Bitchin Bajas

Formerly a side project, now definitely a band in their own right. This is a thread for them. RIYL Frippertronics, Terry Riley, Alice Coltane, cosmic yoga music.

you can listen to them here https://soundcloud.com/bitchin-bajas
not too long ago they had 47 followers on soundcloud, and now there are 144

here they are being bouncier than usual https://soundcloud.com/permanentrecords/bitchin-bajas-krausened-promo

here they are last year live in paris

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm1QgXdZrVk

i remember when this had under 50 views on youtube, now it has...1,944!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skNz1u9DUhI

also this is from their new album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_ciyUDlY0Q

bugger.
lp and cass only :(
stop with the elitist gumph, and press a few cds ...
would definitely buy.

i think they usually do downloads at the drag city site? it appears to be not on the site yet (since i guess technically the album is not for sale yet) but i wonder if they'll add that option once the release date comes and goes. unless you really wanted the CD, and in that case you appear to be out of luck.

i find it irritating that DC doesn't offer dl codes with vinyl purchase, but so be it

Damn, was hoping the was an I Love Style thread.

I really enjoyed their show last night. They don't hide their influences at all, but why should they?

picked up a split 45 they did with moon duo a couple years back. dug their track but let them slip in favor of whatever else. "bouncier" track up above is treating my saturday morning quite nicely.

yeah, DC's no free downloads policy sucks

omg i wrote alice COLTANE

you know what i meant

Wmc what was the rest of the show like? From listening to the record this morning they played side B in the second set. Was there more guitar?

The new record is fantastic. There is a multi cassette release in the works. The "no cd's" thing isn't elitism, they just prefer analog.

i'm not annoyed by what i perceive as elitism, i'm annoyed by not getting a download w the LP

seems like industry standard at this point

we're complaining about two separate issues (not making CDs, not offering download codes -- the latter is DC policy afaict, the former up to the band?)
either way, i'm looking forward to more people enjoying this band

There was a bit more guitar iirc, plus they brought in some percussion loops for the last piece. Pared down to 3 players for the 2nd half.

oh ok, so it was more like the regular show
good to know!
i'm glad you enjoyed it!

I liked that they did that song named after Water Wrackets, which is one of my favorite Peter Greenaway things. They have good taste obv!

haha I listened to that one on spotify, my mind wandered and I genuinely forgot that I wasn't actually listening to a terry riley album!

I dig this

I was stood in a record store earlier today holding a copy of Vibraquatic in my hands. I put it back in the rack though so I guess I flunked the test?

fuck yeah bitchin bajas!

Why didn't you buy it? That was the wrong choice.

They did a whole soundtrack for Water Wrackets!

cos i already had an armful of awesome records! also the cover art was a bit iffy. xp

Guess I can't argue with that. It's good though.

I bet it is! I actually got Water Wrackets off emusic and that was very good.

Pared down to 3 players for the 2nd half.

3rd dude played sax mainly or exclusively iirc. was good to see how different the main set was from what they're presumably normally like!

looking fwd to this. krausened is fantastic

Frippertronics / Alice etc is totes my wheelhouse but can't, won't, on principle, listen to a band that can't come up with a better name for themselves than Bitchin Bajas. Sorry. What if I choke to death on a cookie and this is the last thing they find on my turntable? "Looks like he checked out to...'Bitchin' Bajas.'"

I know, but you should still give it a try. It has been a few years and I've come around. I prescribe time and patience.

yeah, it's remarkably terrible. plus when they appeared, i was boycotting all beach-related band names & chill 80s ephemera in general. but the lecher's right. they're like harrison bergeron.

Don't call me that! Geez.

I know from having an unfortunate moniker, obvs. A lifelong burden!

all apologies. meant only in respectful jest.

Tell that to the Nestlé corporation, buddy :)

:)))

Frippertronics / Alice etc is totes my wheelhouse but can't, won't, on principle, listen to a band that can't come up with a better name for themselves than Bitchin Bajas. Sorry. What if I choke to death on a cookie and this is the last thing they find on my turntable? "Looks like he checked out to...'Bitchin' Bajas.'"

― Jimmywine Dyspeptic, Saturday, July 13, 2013 6:54 PM (1 month ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i think they are very deliberately trolling with their band name (and album titles). certainly evokes four non blondes or a jimmy buffett cover band much more than any of their musical reference points.

Saw them today, & despite them arriving late and only getting to play for ~20 minutes, it ruled. Nice mix of guitar, mostly sax (a little flute), and keyboard/oscillator (?) running beneath it all, along with some pre-recorded percussion tracks. great guitar sounds...wished the set had gone on for 60. took some video i'll put up at some point.

love the new record, too.

so sad that some people won't listen to them because of the name! lol

awesome band, good people, great music

Maybe someday they will accept live percussion :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzWX9V894so

ha, love the grass cam!

I couldn't help but just chill in the shade on a grassy patch. Wasn't anyone around when they started, but a good 30 or 40 accumulated behind me by the end of the jam.

nice!

personally i love the band name

i hope they call their first album with a drummer "hit with the rhythm stick"

love this drone + sax noise https://soundcloud.com/bitchin-bajas/rip-this-joint-stones-cover

it's kind of a mess but i like it anyway

SMOKIN'

Last night I saw them perform Terry Riley's In C with 20+ extra musicians, many of whom i have never seen before (and some I have) -- i'm really curious who coordinated this performance? getting 25 (26? some people were out of my view) people in the same place once is a challenge, but ostensibly they had to practice at least once? Also, I know the score is fluid and can be adapted -- who was in charge of that? I could have stayed after to ask, I guess but I don't like to bombard people with questions after they spent roughly an hour playing music in a room that was getting increasingly hotter as the hour went on.

