Sometimes change creeps up on you while sometimes it explodes inches away from your eyes. The Dots experienced the latter in this, the 30th year, when first Martijn opted to step out, and then Niels followed suit.

The good news is that Erik Drost has rejoined the Dots on guitar, and for the first time since 1989, the band will be playing as a trio onstage with Raymond remaining behind the controls at the mixing board.

In fairness Martijn had been indicating for some time that he needed to find a more stable income, as nobody can argue that times have become much tougher for every small band in the last few years.

However Niels’ decision was surprising, but it can be that the occasionally rough circumstances the Dots encountered on the last tour represented a step too far. It was hard – EUROPE as a whole is very hard now.

Attempts to play in even the cities which have always guaranteed large crowds have come to nothing (Stockholm? Strasbourg?), and it may be the point when we will call time on longer tours of this continent.

Happily the shows slated for April ARE going ahead, although there remains a disturbing gap where Greek shows should be, and we do hope for some positive news sometime in March.

Beyond April, The Dots have a one-off in Amsterdam planned for 14th May, while a Polish festival appearance (July) and a concert in Moscow (September) should also go ahead.

It goes without saying that we wish Martijn and Niels success and joy in all their projects in the future. Meanwhile some serious sessions are taking place in this new line-up and after the shock there is a feeling of real excitement once more. Continue reading March 2010 Newsletter →

A Happy New Year to one and all.

We just crawled out of the snow here and felt it was time to show signs of activity once more. Trust me, it will be a lively year ahead and, we think, a good one. Continue reading February 2010 Newsletter →

This is a compilation of newsletters and announcements from 2008.  Some of the links may be obsolete.  This page is for archival purposes only.

March 2009 Newsletter / May 2009 Newsletter / Summer 2009 Newsletter / Strange Attractor- Mettle European Tour / November 2009 Newsletter / December 2009 Newsletter

02/07/2009  February 2009 Newsletter

Indeed a late late newsletter in a New Year that has made a challenging entrance to put things mildly. Even so from here at Chez Dots we’re wishing everybody a glorious 2009 and if that virus that has been stalking the Northern Hemisphere is still hovering in your house, may it be gone NOW. If the apparently ever deepening recession sits at your table, may it go and leave and move in with a greedy banker NOW. There is much to be optimistic about this year.

Here is a list of all shows coming up…
8 April – Frankfurt/Das Bett (D)
9 April – Duisburg/Steinbruch (D) 
10 April – Sait Christophe en Brionnais (near Dijon) (F)
11 April – Nantes/Floride
16 April – Lyon/Sonic (F)
17 April – Namur/ Cinex (B)
19 April – St.Niklaas/OJC Compas (B)
20 April – Koln/Underground (D)
21 April – Leipzig /Moritzbastei (D)
22 April – Vienna /Viper Room (A)
23 April – Munchen /Feierwerk (D)
24 April – Zofingen/Ox Club (CH)
25 April – Luzerne/Sedel (CH)

We’re currently looking for shows in Strasbourg, Lille, or The Netherlands. For booking, please contact l_khata (at) yahoo (dot) com.

For all the current tour information, click HERE. If you have additional information not listed (club links, where to purchase tickets) please contact our Webmistress.

Music can be ordered through our mail-order catalogue, TEKA.

posted by Edward

03/09/2009  March 2009 Newsletter

Touring season is upon us and The Dots are excited about the prospect of our first ever show in Romania which was confirmed recently. Even so, the plan for 2009 is a tour of two halves, focusing on the South in April and the North (Scandinavia, North Germany, Poland, Czech Republic) in the Fall.

We’re currently looking for shows in Paris, Strasbourg, and Lille. For booking, please contact l_khata (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Here is a list of all shows coming up… (note: the show in St. Niklaas has moved to Saturday, 18 April – and there is a new show in Marseille!)
27 March – Nijmegen/Extrapol (NL) – Edward Ka-Spel presents “Katrina”, a one-off performance of a live radio play.
8 April – Frankfurt/Das Bett (D)
9 April – Duisburg/Steinbruch (D)
10 April – Saint Christophe en Brionnais (near Dijon) (F)
11 April – Nantes/Floride (F)
12 April – Marseille/La Poste a Galerie (F)
16 April – Lyon/Sonic (F)
17 April – Namur/ Cinex (B)
18 April – St. Niklaas/OJC Compas (B)
20 April – Köln/Underground (D)
21 April – Leipzig /Moritzbastei (D)
22 April – Vienna /Viper Room (A)
23 April – München /Feierwerk (D)
24 April – Zofingen/Ox Club (CH)
25 April – Luzerne/Sedel (CH)
14 & 15 May – Athens/TBA (GR) – 2 individual shows with Edward Ka-Spel and The Silverman
21 May – Bucharest (RO) – First ever LPD show in Romania!!

For all the current tour information, click HERE.If you have additional information not listed (club links, where to purchase tickets) please contact Lisette.

Music can be ordered through our mail-order catalogue: TEKA. T-shirts can be ordered here!

posted by Edward

05/09/2009  May 2009 Newsletter

Spring normally provides a feeling of optimism here at Chez Dots, but spirits are particularly high this year with the prospect of our first ever shows in Romania at the end of this month. Now, two concerts are confirmed in Control Club, Bucharest on 20th and 21st May.

The first evening will feature a set from Edward Ka-Spel and The Silverman, plus a short show from LPDs while The Dots will play their current repertoire in its entirety on the 21st.

Sadly the previously announced EK solo show in Athens slated for 14th and 15th appear to be canceled as the promoter no longer replies to emails. Another opportunity will surely arise there.

