A cassette release bonus that comes with purchases of Satyajit Eye from Fathom Distribution. Contains some previously unreleased Muslimgauze material.

TMPS 12 Muslimgauze - Satyajit Eye

The Muslimgauze Preservation Society proudly offer a proper issue of the cinematic Satyajit Eye on 180 gram audiophile vinyl packaged in previously unrevealed sleeve art by Bryn Jones. Each release will also have a fold open insert of a Jones graphic, like ones included with Limited Editions releases (his own label during the 1980′s) as well as liner notes on the recording of this significant work in the Muslimgauze canon. Satyajit Eye is in fact a companion release to Vote Hezbollah, the first time John Delf and Bryn Jones worked together in the Cutting Rooms studios back in 1993. At the time, Delf was freshly trained to engineer conventional rock bands when in walked Jones with his instruments and DATs, asking, “there you go, can you mix it?” Delf had no idea what Jones wanted. The music and approach was unlike anything he heard or learned in vocational school. For Delf, Muslimgauze sessions were experimental as they proceeded to use the studio equipment in ways not originally intended to produce a sound not thought of before. Half of Satyajit Eye are excerpts from the Vote Hezbollahsessions, while the other half are extra songs. So began one of the mutually longest working relationships in Delf and Jones’ career. Among the early works, Satyajit Eye is also one of the more pristine and has the varied emotional range of an epic film, alternating between fervent and reflective moments like struggling through a storm to reach its quiet eye, then info the fray once more. Psychedelic, the music is evocative of fevered dreams of sun burned valleys of Pakistan, Pashtun controlled mountains of Afghanistan, post war plains of Iran, and Israeli incursions in occupied Palestine. Now is your chance to experience this high quality recording in an ideal setting, packaged the way Bryn Jones would have done himself, while paying homage by excerpting a fragment of the upcoming Muslimgauze: Chasing the Shadow of Bryn Jones.

TMPS 11 E.g. Oblique Graph 3-inch CD-R ("Human Rights" and "Affirm/Deny")

Bonus 3-inch disc of E.g. Oblique Graph material that came with copies of “From the Edge” ordered from Fathom Distribution. Music culled from original master tapes.

Muslimgauze - From the Edge (two disc set)

Muslimgauze/Various Artists

From the Edge

Format: 2 CD. Disc 1, Muslimgauze. Disc 2, Various artists.

Release: Early November 2011.

The Muslimgauze Preservation Society are proud to offer you a fragment of previously unreleased musical history, vintage Muslimgauze from 1990. It was around this time when a young John Goff wrote a fan letter to Bryn Jones, along with his wishes to release a Muslimgauze track. Jones promptly responded with a cassette master of not only a track, but a whole album. At the time, Muslimgauze was signed to Extreme who were wary of fans who wanted to release music by their marquee artist. On the other hand, Jones was stymied by Extreme’s one-release-a-year schedule, but that did not stop him from making more music. At Jones urging, however, Extreme relented and Goff released the exquisitely hand carved single track 7-inch “Red Crescent Part 3” (The Way Out, 1993), but the rest of the tape remained unreleased. Not long after Jones’ passing on January, 1999, Goff organized a tribute remix album based on fragments from the masters. Many responded, more than the album could accommodate. The results were From the Edge (Chlorophyll, 2003 on vinyl and Azra, 2004 on CD). The unreleased remixes joined the unreleased masters in the vaults, until now in a wonderful two disc set! Disc one has two tracks at 20 minutes each. Track one is “Muslimgauze live at the Manchunian Turkish Baths”and track two is “Muslimgauze Unreleased Tracks”. The music was composed not long after Uzi (Parade Amoureuse, 1989) and is a cousin to Intifaxa (Extreme, 1990), only livelier. Tracks are comprised entirely of percussive textures; from machine, to acoustic, and ethno-drums along with cymbals, bells, high-hats, chimes, and gongs among others. The sole treatments are reverb, delay, and echo. Despite the narrow palette, this is still a lush and full recording, rhythms energetic and deeply kinetic. Not quite industrial, not quite IDM, From the Edge straddles the nether-regions between genres; classic Muslimgauze. The cassette master was brought to John Delf for post production and restoration. Together, Delf and TMPS made an aesthetic decision, to focus on the music and not remove the tape hiss for fear of compromising the sound. Hence, there are source limitations, but we feel the beauty of the music more than makes up for this. Cassette culture was a fact of the 80′s and we urge fans to approach this recording the way one would a recording of an old blues 78 from the 30′s, a psych-rock 45 from the 60′s, or an Industrial tape from the 80′s. As for the remix disc, some songs will be familiar to those who have earlier editions of From the Edge, but others will be new, including a few from a band Jones loved called Faust. As always, the discs will be packaged in a super-jewel case, with papyrus covers hand printed in Egypt, a fold-open poster with liner notes, and a bonus sticker. This is lovingly restored piece of history and a missing link in the musical development of Muslimgauze. Limited to an edition of 500.

