***SOMA (Sacred Order of Mystic Apogees) is a group of musicians from central New Jersey who gather together to create eclectic devotional music. The members are multi-instrumentalists who play a blend of meditative soundscapes woven together with traditional Indian kirtan* music and inspired folk songs. SOMA builds on this traditional framework and incorporates amplified instrumentation and other added components to create an entirely new sonic experience. The result is a psychedelic tapestry of esoteric mantras, dynamic rhythms, and devotional prayers. As you will hear on Burning is Learning, each song, vibration, and drone is treated with the utmost reverence, attention, and respect—all of which acknowledge SOMA’s link in an unbroken chain to the ancient sounds. It’s a heady and heavy experience. It’s celebratory and reflective. The album is a unique approach to sounds that have been resonating for thousands of years. With roots in the DIY hardcore punk and metal scenes of their home state, the combination of traditional instrumentation (harmonium, tanpur, and mridanga, for example) with their modern sense of heaviness is quite profound. SOMA’s live performances are as intense as their recordings, landing them in temples, churches, concert halls, bars, and even cremation grounds. Plans to tour are in the works. Burning is Learning is a reference to the Sanatana Dharma belief that cremation can help the soul achieve moksha, freedom from the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth. The album was recorded with Phil Caivano (Monster Magnet) at Studio 13 and Shorefire Recording Studios and mastered...
LP $25.50
03/19/2024
***Centripetal Force announces the release of Patrick Sansone’s Infinity Mirrors, a collection of six ambient instrumentals recorded on a variety of synthesizers from Sansone’s vintage collection. The album is being presented in a 350 copy vinyl pressing.The album will also be available digitally. The release date for Infinity Mirrors is March 1, 2024. Patrick Sansone is a Nashville based multi-instrumentalist, composer, music producer, and photographer. He is also a member of Wilco, The Autumn Defense, and Mellotron Variations. Infinity Mirrors is his first album as a solo artist. Sansone’s interest in synthesizers goes back to his teens in the 1980s when he was afforded the benefits and luxury of time, time to simply discover and enjoy the pure pleasures of sound. Meridian, Mississippi in the mid-eighties wasn’t exactly a synthesizer kind of town, but he did manage to get his hands on a Korg Polysix and an Arp Axxe and spent solitary hours creating sounds and blissing out. It was a foundational experience, one that has led to a life long passion for collecting and playing vintage synthesizers. Some of Patrick’s favorites utilized in Infinity Mirrors include the Roland Jupiter-8, MiniMoog Model D, and Sequential Circuits Prophet-10, as well as the modern Mellotron D4000 and Teenage Engineering OP1 The ideas behind what have become Infinity Mirrors have been brewing for several years. Patrick’s plan had always been to use his ever growing stable of synthesizers in some sort of project, but it wasn't until 2017 that these ideas really started...
LP $31.95
03/01/2024
***Centripetal Force is excited to announce It Is Solved By Walking, the second solo release from pedal steel guitarist Luke Schneider. Luke Schneider is a pedal steel guitarist based in Nashville. An Ohio native, Schneider moved to Tennessee to go to college with dreams of becoming a folk-rock stylist but has recently found his place in the landscape of New Age and pastoral Americana. His well-received debut solo album, Altar of Harmony (Third Man Records), is a collection of ambient compositions created entirely by pedal steel. His work on It Is Solved By Walking continues the recent experimental elevation of the pedal-steel guitar and delves deeper into the worlds of ambient sounds and moods. Like Altar of Harmony, the inspiration for this new collection of songs is rooted in Schneider's daily meditation practices, as well as his own spiritual journey. The album reflects his deepened understanding of how sound can help listeners transcend their current space and guide them in directing their energies inward. There is a sharpened focus to the songwriting on It Is Solved by Walking, a move that unclouds the troubled eye and opens the doors of clarity. Where Schneider's initial works were offered at the altar, his space for inner contemplation, these compositions mark a step in Schneider's spiritual journey that sees him ready to direct his energies in more outward directions. He has done the hard work of examining his inner self and is now prepared to share his message with others. It Is Solved...