NEW RELEASES:

EDWARD KA-SPEL/The Painted River of Regrets (vinyl LP)
Just released by Beta-Lactam Ring records in an edition of 300 copies. A delirious voyage to a melancholy corner of the universe. It costs 20 Euros plus 8 for postage /packing inside Europe and 10 further afield.

Also recent…
1. LEGENDARY PINK DOTS/Plutonium Blonde CD… we think it’s a landmark. Available now: 15 Euros.
2. EDWARD KA-SPEL/Dream Logik 2 CD…. we have the limited and luxuriously packaged double CD version at 20 Euros (postage inside Europe is 4 Euros, 6 outside). PLEASE ENQUIRE BEFORE ORDERING as very few left in stock.
3. EDWARD KA-SPEL/Dream Logik 1-3 (4 x LP plus exclusive CD)… a vinyl box set in an edition of 400 copies encompassing the entire Dream Logik project… Seriously beautiful. It will be available in October. It costs 65 Euros (plus 12 for postage inside Europe and 18 outside).
4. LEGENDARY PINK DOTS/Chemical playschool 8/9 (2CD)… seems to have been out-of-print forever. Now reissued by Beta-lactam Ring as gloriously as you’d expect from this fine label. Imminent… 20 Euros (plus 4 for postage inside Europe and 6 outside).
5. The T-shirts… two of them and thank you to those who designed them and everybody else who entered the competition. They cost 25 Euros each but please enquire about availability and sizes.
6. MARTIJN DE KLEER/The Stranger it gets (Part One) CDR… basement recordings from the 90s in five dimensional lysergic glory. Touching acoustic songs, explosive space exploration. Lovingly home-made CDR release- an hour of music. It costs 15 Euros.
7. MARTIJN DE KLEER/The Stranger it gets (Part Two) CDR… second installment of the stranger basement tapes. 15 Euros…
8. THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS/ Alchemical Playschool CD only… regular edition of long out-of-print and screamingly rare release. 15 Euros.
9. THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS/Live in Paris 2007 CDR… probably the best sounding live release in the Dots’ history. A remarkable night. 15 Euros.

FRIENDS & RELATIONS

Keep your eyes peeled for a new CD by long term LPD friends PHALLUS DEI who recently reunited to record a glorious CD. Highlight for me was the performance of guest John Walker (of Walker Brothers fame) who produces a vocal so touching it brought tears to these eyes.

A LINK

We’d like to bring your attention to www.loveandloudcolours.com… this is a website dedicated to Edward Ka-Spel’s book of lyrics which was released a few years ago. The site has been updated and visitors will find a section where Edward reveals the origins for many of his outpourings.

BEAUTIFUL THINGS THAT CAME OUR WAY

ES/ Sateenkaarisuudelma
Available as a beautiful double album release and as a double CD. Quite honestly if the amount of love and devotion poured into this album was contagious (I hope it is) then we could seriously talk about the dawn of a New Age of earth. Nothing sweet here, this is music that lifts the listener to a place he or she probably hoped would exist but somehow doubted it. I had to think of the best work of Terry Riley at odd (golden) moments, but that would be a lazy comparison ultimately.

Much has been written about the “Finnish free folk” movement, and there are an awful lot of releases out there which carry this categorization. My recommendation is to dive into the ocean with confidence… but this is a good place to start from.

KEMIALLISET YSTAVAT… anything
Just what is in the water in Finland? I confess I’m completely hooked on the music that emerges from a small community of musicians and non-musicians in this remote Northern country. Rarely have I heard such a glorious union of technology and anti-technology .Rarely have I encountered such care, such feeling in modern music… Ah, I’m ranting… Kemialliset Ystavat is a wonderful, special and unique band and I heartily recommend their entire catalogue. Check out releases on Fonal records, Secret Eye records and Beta-lactam ring records (Thanks to Chris at BLRR for introducing me to this group).

UTON… anything
Also from Finland… A myriad of fantastic releases in all formats. Dig for a new perspective, you will not regret this….

SVARTBAG
I was given this CD by a kind record store owner in Copenhagen, and what a beauty it is!!! Perhaps there are echoes of the sadly missed Godspeed You Black Emperor, but that comparison does this Danish band a disservice. Very much an individual sound to this CD on the Rump Recordings label. Charged, ecstatic. Utterly uplifting in these sepia times.

THE JOHN MORAN CORPORATION
Sometimes a CD comes along that makes you want to fling open the windows and scream about to the rest of the World (only that would of course interfere with the beautiful music). In the case of John moran, it wasn’t one but 2 albums that turned up in the mail box.. Psychedelic in the broadest sense, tuneful, intelligent, happy, sad – don’t know where to stop. John is from Australia and his CDs are on the Puzzle Factory label. Seek him out, and buy his music – you will not regret this.

UN FESTIN SAGITAL
Title: Epitafio a la Permanencia
Imagine Christian Vander and Pierre Henry collaborating on a lost masterpiece when they were both at the peaks of their powers… Imagine the master tape turning up in Chile… Imagine it’s reputation preceded it and turned out to be EVEN BETTER. Un Festin Sagital is a group I’d never heard of before, but I reckon I’ll spend the next few years hearing them again and again such is the depth of this debut. Purchase from < www.blrrecords.com > now before it vanishes.

ARIEL KALMA
Beta-Lactam Ring has given Ariels’ first insanely rare album a long overdue re-release and it’s a glory. Lots of beautiful bonus material as well. We loved this record for years at Chez Dots… Hearing it with this kind of clarity was akin to waking up after a long Winter’s sleep.

posted by Edward

06/30/2009  Summer 2009 Newsletter

The sun beats down on Chez Dots right now. Evil flies congregate in dusty corners, the temperature gauge hovers in the mid-thousands. I need something cold NOW…. and I don’t mean a fish wrapped around my head.

