Masstropicas brings you another installment from “the sound of the Carretera Central” with the king of that style, Teo Laura Amao. El Sonido de la Carretera Central brings 12 more rare essential tracks, spanning from 1973 to 1985, featuring various groups that Teo wrote and arranged songs for. Bands like Los Sanders, Los Blue Kings, Costa Azul, and of course, Los Jharis, with their hard rock and soul-influenced cumbia songs, are mainstays in the neighborhood known as ÑaÑa, as well as various other working class barrios in Lima, and Teo worked with all of them.
Compiled from various 45, LP and cassette releases, this is just the tip of the iceberg for the uninitiated. We’re sure this compilation will get you hooked on Teo’s unique guitar slinging and his often imitated but never equaled ‘estilo Carretera’.
>> Highlights from the 40+ year career of Teo Laura Amao
>> 12 songs never released outside of Peru
>> One time pressing of 500 LPs
>> Features full color 11 × 22 insert with never before seen photos & liner notes
El Sonido de la Carretera Central comes out May 28, 2013, but you can pre-order your copy now from LightInTheAttic.net
Last Friday the Jamaican saxophonist Cedric “Im” Brooks passed away at the age of 70. We here at Light In The Attic were bummed to hear the news of his passing. Brooks was an influential saxophonist who left a permanent mark on Jamaican music. He began his musical career in the late 1960s as a studio musician at the legendary Studio One in Kingston. Brooks first commercial breakthrough came when he played on Burning Spear’s debut album, Studio One Presents Burning Spear.
In the 1970s, he collaborated with Count Ossie and the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, as well as led his own solo band, Light of Saba. Towards the end of his career Brooks became a member of ska pioneer’s, The Skatalites. Cedric Brooks is survived by seven children and four sisters.
Donnie and Joe Emerson are playing New York City! This will be the first time the brotherly duo has ever performed outside of Washington state. The show will take place Saturday June 29th at the Mercury Lounge in New York’s Lower East Side.
Come out and join us for a night of top shelf bedroom-funk. Don’t sleep on picking up an advance ticket because this show will definitely sell out. For more information and to purchase advance tickets visit MercuryLoungeNYC.com
Since our inception over ten years ago, Light In The Attic Records has been a label responsible for some of the sharpest looking and sounding reissues in the game. We have prided on keeping with the label’s mission of putting out great music, wherever it may be found, however it may sound. Our diverse and respected catalog spans across many genres and decades delivering to listeners only the cream of the crop.
It’s only right, then, that our ten year anniversary would not go unnoticed. Last year we released a very special series of colored vinyl 7”s. The series featured contemporary artists covering songs from our catalog on the A-side, with the original versions on the B-side. The first run of the exclusive 7”s sold like hotcakes and that is why we are happy to announce that the 10th Anniversary 7” series is now back in print! Below is a list of all the 7”s released in the series.
It’s Friday and you know what that means… it’s time to kick off the weekend right with a Free Basin’ giveaway! This week we’ve got a vinyl LP of Pastor T.L. Barrett‘s legendary gospel album Like A Ship… (Without A Sail)up for grabs.
For many church goers and secularists alike, Sunday is the day of rest. What better way to rest than to throw a record on the old turntable and kickback. It is this Sunday morning mentality which leads us to this weeks Free Basin’ Friday giveaway question. In the comment section below, name your favorite Sunday morning album or song to listen to. Please dont not forget to included your email address in the box provided, all addresses will be visible to Light In The Attic employees ONLY. Winners will be announced next Friday via Twitter and Facebook.
Having trouble carrying all your favorite Light In The Attic records around? Worry not, with the official Light In The Attic tote bag you can now carry a whole plethora of LPs, EPs and 7’’s! Each tote bag features the Light In The Attic logo, designed by artist Drew Christie, screen printed on 100% cotton fabric.
Supplies are limited so pick one up today from LITA-LTD!
The San Francisco based label, Dark Entries is an office favorite here at Light In The Attic and the focus of this weeks label spotlight. Dark Entries was established in 2009 by Josh Cheon to showcase out of print and unreleased synth-driven music, as well as contemporary bands with a similar sound. Founded on the DIY ideals leftover over from 1980s independent record labels, each release is a limited run, hand numbered and sometimes stamped. You wont find CDs from Dark Entries, as the label is strictly vinyl and cassette only. Cheon, A vinyl-focused DJ and avid collector, takes great care in assuring that Dark Entries releases ”preserve sound quality and respect the aesthetics of its artist.” We recently chatted with founder Josh Cheon to talk about the label’s history, the process behind their releases and what’s coming up next for the label.
Tell us about Dark Entries. What possessed you to start the label?
I’ve been obsessed with records since I was a teenager growing up in New Jersey. I would take the bus to New York City and dig in the used bins of the vinyl stores trying to find out of print music from the 1980s. Now I use my record label to re-issue that hard-to-find music from my youth.
It seems like a lot of your records were originally released only on cassette. What is the process like for bringing these releases into the vinyl realm? Any stories of the struggle to find long, lost master tapes?