LP $22.95
12/08/2023
CD $13.75
12/08/2023
MC $13.75
12/08/2023
***Centripetal Force is proud to announce the release of New Jerusalem, the latest release from Joseph Allred. Joseph Allred isn’t sure how many albums they have released. It is thought to be in the neighborhood of twenty-two, not counting collaborations, digital only, and split releases. Most of these are rooted in Appalachian folklore, mystic spirituality, a love for guitar soli, and a reverence for Robbie Basho. New Jerusalem is no exception, but with this album Allred has recontextualized these elements and presents them in grand fashion. Sonically, New Jerusalem is a wide ranging and full experience that stands in stark contrast to Allred’s usual delicate minimalism. It’s a large ensemble kind of sound, with Allred composing all of the music and playing all the instruments. There is an almost post-rock feel to New Jerusalem, with nods to Labradford, Current 93, and Dead Can Dance, as well as hints of Hawkwind’s more psychedelic folk/pop/fantasy moments. Allred’s guitar is not at the forefront here. Their affinity for composition and talent on a wide variety of instruments is what’s on display. It’s a bold and jarring shift, one that is certainly more cerebral and reveals additional layers with each listen. Edition of 200 copies.
LP $28.95
10/27/2023
***Centripetal Force is excited to release Light and Space, the second full length recording from the Nashville Ambient Ensemble. The Nashville Ambient Ensemble is led by Michael Hix, an electronic composer and keyboardist whose artistic vision focuses on the spirit of collaboration and the art of improvisation. The group plays a unique form of music that has become loosely defined as ambient country or ambient Americana. Light and Space is the group’s follow up to 2021’s Cerulean, an album that received a number of accolades from critics, fans, and fellow musicians. In early 2022 Michael Hix had just completed writing the material for the group’s sophomore release when the Frist Art Museum in Nashville, Tennessee reached out and asked the Nashville Ambient Ensemble to record a series of compositions to be featured in the exhibition, Light, Space, Surface: Works from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Inspired by eight artworks from the exhibit, Hix composed eight completely new compositions and immediately headed into the studio to record. Intended as an alternative to a traditional guided tour, museum patrons were able to pair their journey through the exhibit with the ensemble’s sounds, a feature for which the Nashville Ambient Ensemble and the Frist received overwhelmingly positive feedback, so much so that it was decided the songs deserved a traditional release as the group’s new album. The exhibition ran from June to September and was highlighted by a live performance from the Nashville Ambient Ensemble in the main gallery of the...
LP $25.95
04/14/2023
***Western Massachusetts musician STEPHEN PIERCE has used GOLD DUST as a means for exploring his next journey, slowly piecing together songs that held the fragile wonderment of the Grateful Dead, the weary beauty of Elliott Smith, the melancholic twang of the Byrds, and the otherworldly density of My Bloody Valentine while always reaching for hope and connectivity in a way that was universal. Neither the slow-to-form creative process of the first album nor the ambling pace often taken by Pierce’s thoughtful, dreamily damaged psychedelia points to rapid evolution, but that’s exactly what’s taking place on second album The Late Great Gold Dust. The themes of isolation and self-doubt that floated on the first album have sharpened, and the language around these difficult feelings have taken on a new clarity. Pierce’s songwriting has always held a distant sadness, but with The Late Great Gold Dust, the melancholy cuts through, feels more present and alive within the songs. There’s a muddy narrative arc to these twelve songs, getting more harrowing throughout the album’s second half as screams echo in the void until an exhausted sigh that sounds something like acceptance rises out of the murk. The Late Great Gold Dust steps into new dimensions musically as well. Pierce continues the layers of jangle, fuzz, and sunny vocal harmonies that made the first album equal parts tender and strange, but takes new risks with production, texture, and instrumentation. Pierce played every instrument and sang every vocal on the first album, and while he...