Overall it was great!

that sounds rad

I think that the three Bajas coordinate all of it.
They are remarkably talented and well connected.

I know that Dan has arranged performances of In C before, and Cooper has been recording with a diverse group of musicians working in Jazz, Rock, and Folk styles.

There is a collaboration with Joshua Abrams Natural Information Society forthcoming that I am pretty excited about.
I saw them play in St Louis earlier this year and enjoyed it a lot.

Ah, the recording job -- that explains it! I would gladly ask Cooper in person (I see him ALL THE TIME) but I'm a complete failure at cold introducing myself and he always seems busy. I feel lucky to be on the far periphery of something this cool though! I like where they're headed.

New album is excellent, BTW. Should have a review running soon.

Can't wait to hear & obtain the new one on wax...and see them play in a couple weeks. That Terry Riley show sounds awesome.

Baja O'Riley

haha!!

know what else was weird? i just read the part in my eno book about the happenstance recording of no pussyfooting, and how it was just old fripp and eno noodling around, and to sit there and hear almost 30 ppl play this strange captivating influential ~avant garde~ composition to a hot room full of people in 2014, it made me glad to be able to see the inheritance of 50 years of pushing the boundaries of what is considered music. i'm glad they are celebrating their inheritance, i guess! it's an honorable artistic gesture.

That sounds incredible! I've been in hot rooms listening to dozens of people playing long compositions but nothing as exquisite as what you're describing.

lol @ Baja O'Riley

i know this i sound like a one trick pony ..
but will any of this bands material appear on cd ?
not into doing the digital/vinyl option ..
summary : i really want this stuff on cd.

please edit my first sentence in that post as you see fit.

i.e. wine flowing @ hq.

lol @ Baja O'Riley

― lol on hoosly (crüt), Monday, August 11, 2014 8:20 PM (37 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i'm with you mark e, but it's not looking promising. the new album in August is coming on LP and cassette, though, so i guess they aren't completely averse to outdated physical media. i would love to give them some $$ though.

nevermind me, it does look like they've been releasing stuff on CS all along. not sure why they are so averse to CD.

fucking cassette !
again.
ok.
that's it.
fuck this band.
back to my gorgeous sounding tangerine dream cd reissues.
i would love to throw money at this bunch of media format elitists, but i do not want a cassette (seriously ! i lived in the 80s - was a dreadful format !), nor scratch friendly vinyl
oh, and fuck a digital only option.
despite the growth of digital/vinyl, the cd is still the format choice for the masses.
so, yes, i am one of the masses.

New record is really good. Really, really good. More after I digest it a few more times :)

You don't even get a download with the vinyl, Mark E!

That's a Drag City thing. They never give downloads with vinyl, it's stupid.

looking forward to getting this. lol @ an extra hour of material on the cassette version!

slowburner.gif amirite

kind of hilarious (and in keeping with their confrontationally awful band name) that this is pretty much on every format EXCEPT compact disc. and the cassette bonus tracks! jeez, guys!

it's rockin my world though.

fucking cassette !
again.
ok.
that's it.
fuck this band.
back to my gorgeous sounding tangerine dream cd reissues.
i would love to throw money at this bunch of media format elitists, but i do not want a cassette (seriously ! i lived in the 80s - was a dreadful format !), nor scratch friendly vinyl
oh, and fuck a digital only option.
despite the growth of digital/vinyl, the cd is still the format choice for the masses.
so, yes, i am one of the masses.

― mark e, Monday, August 11, 2014 3:29 PM (4 weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i'm completely with you, although part of me admires the perverse integrity of releasing music only on the worst conceivable format. another part of me thinks, die hipster trash. but as i said, they make pretty music.

They don't hide their influences at all, but why should they?

― WmC, Saturday, July 13, 2013 9:46 AM (1 year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this, yes. they did two tracks live (when i saw them a few weeks ago) that were almost alarmingly like the "ralf und florian" album. but they were lovely, so who cares?

I would sign on for a live rip of side two of the "Ralf und Florian" album for sure. Hope they come my way ....

yeah this new album is pretty wonderful. was playing it LOUD yesterday.

anyone have a rip of those hideout live cassettes they put out last year? i just can't get into cassettes, no matter how bitchin they may be.

Drag City's no downloads thing is p idiotic but if they don't do CDs of their marginal stuff I assume it's the result of looking at sales figures and concluding it'll be throwing good money after bad

Have the Drag City bosses ever addressed the no downloads thing? I've assumed it's a deliberate position meant to send a message about record-buyer entitlement or something, but I've grown to think it's actually dickishly elitist - I ride buses, man. I want to listen to your shit and look out the windows, you know?

this is the only comment i've seen:

What have been the label's landmark achievements of the past few years and the biggest challenges, if any?

Twenty-five years and still going is probably an achievement --- being old is a challenge few recover from. Standing against the anti-artist digital advancements embodied by streaming services, the download code etc and managing to have a dialogue about it with dissenting consumers feels like an achievement. Continuing to establish relationships with emerging artists and their freaky friends has been rewarding as well. All these are among the challenges ahead, as well as the achievements thus far

Streaming platforms are at the centre of endless debates, with the usual interchange of enthusiasm and criticism. I was wondering if you could comment on this issue in relation to DC's decision not to feature its catalogue on such platforms. How has this choice been received by the artists themselves?

