Toning Paranormal Romance c42 (Skell 009)

Cody Brant is the man behind Toning. After outstanding releases on labels like the late great Stunned Records and Eggy, he brings his soundworld over to the East Coast with this release on Skell. Paranormal Romance finds Brant continuing to tinker with miniature musical forms, preferring distilled and focused pieces to sprawling side-long jams. Guitars and synths make most of the sounds, but it is Brant's imaginative treatment of these instruments that separates him from the ranks of the arpeggio-istas that litter the current synth scene. He is scheduled to be touring in the spring of 2012 with synth pioneer JD Emmanuel.

Pro-dubbed, color covers, a gift of peace to those who need it, a gift of bliss to those who don't. Edition of 50, image manipulations by Julie Watts. $6. SOLD OUT, check Tomentosa or Flipped Out for copies.

Fossils from the Sun vs. Parashi/Xanthocephalus split c34 (Skell 008)

As a member of Burnt Hills and Century Plants Ray Hare's journeys into the deepest realms of guitar and vocal-based noise psych have inspired and impressed; while his long-running solo project FfrtheSun has released material on labels like Reverb Worship, Digitalis, and Peasant Magik. Parashi's Mike Griffin unleashed a slew of material in 2011, on labels such as Stunned, Tape Drift, and Ghetto Naturalist Series before joining Burnt Hills midway through the year. Their soundclash uses guitar, synth, and voice to brew an amalgam that drones, scrapes, and creeps its way through a side-long 17-minute ride.

Xanthocephalus is helmed by Brooklyn's Russ Aldertone, who released outstanding material on Kendra Steiner Editions and Ghetto Naturalist Series in 2011. He combines elements of harsh noise, field recordings, and occasionally furious bass playing, mixed together with a healthy sense of restraint amidst the chaos. COYE is a molten slagheap of sonics, powerful, menacing, and unique.

Pro-dubbed, color covers, lurking in the unseen matter of the universe. Art manipulation by Julie Watts.
Edition of 50. $6. SOLD OUT.

Cruudeuces--Various Skin Figurines c30 (Skell 007)

Cruudeuces' Nathaniel Brennan is a conjurer; utilizing tapes, percussion, clarinet, and various bits of electromagnetic interference, he creates cleverly detailed and utterly bleak zones of sound. After a slew of releases on labels like Kimberly Dawn, Tape Drift, his own Ghetto Naturalist Series imprint, and Existential Cloth, Brennan has a large and impressive body of work. On Various Skin Figurines, he uses a subtle palette, with thick and crunchy low-end tones balanced by swirling clouds of tape noise and darkness--the results are astounding. So happy to put this one out!

Pro-dubbed, color covers, ready to disturb sleep cycles and create vague feelings of dread. Art manipulation by Julie Watts, edition of 50. $6. SOLD OUT.

new batch coming for a new year

Exciting times here at the Skell basement, as a new year will bring a new batch of tapes after a period of some inactivity. We will have a c 30 from Cruudeuces, a split c35 from Fossils from the Sun vs. Parashi and Xanthocephalus, and a c42 from Toning. The pic of the new batch is courtesy of Eric Hardiman.

SK-007--Cruudeuces Various Skin Figurines
SK-008--Fossils from the Sun vs. Parashi/Xanthocephalus Dark Matter/COYE
SK-009--Toning Paranormal Romance

Xanthocephalus--s/t CD (SK-006)

A xanthocephalus is a yellow blackbird. Like its namesake, this project is not what it seems on the surface. Churning, dissonant, and noisy to be sure, but possessed of a surreal calm within its roaring texture that gives a subtle depth to all of its storm and clatter. Mastered by Chris Lapke at Hospital Productions.

Urkas--Should Hostile Aircraft Be Seen CD (SK-005)

Urkas return, with the sounds of entanglement. Huge washes of synth noise are battered by massive low-end particles drifting away from a central, malformed nucleus. The memory of abandoned places, the moldy footprints of discarded idols, and paranoia all coexist within us....this is our space, in a universe that never stops expanding.

Parashi year-end mention in Foxy Digitalis

We're quite happy in Skell's basement these days, it was a good year this year.....and to cap it all off Parashi's The Wine Is Safer Than the Water grabbed a spot on Eric Hardiman's Best of 2010 list in the category of best cd-r. Thanks to Eric and all at Foxy Digitalis.