ghedalia tazartes: repas froid

An extraordinary combination of culled found and taped fragments juxtaposed against drums, field recordings and mystery noises, sound loops, birdsong, keyboards and emanations of Ghédalia Tazartès' own throaty drones and voice propelled by hypnotic, ritualistic rhythms balanced on a razor-sharp edge. This is the complete work of Repas Froid; previously released on CD in 2009 as brief tracks of source material and a palette of various sounds. It includes archival and as of yet previously-unreleased recordings from the late 1970s and early 1980s, strung together to form two long compositions. A French musician of Turkish parentage, Ghédalia Tazartès is an uncompromising character who defies categorization. Born in 1947 in Paris, he is one of France's most idiosyncratic talents. He has spent over 30 years within musical practice and experimentation, letting his musical work wander from chant to rhythm, from one voice to another. Manipulating magnetic tape recorders into a rough collage and loose ethno-instrumental mulch, he paves the way for the electric and the vocal paths, between the muezzin psalmody and the screaming of a rocker. He traces vague landscapes where the mitre of the white clown, the plumes of the sorcerer, the helmet of a cop and Parisian anhydride collide into polyphonic ceremonies. The LP is mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering, in a limited edition repress of 350 copies, pressed on 140 gram vinyl and comes in a poly-lined inner sleeve. It is packaged in a pro-press color jacket which itself is housed in a silk-screened PVC sleeve with artwork by Kathryn Politis and Bill Kouligas.