They haven't so much received our choice as participated in it. If there were a prevailing good feeling for this method of music dissemination, we be standing on the platforms with everyone else, waiting for the train to come.

http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4147998-rian-murphy-from-drag-city-on-the-independent-label-market

i wonder what is "anti-artist" about the download code though? i think they're totally right in not doing the streaming stuff -- why don't more labels do this?

same with Kranky. i really don't see how you can lump download codes (for people who actually paid for vinyl) in with "anti-artist" digital.

xp

like, i would have listened to the new Tim Hecker about a million more times if the vinyl had come with a download, and probably won't buy any more vinyl from them.

Maybe the idea is that there is no historic precedent for a buyer getting an album in two formats when just paying the price for just one format. "Anti-artist" in that it theoretically cuts sales, since the buyer who wants to hear the album on vinyl and digitally should ideally pay for it twice. Not saying I agree with this btw.

Maybe the idea is that there is no historic precedent for a buyer getting an album in two formats when just paying the price for just one format.

The word "legally" should be in there. It's like if labels responded to home taping in the 80s by bundling a cassette copy of albums with the vinyl.

yeah i suppose that makes sense -- not like you got a free cassette w/ your CD back in the 90s. guess it all comes down to that thorny "what are mp3s even worth" question. i bought the last bill callahan on CD because I'd be able to listen to it in places other than my living room... and i'm glad i did! it's a good record for the car, too.

xp

I do think it's a dumb move from a business perspective bc it seems like it'll push most consumers to the (cheaper) digital copy over the vinyl copy but I guess Drag City doesn't care too much about that.

yeah the download code just seems very consumer-friendly, even if they see it as "anti-artist" -- I'm sure, say, merge and matador sell more vinyl because of the download code.

i bought the last bill callahan and then downloaded it illegally because 18 is insanely high for nu vinyl

(bought it on vinyl that is)

yeah, if their vinyl was a little more budget priced, it might seem churlish to complain, but it's up there with everyone else. i dunno, i like so much of the music drag city puts out, i guess they can do what they want.

although i guess merge is about the same price, too--but they ship for free and have the downloads

that makes sense technically i guess, but not practically. it cuts out the customers who plan on mostly listening to digital but will pay for vinyl to support the artist and get a nice object (because paying for digital or cd can seem unsatisfying or chump-ish to some people).

Drag City's no downloads thing is p idiotic but if they don't do CDs of their marginal stuff I assume it's the result of looking at sales figures and concluding it'll be throwing good money after bad
― for sale: Bebe's boots, never worn (DJ Mencap), Thursday, September 11, 2014 9:57 AM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i think the "no CDs" policy is the band (bitchin bajas), not drag city -- since the label releases CDs of almost every other album.

i get kind of annoyed these days when i go to merch tables and they only have vinyl (and sometimes cassette) for sale. happens more and more often. i'm not anti-vinyl (I own 1,000 LPs or more), I'm just not a format fetishist, I think CDs are more convenient, and new vinyl is grotesquely expensive anyway.

this band seems to have an arty disregard for their audience, generally speaking, so i'm not surprised that physical releases are treated somewhat cavalierly
for example, there were ~25 ppl playing In C and none of them were introduced, no one said a word before or after the performance, and basically there were no words exchanged between bajas and audience aside from audience "woo!" at the end.

it's a choice, i guess? not the choice i would make but it's their choice.

i went to a record shop today.
bought 2 cds (rockers hi fi, and snakefarm) for pocket money.
behind the counter they had cassette editions of new releases eg skrillex.
the cassettes were £15 each !
15 quid !!
if i could sell the cassettes in my attic for that kinda price then i could retire.

that's the thing though, i don't think anyone cares about the tapes themselves, it's more like a limited edition souvenir for the digital music you want to support?

i guess the exception is super niche/underground tape labels that don't even do a digital release.

are records actually more expensive than they used to be (when adjusted for inflation?)
I remember reading that Tusk had a high list price of $16 in 1979 (which would be $55 in 2014). So what was normal then? $12 would be $41, $10 would be $34

that's the thing though, i don't think anyone cares about the tapes themselves, it's more like a limited edition souvenir for the digital music you want to support?

What does "cares about" mean here? Beyond having a souvenir of music you want to support?

like, i don't know anyone who's digging for old cassettes because they love the format. the main appeal is that it's a cheap way for current artists to make a physical, non-digital product.

are records actually more expensive than they used to be (when adjusted for inflation?)
whole reason i started buying new vinyl in the 90s was because I could get an album for $8-9 as opposed to $15 for the CD.

t'other way round now

and i love it.

oh i think there are def people who fetishize cassettes for more than just cool souvenirs

there are def lots of noise(y) bands that release stuff only on cassette and not, at least not initially, on digital... although everything makes its way to digital now anyhow, doesn't it?

some new vinyl isn't terribly expensive, but a lot of it is. major label stuff, esp. reissue vinyl, is esp. pricey. i don't bother.

was recently in a great vinyl-only place in tennessee. great guy runs it. i bought $200 worth of records, we talked for an hour, good times. i told him i still buy CDs and don't think the format is any worse than vinyl and he looked at me like i was talking about tuning in martians with my tin-foil hat. people have drunk the Kool Aid, just as people drunk another flavor of Kool Aid when they disposed of all their vinyl and started replacing them with poorly-mastered CDs in the 1980s.

the joke is on them (whoever "them" are), again.

i'm listening to bitchitronics right now. on MP3! it's good.

vinyl is better for selling. i bought a LP for $7 a few months ago, just sold it on eBay for $150. harder to do that with CDs. though not impossible. in that respect, vinyl wins.

funny conversation b/c i feel like this band would be up my alley except for the fact that they're on drag city and therefore aren't on spotify and therefore i have to make an EFFORT to listen to them. which i will! but then again, maybe i won't!

you can listen to some stuff here

http://www.aquariumdrunkard.com/2014/09/10/bitchin-bajas-cave-release/

also their soundcloud

not too much effort!

good point, thanks!

hi!

hi!