Still, to relevant matters…. The Pink Dots turn 30 in 2010, and we’re marking the occasion with a myriad of new releases, live shows and other surprises in the months leading up to and stretching beyond the magic birthday itself.

If it seems that we’ve been quiet recently, it is down to the fact that band members have been combing the archives for undiscovered pearls. That which deserves a wider audience has been dusted, edited and enhanced and we are delighted to reveal the first 3 anniversary releases right now.

Here they are…..

Undiscovered…

THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS / The Maria Sessions (CDR)
Back in 1991 , every note played by the Dots was captured on a tape recorder which was literally never switched off. Some of the more inspired improvisations were worked on and turned into songs which found their way on the Maria Dimension album.

This CDR captures the very best of those sessions and features some of the most wonderful guitar work from Bob Pistoor that you’ll ever hear. A perfect companion release to Maria Dimensionitself, this literally brought tears to our eyes when we played the finished version recently. Highly highly recommended – everything unreleased and unheard outside the Dots.

A TOQ CDR… it costs 13.50 Euros plus postage. Availability IMMINENT.

THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS / Desmet 04 (CDR)
A radio broadcast in 2004 before a tiny audience in an Amsterdam cafe. Crystal clear recordings interspersed with snippets of interview plus the material the Dots played in the cafe AFTER the radio show was finished.

Songs included are “Isis Veiled”, “Our Dominion”, “12th” ,”The More it stays the same” and a few others. A quiet beauty…. This TOQ CDR costs 13.50 Euros plus postage. Availability IMMINENT

EDWARD KA-SPEL & THE SILVERMAN / The Whispering Whale (CDR)
Again, fine recordings from 2004 featuring Edward and Phil improvising with “The Whispering Wall” album in mind. It’s wild and loud and at times utterly uplifting. Again, this one comes recommended. All pieces unreleased and unheard outside Chez Dots.

A TOQ CDR..it costs 13.50 Euros plus postage. Availability IMMINENT.

Ordering Instructions (scroll to bottom of page)

New Releases

EDWARD KA-SPEL/The Painted River of Regrets (vinyl LP)
Just released by Beta-Lactam Ring records in an edition of 300 copies. A delirious voyage to a melancholy corner of the universe. It costs 20 Euros plus 8 for postage /packing inside Europe and 10 further afield.

Also recent…
1. LEGENDARY PINK DOTS / Plutonium Blonde CD… we think it’s a landmark. Available now: 15 Euros.
2. EDWARD KA-SPEL / Dream Logik 1-3 (4 x LP plus exclusive CD)… a vinyl box set in an edition of 400 copies encompassing the entire Dream Logik project… Seriously beautiful. It will be available in October. It costs 65 Euros (plus 12 for postage inside Europe and 18 outside).
3. LEGENDARY PINK DOTS / Chemical playschool 8&9 (2CD)… seems to have been out-of-print forever. Now reissued by Beta-lactam Ring as gloriously as you’d expect from this fine label. Imminent… 20 Euros (plus 4 for postage inside Europe and 6 outside).
4. The T-shirts… two of them and thank you to those who designed them and everybody else who entered the competition. They cost 25 Euros each but please enquire about availability and sizes.
5. MARTIJN DE KLEER / The Stranger it gets (Part One) CDR… basement recordings from the 90s in five dimensional lysergic glory. Touching acoustic songs, explosive space exploration. Lovingly home-made CDR release- an hour of music. It costs 15 Euros.
6. MARTIJN DE KLEER / The Stranger it gets (Part Two) CDR… second installment of the stranger basement tapes. 15 Euros.
7. THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS / Alchemical Playschool CD only… regular edition of long out-of-print and screamingly rare release. 15 Euros.
8. THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS / Live in Paris 2007 CDR… probably the best sounding live release in the Dots’ history. A remarkable night. 15 Euros.

Ordering Instructions (scroll to bottom of page)

Reissues

1. THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS / Brighter Now … CD reissue from Big Blue (Poland) with different artwork to original.Only edition currently available. 15 Euros (available now)
2. THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS / 9 Lives to Wonder… CD reissue from Big Blue (Poland ) with different artwork to original.Only edition currently available. 15 Euros (available now)
3.THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS / Poppy Variations… CD reissue from Big Blue (Poland) with different artwork – lyrics booklet included. 15 Euros (available now).

Ordering Instructions (scroll to bottom of page)

Concert News

15 October MOSCOW /IKRA (RU)
12 November PARIS/ Le Klub (FR)
13 November PARIS/Le klub (FR)

We intend to tour Europe in late October/early November. If you have tips for venues please write to l_khata [at] yahoo[dot] com.

Check our official tour schedule for updated information.

Friends and relations

Keep your eyes peeled for a new CD by long term LPD friends PHALLUS DEI who recently reunited to record a glorious CD. Highlight for me was the performance of guest John Walker (of Walker Brothers fame) who produces a vocal so touching it brought tears to these eyes.

A link

We’d like to bring your attention to www.loveandloudcolours.com… this is a website dedicated to Edward Ka-Spel’s book of lyrics which was released a few years ago. The site has been updated and visitors will find a section where Edward reveals the origins for many of his outpourings.

Beautiful things that came our way

ES/ Sateenkaarisuudelma
Available as a beautiful double album release and as a double CD. Quite honestly if the amount of love and devotion poured into this album was contagious (I hope it is) then we could seriously talk about the dawn of a New Age of earth. Nothing sweet here, this is music that lifts the listener to a place he or she probably hoped would exist but somehow doubted it. I had to think of the best work of Terry Riley at odd (golden) moments, but that would be a lazy comparison ultimately.

