tonefloat

the use of ashes »i hear a new world« 7inch (tf61)

another 7inch. as a thank you to friends and relations of tonefloat, a limited (and for promotion only) one-sided 7inch was recorded by the use of ashes, containing a beautiful version of joe meek's i hear a new world. it can be listened to on the use of ashes' myspace page.

bass communion // fear falls burning 7inch (tf57)

a 7inch with two exclusive tracks by bass communion and fear falls burning was given away to customers of the »frenzy of the absolute show« by fear falls burning (and featuring bass communion as a special guest). by the way: a beautiful review of the concert can be found here and photos here.

maarten van der vleuten »high intolerance towards low energies« lp (tf41)

amidst an infinite ocean of information, finding yourself is turning into a complex mission nowadays. on his latest full-length, ambient house pioneer maarten van der vleuten is returning to the memories of demolished dutch monastery regina coeli, his head still spinning from the confounding excess of images and impressions. on his long and winding journey, he has come a long way from his early dance singles to being recognised as a widely respected, colourfully uncompromising personality. high intolerance towards low energies, pressed in a limited edition of 500 copies in a luxurious gatefold sleeve, has consciously been conceived as a radical representation of our rapidly accellerating environment: nervously pulsating bass frequencies and frenzied percussion are underpinning shattered sonic figments like the ground drone of a surreal urban raga, with shardes of song and prayer forming broken melodies. finding his way through this menacing maze has certainly paid off for van der vleuten: after releasing under 26 different pseudonyms over the last two decades, he has found his definitive musical identity on this haunting soundscape, with future works to be published exclusively under his common name. the album is pressed as a 180 grams black vinyl lp in heavy gatefold picture sleeve, with postcard. high intolerance towards low energies can be ordered from our store, with a special offer including the record + worldwide priority shipping for 20 euros, plus a package deal on the new releases.

dirk serries »microphonics« lp (tf58)

dirk serries has never shied away from leaps of faith. a decade ago, he stunned the ambient scene with an incisive twist to his personal style on the classic the river of appearance" and in 2005, he shed the renowned moniker of vidnaObmana, replacing it with the immersive guitar eruptions of his latest incarnation fear falls burning. on microphonics, he has now taken his boldest step yet. defying superimposed concepts and pseudonyms, he returns with the first material under his own name and at his most personal and vulnerable. for years, serries has experimented with spontaneous guitar improvisations over a continuous atmospheric drone. initially intended as a means of rehearsing and developing ideas, these sessions were never intended to be released officially . over time, however, serries came to realize that these painstakingly pristine and painfully pure pieces constituted the very essence of his musicality, the foundation of what makes him "tick" as an artist. composed of a minimal array of delicately attuned and interrelated themes, the music develops through the continuously shifting relations of its constituent currents. because of this outward simplicity, microphonics has turned out a work of great intimacy and immediacy, a yearning sonic breath which seamlessly fuses the elliptic ambient worlds of vidnaObmana with the dark mysticism of fear falls burning: this latest leap of faith is the sound of the morning awakening, of the day dreaming and the night speaking in its sleep.
dirk serries will perform a one-off microphonics show at jazz club paradox, in tilburg (netherlands) on 3 december. also visit the microphonics myspace site. the album is pressed as a 180 grams vinyl lp in heavy embossed gatefold picture sleeve, pressed on crystal clear vinyl (150 copies) and black vinyl (350 copies). microphonics can be ordered from our store, with a special offer including the record + worldwide priority shipping for 20 euros (black vinyl edition) or 30 euros (clear vinyl edition), plus a package deal on the new releases.

the eightfold model »the eightfold model« lp (tf49)

for years, these two artists have been influential in combining the most diverse genres. now, they are fusing their recognisable personal styles into a darkly romantic new entity. for their exploratory collaboration, the eightfold model, dirk serries (formerly vidnaObmana) and schneider tm's michael beckett have dedicated themselves to investigating the sonic possibilities and psychedelic sonorities of non-digital sound sources. gentle guitar oscillations are rerouted through an array of effect pedals and stomp boxes, while mysterious field recordings blend into sheets of undulating harmonium-harmonics. recorded at various locations without the duo ever once meeting in person, their homonymous debut album is as much a document of their instinctive interaction as it is a musical reflection of their creative environments. divided into seven distinct chapters, it is also a multifaceted meditation on the intersections between their respective solo works: ghostly traces of serries' fear falls burning project merge with the subtle sensuality of beckett's kptmichigan alias to create an album quietly billowing out into ambient, abstract electronica and yearning krautrock. the album is pressed in a limited edition of 500 copies only, as a 180 grams black vinyl lp in heavy embossed gatefold picture sleeve. the eightfold model can be ordered from our store, with a special offer including the record + worldwide priority shipping for 20 euros, plus a package deal on the new releases.