Muslimgauze - Palestina Cache 3-inch disc

A 3-inch disc that contains exclusive Muslimgauze tracks available to those who purchase TMPS releases from Fathom Distribution.

The Rootsman/Muslimgauze - Fuck Israel

The Muslimgauze Preservation Society are pleased to announce another incendiary Muslimgauze remix, Fuck Israel. The source material is the International Language of Dub (Third Eye, 1995) which is a remix album of The Rootsman tracks, hence a remix of a remix, or ‘Gauzified as it were. When Jones first met The Rootsman in 1996, several Rootsman albums were passed along by way of musical introduction. Jones promptly responded with several remixes on DAT, his way of saying “hello”, the posthumously titled Fuck Israel being among them. Chronologically, International Language of Dub is the second Rootsman album and is part two of the multi-part The Rootsman/Muslimgauze series on TMPS. Fuck Israel is a cry of anger against the illegal occupation of Palestine and the ongoing economic, political, and social subjugation of Palestinians by the Israelis. Each track is dedicated to an Israeli authority figure directly responsible for the oppression and/or death of Palestinians. Musically the tempo and textures of Fuck Israel varies from song to song. “Fuck Ariel Sharon pt 1”, “Fuck Benjamin Netanyahu pt 1”, “Fuck Benjamin Netanyahu pt 2” are comprised of upbeat, vigorous breaks with a distinct ‘grime’ feel. “Fuck Yitzhak Rabin” is a breaks track that cascades along a river of bass and then plummets into a chasm of drones. Conversely, “Fuck Ehud Olmert” is a beatless psychedelic vocal loop while “Fuck Benjamin Ben-Eliezer” is a digression into more abstract textures. By “Fuck Shimon Peres”, organ melodies and Rasta vocals place Muslimgauze in distinct dub reggae territory. “Fuck Ehud Barak pt 1” and “Fuck Ehud Barak pt 2” are among the stand-out tracks with their echo-soaked steady horse-trot tempo while electronic ricochet’s shimmer and pulse throughout. Crowning track, “Fuck Avignor Lieberman” could pass for a downtempo rhythm-with-flute track if it was not for the over-muscular bass lines that shake the speakers like a tectonic shift. On Fuck Israel, Muslimgauze muscles through a dubstep club, knocking-over hipster trendies in the process. The CD will be packaged with papyrus covers, hand printed in Egypt, with a 9 panel fold-open poster, CD set in a super jewel case and bonus sticker. It is the poster part we would like to draw special attention as the equally incendiary political cartoonist, Dwayne Booth aka Mr. Fish agreed to provide art work. Mr. Fish contributes to reputable and prestigious magazines, journals and newspapers. In addition to Harper’s Magazine and Truthdig.com, his work has appeared in The Los Angeles Times,The Village Voice, Vanity Fair, Mother Jones Magazine, the Advocate, Z Magazine, the Utne Reader, Slate.com, MSNBC.com and others. This is a very special underground release as shops and supposed long-time fans turn away in fear of this album while distributors get nervous. Indeed, the album title could not be printed on the Egyptian papyrus covers as the print source feared a government crackdown and persecution. Though Egypt is liberated from a long-time tyrant, freedom of speech has yet to be exercised. We urge you to order the CD as soon as possible lest it be banned in the free world as criticism of Israel grows increasingly illegal, or the Mossad finally silences the TMPS once and for all. In that case, you would miss a chance at getting a real collector’s item.

TMPS07 promo sampler

Pre-orders of On-Line Jihad through Fathom Distribution get a 3-track sampler on 3 inch CDr of upcoming The Rootsman/Muslimgauze releases.

