limited commercial release exclusively on stereophonic reel-to-reel tape circa 1960, this long-player has occasionally made cameo appearances...

The creation myth behind Temptation weaves a tale of reinvention nearly as fantastic (in both meanings of the word) as that of its lead performer Chaino. The clatter of jungle birds, the chatter of frolicsome monkeys, and the gruff bellow of a majestic lion all conspire to challenge the woofer and tweeter of any listener’s hi-fi. Since its initial very limited commercial release exclusively on stereophonic reel-to-reel tape circa 1960, this long-player has occasionally made cameo appearances...

Welcome to the sweet-but-savory, suspiciously sticky, and slightly sinful world of old-school movie theater intermission messages. It’s where big-band jazz, psychedelic rock, sequin-bedecked disco, virgin vanilla orchestrated pop, and more are pressed into service, with your satisfaction as the solitary goal. Thirsty? A jumping jazz trio backs jazz/pop singer Joanie Sommers (famous for her ‘62 hit “Johnny Get Angry”) on the standard “Makin’ Whoopee” with lyrics revamped to turn you on to the...

Across the history of jazz, there is no wilder, more future-forward composer and performer than Herman Poole Blount, aka Sun Ra. Known as much for his wild on-stage persona as his innovative compositions, Sun Ra was the avant-garde bleeding edge of the jazz genre, introducing modal composition and electronic instrumentation before almost anyone else -- not to mention bringing the space age to life with his obsession with all things extraterrestrial. Across more than 100 LPs released in his...

A first-ever reissue of a Chitra Neogy’s sultry rendition of this fifteenth century text, complete with sitar, tabla, & bansuri! After graduating from Calcutta University and Santiniketan with a degree in fine arts, Neogy moved to London and continued her studies in drama and film at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. As a way to make ends meet, she worked as a high fashion model and was introduced to photographer Marcus Harrison. Neogy’s voice piqued his interest, so he offered to record...

A first-ever reissue of a Chitra Neogy’s sultry rendition of this fifteenth century text, complete with sitar, tabla, & bansuri! After graduating from Calcutta University and Santiniketan with a degree in fine arts, Neogy moved to London and continued her studies in drama and film at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. As a way to make ends meet, she worked as a high fashion model and was introduced to photographer Marcus Harrison. Neogy’s voice piqued his interest, so he offered to record...

Unfiltered North Carolina ‘60s garage rock from Asheville teen stompers The Satyrs! This LP features previously unissued tracks and their lone 1965 single - all bookended by two savage versions of the title track! The contents of this “lost” tape have since been restored and are included on this LP along with the Satyrs’ 1965 originals. Two versions of “Don’t Be Surprised,” the Mark V and the Wal-Mor version, bookend this artifact of true North Carolina garage.  In their brief, explosive...

Cool Jazz, beatnik bop, & bossa nova baby! Who was Lisa Marné? A TV personality. A ballerina. A burlesque performer. A political scandal-starter. A plane crash survivor. But most importantly, at least for our purposes, she was one hell of a singer. Those who know her, certainly know her as the “bookend” opposite Vikki Carr on the Ray Anthony Show. From tongue-in-cheek beatnik love songs to bossa nova standards, this unissued album features never-before-heard cuts from the home of Tony...

First ever US BluRay release of this iconic beacon of Afro-futurism!CD Box Set limited to 1100 units world wide.Includes Mathematics Of The Altered Destiny, a full CD of unheard music from Sun Ra featuring June Tyson! CD Set Ingredients: 2CDs (one previously unissued)A BluRay Disc of the Entire Film with bonus contentA DVD Disc of the Entire Film with bonus contentA 28 panel booket with photos and liner notes by esteemed Afrofuturism scholars.All secured in a pizza box style package This...

A Sonic Apéritif!This is the apéritif that started the album that helped start the cocktail and exotica rebirth of the ‘90s! It’s hard to call recordings as lush and beautiful as these demos, but that’s what they are. These reels preceded the band’s Subpop debut I, Swinger, and contains early versions of most of that album along with songs you’ve never heard them do on record before!The devil’s in the demos! A singing, dancing tour of the seven wonders of the cocktail world hosted by...

