The April News: Releases, Magazines, Etc. Etc.Click For Infos.
Hello there!
MCIAA are back this month with a cosmic newsletter!!…some incredible
interplanetary and stellar conjunctions have brought plenty of new vinyl
releases on Opax Records, Root Strata and Rococo Records; a new full-lenght CD
and ltd.7″ just out now on Important Records; the latest split CD re-issue on
Very Friendly/ Cargo UK… plus a new magazine on Belgian Sloow Tapes label
featuring an article written by both Maurizio and Roberto Opalio, and a bunch
of alien drawings by Roberto too–
Also, an intergalactic preview for all you alien feline fans! (go on reading to
find out all details)—-
…oh, but first of all, thanks to all of you guys showing up at the Kraak
Festival the first weekend of March to say “hello”!… it was an amazing day…
good sounds good people good time!!! There are nice pictures and a video
excerpt from MCIAA’s live performance at the following links:
Photos by Ronny Wertelaers : http://users.pandora.be/wertelaers.ronny
Film by Jef Mertens on Ecstatic Peace (see in the NEWS column, March 6th update)
: http://www.ecstaticpeace.com
In order below:
– PREVIEW
– NEW RELEASES
– MY FAVOURITE MAGAZINE
– FORTHCOMING LIVE ACTS
– FORTHCOMING RADIO SPECIAL
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PREVIEW———-THE “COSMIC DEBRIS” SPLIT ART-LPs SERIES————PREVIEW
Directly from the most remote and obscure regions of the Cosmos, Maurizio and
Roberto Opalio, aka MY CAT IS AN ALIEN, are proud to announce a new series of
split art-LPs set up on their own Opax Records. The series of collaborations,
entitled “Cosmic debris”, will see the space duo alongside artists such as Stan
Brakhage’s films mixed media performing ensemble TEXT OF LIGHT (Lee Ranaldo,
Christian Marclay, Alan Licht, William Hooker, Tim Barnes, Ulrich Krieger, Dj
Olive), Californian audio visual artist and composer STEVE RODEN, Swedish
avant-saxophonist MATS GUSTAFSSON, avant-blues living legend LOREN MAZZACANE
CONNORS, and Japanese dark shaman improviser KEIJI HAINO.
Each record will be released in a numbered and signed edition of only 100
copies, and will come out alongside an acrylic painting by ROBERTO OPALIO on
30x30cm proper canvas as sleeves, with a unique Polaroid installed on each
piece, representing 100 different perspectives of a same subject.
Each volume’s photographic subject will be strictly related to the cosmic
imaginary of My Cat Is An Alien.
The opening OPX LP8 – MY CAT IS AN ALIEN / TEXT OF LIGHT “Cosmic debris” split
ART-LP Vol.1 will be available in late May/ early June 2006. The following
volumes will come out as bimonthly releases.
A following re-issue of the series on regular CD format is already planned.
For all further informations, please contact us–
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—————————NEW RELEASES———————————–
On Opax Records the final art-split LP volume of the “From the earth to the
Spheres” series is ready! we know you’ve been waiting for this for a long time
now, yet we’re sure you’ll find it extragalactic!!… We’ve not finished sending
out all the pre-ordered copies, but we assure they will reach you all very
soon…
*OPX LP7 – CHRISTIAN MARCLAY & OKKYUNG LEE / MY CAT IS AN ALIEN “From the earth
to the Spheres” split ART-LP Vol.7 (Opax Records)
“The seventh and final volume in the Turin based Opalio brothers’ split series
of collaborative, handcrafted LPs proves to be their most ambitious to date. A
fitting finale for a series of records that has been a thrill from the very
beginning” (Edwin Pouncey, The Wire)
“This last release in the “From the earth to the Spheres” split series set up by
Maurizio and Roberto Opalio aka My Cat Is An Alien on their own Opax Records
imprint, sees the Italian cosmic duo splitting the vinyl with well-known audio
visual artist, performer and turntable-art innovator Christian Marclay together
with cello improviser Okkyung Lee, ubiquitous figure of downtown NY avant-garde
scene.
Their track “Rubbings” on side A is the result of a live performance recorded at
Tonic NYC in December 2003. Christian Marclay’s trademarked technique of mixing
several ranges of Lps on his multiple turntables, manipulating, fragmenting and
altering the phonograph records’ sonic nature in accordance with his “theater of
found sound” esthetics meets the uncompromising and passionate playing of
Korean-born performer Lee, whose powerful cello’s stabs interact with Marclay’s
waves of screaming sounds creating a unique, stunning scenario.
