Welcome to ZenTV. Since the mid-nineties and the groundbreaking Stealth parties at the Blue Note in Hoxton Square, Ninja has been almost as well respected for its engagement with visuals as it has for its audio. The two came together on this massive retrospective of almost a decade of experimentation, innovation, humour and weirdness. Let’s get the spec out of the way first. The ZenTV DVD has twice the capacity of a normal DVD, containing as it does 35 promo videos from the label, a fifteen minute audiovisual mix and a 30 minutes audio mix from Hexstatic. And as if that wasn’t enough, the DVD has a menu system which means you can watch the videos either in the order we intended, randomly, or chronologically from the oldest to the newest or the newest to the oldest. You can also look up any specific act and check out their videos and album art. Or just leave a gallery of some of Ninja’s finest covers running in the corner of the room as a kind of ambient art installation dahlink… Mwah.
In the beginning they were called the Fenways. Hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, they were a major draw on the regional circuit. Spunky singles such as “Be Careful Little Girl” and “The Walk” translated into huge local hits. The Fenways also played on “You’re The One” by the Vogues, which peaked at the No. 4 spot on the nationwide charts late in 1965. But as was the story with a host of bands, they were floored by the newfangled nuances of psychedelic music, and wasted not a second altering their outlook and approach. Garbed in Nehru jackets and love beads, the Fenways switched their name to the Racket Squad in 1967, and signed a contract with the Jubilee label. During their tenure, they recorded two full-length albums for the roster, which have been scrabbled together in 1999 by Collectables Records as a solitary disc. Bonus tracks are a plus, as well as informative history of the group…
Four-part double CD series - comprehensive and first cross-label documentation of the only relevant German contribution to the international phenomenon of rock music.
Quintessence first album presents an under-rated band which appears to be quite precursor in the Indo folk progressive genre for this 1969 year. There's a strong analogy with another progressive band: Sweet smoke. For the jazz and Indian influences, the predominance of flute, the same happy hippy spiritual mood and the excellent guitar work. Quintessence music is never complex but can be well progressive anyway, like on "Midnight mode", the gem here: excellent flute, a mind-blowing psychedelic space guitar solo and an impressive pure traditional (Indian) end.
6 CD-Set, the third volume of outstanding Krautrock that will surely do your head in… again! Krautrock was (and still is) a musical phenomenon that sprouted in Germany in the late '60s and early '70s. Combining elements of Psychedelia, Prog Rock, Art Rock and Avante Garde, Krautrock became a movement unto itself. This 64 track anthology features cuts from Birth Control, Nektar, Anyone's Daughter, Guru Guru, Eloy, Pell Mell, and many others.
6 CD-Set, the third volume of outstanding Krautrock that will surely do your head in… again! Krautrock was (and still is) a musical phenomenon that sprouted in Germany in the late '60s and early '70s. Combining elements of Psychedelia, Prog Rock, Art Rock and Avante Garde, Krautrock became a movement unto itself. This 64 track anthology features cuts from Birth Control, Nektar, Anyone's Daughter, Guru Guru, Eloy, Pell Mell, and many others.
95 Nuggets From The Lone Star State. The Lone Star State was home to a disproportionate number of fine garage, psych and punk bands in the 1960s. This stupendous boxed set gathers together no fewer than 95 of their greatest moments, culled from some of the rarest singles ever issued. Complete with a packed 32-page booklet (featuring discographies, rare pictures and background info) it's a truly essential purchase for all fans of snarling, snotty, sneering rock and roll. Digitally remastered using 42-bit technology.