A Sonic Apéritif!This is the apéritif that started the album that helped start the cocktail and exotica rebirth of the ‘90s! It’s hard to call recordings as lush and beautiful as these demos, but that’s what they are. These reels preceded the band’s Subpop debut I, Swinger, and contains early versions of most of that album along with songs you’ve never heard them do on record before!The devil’s in the demos! A singing, dancing tour of the seven wonders of the cocktail world hosted by...

First ever US BluRay release of this iconic beacon of Afro-futurism!LP Box Set limited to 3300 units world wide.Includes Mathematics Of The Altered Destiny, a full LP of unheard music from Sun Ra featuring June Tyson! LP Set Ingredients: 3LPs (one previously unissued)One Gold LP in its own jacketOne Silver LP in its own jacketOne lime green LP in it’s own jacketA BluRay Disc of the Entire Film with bonus contentA DVD Disc of the Entire Film with bonus contentA large format 8 page booklet with...

Soothing Sounds for Saturnians! Sun Ra, notorious for his aggressive keyboard attack and seemingly schizophrenic stylings, here offers a unique selection playing the celeste-like Fender Rhodes electric piano, which has a distinct sound (think Doors' "Riders on the Storm") and an interesting history. This is Ra sound at his most relaxed and contemplative state. This Sun Ra 1980 solo set at Haverford College has been kicking around the internet and in the digital libraries of Ra collectors for...

Soothing Sounds for Saturnians! Sun Ra, notorious for his aggressive keyboard attack and seemingly schizophrenic stylings, here offers a unique selection playing the celeste-like Fender Rhodes electric piano, which has a distinct sound (think Doors' "Riders on the Storm") and an interesting history. This is Ra sound at his most relaxed and contemplative state. This Sun Ra 1980 solo set at Haverford College has been kicking around the internet and in the digital libraries of Ra collectors for...

Inimitable Post Punk Insurgents! The John Cale produced '79 Model Citizens EP is finally available again, and with it comes unheard live recordings from Hurrah, Max's, and CBGB! "Model Citizens, attacking their instruments with poetic yet strangely ironic frenzy, reflect the frightened, scattered, painful (yet edge-of-ecstatic) world of the moment." (NY Rocker) There were four Model Citizens – Steve Alexander, Eugenie Diserio, Tomek Lamprecht and Gloria Richards. Like so many dedicated...

A bongo comp with unissued Jill Kroesen, Tak Shindo, and Sun Ra!?!? Bongo Bongo Bongo! The mere uttering of the word conjures up dreams and images of parties, beaches, tropical vacations, beatniks and poets, goatees and cha-cha heels, drinking espresso in coffee shops, and of the freedom of the road while getting your kicks on Route 66. Fuzzy dice, bongos in the back. Bongo Rock! Bongo Fury! Bongo Madness! Beat on a pair of bongos and watch the party begin! SOME SKIN is designed to get that...

A bongo comp with unissued Jill Kroesen, Tak Shindo, and Sun Ra!?!? Bongo Bongo Bongo! The mere uttering of the word conjures up dreams and images of parties, beaches, tropical vacations, beatniks and poets, goatees and cha-cha heels, drinking espresso in coffee shops, and of the freedom of the road while getting your kicks on Route 66. Fuzzy dice, bongos in the back. Bongo Rock! Bongo Fury! Bongo Madness! Beat on a pair of bongos and watch the party begin! SOME SKIN is designed to get that...

Cool Jazz, beatnik bop, & bossa nova baby! Who was Lisa Marné? A TV personality. A ballerina. A burlesque performer. A political scandal-starter. A plane crash survivor. But most importantly, at least for our purposes, she was one hell of a singer. Those who know her, certainly know her as the “bookend” opposite Vikki Carr on the Ray Anthony Show. From tongue-in-cheek beatnik love songs to bossa nova standards, this unissued album features never-before-heard cuts from the home of Tony...

Beatnik Brilliance? Beat-sploitation? Beats me! Before Sesame Street or Yo Gabba Gabba made art for kids that their parents understood on a whole other level, there were Hip Fables. Pop prose originally put to pulp by the pen of Steve Allen circa the ‘50s, which inspired a popular album and even a book titled Hip Fables (Simon & Schuster). The original recording featured Steve Allen on the piano accompanied by King Cool himself, Chicago DJ and Impulse! recording artist Al Jazzbeaux Collins! In...