On B side, My Cat Is An Alien’s piece “Beyond the limits of the stars/ Beyond
the limits of the grooves” was recorded in 2003 at their Space Room studio in
Torino, and has been kept safely in their archive ‘till September 2005, when
it’s been completely remixed and edited appositely for this release. One of
their heaviest conceptions to date, the piece is built on electric guitars’
strings moaning onto walls of space drones and electronics like ectoplasmic
presences emerging from the brillliance of the Void. The initial minimal and
claustrophobic guitar chords become more and more an ocean of howling moduled
feedbacks combined with fragmented and distorted real-time inserts of
post-romantic classical music from old 78rpm shellac records, sounding like
radio frequencies transmitted via ether from the furthest reaches of the
Cosmos.
As the title suggests, MCIAA’s need of a non-finite “space music & art”
esthetics research has led them to etch a final lock-groove to un-seal the
sounds from their actual support; a purpose expressed throughout the whole
“From the earth to the Spheres” series’ conception.
Roberto Opalio’s painting on wood, mixing white acrylic paste with transparent
glass fragments, recalls the shape of a 12″ vinyl, yet of a cosmic whirling
galaxy as well; here’s the encounter between the “physical support” of art and
its “ethereal form”, a further reminder that the music belongs to an
extra-terrestrial dimension, and one of MCIAA’s purpose is to return it to the
Spheres.”
Special SPACE ART only-vinyl edition limited to 100 copies; each record comes
alongside an original acrylic painting by Roberto Opalio on a 31x31cm wooden
support, individually signed by the artist.
—————————————————-
Just available worldwide these days on CD, here’s the latest re-issue of the
“From the earth to the Spheres” split series, featuring a remix version of
Glands of External Secretion’s piece!
*VF023CD – GLANDS OF EXTERNAL SECRETION / MY CAT IS AN ALIEN “From the earth to
the Spheres” split CD Vol.5 (Very Friendly/ Cargo UK)
“Italian brothers Maurizio and Roberto Opalio, aka My Cat Is An Alien, split the
sixth volume of their “From the earth to the Spheres” series with San
Francisco’s cult band Glands Of External Secretion. On this occasion the duo,
formed in 1992 by Bananafish magazine founder Seymour Glass and indie-rock
princess Barbara Manning, features the special collaboration of well-known
guitarist improviser Nels Cline (now member of Wilco). The trio’s track “Icebox
(Defrosted Mix)” is a slow ascent from the realm of isolationism, through frozen
tape manipulation and icy drones, terrific voices and subtle infernal groans
which seem to come from the obscure side of the Moon, where Cline’s estranged
looped lap steel is ready to launch the ultimate attack to Earth.
On the other side of the flip, MCIAA’s “After the Meteor Shower” represents a
further experiment in the use of Roberto’s unearthly fragmented vocals, as a
way to create heavy-emotional textures of interstellar tunes. A cosmic rain of
howling guitars & electronics introduces the fall into a silent, ritualistic
procession marked by the distant echo of a drum, alongside a whispered chant
over real sounds emerging from the concrete surface of the Planet.
Latest CD re-issue in the series featuring Thurston Moore, Thuja, Jackie-O
Motherfucker, Christina Carter & Andrew MacGregor, Christian Marclay & Okkyung
Lee.”
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MCIAA got an extremely enthusiastic welcome at Important Records! “Cosmic Light
Of The Third Millenium” is a new full-lenght CD, introduced by a special
art-edition 7″ limited to only 300 copies, each including an individual
Polaroid taken and signed by Roberto Opalio — (but for the 7″ please contact
directly the guys at Important before it disappears forever:
<imprec@importantrecords.com> )—
*imprec077 – MY CAT IS AN ALIEN “Cosmic Light Of The Third Millenium” CD
(Important Records)
“Like some kind of droned out Sun Ra, My Cat Is An Alien landed and stayed only
long enough to drop off the masters and the artwork at Important Records before
vanishing into the cosmos, or Torino, once again. This new full-length album
recorded April 2005 at MCIAA’s Alien Zone, located in a remote region of the
Western Alps, Piemonte, Italy. The work consists of three tracks entitled
“Section I-II-III” for a total lenght of 49:20 minutes. Here the Opalio
space-brothers push their improvised music of the Spheres in new cosmic
territories, where the use of Roberto’s wordless vocals impresses a still
unheard lyricism inside the sublime complexity of their unique musical
textures. “Section I” opens the album with a slow and emotional epic crescendo
generated by floating waves of electric space-guitars alongside glittering
sounds of mini-xylophone and toy piano; this impressive astral monochord-blues
increase leads to a denouement of electronics & cymbals storm. Whispered
wordless moaning vocals and sparse rythmic percussions resonating in the
distance open “Section II”, where the celestial explosion is followed by
droning walls of guitar sounds and space-toys effects, lost in a vertical
streamline of astral debris. An ambient minimal guitar tune introduces the
final “Section III”: reiterated and limpid single guitar chords disclose the
enlightened beauty of the Cosmos. In “Cosmic Light of the Third Millennium”
MCIAA’s mystic alien chants celebrate the beginning and the coming of a new era
of the Cosmic Light.” (Important)
*imprec093 – MY CAT IS AN ALIEN “Introducing The Cosmic Blues” 7 inch (Important
Records)
“Introducing The Cosmic Blues” is My Cat Is An Alien’s introduction to their
full length release on Important Records. This 7″ is limited to only 300 copies
and each comes in deluxe screen printed packaging with an individual Polaroid
photograph taken, altered and signed by Roberto Opalio. But what does it sound
like? Just as the Cosmic Blues should: like MCIAA invented their own
instruments and discovered an unknown universe to play them in.