Standing against the anti-artist digital advancements embodied by streaming services, the download code etc and managing to have a dialogue about it with dissenting consumers feels like an achievement.

Wait, where is this dialogue taking place? Because there's a pretty huge leap between Spotify and giving paying customers bang for their buck.

I wonder about some of the artists and whether they care either way - Ty Segall's put out records on a bunch of labels; I bought the vinyl for his In the Red and Castle Face LPs, but skipped the Drag City ones on wax. I listen to this shit on my way to and from work, you know?

I think the artists probably respect what Drag City wants to do but mostly aren't hard-liners (my guess only though). Ben Chasny's new label, Hermit Hut, provided a download code with the Tashi Dorji album, so he isn't riding the party line of his highest-profile label.

the whole download code w/ vinyl thing seems so silly to me since if you just bought the CD you could not only play it in your car but fairly easily rip it to MP3. but buying CDs seems anathema to a lot of folks now.

just download and burn, it's not a big deal

mail the band a check or something if you feel bad about it

I used to like spend time looking for downloads, but spotify has made me like soooooo lazy. Like if it's not on spotify, I feel like okay we'll there are like twelve dozen million other things I could be listening to instead. So like ok sorry your loss

i'm sure they'll get by

Hi

this record kicks ass. 'a rainbow in curved air' redux.

it's a grower

It is pretty fucking good.

Yup.

cd please

ok so i found a youtube from 2012

"bajas ragas." p. tasty.

haha i am getting dead can dance vibes. righteous.

also that one song on syro with the tribal drums lol

ok now a new one

they were so rad at Hypnotikon last night

s/t full-length is.....so good.

also, this soundcloud only live mix is pretty nice, too. fits perfectly on a 45-min tape if you're into that thing:
https://soundcloud.com/bitchin-bajas/live-fall-2014-side-a-chicago-cultural-center-gar-rotunda-inclusion-water-4-going-home
https://soundcloud.com/bitchin-bajas/live-fall-2014-side-b-evergreen-stairwell-bainbridge-island-washington-guimaraes-portugal

new 12" out in May...!

oh sweet, haven't heard those live things.
yeah, was just listening to the s/t album. amazing.
there's also this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTiC6ce5Dws

New EP in May, IIRC.

maybe they'll make everyone angry and release it only as a 3-inch CD single

I think it's on cassette! I received an email, it's a French release.

haha, are the bitchin bajas making kids cry on side B of this live thing or is it part of the composition? either way, pretty awesome.

New EP is limited cassette (100) and vinyl (600): http://handsinthedarkrecords.com/

Did anyone get a copy of that Live at the Hideout triple cassette? Been wanting to hear that but missed snagging one before they were gone...

And I wondered about the kids crying too -- it really sounds like it was someone inside the space, haha.

Here's a track from said new EP, just shared out:

https://soundcloud.com/hitd-3/bitchin-bajas-marimba

sounds great -- could be fooled into thinking it was a pre-Autobahn Kraftwerk track...

Geez they really can get away with anything!

new EP is great...more synth-driven/electronic/cold departure from the double LP last year.

they sounded pretty excellent on tour as well...really at the top of the game right now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU3hInFCTfg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEHXrsISHx0

oh, and new collaborative full-length in august! sounds good: they were saying they tracked it live in the studio, so it should have a different flavor than the recent overdub-focused/tape loop sessions:
http://www.dragcity.com/products/automaginary

New track up from forthcoming (collaborative) LP:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxIJ3oT_LaQ

https://s3.amazonaws.com/delivery.midheaven.com/a/133146/images/781484062615_main.jpg

out yesterday! yes, i got a copy. it's more organic/warm sounding, in the vein of the s/t double-LP, rather than the more electronic feel of transporteur.

That track above is somewhere between, like, On The Corner, Yatha Sidhra and Vibracathedral Orchestra. Very nice.

I can't wait to hear this whole thing! Joshua Abrams is a local treasure and I get a stronger rhythmic feel from BBs with him (& all of his people) around. I hope they play together (at least locally) to support this album!

I think this is pretty great, and a nice counterpoint to Transporteur. Would def. drive to Chicago to see them play together!

I get super heavy Pelt vibes from the A-side; and I have no problem with that whatsoever.

Big Abrams fan here and imo this is just the latest in a fantastic run of albums. Dude is positively on fire right now. All three of those Eremite LPs are so great. Could take or leave BB but I like the spirit of this collab.

I hadn't checked those out, but will now be making a beeline.

not actually very familiar w/ abrams/natural information society, but i love this collab LP -- what should i get? these eremite things?
& yeah, dronestreet, some pelt vibes, some necks vibes, all good.

Whoa, all these descriptions sound A++. Everything I have heard off of that last Natural Information Society is great.

mine arrived today! my prediction is that this album is where it's at

what should i get? these eremite things?