Much has been written about the “Finnish free folk” movement, and there are an awful lot of releases out there which carry this categorization. My recommendation is to dive into the ocean with confidence… but this is a good place to start from.

KEMIALLISET YSTAVAT… anything
Just what is in the water in Finland? I confess I’m completely hooked on the music that emerges from a small community of musicians and non-musicians in this remote Northern country. Rarely have I heard such a glorious union of technology and anti-technology .Rarely have I encountered such care, such feeling in modern music… Ah, I’m ranting… Kemialliset Ystavat is a wonderful, special and unique band and I heartily recommend their entire catalogue. Check out releases on Fonal records, Secret Eye records and Beta-lactam ring records (Thanks to Chris at BLRR for introducing me to this group).

UTON… anything
Also from Finland… A myriad of fantastic releases in all formats. Dig for a new perspective, you will not regret this….

SVARTBAG
I was given this CD by a kind record store owner in Copenhagen, and what a beauty it is!!! Perhaps there are echoes of the sadly missed Godspeed You Black Emperor, but that comparison does this Danish band a disservice. Very much an individual sound to this CD on the Rump Recordings label. Charged, ecstatic. Utterly uplifting in these sepia times.

THE JOHN MORAN CORPORATION
Sometimes a CD comes along that makes you want to fling open the windows and scream about to the rest of the World (only that would of course interfere with the beautiful music). In the case of John moran, it wasn’t one but 2 albums that turned up in the mail box.. Psychedelic in the broadest sense, tuneful, intelligent, happy, sad – don’t know where to stop. John is from Australia and his CDs are on the Puzzle Factory label. Seek him out, and buy his music – you will not regret this.

UN FESTIN SAGITAL
Title: Epitafio a la Permanencia
Imagine Christian Vander and Pierre Henry collaborating on a lost masterpiece when they were both at the peaks of their powers… Imagine the master tape turning up in Chile… Imagine it’s reputation preceded it and turned out to be EVEN BETTER. Un Festin Sagital is a group I’d never heard of before, but I reckon I’ll spend the next few years hearing them again and again such is the depth of this debut. Purchase from < www.blrrecords.com > now before it vanishes.

ARIEL KALMA
Beta-Lactam Ring has given Ariels’ first insanely rare album a long overdue re-release and it’s a glory. Lots of beautiful bonus material as well. We loved this record for years at Chez Dots… Hearing it with this kind of clarity was akin to waking up after a long Winter’s sleep.

posted by Edward

09/04/2009  September 2009 Newsletter

September the first.

It’s shockingly early. Breakfast News on the TV tells me that the traditional lightbulb is now illegal in the European Union. Right now lightbulb police are patrolling the neighbourhood, dim torches are being poked through letter boxes, a fleet of bombers are heading towards Las Vegas. It’s dark outside and here I am typing a newsletter when I should be asleep.

Plenty of news here as we’ve been hard at it throughout the Summer. Tour plans are still sketchy though as promises of shows hang in the air right now. Something has to give in this respect soon. Anyhow, here goes……

IMPORTANT: CHANGE OF ADDRESS ALERT!!!!!

The Pink Dots postbox address is no longer active. Write directly to the band at this address from now on….

LEGENDARY PINK DOTS
c/o Philip Knight
Bloemenhof 16-1
6663 BL LENT
THE NETHERLANDS

LEGENDARY PINK DOTS 30th Anniversary Tour – Initial shows

15 Oct – MOSCOW/Ikra (RU)
19 Oct – HAMBURG/ Logo (D) – to be confirmed
21 Oct – OSLO /Cafe Mono (N)-to be confirmed
22 Oct – MALMO or STOCKHOLM (S) -to be confirmed
23 Oct – GOTHENBURG (S) – to be confirmed
24 Oct – BREMEN
30 Oct-1 Nov – Czech Republic
2-7 Nov – Poland
8 Nov – MINSK (BY)- to be confirmed
12 Nov – PARIS – Le Klub (F)
13 Nov – PARIS – Le Klub (F)
15 Nov – LONDON – Bardens Boudoir (UK)

Check our official tour schedule for updated information.

IMMINENT NEW RELEASES

THE TEAR GARDEN – Have a Nice Trip (CD)
Now finished and primed for production in the near future. Songs composed and recorded in Los Angeles early in 2008. A sumptuous audio rollercoaster. Pre-orders from TEKA now being taken – 20 Euros plus postage.

EDWARD KA-SPEL – Trapped in Amber (LP)
Limited Vinyl only release from EK on the Dutch Plinkity Plonk label. Colourful and precious, a natural follow-up to “Painted River of Regrets”. Pre-orders being accepted now – 20 Euros plus postage.

EDWARD KA-SPEL – Dream Loops (CD)
Originally planned as a CDR release on TEKA, it was decided to make it a silver disc on Beta-Lactam Ring Records after a chat between Edward and Chris at the label. All proceeds go towards a good cause (go to www.blrrecords.com for full details). No pre-orders on this one from TEKA – go to Beta-Lactam Records to reserve. It will be available from TEKA when officially released on October 1.

THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS – The Maria Sessions (CDR)
Back in 1991 , every note played by the Dots was captured on a tape recorder which was literally never switched off. Some of the more inspired improvisations were worked on and turned into songs which found their way on the Maria Dimension album.

This CDR captures the very best of those sessions and features some of the most wonderful guitar work from Bob Pistoor that you’ll ever hear. A perfect companion release to Maria Dimensionitself, this literally brought tears to our eyes when we played the finished version recently. Highly highly recommended – everything unreleased and unheard outside the Dots.

A TOQ CDR… it costs 13.50 Euros plus postage.

THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS – Human Radio (CDR)
A radio broadcast in 2002 before a tiny audience in an Amsterdam cafe. Crystal clear recordings interspersed with snippets of interview plus the material the Dots played in the cafe AFTER the radio show was finished. Songs included are “Isis Veiled”, “Our Dominion”, “12th”, “The More it stays the same” and a few others. A quiet beauty…. This TOQ CDR costs 13.50 Euros plus postage.

EDWARD KA-SPEL/THE SILVERMAN – The Whispering Wail (CDR)
Fine recordings from 2004 featuring Edward and Phil improvising with “The Whispering Wall” album in mind. It’s wild and loud and at times utterly uplifting. Again, this one comes recommended. All pieces unreleased and unheard outside Chez Dots. A TOQ CDR..it costs 13.50 euros plus postage.

EDWARD KA-SPEL – The Painted River of Regrets (vinyl LP)
Just released by Beta-Lactam Ring records in an edition of 300 copies. A delirious voyage to a melancholy corner of the universe. It costs 20 Euros plus 8 for postage /packing inside Europe and 10 further afield.

Ordering Instructions (scroll to bottom of page)

 REISSUED!

EDWARD KA-SPEL – O’er a Shalabaster Tyde Stroll’t ay (CD)
Remastered and gloriously repackaged, this album is available once more after being out-of-print for a long time. 15 Euros plus postage.

EDWARD KA-SPEL – Chyekk China Doll (CD)
The remaster of this is quite remarkable, it never sounded this good in the past. New bonus tracks added and newly covered up – possibly the finest release so far in the ongoing reissue series. Expect in October/November.

Ordering Instructions (scroll to bottom of page)

 BACK IN STOCK!!

THE TEAR GARDEN – Eye Spy with my little Eye (CD)
Just a few back here at TEKA. 20 euros plus postage.

THE TEAR GARDEN – The Secret Experiment (CD)
Also a handful in the cupboard. 20 Euros plus postage.

EDWARD KA-SPEL – The Blue Room (double LP with bonus 4th side)
Just 3 copies. 25 Euros plus postage

Ordering Instructions (scroll to bottom of page)

 LOVE AND LOUD COLOURS – The lyrics of Edward Ka-Spel

We’d like to bring your attention to www.loveandloudcolours.com… this is a website dedicated to Edward Ka-Spel’s book of lyrics which was released a few years ago. The site has been updated and visitors will find a section where Edward reveals the origins for many of his outpourings.

Beautiful things that came our way

ES/ Sateenkaarisuudelma
Available as a beautiful double album release and as a double CD. Quite honestly if the amount of love and devotion poured into this album was contagious (I hope it is) then we could seriously talk about the dawn of a New Age of earth. Nothing sweet here, this is music that lifts the listener to a place he or she probably hoped would exist but somehow doubted it. I had to think of the best work of Terry Riley at odd (golden) moments, but that would be a lazy comparison ultimately.

Much has been written about the “Finnish free folk” movement, and there are an awful lot of releases out there which carry this categorization. My recommendation is to dive into the ocean with confidence… but this is a good place to start from.

SVARTBAG
I was given this CD by a kind record store owner in Copenhagen, and what a beauty it is!!! Perhaps there are echoes of the sadly missed Godspeed You Black Emperor, but that comparison does this Danish band a disservice. Very much an individual sound to this CD on the Rump Recordings label. Charged, ecstatic. Utterly uplifting in these sepia times.

THE JOHN MORAN CORPORATION
Sometimes a CD comes along that makes you want to fling open the windows and scream about to the rest of the World (only that would of course interfere with the beautiful music). In the case of John moran, it wasn’t one but 2 albums that turned up in the mail box.. Psychedelic in the broadest sense, tuneful, intelligent, happy, sad – don’t know where to stop. John is from Australia and his CDs are on the Puzzle Factory label. Seek him out, and buy his music – you will not regret this.

UN FESTIN SAGITAL
Title: Epitafio a la Permanencia
Imagine Christian Vander and Pierre Henry collaborating on a lost masterpiece when they were both at the peaks of their powers… Imagine the master tape turning up in Chile… Imagine it’s reputation preceded it and turned out to be EVEN BETTER. Un Festin Sagital is a group I’d never heard of before, but I reckon I’ll spend the next few years hearing them again and again such is the depth of this debut. Purchase from < www.blrrecords.com > now before it vanishes.

ARIEL KALMA
Beta-Lactam Ring has given Ariels’ first insanely rare album a long overdue re-release and it’s a glory. Lots of beautiful bonus material as well. We loved this record for years at Chez Dots… Hearing it with this kind of clarity was akin to waking up after a long Winter’s sleep.

MORE TO COME SOON!!

posted by Edward

09/14/2009  Strange Attractor – Mettle European Tour 2009

After a year producing and recording new material, Strange Attractor hits the road again in the fall of 2009 to embark on their 4th European Tour since 2006.

The trio – Niels van Hoorn, Richard van Kruysdijk and Marie-Claudine – will be performing a blend of new and older songs. Of course they will play songs from their latest, critically acclaimed CD ‘Mettle”, along with some brand new songs from their upcoming mini-CD ‘Youth.

This 4-track mini-CD has become a precious gem. The crown of this release is their beautiful cover of the Soft Cell classic ‘Youth’, that could be classified as dark-lounge.

Strange Attractor is known for their special and spontaneous live arrangements, making each concert a unique happening instead of a reproduction of the songs as they were recorded. Shifting from subtle electronic ‘songscapes’ to monumental triphop songs, Strange Attractor has created their own musical blend of modern jazz and new wave tingled triphop. The attraction of their live performance is built around the warm, soulful vocals of Marie-Claudine, the diverse wind instruments of ‘natural born performer’ Niels, and the energetic acoustic and electronic drumming of Richard.