This is the fifth release in Important’s ongoing Arts And Crafts series with
each release containing handmade artwork by the artist on the recordings.
(Important)
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And here is the newest vinyl release to date, limited to 300 copies on the
intriguing Root Strata label run by Jefre Cantu of Tarentel in San Francisco –
By a strange twist of fate, copies of this records landed here right during the
solar eclipse on March the 29th… read the title and you’ll surely understand
the reason why this sky event correlates strongly with the coming out of this
release…
*RS-10 – MY CAT IS AN ALIEN “Listen before Black falls” LP (Root Strata)
“A third eye laser beam shot from the catacombs of Torino. An acoustic guitar
lullaby leads down a long dark tunnel of alpha wave feedback. Killer.
Black chipboard covers with silk-screened fronts and hand drawn text/numbers on
the back. Limited edition of 300! (Root Strata)”
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Another full-lenght LP release on the wild Chicago-based Rococo Records label!
this record actually came out in January 2006, but for some alien reasons we
have received copies only now, while the LP (limited to 500 copies) is
officially running out of print at source… So, we also still have some of the
first 100 copies in transparent blue vinyl, but move fast ‘cause these were
available through Rococo’s mailing list only and never hit the stores!!
*RCC-0005 – MY CAT IS AN ALIEN – “There’s a flame___sometimes” LP (Rococo
Records)
“For all of you who fell in love with My Cat Is An Alien’s previous albums “Il
Segno” and “When the windmill’s whirl dies”, here’s a new full-lenght,
beautifully packaged LP based on a spoken-word poem whispered by Roberto Opalio
over the space brothers’ subtle texture of percussions, guitars and
electronics…ready for the anti-gravitational impact?”
(ltd.ed of 500 in navy cardstock cover with silver inked letter press / first
100 copies in transparent blue vinyl)
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—————————MY FAVOURITE MAGAZINE————————
As announced above, we welcome a new zine printed by Bart De Paepe on his own
Sloow Tapes imprint (well-known for the amazing analog cassette releases),
featuring an article on Italian musician Fabio Orsi’s debut LP written by both
Maurizio and Roberto Opalio, alongside some alien drawings by Roberto – it’s
limited to only 200 copies!
*V/A – My Favourite Magazine (Sloow Tapes ? Winter) Book, 88 pages
“Old school paper magazine featuring extensive interviews with Julie Mittens,
Samara Lubelski, Fabio Orsi, Plastic Crimewave and Wally Shoup. Writings and
drawings by Nemo Bidstrup, Tara Burke, Sara Czerny, Bart De Paepe, Bram Devens,
Bridget Hayden, Jani Hirvonen, Robert Horton, Jonna Karanka, Steve Krakow,
Lieven Martens, Chris Miller, Maurizio Opalio, Roberto Opalio, Andy Ortmann,
Stefano Pilia, Eva Van Deuren and Ronny Van Hee. Comes in eye popping two-sided
silkscreened cover by Jelle Crama.”
—-for this item please contact: http://sloowtapes.blogspot.com/
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—————————-FORTHCOMING LIVE ACTS————————-
MCIAA will take part in the 23rd edition of the international Victoriaville
festival in Québec, Canada, featuring Keiji Haino, Borbetomagus, Hijokaidan,
Fe-mail, Nels Cline, Sunn O)), KK Null among others… Hope to see you there!
MY CAT IS AN ALIEN
May the 20th (Saturday), 2006 – h. 00:15
FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL MUSIQUE ACTUELLE
Victoriaville, Québec (Canada)
infos, details and tickets: http://www.fimav.qc.ca/
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————————FORTHCOMING RADIO SPECIAL———————–
BORDERLINE EXTRA – famous program broadcasted weekly on German Freies Radio
Kassel (105.8 FM) and focusing on avantgarde/experimental music, will feature a
new special on My Cat Is An Alien!
Borderline Extra about My Cat Is An Alien
May, 5th (20:00-21:00)
Freies Radio Kassel (105.8 FM)
The special will be also audible (in realaudio) from May, 6th at
http://www.borderline-extra.de/ .
The realaudio-file will be available there for 3 months.
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‘till soon with new cosmic adventures from the outer space—
Alien faith!——————MCIAA