Featuring what may be his only recordings on the Prophet keyboard, these once lost performances expand the omniverse of Ra across a stellar set of lengthy cuts! All recorded in a single day and finally making their terrestrial debut! Includes notes from Ranthropologist Brother Cleve and two CD-only bonus tracks! What happens when a Prophet meets a Prophet? The answer lies within these grooves. Amongst the hundreds of recordings issued by Sun Ra and his Arkestra, under their various guises, the...

Featuring what may be his only recordings on the Prophet keyboard, these once lost performances expand the omniverse of Ra across a stellar set of lengthy cuts! All recorded in a single day and finally making their terrestrial debut, pressed on colored vinyl and packaged with a Prophet keyboard brochure plus notes from Ranthropologist Brother Cleve! What happens when a Prophet meets a Prophet? The answer lies within these grooves. Amongst the hundreds of recordings issued by Sun Ra and his...

Sax Driven NYC No Wave Post Punk! Finally the recorded studio work of Bill Ylitalo as Otto Kentrol and Faceless has been assembled! Featuring hard to find post punk & no wave cuts, four track demos, and previously unissued gems. Sax, strange electronic instruments, recitative vocals and sporadic bass, guitar and drums, plus liner notes by WFMU’s Erick Bradshaw, host of Spin Age Blasters! In addition creating sought after EPs from the early 80s on German labels and self released cassettes, Bill...

A jingle powerhouse solo or in tandem with Tom Dawes (Cyrkle) as TwinStar Music, Ginny Redington penned earworms like “Coke Is It!”, “We’re American Airlines”, and a smorgasbord of recognizable gems from the 70s and 80s. Many are collected here, many she sang herself, and many are loaded with Synthesizer goodness! Open wide! Even if Ginny Redington had not met Tom Dawes, you’d still have known her work as a jingle composer. You have to figure there weren’t that many women even pursuing a...

A jingle powerhouse solo or in tandem with Tom Dawes (Cyrkle) as TwinStar Music, Ginny Redington penned earworms like “Coke Is It!”, “We’re American Airlines”, and a smorgasbord of recognizable gems from the 70s and 80s. Many are collected here, many she sang herself, and many are loaded with Synthesizer goodness! Open wide! Even if Ginny Redington had not met Tom Dawes, you’d still have known her work as a jingle composer. You have to figure there weren’t that many women even pursuing a...

A heady and adventurous experience with ever-shifting elements of jazz, fuzz guitar, blues rock and psychedelia! Graffiti’s origins can be traced back to 1967 and the dissolution of The Hangmen, a popular Washington DC area garage rock act well noted for the proto-punk stylings of their singles “What A Girl Can’t Do” and “Faces.” Singer Tony Taylor, a late addition to the band’s lineup, recruited guitarist George Strunz to the group and soon announced the band would pursue a more psychedelic...

One voice, one guitar, one tranquilized trip! Isaacson’s voice is rich and warm, with hints of weary and optimism. His delivery, reminiscent of Gordon Lightfoot or Cat Stevens, holds steady against the backdrop of his textured and restrained guitar playing. An interpreter of sound, his takes on these familiar originals are introspective, well thought variations that he truly makes his own. Fresh from the attic of the acid archives, this first ever reissue of this ‘71 gem features unissued...

90s French pop nirvana, on LP for the first time! Autour de Lucie’s follow-up to their geographical barrier busting debut sees the band incorporating subtle keyboards and electronic beats to their well-established sensuous dreamy pop charm. “Autour De Lucie’s self-titled debut album was a strong collection of French-language rock-pop, but their follow-up, “Immobile,” is nothing short of exquisite. Vocalist Valerie Leuillot’s angelic vocals cover a greater range this time around, and musically...

Over 25 years after their buoyant & breezy electro-acoustic debut busted language barriers showing that French language music could build a buzz on all sides of the Atlantic, Autour de Lucie’s debut finally gets the vinyl treatment! “From the opening bird calls and ringing-bell guitar chimes of captivating lead track "L'accord parfait," Paris' demure Autour de Lucie serves notice that winning Anglo-style pop need not be a slave to language or geographical barriers. Gorgeous and luxuriously...

Tell folks you have a collection of fuzz pedals... or if you had a guitar you'd definitely have a fuzz pedal with our first ever BeatRocket t-shirt! Hand screened in North Carolina on a black Bella Canvas brand shirt.

There's little that says, "I have very weird taste in music" like space rockin' a Modern Harmonic shirt!  Hand screened in North Carolina on charcoal grey Bella Canvas brand shirt.