Come out and see the shows!

posted by Lisette

10/26/2009  November 2009 Newsletter

October 26, and a rare day off so I’ll be brief… The tour is underway; the set we play is slowly mutating (for those who asked, that was a new version of “Choke” that we played in Oslo and Malmo). Many more surprises planned and I’d like to say thanks to Anna and Greg and everyone who made that night in Moscow so special – it will be hard to top that!

A show in Vilnius is the latest confirmation, and already plans are being laid for Part Two of the tour. Watch this space!

 LEGENDARY PINK DOTS 30th Anniversary Tour

Check our tour schedule for updated information.

We are still keen to play in Minsk, and it will happen – but in 2010. Belarus is a country which needs a special approach when it comes to organizing concerts and we have complete faith in the energetic little agency which wants to make this show happen. We will keep you posted.

The second part of the 30th Anniversary Tour will be in Spring 2010, while it will be concluded in the USA/Canada in the Fall next year.

IMMINENT NEW RELEASES

THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS – Live 1991 DVD-R
Filmed with one camera in LPDs home town of Nijmegen. Hugely nostalgic (one of Martijn’s first shows) and very wild and intimidating at a time when “Maria Dimension” was new. Consider this as a companion release to “The Maria Sessions”. Available from TEKA in mid-November and on tour before then. Price: 15 Euros plus postage.

THE TEAR GARDEN – Have a Nice Trip (CD)
Now finished and primed for production in the near future. Songs composed and recorded in Los Angeles early in 2008. A sumptuous audio rollercoaster. Pre-orders from TEKA now being taken – 20 Euros plus postage.

EDWARD KA-SPEL – Trapped in Amber (LP)
Limited Vinyl only release from EK on the Dutch Plinkity Plonk label. Colourful and precious, a natural follow-up to “Painted River of Regrets”. Pre-orders being accepted now – 20 Euros plus postage.

EDWARD KA-SPEL – Dream Loops (CD)
Originally planned as a CDR release on TEKA, it was decided to make it a silver disc on Beta-Lactam Ring Records after a chat between Edward and Chris at the label. All proceeds go towards a good cause (go to www.blrrecords.com for full details). No pre-orders on this one from TEKA – go to Beta-Lactam Records to reserve. It will be available from TEKA when officially released on October 1.

THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS – The Maria Sessions (CDR)
Back in 1991 , every note played by the Dots was captured on a tape recorder which was literally never switched off. Some of the more inspired improvisations were worked on and turned into songs which found their way on the Maria Dimension album.

This CDR captures the very best of those sessions and features some of the most wonderful guitar work from Bob Pistoor that you’ll ever hear. A perfect companion release to Maria Dimensionitself, this literally brought tears to our eyes when we played the finished version recently. Highly highly recommended – everything unreleased and unheard outside the Dots.

A TOQ CDR… it costs 13.50 Euros plus postage.

THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS – Human Radio (CDR)
A radio broadcast in 2002 before a tiny audience in an Amsterdam cafe. Crystal clear recordings interspersed with snippets of interview plus the material the Dots played in the cafe AFTER the radio show was finished. Songs included are “Isis Veiled”, “Our Dominion”, “12th”, “The More it stays the same” and a few others. A quiet beauty…. This TOQ CDR costs 13.50 Euros plus postage.

EDWARD KA-SPEL/THE SILVERMAN – The Whispering Wail (CDR)
Fine recordings from 2004 featuring Edward and Phil improvising with “The Whispering Wall” album in mind. It’s wild and loud and at times utterly uplifting. Again, this one comes recommended. All pieces unreleased and unheard outside Chez Dots. A TOQ CDR..it costs 13.50 euros plus postage.

EDWARD KA-SPEL – The Painted River of Regrets (vinyl LP)
Just released by Beta-Lactam Ring records in an edition of 300 copies. A delirious voyage to a melancholy corner of the universe. It costs 20 Euros plus 8 for postage /packing inside Europe and 10 further afield.

Ordering Instructions (scroll to bottom of page)

REISSUED!

EDWARD KA-SPEL – O’er a Shalabaster Tyde Stroll’t ay (CD)
Remastered and gloriously repackaged, this album is available once more after being out-of-print for a long time. 15 Euros plus postage.

EDWARD KA-SPEL – Chyekk China Doll (CD)
The remaster of this is quite remarkable, it never sounded this good in the past. New bonus tracks added and newly covered up – possibly the finest release so far in the ongoing reissue series. Expect in October/November.

Ordering Instructions (scroll to bottom of page)

 BACK IN STOCK!!

THE TEAR GARDEN – Eye Spy with my little Eye (CD)
Just a few back here at TEKA. 20 euros plus postage.

THE TEAR GARDEN – The Secret Experiment (CD)
Also a handful in the cupboard. 20 Euros plus postage.

EDWARD KA-SPEL – The Blue Room (double LP with bonus 4th side)
Just 3 copies. 25 Euros plus postage

Ordering Instructions (scroll to bottom of page)

 LOVE AND LOUD COLOURS – The lyrics of Edward Ka-Spel

We’d like to bring your attention to www.loveandloudcolours.com… this is a website dedicated to Edward Ka-Spel’s book of lyrics which was released a few years ago. The site has been updated and visitors will find a section where Edward reveals the origins for many of his outpourings.

Beautiful things that came our way

Mag
Watch this space for details concerning this incendiary solo girl performer from Sweden. She opened for us in Malmo and I’m still scraping my jaw from the floor after dragging it all the way back to The Netherlands. Marvelous, hugely inventive….words aren’t enough.

