PAK- Bestial

 

PAK - Bestial is a surreal and cerebral experience. Feeling simultaneously both free-form and focused, familiar but unaccustomed, border-free but not without direction, the album flows through white-knuckled rhythm whiplash, otherworldly tones, tranquil plains of organic rock, and straight-up slamming, jarring jams. Seven expansive, explosive songs harness more than fifty-two minutes of immersive metallic, experimental rock, much of which remains primarily instrumental.

Produced by Ron Anderson, Bestial was recorded in two days in September 2018, captured at Menegroth, The Thousand Caves, in Queens, New York City with Colin Marston. The album was mixed and mastered by Anderson and completed with artwork by Will Argunas and layout by Greg Meisenberg. PAK is definitely back, and Bestial is a must-hear for fans of John Zorn, Dysrhythmia, Melvins, Mörglbl, Stinking Lizaveta, Gore, and other noncompliant and exploratory acts.

Bestial is now available on all digital platforms, and in a four-panel eco-wallet CD alongside merch and bundle options http://nefariousindustries.com/releases/nef-48
https://ronanderson.bandcamp.com

PAK - Bestial CD

 

Oblique Quartet - Tlaloc Beat

  Tlaloc Beat is the debut CD by Oblique Quartet which was founded in 2014 in Mexico City. Oblique’s music incorporates apparently unrelated styles like rock, noise and free improvisation to build a magical crazy aural realm. Inspired by the human offerings made to Tlaloc, the god of rain in Aztec civilization, Tlaloc Beat is a sonic mayhem featuring screaming guitar of Ron Anderson, synth noise-swirls of Marco Fierro, hypnotic bass of Carlos Fierro (Stalaktos) and lightning-fast grooving drums of Azael Gonzalez (Jolliete, Kill Aniston).  Oblique Quartet explores the depths of Tenochtitlan with a mix between Merbow and Black Flag.

PAK - Secret Curve (CD) - Tzadik

Ron Anderson's PAK - Secret Curve -  More than two years in the making, no guitar, no voice, powerful, complex and filled with unpredictable avant-rock surprises.  For this recording PAK is Ron Anderson - bass  Keith Abrams - drums  Tim Byrnes - trumpet and keyboards.  With Special guests Anthony Coleman - piano  Jerome Noetinger - electronics, tape manipulation  Eve Risser - piano  Tom Swafford - violin  Stefan Zeniuk - clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone, bass saxophone, english horn.

 From the Tzadik website: "Ron Anderson is a multi-instrumentalist intuitive music maker whose compositions, bands, collaborations and solo projects combine heavy rock intensity with improvisation and a level of compositional complexity rarely matched. For his third CD with his band PAK, he has avoided the electric guitar and orchestrated a rich and orchestral sound with keyboards, strings, horns and electronics. One of the most maddening releases he has ever created, Secret Curve is mind blower, and one of Ron's masterpieces. Featuring some of the best players out of the downtown scene, it is a brilliant new direction for this brave musical explorer who has worked with artists as diverse as Elliott Sharp, Sun City Girls, Otomo Yoshihide, James Chance and Haco."  label - Tzadik

PAK - The Ashfield Sessions (CDR)

PAK - The Ashfield Sessions - 43 minute CDR is a rough demo of some of the music on Secret Curve.  This is a limited Edition with only 150 hand numbered copies made for the 2008 European Tour.  Ron Anderson - bass and voice, Keith Abrams - drums, Tim Byrnes - Trumpet and Voice. Only a few copies left.

"Pak, live 3/28 at the Stone, was quite a show. The newly formed version of Pak might have left some wondering what would happen without Jesse Krakow, but the new line-up shows that this isn't an imitation of the old, but a wholly new thing. Varying amounts of frantic, synchronized playing (as expected), more ambient noise pieces (less expected), some nice established grooves (think parts of L'Hotel Plastique), chess references, keyboard sounds that brought back memories of Mr Bungle's first album, some synchronized sax and trumpet playing, a nigh-hardcore song in Spanish, an amazing drum solo in a time signature that felt like it might be 29/16 or 31/16, and equipment emitting an interesting plastic smoky smell made for a memorable night. The new Pak has a tendency to fall into grooves more easily than the old (Ron is a bassist now!), which makes for a different sound - not a bad thing at all." - Alex Lozupone
 