steven wilson »insurgentes« 4x10inch (tf50)

insurgentes is the first steven wilson solo album, recorded all over the world between january-august 2008, and due for release in november as a special deluxe multi disc mail order version. the special multi disk edition will be available as a 2cd/1dvda version (limited to 3,000 copies), and a 4x10inch vinyl version (limited to 1,000 copies), both with hardback book. insurgentes can be ordered from our www.insurgentes.org.

sand snowman »i'm not here« lp (tf54), »the twilight game« lp (tf55)

we were pleasantly surprised earlier this year when we got to hear the music of sand snowman. those of you who know the use of ashes, will realise how much we love songs that are pleasantly strange but all the same have got that earthly feel to it. a kind of organic psychedelic folk where instruments do sound like they were built, but with a twist. sand's music has all of that. he writes and records all by himself, while various female and male vocalist lend their beautiful voices to built little magic empires. tonefloat is pleased to announce that sand snowman will be recording exclusively for tonefloat, starting with a brand new album set for this autumn. july 2008 however sees the first result of our get together. previously only out on handmade cd-r's on reverb worship, we are pleased to announce the vinyl release of i'm not here and the twilight game, which were mastered for vinyl by steven wilson. both albums will be out in a limited edition of 500 copies only on 180 grams vinyl. both albums can be pre-ordered from our store. release date: 22 july 2008.

porcupine tree »lightbulb sun« regular 2lp / limited edition 2lp (tf56)

following the release of the definitive 2cd edition earlier this year, we are pleased to announce that lightbulb sun finally received a vinyl release. the remastered and remixed 2000 studio album will be out as a lavish 2lp edition, complete with disappear, buying new soul, and cure for optimism, which were recorded during the same sessions. this double vinyl lp is dedicated to the memory of michael piper, who passed away in april 2008. in fact it was meant to be the latest in a line of beautifully packaged porcupine tree related vinyl releases he lovingly curated for his own gates of dawn label. the test pressings had been approved, and the artwork completed, but michael entered hospital before he could place the final manufacturing order, and never came out again. lightbulb sun will now be issued by tonefloat in a limited and numbered edition of 1,000 copies on 180 grams coloured vinyl, and a regular edition on 180 grams black vinyl. lightbulb sun can be ordered from our store.

the use of ashes »white nights: the hand of tzafkiël« lp (tf36)

white nights: the hand of tzafkiël is the 4th official studio album by the use of ashes in twenty years. not only is the album the first to feature simon van vliet since 1988s the castle of fair welcome, white nights: the hand of tzafkiël sees the use of ashes return to darker terroritories, which is a reflection to the band's current state of mind. collecting intimate and sometimes fragile songs, the widely arranged use of acoustic guitars, as well synths, psalter, zither, bassbow and sounds, white nights: the hand of tzafkiël is most and for all the use of ashes in its purest form to date. the album is pressed as a 180 grams black vinyl lp in heavy picture sleeve with innerbag. white nights: the hand of tzafkiël can be ordered from our store.