Yes the cassette was the most affordable medium back then, as well as today, for bands to release their material. The process starts with locating the master tapes. These are usually ½ or ¼ inch reel-to-reel tapes that must be “baked” or dehydrated before transferring. I use one of the best studios in California for this process, Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. All of my releases are then remastered for vinyl by George Horn, a true legend in the music production business. He cuts the lacquer on his lathe while I sit in the room.
The search for the master tapes of Jeff and Jane Hudson and Dark Day were a lucky coincidence. I knew the bands did not have their master tapes and one day a contemporary band on my label, Death Domain, alerted me to a message board where he saw a collector bragging about having the tapes of both bands. So I contacted the collector and we were able to borrow and eventually purchase the master tapes back for the artists to keep in their possession.
I’v been jamming your Alive Again reissue like crazy the last couple of weeks. I read in the notes that it was originally released exclusively on cassette and limited to 50 copies! A lot of your releases seem so obscure, it amazes us that you even find them! What led you to The Product, and how do you typically discover these lost basement gems?
It’s funny, a lot of my bands were found by watching Youtube videos over and over until a new band I had never heard of came on and I like them. I use search engines online to find the original band members and try to contact them. Sometimes I only have an address and write letters to the band members. For The Product I found a youtube video and contacted the person who uploaded the video, who led me the band.
What would you say is the thread that ties your releases together? What do you look for in a potential reissue?
The music has to move me. If my ears perk up and find myself humming along its most likely a match for my label. I like melodies and emotional extremes. I suppose these threads are found in all my releases.
What record has been the biggest challenge to reissue so far? What made it so hard?
Sometimes I encounter arguments between band members that are brought to the surface by the reissue. Many of these artists recorded their music when they were teenagers or in their 20s, a period of tremendous emotional growth, for some. I always take a very neutral role and sometimes act as a mediator when band members have stopped communicating.
Your Lives Of Angels Elevator To Edenreissue is a big favorite around our offices. Like much of your catalog, this was originally released only on cassette. What is your process for restoring or appropriating artwork for your LP releases?
I adore Lives of Angels! I have to thank Damon Way for that reissue, he begged me to reissue them a few years ago but I never paid any attention. Then one night at a party Damon was DJing and played “Ascension” by Lives of Angels and I ran to the booth and he held up the “Elevator To Eden” LP.
I’ll let my talented designer Eloise Leigh talk about the artwork restoration process:
“Some of the projects require completely new designs for compilations or releases that did not have a design before. Other projects are straight reproductions of the original releases, but with new inserts and printed ephemera designed to accompany them. In all cases, we strive to be as resourceful as possible to work within low budget limitations. Paper is often sourced from the local recycling center [S.C.R.A.P.], designs are often created in 1-color or 2-color with lower ink usage in mind, and layout sizes are often determined by what works best with local printers and their most cost-effective options. At the same time, quality of content is never sacrificed, and it has been an honor to help so many talented artists and musicians resurrect their amazing music in the most independent and authentic way possible.”
What have you been listening to lately?
I have been digging the new Chelsea Light Moving album, all 3 Grass Widow albums, the new album by Profligate, and Tonto’s Expanding Head Band Zero Time LP to name a few.
Any upcoming projects you can share with us?
At the beginning of April we have 3 female fronted bands from Nordic countries to celebrate Women’s History Month. KITCHEN & THE PLASTIC SPOONS from Sweden, Q4U from Iceland and BELABORIS from Finland. Then in May we are focusing on American groups, with LOS MICROWAVES from San Francisco, ALGEBRA SUICIDE from Chicago, and XEX from New Jersey, my home state. Later this year you can expect another compilation of BART (BAY AREA RETROGRADE), DARK DAY, NAGAMATZU and tons more surprises in store.
Originally released in 1976 in an edition of 300 copies, the sole album by Indianapolis’ Anonymous stands today as a high-water mark in psych-rock . The album combines the adventure of west coast ballroom groups, the 12-string majesty of Byrds, and breathtaking multi-part harmonies to forge something inimitable and one-of-a-kind, with powerful songs that pushed the limit and raised the bar at the same time. Long time top ten favorite for us, Anonymous’ Inside The Shadowis a true classic recommended for everyone into amazing rock records of all varieties.
This is the first officially licensed reissue from Machu Picchu Ltd. comes with sleeve notes from Aaron Milenski (co-author of the essential reference guide The Acid Archives), and recollections from Ron Matelic, Anonymous’ visionary songwriter. You can pick up the LP, sleeved in a tip-on jacket with a reproduction of the original lyric insert, from LightInTheAttic.net.
“The most euphoric celebratory music that makes you want to jump around the house and explode with joy.”
– Colin Greenwood, Radiohead
“One of the most important albums ever made. Ranks right up there with What’s Going On, Dark Side Of The Moon, and Pet Sounds as a flawlessly executed vision brought to life in perfect harmony. Enriches the soul and expands the mind.”
– Jim James, My Morning Jacket
Chicago pastor and activist T.L. Barrett’s rare gospel soul classic Like A Ship… (Without A Sail) is finally back in print. Pressed on 180-gram wax and housed in a beautifully crafted gatefold tip-on jacket with liner notes written by Peter Margasak (Chicago Reader), which include interviews with T.L. Barrett, Phil Upchurch and Gene Barge!