Absolutely. All three are kinda pricey (and the first two may be out of print on vinyl by now, though there are CD versions with bonus stuff), but well worth it. If forced to choose, the second of the three, Represencing, is my favorite, but if you like one, you'll like 'em all. They're each excellent in their own way.

ok i gotta check this out
feel like i would have already been super into this band if they didn't have a dumb name

i like their dumb name. i know a lot of people who hate it though.

it's one of those things that makes them seem kinda arrogant (too cool to care, too good for anyone to question their dumb name) but i can't really be bothered by it one way or the other

like the diy venue called "club rec+um" or rectvm or something like that
whatever, young ppl

i can't imagine ppl saying the phrase "bitchin bajas" without a big annoying grin on their face like "haha can you believe this silly band name"

also it reminds me of mountain dew, but that's a +

i've never thought it to be too awful but i've never actually had a conversation about them in person so maybe i'd feel differently.

anyway, transporteur is sweet and so is this latest one

it doesn't bother me but it's just, if i ran across a random review or article in the past i might not have clicked on it

i used to be in a band called unbelievable jolly machine, i'm in no position to judge

This record rules

i like their name, don't like that they're too good for CDs

Went to a store today, they didn't have it, our main distro doesn't even list it (everything else on Drag City they have), our second distro lists it as TBA. I WANT MY BITCHIN BAJAS MFERS.

revisiting both bitchin bajas 2015 joints and dang, these guys are good.

i like their name, don't like that they're too good for CDs

Hmm, that's interesting. I happen to dislike their name but congratulate them on their anti-cd stance.

Yeah, Transporteur may be my favorite release of theirs yet -- but both are really good. Still hunting for that Live at the Hideout triple cassette.

Tapes are cool

whatever you think of their name i think you have to admit that it's A+ trolling

cf. eagles of death metal

but congratulate them on their anti-cd stance

how, why

Cuz CD's are gross...

gross?

they're slimy

and they smell bad

there are 144 of them

how square

44.1kHz of them

i like all the medias

media snobbery is pretty wack IMO

Deep breath people. Not snobbery, just personal preference.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Arts/Arts_/Pictures/2014/7/28/1406561403975/The-new-CD-dazzles-80s-co-012.jpg

Not really that big of a BPB fan, but shit, I can't get enough of Bitchin Bajas...and they've done something pretty great once again.

http://www.aquariumdrunkard.com/2016/03/16/bonnie-prince-billy-bitchin-bajas-epic-jammers-and-fortunate-little-ditties/

yeah, this one is really nice

I generally enjoy every fifth BPB release, and this is right on schedule. Concept seemed silly to me at first (lyrics taken from fortune cookies), but I'll be darned if it doesn't work. I still have yet to hear a Bitchin Bajas album (ugh, that name!), but I like this a lot and I loved their collab with Abrams, so maybe I'm overdue.

yeah they're great -- the self-titled BBs LP from a couple years ago is pretty amazing.

Feel like if they just used the main guy's name they'd be getting more serious attention as like a Terry Riley/Niblock/Eternal Music/whatever style artist.

this is cool! (and bajas related) http://lakeparadiserecords.bandcamp.com/album/flux-bikes-sue-olas

idk if there are any other bitchin bajas trainspotters, but they repressed the krausened ep: http://www.permanentrecordschicago.com/store/p570/LP_-_Bitchin_Bajas_-_Krausened_EP_%28Black_Wax_Repress_Ltd_300%29.html

saw them on friday and they had copies of transporteur, no live at hideout though ):

i was at the friday show too, though i left during the break/intermission

ah nice. yeah they picked it up a bit for the second set because everyone was drunk at that point i imagine. some sax wailing and motorik beats

programmed beats or human-produced?

ah sorry, programmed beats

cheers to tylerw to posting this in the drag city thread; been caning their 2016 performance of "in c":

http://sweetblahg.tumblr.com/post/154773932543/bitchin-bajas-in-c-2016

awesome!

some of their newest material (which they've been playing live) has beats, which is welcome here as Krausened EP is my favorite Bajas release

i really am starting to love these folks... any other similar acts out there? i sense a ton of obvious terry riley moves ofc but there have to be some other bands that are similar

i haven't really come across anything that really hits the same nerve as these guys do, so i'd be interested in some recommendations as well! in terms of loose live synth music, there was Emeralds but they don't really sound all that similar. first couple of kraftwerk albums maybe

one of my absoluted favorite acts right now. some records that scratch a similar itch:
-kaitlyn aurelia smith - ears (features rob frye from bitchin bajas on flute/wind instruments -- really helps complete the vibe...)
-kaitlyn aurelia smith & suzanne ciani - sunergy (percolating synth landscapes...)
-ariel kalma - an evolutionary music (early ambient...lots of warm loops, etc.)
-ariel kalma & robert aiki aubrey lowe - we know each other somehow (recent collaboration: minimal electronics + field recordings + sax/other instrumentation)
-cluster & eno / eno, moebius, roedelius - early electronic & ambient sounds. a bit more dependent on melody than bitchin bajas, but meditative & space-y.
-would back-up earlier kraftwerk, but also Harmonia (michael rother of neu! + cluster) - more beat-driven and along the lines of Krausened
-m. geddes gengras - i don't know a lot of his work but space-y synth explorations seem to be the deal...

would gladly take recommendations from others...i feel like this is my sweet spot, but nobody (IMO) is doing it as good as/as often/in quite the same space as bitchin bajas.

new album out in november, 1 track up now - https://bitchinbajas.bandcamp.com/album/bajas-fresh

(it's dope)

Yessssssssssssssss. I listened to this 3x consecutively already. Wonder if this is coming out independently and not on DC?

