deep listening band: needle drop jungle

May 30th, 2012 marked the 80th birthday of American visionary musician Pauline Oliveros. Needle Drop Jungle is a continuation of the celebration. Together with bandmates Stuart Dempster and David Gamper, Oliveros and company churned up a vigorous storm at their January 2011 residency in Seattle, captured on this double vinyl release. With the help of staff at DXArts, the Deep Listening Band recorded impromptu downpours unhindered by technical issues, a peak in their collective creative output. Suddenly and unexpectedly, David Gamper died on September 27th, 2011. Needle Drop Jungle thus includes the brightest moments from what have sadly become the last recordings of this exceptional trio. Along with the simultaneously released Pauline Oliveros Primordial/Lift 2LP, this title completes a tetralogy of Oliveros releases on Taiga that started with the Deep Listening Band Then & Now and Timeless Pulse Trio 2LPs. Needle Drop Jungle was mastered by James Plotkin, cut direct to metal and pressed on 200 gram virgin vinyl in an edition of 500. It comes packaged in a double-wide raw brown cardstock jacket with essays by the band and a flooded pocket. The jacket is encased in a custom slipcase, with gorgeous photographs by Michael S. Carlson from deep within the expansive Taiga forest's southern edge.