ES/ Sateenkaarisuudelma
Available as a beautiful double album release and as a double CD. Quite honestly if the amount of love and devotion poured into this album was contagious (I hope it is) then we could seriously talk about the dawn of a New Age of earth. Nothing sweet here, this is music that lifts the listener to a place he or she probably hoped would exist but somehow doubted it. I had to think of the best work of Terry Riley at odd (golden) moments, but that would be a lazy comparison ultimately.

Much has been written about the “Finnish free folk” movement, and there are an awful lot of releases out there which carry this categorization. My recommendation is to dive into the ocean with confidence… but this is a good place to start from.

SVARTBAG
I was given this CD by a kind record store owner in Copenhagen, and what a beauty it is!!! Perhaps there are echoes of the sadly missed Godspeed You Black Emperor, but that comparison does this Danish band a disservice. Very much an individual sound to this CD on the Rump Recordings label. Charged, ecstatic. Utterly uplifting in these sepia times.

THE JOHN MORAN CORPORATION
Sometimes a CD comes along that makes you want to fling open the windows and scream about to the rest of the World (only that would of course interfere with the beautiful music). In the case of John moran, it wasn’t one but 2 albums that turned up in the mail box.. Psychedelic in the broadest sense, tuneful, intelligent, happy, sad – don’t know where to stop. John is from Australia and his CDs are on the Puzzle Factory label. Seek him out, and buy his music – you will not regret this.

UN FESTIN SAGITAL
Title: Epitafio a la Permanencia
Imagine Christian Vander and Pierre Henry collaborating on a lost masterpiece when they were both at the peaks of their powers… Imagine the master tape turning up in Chile… Imagine it’s reputation preceded it and turned out to be EVEN BETTER. Un Festin Sagital is a group I’d never heard of before, but I reckon I’ll spend the next few years hearing them again and again such is the depth of this debut. Purchase from < www.blrrecords.com > now before it vanishes.

ARIEL KALMA
Beta-Lactam Ring has given Ariels’ first insanely rare album a long overdue re-release and it’s a glory. Lots of beautiful bonus material as well. We loved this record for years at Chez Dots… Hearing it with this kind of clarity was akin to waking up after a long Winter’s sleep.

MORE TO COME SOON!!

posted by Edward

11/26/2009  December 2009 Newsletter

 The first part of our 30th Anniversary was always going to be tough. So many shows were confirmed at the last moment that sometimes the band felt like it was crossing into an unknown dimension rather than simply travelling to another city. We slept on floors, in dormitories and sometimes in the middle of a 10 hour drive (though thankfully not the long suffering driver).

Despite all of that, people turned out in force to watch the Dots; performances frequently had that edge of intensity that perhaps only extreme adversity can produce. Now that brief month (which felt like a year) is over and planning is underway for part 2. More old and new songs will be in the set next Spring. The year 2010 is not simply LPDs 30th Anniversary, it will mark the beginning of a big, brave adventure. No other way – we hope you’ll join us….

TOUR SCHEDULE

Check our tour schedule for updated information.

 NEW RELEASES

THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS – Live 1991 DVD-R
Filmed with one camera in LPDs home town of Nijmegen. Hugely nostalgic (one of Martijn’s first shows) and very wild and intimidating at a time when “Maria Dimension” was new. Consider this as a companion release to “The Maria Sessions”. 15 Euros plus postage.

THE TEAR GARDEN – Have a Nice Trip (CD)
Now finished and primed for production in the near future. Songs composed and recorded in Los Angeles early in 2008. A sumptuous audio rollercoaster. 20 Euros plus postage.

EDWARD KA-SPEL – Trapped in Amber (LP)
Limited Vinyl only release from EK on the Dutch Plinkity Plonk label. Colourful and precious, a natural follow-up to “Painted River of Regrets”. 20 Euros plus postage.

EDWARD KA-SPEL – Dream Loops (CD)
Originally planned as a CDR release on TEKA, it was decided to make it a silver disc on Beta-Lactam Ring Records after a chat between Edward and Chris at the label. All proceeds go towards a a good cause (go to www.blrrecords.com for full details). 15 euros plus postage and packing. Delivery imminent.

THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS – The Maria Sessions (CDR)
Back in 1991 , every note played by the Dots was captured on a tape recorder which was literally never switched off. Some of the more inspired improvisations were worked on and turned into songs which found their way on the Maria Dimension album.

This CDR captures the very best of those sessions and features some of the most wonderful guitar work from Bob Pistoor that you’ll ever hear. A perfect companion release to Maria Dimensionitself, this literally brought tears to our eyes when we played the finished version recently. Highly highly recommended – everything unreleased and unheard outside the Dots.

A TOQ CDR… it costs 13.50 Euros plus postage.

THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS – Human Radio (CDR)
A radio broadcast in 2002 before a tiny audience in an Amsterdam cafe. Crystal clear recordings interspersed with snippets of interview plus the material the Dots played in the cafe AFTER the radio show was finished. Songs included are “Isis Veiled”, “Our Dominion”, “12th”, “The More it stays the same” and a few others. A quiet beauty…. This TOQ CDR costs 13.50 Euros plus postage.

EDWARD KA-SPEL/THE SILVERMAN – The Whispering Wail (CDR)
Fine recordings from 2004 featuring Edward and Phil improvising with “The Whispering Wall” album in mind. It’s wild and loud and at times utterly uplifting. Again, this one comes recommended. All pieces unreleased and unheard outside Chez Dots. A TOQ CDR..it costs 13.50 Euros plus postage.

EDWARD KA-SPEL – The Painted River of Regrets (vinyl LP)
Just released by Beta-Lactam Ring records in an edition of 300 copies. A delirious voyage to a melancholy corner of the universe. It costs 20 Euros plus 8 for postage /packing inside Europe and 10 further afield.