Krausened has been my go-to BBs lately, and I'm getting similar vibes from this piece.

Nope, this is coming out on DC. Super excited!

http://www.sweetfreestuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/baja.jpg

yessssssssssssssssssss!

that reminds me, i recently saw a cooper crain solo performance which was really good. it was kinda like the bajas but with some samples. even had a mic set up outside and had the ambient sound thru a delay mixed so low it was barely audible. it sounds kinda trite but it had a really incredible psychedelic effect. i look forward to seeing if that ends up on an album eventually

this live tape is worth your time: http://sweetblahg.tumblr.com/post/153272236888/bitchin-information-society-the-hideout-2016

That's a good reminder that I still need to hear that live tape on Bathetic. Did anyone get that? $50 on discogs for a tape is...even for this collector, well beyond the pale: https://www.discogs.com/Bitchin-Bajas-Live-At-The-Hideout/release/5493817

my friend is close with those guys and when i told him i was looking for those tapes he was like "haha i think i have that in my car"

braggin bajas

new album + tour
bajas fresh! http://www.dragcity.com/products/bajas-fresh

new one is so good!

interesting interview here — didn't realize O'Rourke was involved: http://www.brownnoiseunit.com/interviews/interview-cooper-crain-bitchin-bajas/

Also good to hear that there's a new Cave album on the way ... later this year?

that's awesome news!

yeah...this is really, really good. "angels & demons at play" really floored me on first listen. and "2303" is the winter blanket of sound i needed.

Is the former actually a sun ra cover?

And Batoh too! Damn

xp yes!

this is wonderful

dronestreet parts of '2023' (later sections with the horns) remind me of stuart dempster, check it out if you haven't

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_CmOIuNKmU

i don't think i've ever heard any of his music; thanks for the rec!

finally seeing these folks tonight, pumped for it!

Radical -- I think they're super great live. Oh ...and the new record is their best, I think.

Also...last time they let me sit right in the middle of the amps because it was at a museum, and sound wasn't carrying too much. A++, highly recommended venue tactic.

i would agree about this most recent rec being their best! i also think they'd come across better in a gallery type setting versus the rock venue i'll be seeing them in tonight, but hopefully there won't be a ton of chatty drunken ppl

crowds are unusually standoffish at worst at their chicago shows, never rowdy
hometown shows are likely to bring out the usual cast of characters too so they aren't going to be disrespectful
i have never seen them outside of chicago -- maybe it's different elsewhere!

you can usually hear a pin drop at their chicago shows

sounds perfect

I helped organize a show they played in Atlanta & the audience was really great. It was at a weird arty people venue not a rock venue though.

i'll periscope the whole gig and you all can chime in with hearts if its arty, and a frowny face if its more of a rocker crowd

Majority of their stuff got added to Spotify (UK) this week!

New album is so good, want "Jammu" to play on a loop all day

Saw them for the first time last night -- a really good show, just them and all their gear (and a flute and sax), doing a short but perfect set of exploratory pieces that hit a perfect balance between compact and understated improvisation.

amazing band...up there with the brilliant Dick Diver in the "this band name ain't doing you any favors" hall of fame

watch this space in the next week or so...

https://southernjukeboxmusic.com/

last record just keeps getting better

agreed^^

whatever happened w/ this:

Also good to hear that there's a new Cave album on the way ... later this year?

the last BB album was so good it made all the previous ones kinda moot for me, in a way. Like, it felt like such a huge step forward that the others all retrospectively sound like rehearsals for Bajas Fresh. I still really love the 2xLP s/t though

https://southernjukeboxmusic.com/home/bitchin-bajas

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awwww yeah, excited to check that one out.

they were selling some split single at the show the other night but i didn't pick it up. can't find any mention of it online either

calling all CD fans!
http://www.dragcity.com/products/rebajas

I do rather love that this is happening.

CDs are so unpopular that bitchin bajas are embracing them

sweet

btw this was the release i mentioned four weeks ago: https://www.discogs.com/Bitchin-Bajas-DSR-Lines-The-Encyclopedia-Of-Civilizations-Vol2-Atlantis/release/12152204

yeeeesss!

signed,

a cd fan

Cds forever <3

CDs are so unpopular that bitchin bajas are embracing them

― tylerw, Monday, July 16, 2018 1:14 PM (two hours ago) Bookmark

lol yes

kidding aside, i feel like CDs are the best medium for the BBs, like ECM records or the necks ...

I read an article about this very thing recently (stuff that's better on CD), and it even mentioned the Necks as an example iirc (not sure I agree though. Unfold was as good as any Necks album). On The Guardian maybe? Forgot to bookmark.

Even though I feel like BB peaked with the most recent album, I will definitely be buying this set because I'm less familiar with the earliest stuff and also it's really inexpensive

i'm just tired of flipping records every 15 minutes

Especially when you've spent those 15 minutes melting into the couch...

not sure how i feel about this image but it was about time someone capitalized on this idea, of course it was the BBs
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DztXLZsXQAM1bKJ.jpg

furry freak homage?

apprehensive about googling "furry freak" at work

it was a countercultural underground comic from the 70s and 80s about three hippie wastoids ... kind of cheech and chong-ish

one of the characters looks like that guy

https://www.comicartfactory.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Gilbert-Shelton-Freak-Brithers-1969-tshirt.jpg

ah yeah that looks familiar. men!

haha i’ve described them to friends who don’t listen to weirdo stuff as ‘yoga music’

https://longformeditions.bandcamp.com/track/demeter

:D

Nice!

i wonder if there will be any bajas at the deep listening workshop i am co-hosting tonight!?
(answer: not likely)

from their bandcamp -

Hello
We have been working to get our full catalog up over these last few months. We have just put all the collaborative releases we've made with Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Natural Information Society and Olivia Wyatt (original film soundtrack) up on our bandcamp page.

