Spalax Records

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Home of Cluster, Agitation Free, Klaus Schulze, Ash Ra Tempel, Lard Free, Popol Vuh, Gong, Amon Duul II, etc.

I have several titles from Spalax, but can only semi-safely say they're one of the all-time great labels.

― dleone (dleone), Wednesday, 2 October 2002 16:04 (twenty-three years ago)

Spalax is mostly a re-issue label, I thought.

― hstencil, Wednesday, 2 October 2002 16:07 (twenty-three years ago)

Yes, it is -- but what a job they've done! I'm really looking for someone to give me the go ahead to spend a lot more money.

― dleone (dleone), Wednesday, 2 October 2002 16:08 (twenty-three years ago)

I guess my point was it's not hard to be a great label if everything you're releasing is already a known quantity. Anyway, if you like-ah the late-60s prog, you could do worse than picking up the Spalax reish of the Ame Son Catalyse LP (orig. on BYG/Actuel). It's some pretty good French prog somewheres in the Soft Machine neck of the woods.

― hstencil, Wednesday, 2 October 2002 16:34 (twenty-three years ago)

I thought they might also be like BYG/Actuel in terms of artists' payments, but I cld be wrong abt this.

― Andrew L (Andrew L), Wednesday, 2 October 2002 16:40 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah, they are. I don't think any artist ever involved with the Actuel series ever got paid, which is too bad since the majority of those releases are great.

― hstencil, Wednesday, 2 October 2002 17:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah, they are.

IMO, this is actually something that contributes to them *not* being a great label -- but where else to get this stuff?

― dleone (dleone), Wednesday, 2 October 2002 17:14 (twenty-three years ago)

I haven't heard much on Spalax, but search: Agitation Free, Malesch and Ash Ra Temple, Join In.

By the by, does anyone know if Spalax--or anyone else--ever reissued Malesch on vinyl?

― Diego Hadis (dhadis), Wednesday, 2 October 2002 17:58 (twenty-three years ago)

Er, Join Inn, I mean.

― Diego Hadis (dhadis), Wednesday, 2 October 2002 18:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Is a great label just something that puts out great music, or is it more than that? Like, say, business acumen and/or responsibility?

― hstencil, Wednesday, 2 October 2002 18:25 (twenty-three years ago)

I love the actual music/releases Spalax puts out, but I've always raised my eyebrows about how legit they were? It seems they have some sort of relationship with Charly Records, which has a notorious reputation...

― Joe (Joe), Wednesday, 2 October 2002 20:45 (twenty-three years ago)

i would second the recommendation for ame son, but i don't hear soft machine at all. there is a jazzy element, but it's got a distinctively french sound to it (comparable to gong, lard free, some fille qui mousse, maybe?). _primitive expression_ is also pretty cool. supposedly ame son were daevid allen's backing band after soft machine but before gong...

spalax and their imprint tempel have both done some amazing releases - cosmic jokers/sergius golowin/walter wegmuller, ash ra tempel, manuel gottsching's _e2-e4_ and _inventions_, popul vuh, lard free, agitation free, mahogany brain, guru guru, cluster, annexus quam, emtidi... hell, they even reissued einsturzende neubauten's _kollaps_. i've never read anything about their business practices or the legitimacy of their releases (unlike a label like germanofon, say), but they've done some good work.

i'm curious - has anyone heard lutz ulbrich's "luul" album, with nico on vocals? any good?

― your null fame (yournullfame), Wednesday, 2 October 2002 22:30 (twenty-three years ago)

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Spalax Records - S/D