no-man »schoolyard ghosts« regular 2lp / limited 2lp+7inch (tf48)

written and recorded between autumn 2007 and spring 2008, schoolyard ghosts is no-man's sixth official studio album and its first since 2003's together we're stranger. a distinctive combination of beautifully detailed songwriting, haunting melodies and inventively cinematic production, schoolyard ghosts sees no-man’s core duo of tim bowness and steven wilson expanding the band's sonic palette by collaborating with, amongst others, californian pedal steel ace bruce kaphan, saxophonist/flautist theo travis, drummers pat mastelotto and gavin harrison, and the london session orchestra (arranged by dave stewart). featuring the sweetly hypnotic wherever there is light, the warped dynamics of pigeon drummer, the outsider lament of all sweet things, and the subtly evolving explorations of the uplifting semi-orchestral epic truenorth, schoolyard ghosts reveals the band taking its accessible and ambitious blend of post-rock and singer-songwriter influences to an even more focused and personalised place than before.
following classic vinyl releases of returning jesus, and together we're stranger, tonefloat now issues a lavish 2lp edition of schoolyard ghosts. the 180 grams black vinyl edition includes the album as well as a full side of alternates and edits, and is packed in tonefloat's trademark heavy duty gatefold picture sleeve with innerbags, with photography and design by carl glover. a special limited edition of only 1,000 copies worldwide is pressed on coloured 180 grams double vinyl, and housed in a numbered cardboard slipcase, that also contains a full-colour 16page 12x12inch picture booklet, plus a 7inch with three exclusive schoolyard ghosts demos, written and recorded by tim bowness. both vinyl editions of schoolyard ghosts can be ordered from our store with special pre-order offers available. release date: 10 june 2008.

fear falls burning live @ la cartonnerie, reims, decemer 2007

fear falls burning / bass communion concert

in the setting of the beautiful seated theatre at cc luchtbal in antwerp (belgium), fear falls burning performs and re-creates his complete »frenzy of the absolute« album with participation of drummers tim bertillson (switchblade), magnus lindberg (cult of luna), guitarist johannes persson (cult of luna) and special guest steven wilson on guitar. secondly, to make the evening even more unique, steven wilson will on stage as bass communion, promoting his recent explorations in guitar drone music. all relevant ticket information can be found here. for those of you not familiar with the dutch language, tickets can also be reserved via ccluchtb@stad.antwerpen.be. the concert will take place on saturday november 1.

porcupine tree »fear of a blank planet« pinkpop edition lp (tf40)

following a highly succesful gig at amsterdam's heineken music hall in support of fear of a blank planet (voted album of the year by leading dutch rock magazine aardschok), porcupine tree return to the netherlands for a one-off gig at the prestigious and long running pinkpop festival, on friday may 30th. to coincide with this landmark performance, tonefloat will issue a 180grams pink vinyl edition of fear of a blank planet. the pinkpop edition will be limited to 500 copies only and available through selected dutch retail stores from may 1, in order to gain extra exposure for the band's appearance at the pinkpop festival. we have sold out on our copies. the porcupine tree store will however have some copies available at a later date, and we might get some back from our distributor. shipping starts 1st of may.

porcupine tree »we lost the skyline« lp (tf46)

on the 4th october 2007 porcupine tree showed up for an in-store performance and signing session at park avenue cd's in orlando, florida, with 200 fans also in attendance. although it was originally planned that the full band would play, lack of space dictated that it was only the two guitarists / singers steven wilson and john wesley who delivered an impromptu performance, including many songs rarely (if ever) played by the band, making for a very special and intimate show.
fortunately this one-off event was captured by a remote recording facility and the complete 8 song, 33 minute performance is now being released in a mail order only cd and a 180gms vinyl edition in a gatefold sleeve, created by photographer lasse hoile and designer carl glover.
the vinyl edition (on tonefloat) will be a limited and numbered edition of 1000 copies on marbled vinyl, and a regular edition on black vinyl. both vinyl editions of we lost the skyline can be ordered from our store.

the use of ashes (ft. bass communion) »untitled« 10inch (tf47)

shortly after releasing the mini album albion moonlight, the use of ashes started writing and recording for a new full length album. a first version of the album, back then simply entitled »ice«, ended up on our decks in the spring of 2000. a superb mellotron drenched beat driven version of the title track was something hit us right in the face immediately. however, the use of ashes felt the version didn't go well with the other tracks on the album. when the album was finally released in 2004, a completely different and much lighter version of the song opened the album, retitled ice 67.
less than twelve months later, the use of ashes returned with a vinyl only offering on tonefloat/c, the beautiful and enigmatic the mousehill daydream which received rave reviews from everyone. in january 2006 we asked steven wilson to rework the takes from the album, and he replied with a beautiful ten minute bass communion reconstruction entitled »mousehill«. with the band finalising works on white nights: the hand of tzafkiël, out on tonefloat this spring, we thought it'd be a good idea to release a 10inch that brings together the original demo version of »ice« and the bass communion reconstruction »mousehill«.
the 10inch comes in a pvc sleeve and will be pressed on orange vinyl (250 copies only), blue vinyl (250 copies only) and clear vinyl (100 copies only). untitled can be ordered from our store, but please note that the clear vinyl edition has sold out.