Bajas Fresh is now back in stock on 2xLP

brand new Bitchin Bajas releases coming later in 2021...

Thank you for all of your support
Peace

great news!

Their set from Constellation Chicago a few weeks back was great.
There is a Duophonic single in the works. They got along very well with Stereolab on tour.

That Atelier Claus live set on their BC page is fantastic IMO--very impressed that they performed it with a hastily-assembled backline due to van theft

Re Constellation — vastly superior to many of the online performances I’ve seen because they do an amazing job of micing & camera work. If you zoop the video to a tv & turn off the lights & crank the volume, it’s not unlike actually being there.

this album by BB member Rob Frye, which has the other BBs as well as noted Chicago musicians like Ben Lamar Gay and Quin Kirchner, is so good:
https://astralexoplanet.bandcamp.com/album/exoplanet
like Bitchin Bajas going cosmic jazz?

i'm here for it!

it's very satisfying, i'm into it

serious spiritual hat vibes

Loving the new Rob Frye--also, thought the Les Atelier Claus live BBs album released at the beginning of this year was fantastic and maybe dug some of its soundboard versions to studio ones of the same jams

(More than, rather)

Sun Ra covers album coming later this month! Very PSYCHed for this; their cover of "Angels And Demons At Play" on the last album was really cool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ztOtKBcTAY

Released today! Listening now, it's as excellent as expected. Only complaint is that the cassette was supposed to ship today too, but the email notification I received with the download said that it would now be shipping in December. I mean I get pressing plants are backed up for vinyl releases but how hard is it to manufacture a cassette to arrive on time?

Everything, literally everything is backed up at some point in the chain right now. Got a lot of CDs I've ordered from smaller labels that I've been waiting on for months. It's a mess.

Even CDs? Man, that sucks. I didn't mean to imply it was the band's fault. Just seemed weird to push back a cassette release but sounds like this will be the rule rather than the excepetion until things get sorted out

i got my cassette last week (but i also live in chicago). maybe the initial run sold out?

Yeah, mine came last week as well. Might depend when you ordered it?

had no idea they were doing this, I need to check it out

cassette turnarounds (in europe anyway) are around 2 weeks currently, yet i'm seeing lots of tape release delays. my guess is that labels underestimated demand.

The bandcamp page now says cassettes ship 11/30, so I'm assuming they sold out of the first run and are ordering more.

From what I can tell, it's not the manufacturing as much as the shipping. I pre-ordered the new Howlin' Rain CD that was released on 10/8. Got an update on 10/16 that the LPs and CDs were still sitting on a container ship waiting to unload in San Francisco. Two weeks on from that and still nothing new, shit is just a mess.

ah yes, US ports are crazily backed up.

I love this so much. It captures Ra's starry-eyed space age optimistic side in a really reverent way while remaining extremely BITCHIN

Agree - it's wonderful

this band can do no wrong imo

this album gets better each time I play it

Yeah, this is great!

I wouldn't mind a new CAVE album while we are at it.

samesies

doing a short Midwest tour with Ryley Walker in March:

https://townsquare.media/site/838/files/2021/12/attachment-ryley-bitchin.jpeg?w=540&h=675&q=75

new one sounds great

https://bitchinbajas.bandcamp.com/album/bajascillators

heard it on the radio! yeah it's pretty cool

Can we get these dudes and Horse Lords to tour all over the country, please? Seems to be timing out well this time.

This year's album is utterly lovely, especially the first track which is like Steve Reich meets In a Silent Way.

Yes, first track is a highlight.

There’s also an alternate version of “Quackenbush” floating around out there which I prefer to the album version.

They just did a dc area gig and one in Baltimore both near me and I missed em both unfortunately

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmsi-CBnyOk

Thanks for the heads-up, 'Amorpha' is delicious

wow this band has been around for almost a decade!!

haha, i still sort of think of them as a Cave side-project, but I guess that is not really the case, is it

understanding its origin as a side project makes it considerably easier to look past the truly shitty band name imo :)

i love BBs but i do miss cave

every now and then Cave's instagram will spring to life (with generally random posts), so maybe they're not entirely kaput.

I miss Cave, too. But they just released an album in 2018 ... which I recognize is 4+ years ago, but I don't think they're gone for good.

feels like literally a million years ago, haha

personally i love the band name

― the late great, Monday, 26 August 2013 18:04 (nine years ago)

New album is bitchin, as usual!

yeah i love the name

i think i remember them saying at their last show NYE a few years back that one of the cave members lives in nyc now? given how local scene oriented the other members are, it would explain the relative inactivity

If anyone wants to sell me the CASSETTE version of their 2014 self-titled album Bitchin Bajas, I will pay good money for it. Thanks.

New album with Natural Information Society!

https://bitchinbajas.bandcamp.com/album/totality

A little bummed with no CD release and $34 for a single LP though. Seems like a lot.

i need to hear this

xp yah this is why I no longer fetishize any new vinyl, ok I admit I kinda want the Roberto Cacciapaglia reissues but generally I just go FLAC for almost anything new these days, just my preference

also I had no idea there was an earlier collaboration?!

i am fine paying $9 for digital in this instance. i don't need any more CDs. and i don't really have the money to be spending $30+ on new vinyl

Yeah, it's from 2015. It's pretty good!