TMPS06 The Rootsman/Muslimgauze: On-Line Jihad

“With Bryn, his music was coming (from) somewhere in the future. There were reference points, but there wasn’t anything you could say that it was directly influenced by.” So mused John Bolloten aka The Rootsman when he played back the DATs sent from Bryn Jones. Bolloten first became aware of Muslimgauze in 1993 in an issue of The Wire magazine, and was intrigued someone was doing unique recordings influenced both musically and thematically by the Muslim world. Yet, when he finally did listen to Muslimgauze music, there was something lacking (to his ears) in the sound that Bolloten could not quite place. However, he was drawn by the provocative art work, album and track titles, and the dedications to the struggles of Palestinians or others in predominantly Muslim countries. Bolloten worked in a roots reggae shop since the 80′s, and before long became a ‘selecta’ at local clubs where he dropped the needle on the choicest dub cuts as The Rootsman. Before long, The Rootsman had his own night, ‘Dub Me Crazy’ at the Soundclash club in Leeds where he played alongside guest DJ’s, Andrew Weatherall (Two Lone Swordsmen), Justin Robertson (Lionrock), and Alex Patterson (The Orb). It was also during the early 90′s when Bolloten produced his own brand of dub reggae, some Islamic-themed, since he was drawn that direction spiritually and became a convert. Bolloten’s first release was a 10”, Koyaanisqatsi on the Soundclash label, before founding his own Third Eye Music imprint to release both his own music and that of other worthy dub artists. Jones and Bolloten were finally introduced by a mutual friend during a Dub Me Crazy night, where the latter recalls, “I was expecting somebody in combat gear, a militant guy and there was this weedy guy in sandals. Not what I expected. I spoke briefly about him doing some mixes for me. I had an album out at the time (In Dub We Trust) and a few days later a DAT tape arrived.” The DAT was a remix of In Dub We Trust (1995) off Bolloten’s Third Eye Music imprint, the first remix of many. Jones was not exactly an effusive personality, rather he communicated best through music and the DATs were his way of saying ‘hello’. And the DAT’s continued to arrive until the two collaborated in the studio in what were prolific sessions. Dub is ideally experienced in a club setting with optimal speakers with pronounced low-end, and The Rootsman took special care to ensure the music was felt as much heard. These evenings, remixes, and subsequent collaborations became turning points in the sound of Muslimgauze where the missing element Bolloten sensed, finally arrived.

The remix DAT is posthumously titled On Line Jihad and could be likened to when a crazed duppy takes possession of a roots dub studio; evidenced in the sudden Turrets-syndrome shifts in gain, acid bath distortion, schizophrenic panning, and random Jamaican patwa intonations amidst rocksteady guitar skanks, riddim wild, and staggered echo. Somehow, East Indian and Arab vocals and instruments make their home in Kingston, Jamaica to rally the poor and oppressed against first-world colonialist oppressors. Nowhere is this mood more exemplified in “Holy War (Part 1)” which leads as insurrection amidst sustained calls of “God is Great” in Arabic, followed by a rallying riddims, earth-shaking bass lines and shrapnel ricochets. The Muslimgauze Preservation Society is proud to offer Muslimgauze remixes The Rootsman, and the collaborations. On Line Jihad is pressed exactly as received, set in super jewel casing with papyrus cover hand-printed in liberated Egypt, 18-panel fold open poster with liner notes, and glossy sticker. This is part one of a multi-part series.