anja garbarek »smiling and waving« lp (tf44)
as a child growing up around oslo, anja garbarek learned from her father, jazz composer and saxophonist jan garbarek, that the only rule worth following is that there are no rules. she doesn't take much notice of other people's instructions - "because i always have to find my own way of doing things" - but that message stuck. it has guided her career, and is indelibly stamped across her extraordinary third album, smiling and waving.
recorded in 2000 in london, this strange and shimmeringly beautiful album brought together a team of mavericks who shared anja's conviction that the only way for music to go in the 21st century is forwards. and few modern performers are better qualified to move in that direction than anja garbarek. the album won a spellemannspris (norwegian grammy) in 2001.
smiling and waving was produced by anja and porcupine tree's steven wilson, except for »the gown« and »the diver«, which she produced with talk talk's mark hollis, who also played piano, bass and melodica, his final musical contribution before he retired from the industry. additional contributions came from, among others, robert wyatt (who's own version of »stay tuned« can be found on his most recent solo album »comicopera«), theo travis, steve jansen and richard barbieri.
it is with great pleasure that we can announce a well deserved vinyl release of the album now. the first 500 copies of the tonefloat edition of smiling and waving will be pressed on coloured vinyl and include a 7inch featuring »i won't hurt you« and »blinking blocks of light«, two tracks that were only available for a short time as part of a norwegian limited cd edition of the album. smiling and waving can be ordered from our store.

also in preparation for a vinyl release later this year is anja's 1996 album balloon mood.

kingfisher sky »hallway of dreams« lp (tf43)

following a decision to part ways with within temptation, a band who were experiencing their first international breakthrough at the time, drummer ivar de graaf starts writing new music with vocalist judith rijnveld. with diverse influences such as heart, clannad, tori amos, kate bush, peter gabriel, mike oldfield, pink floyd and porcupine tree, the writing resulted in a style that isn't easy to categorise, though the term progressive myth rock seems to cover all bases: one moment dreamy and atmospheric, then heavy and brutal the next.
former orphanage bassist eric hoogendoorn, guitarists daan janzing and edo van der kolk, and keyboardist george van olffen were recruited to make kingfisher sky a full band. from may through july of 2007 recordings took place for hallway of dreams. late 2007 saw the release on cd by suburban records. the connection between tonefloat and suburban (who take care of our distribution) resulted in a lavish 180gms vinyl release of the album.
the first 500 copies of the tonefloat edition of hallway of dreams will be pressed on coloured vinyl and include a 7inch featuring exclusive acoustic versions »the craving« and the album's title track »hallway of dreams« recorded live at the band's home studio in decemer 2007. hallway of dreams can be ordered from our store.

listen to some of the tracks of the album on the band's myspace site.

in preparation...

a lot of things going on right here at the moment. first of all we are releasing two albums in the first half of 2008 that should have been out last year. the first is the aforementioned white nights volume one (tf36) by the use of ashes, the other high intolerance towards low energies (tf41) by maarten van der vleuten.
new in our release schedule is a lovely vinyl album by eightfold model. eightfold model is a collaboration between dirk serries (fear falls burning, vidna obmana) and michael beckett (kptmichigan, schneider tm). this one should be out just before or just after the summer.
saving for your xmas present starts now with a piece of art that dirk serries and tonefloat are already working on, that is scheduled for december: a definite vidna obmana retrospective, vidna obmana - 1987-2007: chasing the odyssee on vinyl. starting out as a collection of one or maybe two albums, we decided to get it done properly. the result will be an eight (!) record set, to include a selection of vidna obmana's best recordings over those two decades, as well as some exclusive bonus material.
last but not least we should see the second installment in the vinyl only reworkings of continuum, this time by someone other than dirk serries or steven wilson. stay tuned for more news over the year.

for 2007 news please click here.