I guess I'm just surprised to see Drag City, usually a label that I've always thought of as very reasonably priced, climbing so high for a single LP. Looks like they've usually been about $24, with a couple creeping up to $28, but $34 is a whole new level. Which might be fine, if they were calling out anything special about this particular release.

Anyway... glad this is coming out and I'll totally buy a digital copy. Was just all set to instantly purchase a physical copy before I saw the options. Guess I can always settle for the... cassette lol

something about paying $13 for a cassette is so sad to me

I guess I'm still underestimating the demand for cassettes out there, but this label seems to put out more of those than CDs at this point.

cassettes make a lot of sense if you're doing it yourself. and i like them and enjoy collecting them -- plus when you buy one at a show, you can stick it in your pocket and not have to carry an LP around. but i think bigger labels putting them out in shiny shrinkwrap for $13 is maybe appealing to a different kind of person ... i have a feeling maybe younger kids enjoy them as a kind of nostalgia / action figure vibe

I went on a big tape kick last year but I'm done now, it was fun! and yeah a lot of them were egg punk obscurities in runs of 30-50

... #onethread

Yeah, I think they are cool in certain contexts and definitely nice for small scale DIY runs.

I def think of them more as a nice, small token that represents the album and supports the artist. I do know one (1) friend who skateboards to his elementary school teaching job and listens to cassettes though, bless him.

I did a tape release a couple of years ago and still sort of can't believe they sold, I don't think I ever was able to listen to my own tape (although I do sincerely miss my Walkman days, '92 - 00).

Yeah, I mean, I'm looking right now at the (still unopened, which is why I probably won't get the new one) cassette I got for their Switched On Ra thing, since I wanted to throw them a few extra bucks beyond the download cost.

ironically, I can play tapes on my current setup but not CDs - I still sometimes get tapes that aren't available on digital, so I rip them on an old Onkyo deck. CD's I can just rip right into the hard drive, so I don't actually have a CD player anymore.

$34 is high, but does include US shipping

including shipping makes that price completely reasonable, doesn't it?

for one record? it's a little high

i have no idea what shipping costs - i assume more than ever. any idea how much it is to ship one LP? if it's more than $6, then you're into your $28 price point ... $10 gets you to $24.

i'm not arguing the point ... records cost too much in general. but including shipping in that number makes me feel a lot better about it.

$5 for media mail now xp

yes and don't forget the increased cost of mailers. i hardly see anyone on discogs these days offering LP shipping for less than $7. so it's definitely a better deal than i initially thought

Yeah, it's close. certainly I'd prefer to pay $25 for a single LP and start to balk at $27, $28 and beyond.

Cassette prices are dumb, too. There should be a law against double-digit cassette prices.

Yeah, the shipping included as a good point, though my point was just that the price is even higher than other single LP releases from Drag City that have been recently issued or currently up for pre-order.

The Freckle (Ty Segall project) LP is $26, the David Grubbs LP is $30, the Geologist LP is $28, the Mess Esque is $29.

Kind of all over the place, really, wonder just how they arrive at the different price points.

Anyway, no intention to dump on Drag City, it's a good label. The price point just stuck out to me relative to others.

I'm just happy to be getting new NIS on Drag City. If Eremite put it out it would be $40+ after shipping.

My theory about the price variations at DC is something to do with packaging (gatefolds, tip-on sleeves, etc.), but I don't really understand it either. But hey, shipping included and no tax if you order from their site.

New album with Natural Information Society is superb. Like falling safely, soundly asleep on a thinly vibrating highwire.

A mere 37 bucks for the album. Let alone postage. <wide eyes emoji>

This might be my AOY. Twins well with *The Way Out of Easy*. Intrigued by how both albums reference late 70s Rah. I might write a 'Lanquidity is having a moment' article for, uh, someone.

Would read that. I actually chased this one with Lanquidity a few weeks ago and was struck by how well they worked together.

*Ra, xp to my dumb old self.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXEUJR0QbhQ

Well, yeah. That's what made me listen to the original album.

I need to give this a proper listen. I'd advise against playing this on low volume while cooking dinner

I could pretend I hadn't forgotten the Bajas' Ra album, but not sure I can pull it off.

pairs well with silent footage of the mount lewotobi laki-laki eruption

Absolutely obsessed with these folks right now, thank you Stereolab

It's almost definitely a "me" problem but despite being a fan of both of these bands (BB and NIS), their collaborative work consistently leaves me wanting for some reason. Tried several times with this most recent one and just found it fine but underwhelming. Full disclosure: I too was cooking and / or preoccupied each time I listened, so maybe it's just one of those albums that deserves some undivided attention

One of my favorite things about this band is noticing the doubtful expression that crosses the faces of those I recommend them to, upon hearing their name.

indeed ... i'm late getting into them for that reason but the music is too good to deny. i wonder if this is how wolf alice fans feel

"be going" bajas fresh

I find these bitchin' bajas perfect ambient for cooking, studying, board games w/ friends. They reward both active and passive listening

New single kills. Love where they're going

It's lovely, sounds like Air ca. Moon Safari :)

thought of high llamas, but yeah, maybe Air is more accurate.

the bajas really do hit all the right notes for me. And hey, my band is opening for them in October!

That used to be my dream — to be in a band that opened for a band I would have gone to see. Congrats on achieving my dream! I haven’t heard new BBs yet but I do enjoy Air circa Moon Safari.