Muslimgauze: In Search of the Abraham Mosque

“Listening to Bryn playing was very strange. Hearing him breathing in between the beats and putting his headphones down at the end and getting up and walking out of the room, that was eerie. But again, it was nice at the same time.”
Though it was December in the Manchester recording studio and the room properly heated, nevertheless a shiver went down John Delf’s spine when the first tentative taps scurried across the surface of the hand drum, followed by a melodic drizzle of rhythms that flowed from the studio monitors. The source was analog reels of his recording sessions with Bryn Jones from 1993 to 1998. Not commonly known (and elaborated in detail in the forthcoming book, Muslimgauze: Chasing the Shadow of Bryn Jones) is that more than an audio engineer, Delf in a sense could be considered a part of Muslimgauze and that some musical stylings can be attributed to his involvement. When Jones hired Delf at the Cutting Rooms Studio in the Abraham Moss Centre in Manchester (credited as the Abraham Mosque on Muslimgauze releases), he was educated on how to use the recording studio as an instrument. They took turns at the mixing desk and produced such pristine recordings as Vote Hezbollah, Hamas Arc, and Veiled Sisters. Sessions were booked once a month, and lasted between four to eight hours each time wherein numerous versions of each song was composed. Jones distilled tracks from these sessions onto masters to submit to labels. Unused portions remained and Jones later revisited these bits to release later or rework. Late in 1998 Jones stopped booking the studio and it was not until mid-1999 that someone finally took the time to explain to Delf why. Delf kept the reels in storage for well over a decade until he was approached by The Muslimgauze Preservation Society in late 2010. Since Jones’ passing, Delf further honed his audio engineering craft to greater, refined levels as he worked for marquee bands while building a studio to rival the Cutting Rooms. Says Delf, “The reels were always something that I was looking forward to having a go at (once more). It was quite exciting to see whether the tapes would actually work or not usable at all. When I put the first tape on it was ‘oh no, it is a complete disaster. Not working! What are we going to do?’ But when we put the second tape on we thought, ‘oh wow! It’s all there!’ The sonic quality was still there and it was still really bright and full. It instantly returned me to the sessions that we did. Hearing the beats, then the excitement returned. Once I got the reels going, then I realized, ‘hang on, there’s more here.’ It was an eerie and joyful experience. We (Bryn and myself) worked together for a very long time and it went on for 6 years, once a month for a few hours and so it was a long-term relationship. It was nice to go back and hear it again and to know that there are still people, years after he is gone, interested and still want to hear it.”
In Search of the Abraham Mosque has a two-fold meaning; one is a search for the studio where legendary Muslimgauze albums were recorded. The second is a reference to the Abraham Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, the tomb of the patriarchs where prophet Abraham is believed to be buried. On this disc, a musical narrative of this journey unfurls over 67 minutes starting at the fringes of Egypt amidst hip hop rhythms, then wanders off into the desert towards the famed Abraham Mosque. Bryn Jones’ hand drumming is intimately showcased while cinematic atmospherics and ambience compliment his organic rhythms. Melodies, both subtle and overt, float in and out of the narrative much like the myriad of voices that converse and shout in Arabic dialects alongside urban and nature sounds, not unlike a radio play. Some moments are serene, whereas others wander through a dense sandstorm goaded by powerful waves of sub bass that instill a growing sense of fervency in the search. Material here will be familiar to Muslimgauze aficionados, but alternate versions and brought in a new light with surpassing audio quality. The narratives continues to wander through dusty Arab villages and refugee camps, the Islamic call to prayer discernible, implying the Abraham Mosque at last found and hints a second part of the narrative, Return to the Abraham Mosque.
Listeners are encouraged to play this disc in a setting with minimal distractions to fully appreciate the artistry and technological craft that went into this release. Packaged with papyrus covers hand printed in liberated Egypt, with fold-open full-color insert, glossy sticker and color-surface CD. Turn out the lights, turn on your stereo or headphones, and prepare for a visit from the restless spirit of Muslimgauze. This is TMPS 05, part one of a multi-part series.

TMPS04 Muslimgauze: Sufi print on papyrus

The Muslimgauze Preservation Society proudly presents TMPS04, hand-printed artwork that originated from Bryn Jones, onto genuine papyrus, made in Egypt. The artwork sources are the cover art for Nile Quartra (Jara, 1994). Not commonly known is that Jones was professionally trained as a graphics designer in both London and Manchester, England before going on stints as an intern. These skills were then directly applied to Muslimgauze album releases and handbills until signed to a label in 1990, with the exception of Nile Quartra among a couple others—which Jones was happy to produce. The MPS approached a generations old print shop in Cairo, Egypt to dust off their antique press machines and print off a very limited run (edition of 100 each) of Egyptian-blue prints onto high quality papyrus designed to out-last prospective owners by a millennia or so. What better way to preserve the legacy of Bryn Jones than onto one of history’s more enduring mediums?

Note, TMPS 04 has Islamic phrasings in Arabic hence, The Muslimgauze Preservation Society requests buyers treat it with respect.