I’ve been using this post, saved away in my drafts folder for a while, investigating artists and labels. The starting point was a list of companies that distributed or released a some Merzbow recordings, and it kind of grew from there. I decided I’d clean it up a bit and share it. If anyone’s thinking of joining Emusic for 50 free tracks from Sub Rosa or whoever, comment here and I’ll invite you; I can always use some free tracks, as I run out way too quickly every month.

Subrosa Marcel Duchamp, James Joyce, William S. Burroughs, etc

First of all, we are continuing our exploration of what we do not know –anything that has no pedigree, no obvious reference, no ties is welcome, now more than ever. Second of all, it seems vital to us, as it has always been, to protect by any means necessary specific forms of music, voices and attitudes from the past that, in our opinion, proceeded from an irrepressible freedom of thought and action. In that regard, highlighting archives becomes an act of pure resistance.

Some Sub Rosa items available through Forced Exposure and Elsewhere. Subrosa also appears on Emusic with plenty of content under Sub Rosa / Believe Digital.

• Essence Music – Rapoon, Atomine Elektrine, Nordvargr, Acid Mothers
• Important Records XBXRX, Acid Mothers, Hafler Trio
• Korm Plastics Hafler Trio, Legendary Pink Dots, etc reissues
• Dirtier Promotions Nurse With Wound, Faust, Merzbow
• No Fun Productions Enema Syringe, Thurston Moore, Religious Knives
• Cold Spring Merzbow, Sutcliffe Jügend, Satori
• Utech Records has some Skullflower re-releases
• Inoxia Boris, Merzbow
• Misanthropic Agenda
• Walnut Locust has two free albums; .cut featuring Gibet: “Philippe F Remixes” and v/a: “dent de lyon”
• Tortuga Nervous Circuits, Harvey Milk
• Artificial Music Machine has some $5 MP3 / FLAC albums. Numbers on the Mast, Book of Shadows
• Trash Records are people I’ve run into backstage at a Neubauten show and at a couple of other noisy affairs in Vancouver, and they do some interesting things.

Artists

• Merzbow
• Skullflower / Stephen Kasner series