The Molecules - Friends (CD/CDR) Ra Sounds

The Molecules - Friends.   This 2-pack contains a 68 minute CD of unreleased new music and a full length DVD of video performances of all three versions of the band.  In 1997-98 Ron Anderson, Thomas Scandura and John Shiurba recorded and assembled a huge amount of work for a triple CD called Complete Self Indulgence that was never released.  The music was one third composed "songs", one third studio improvisations and one third live recordings from European and USA tours.  These recordings have been edited down to one powerful CD called FriendsFriends is mainly the composed "songs" and should prove to be one of the most challenging avant- rock recordings ever made.  At times tonal and melodic, but most other times atonal with odd tempo time signatures or even non- rhythmic parts that still seem somehow to have a groove, all performed with a "rock" attitude.  There are also some great performances by some special guests. Carla Kihlstedt from Sleepy Time Gorilla Museum (who also plays on the PAK Motel CD) plays on several tracks.  Aurora Rising, also on the CD, makes very good use of her training as a modern classical singer as well as an improviser.  Jason Willet mixes some improvised tracks recorded with that famous Megaphone Baltimore sound.  Friends is the tightest, most out, weirdest, avant-punk, prog, improv, noise - one hundred percent MOLECULES!

This project was started when Thomas Scandura got The Molecules video archives from Ron Anderson and spent many hours going through dozens of performances from 1990 ~ 1997.  The best and/or most interesting are found on the DVD, including performances with the three different bass players - Chris Millner, Ryo and John Shiurba.

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PAK - Motel (CD) Ra Sounds

PAK - Motel - PAK has a great new drummer on this recording, Keith Abrams (you know this if you have been lucky to catch a gig in NYC or have seen us on tour). Jesse Krakow on bass (who also works with Gary Lucus and his Captain Beefhart project Fast n'Bulbous and Time Of Orchids) and Keith form one of the most amazing rhythm sections I have ever heard. Many of the parts on the new PAK CD were written expressly with the idea to let these musicians fly!

There is also an array of special guests.  First ( from Sleepy Time Gorilla Museum) Carla Kihlstedt plays violin.  She recorded with The Molecules back in the California days, and can finally be here on the new Friends CD.  Needless to say Carla really burns it up on Motel.   There is also Tim Byrnes on trumpet.  Tim plays with the Friendly Bears (another New York band you should check out.)      
Stephen Gauci and Ross Bonadonna (Eric Mingus band) each make an appearance and do some great playing on their saxophones.

Even though for me, the most important thing on this CD is the disjoined avant-rock compositions. (Yes, I'm still working with crazy odd times like 13/8)  I guess I should tell you that my guitar playing on Motel is not too shabby, but well, OK, pretty damn great.  label/Ra Sounds

 "Punctuated by vocals this is really an instrumental record, and shows the tremendous skills of all involved. The interplay between the trio is incredible, and the recordings are so sharp that nothing is missed."  Squidco

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The Infusion - Red Horse (CD) Ra Sounds

 

 Red Horse is the second release from The Infusion (Anderson, Paquotte, Zekri). This CD was recorded after their performance at the Victoriaville festival in 2003. The music progresses from Camel Zekri's beautiful Algerian style guitar playing to hauntingly exotic soundscapes that then build using rhythmic complexities to create a powerful mesmerizing CD.  

 

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Blipvert - Triple Acid Foot (CD) Ra Sounds

  BlipVert is the moniker for composer/musician Will Redmond and who play second guitar on the first PAK cd. Triple Acid Foot is the debut solo release by Will that delivers high-energy electronic music that combines disjointed rhythms, ambient textures and raw inspired sounds. This is music without compromise or constraints, introducing new ideas at a blistering and frantic pace. With a new EP already in the works, BlipVert is sure to be stretching the boundaries of computer music for some time to come. label/Ra Sounds  

 

Ron Anderson and Jason Willett - Be The First On The Block To Eat The Snake(CD) Ra Sounds

Imagine if you can Joe Meek and Merzbow locked in a dusty old recording studio for a week with Sun Ra shaking his head, smiling, but then nodding with approval. Well, of course that will never happen but, Jason Willett (Megaphone Records, Jad Fair) and Ron Anderson did immerse themselves in a Baltimore studio with dozens of instruments and with the help of some friends produced this CD. At times almost pop music, other times more abstract rhythmic out rock, always fun. You need to eat the snake! "Recommended for spaced-out teens, or for aficionados of extremely avant garde noise-rock" Duncan Glenday - Sea Of Tranquility (Note: that there are 40 signed by RA and Jason Willett, numbered copies available only from this website)

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PAK - 100 Percent Human Hair (CD) Ra Sounds

100 Percent Human Hair is the first CD by the New York out rock ensemble PAK.  Complex, high energy, unpredictable. Produced by Elliott Sharp. "PAK mix Ruins, Magma, Zappa, Beefheart and other progressive influences into their own unique and often over-the-top prog blend. Extremely tight, intricate and constantly shifting through a myriad of ridiculous changes." Bruce - Downtown Music Gallery.


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