Ordering Instructions (scroll to bottom of page)

REISSUED!

EDWARD KA-SPEL – O’er a Shalabaster Tyde Stroll’t ay (CD)
Remastered and gloriously repackaged, this album is available once more after being out-of-print for a long time. 15 Euros plus postage.

EDWARD KA-SPEL – Chyekk China Doll (CD)
The remaster of this is quite remarkable, it never sounded this good in the past. New bonus tracks added and newly covered up – possibly the finest release so far in the ongoing reissue series. Expect in January/February.

LEGENDARY PINK DOTS – Synesthesia (CD)
Reissued by Big Blue records (Poland) with a new cover.15 euros plus postage.

LEGENDARY PINK DOTS – From Here you’ll watch the World go by (CD)
Reissued by Big Blue records (Poland) with a new cover. 15 Euros plus postage.

Ordering Instructions (scroll to bottom of page)

BACK IN STOCK!!

THE TEAR GARDEN – Eye Spy with my little Eye (CD)
Only 1 left! 20 Euros plus postage.

THE TEAR GARDEN – The Secret Experiment (CD)
A handful in the cupboard. 20 Euros plus postage.

THE TEAR GARDEN – For Those Who Walk With The Gods (CD)
Ultra-rare Russian collection of Tear Garden’s earlier works with 3 exclusive bonus cuts. The last few in the World in stock at TEKA – 20 Euros plus postage.

LEGENDARY PINK DOTS-Poi Poka Mozezh (CD)
Rare Russian compilation including a couple of exclusive bonus tracks – 20 Euros plus postage.

RUSSIAN EDITIONS (with unique covers)

LEGENDARY PINK DOTS – All the Kings Horses – 15 Euros

LEGENDARY PINK DOTS – Crushed Velvet Apocalypse – 10 Euros. SPECIAL OFFER

LEGENDARY PINK DOTS – I did not Inhale (comp) – 15 Euros

EDWARD KA-SPEL – Kissing Frogs is Fine (comp with rare and exclusive tracks)- 15 Euros

Ordering Instructions (scroll to bottom of page)

 LOVE AND LOUD COLOURS – The lyrics of Edward Ka-Spel

We’d like to bring your attention to www.loveandloudcolours.com… this is a website dedicated to Edward Ka-Spel’s book of lyrics which was released a few years ago. The site has been updated and visitors will find a section where Edward reveals the origins for many of his outpourings.

 AN EVENT

The mighty LARD FREE is reforming for a show at Magasin 4 in Brussels, Belgium on 14 December. This is an event not to be missed.

Opening for the legendary Parisian outfit is Marteau Rouge with Evan Parker, while Steve Stapleton will be dj for the night. Contact www.metaphon.be for more information.

BEAUTIFUL THINGS that came our way

FREDERIK GROENER & TIMO VAN LUIJK-Voile au Vent (vinyl LP)
Just released- this is a record of astonishing beauty. The first side made me feel like I was tiptoeing through a magical garden at twilight, the second cast me out into a forgotten sea. Timo is an improviser of the first order – everything he creates is worthy of your attention, but if you start anywhere, then start HERE. It’s limited as well, so be fast! It can be ordered directly from Timo at this address: tivalu (at) telenet (dot) be

Mag
Watch this space for details concerning this incendiary solo girl performer from Sweden. She opened for us in Malmo and I’m still scraping my jaw from the floor after dragging it all the way back to The Netherlands. Marvelous, hugely inventive…. words aren’t enough.

ES/ Sateenkaarisuudelma
Available as a beautiful double album release and as a double CD. Quite honestly if the amount of love and devotion poured into this album was contagious (I hope it is) then we could seriously talk about the dawn of a New Age of earth. Nothing sweet here, this is music that lifts the listener to a place he or she probably hoped would exist but somehow doubted it. I had to think of the best work of Terry Riley at odd (golden) moments, but that would be a lazy comparison ultimately.

Much has been written about the “Finnish free folk” movement, and there are an awful lot of releases out there which carry this categorization. My recommendation is to dive into the ocean with confidence… but this is a good place to start from.

SVARTBAG
I was given this CD by a kind record store owner in Copenhagen, and what a beauty it is!!! Perhaps there are echoes of the sadly missed Godspeed You Black Emperor, but that comparison does this Danish band a disservice. Very much an individual sound to this CD on the Rump Recordings label. Charged, ecstatic. Utterly uplifting in these sepia times.

THE JOHN MORAN CORPORATION
Sometimes a CD comes along that makes you want to fling open the windows and scream about to the rest of the World (only that would of course interfere with the beautiful music). In the case of John moran, it wasn’t one but 2 albums that turned up in the mail box.. Psychedelic in the broadest sense, tuneful, intelligent, happy, sad – don’t know where to stop. John is from Australia and his CDs are on the Puzzle Factory label. Seek him out, and buy his music – you will not regret this.

UN FESTIN SAGITAL
Title: Epitafio a la Permanencia
Imagine Christian Vander and Pierre Henry collaborating on a lost masterpiece when they were both at the peaks of their powers… Imagine the master tape turning up in Chile… Imagine it’s reputation preceded it and turned out to be EVEN BETTER. Un Festin Sagital is a group I’d never heard of before, but I reckon I’ll spend the next few years hearing them again and again such is the depth of this debut. Purchase from < www.blrrecords.com > now before it vanishes.

ARIEL KALMA
Beta-Lactam Ring has given Ariels’ first insanely rare album a long overdue re-release and it’s a glory. Lots of beautiful bonus material as well. We loved this record for years at Chez Dots… Hearing it with this kind of clarity was akin to waking up after a long Winter’s sleep.

posted by Edward