LP $24.45
12/02/2022
***Wasted Cathedral is the solo project of Saskatoon-based musician Christopher Laramee (Shooting Guns, The Switching Yard, and The Radiation Flowers). Retreat Into Fantasy Soundtracks is the follow up to 2021's I'm Gonna Love You 'Til The End Of Time, an album that captured the attention of minimalist music listeners, as well as followers of ambient and downtempo electronica. The album made Aquarium Drunkard's "2021 Year in Review" list, an accolade that reflects the kind of growth Laramee's music has made in recent years. Wasted Cathedral's sound is best described as incidental music, improvised soundscapes that serve as musical snapshots or snippets of dream sequences. Retreat Into Fantasy Soundtracks, as with most other Wasted Cathedral releases, involved a lot of late night sampling and looping sessions. The result is a dubbed out take on soundtrack music, with films like Alan Pakula's paranoid 70's masterpiece The Parallax View a constant source of inspiration for tone and mood. As with his previous releases, the aim of Laramee's work is melody and texture. He takes simple phrases and broken loops, only to stereo pan them into infinity. The dub/ disco/ breakbeat aesthetic is submerged into an aquatic universe, where sound becomes indistinct, lines are blurred and erased as basslines and beats, and acoustic guitars and keyboards melt into a dank brew of smeared color and shadows.This is displayed to great effect on "Decadent Ambient", one of the album's many highlights. Wasted Cathedral is recommended for listeners of Flying Saucer Attack, DJ Shadow, Spiritualized, and...
LP $24.45
12/02/2022
***Centripetal Force is excited to announce the release of Kungens Ljud & Bild, the latest full length recording from Sweden's Kungens Män. Kungens Män hails from Stockholm, Sweden, where they formed in 2012. What started out with the sole purpose of hanging out as friends, occasionally with instruments in tow, has resulted in records on several labels and numerous European tours. The band is rooted in the psychedelic/drone rock tradition of bands such as Träd, Gräs & Stenar, and over the years Kungens Män has integrated influences from a number of genres, including krautrock, shoegaze, noiserock and free jazz. The fundamental idea has never changed though – to get immersed in sound, and let the drone be the main trail taking the band to inner space – may it be through folkish melodies, noise, sonic blurs, modal outbursts, motorik beats or just good old head melting rock. And of course, it’s all improvised on the spot. 2022 not only marks the ten year anniversary of the band, it is their first venture into the North American scene, thanks to Centripetal Force, who are to release a special edition of the new album Kungens Ljud & Bild. It also marks Kungens Män’s first vinyl release on their own label (for UK and European distribution), which, like the album, is named 'Kungens Ljud & Bild'. Why make things complicated?
LP $23.75
06/03/2022
Acid Mothers Temple & Infinity Rising Zero / Perhaps
Perhaps / Acid Mothers Temple & Infinity Rising Zero
Centripetal Force
***A split album between Acid Mothers Temple & Infinity Rising Zero and Perhaps. Each group has contributed one song, each being a side long in length. This album marks the debut of Acid Mothers Temple & Infinity Rising Zero, a new member of the AMT family. This iteration features Kawabata Makoto, Higashi Hiroshi, and Satoshima Nani. It also includes frequent AMT collaborator Pika, drummer and vocalist of Afrirampo. Nani took on the responsibility of writing the music, with Pika taking on the lyrical content. The album also marks the return of Perhaps, a collective of wayward souls broughttogether by cosmiche beats and motorik rhythms. Little is known about Perhaps , but we do know that the project came into existence at the hands of Jim Haney at the Berklee College of Music in 2012. This is not the first time these two bands have collaborated; in 2014 Perhaps and Acid Mothers Temple completed a North American tour together, playing more than 30 shows in just over a month. Previous Perhaps releases have featured current and former members of AMT, with a number of those releases coming on on Riot Season Records. Edition of 350 copies.
LP $21.85
10/01/2021
***Centripetal Force is excited to announce the release of Cerulean, the first full length recording from the Nashville Ambient Ensemble. Organized and led by electronic composer Michael Hix, the ensemble’s lineup is made up of some of the city’s most creative and innovative artists, many of whom have been heralded by Bandcamp as being part of an experimental music movement dubbed the “New Weird South.” In addition to Hix on synthesizers, the group includes the talents of Luke Schneider (Third Man Records) on pedal steel guitar, Kim Rueger (Belly Full of Stars) on piano, Jack Silverman on baritone electric guitar, Deli Paloma-Sisk (Diatom Deli) on voice, Cynthia Cárdenas on guitar synth, and Timon Kaple on electric guitar. Cerulean explores musical pathways with a distinctive Nashville sound, a unique approach amongst similar artists and releases. We believe this is what sets the Nashville Ambient Ensemble apart from their contemporaries and think that you will agree. For fans of William Tyler, Cocteau Twins, Fennesz and Emily A. Sprague. Edition of 300 copies.
LP $19.95
04/02/2021
***Centripetal Force (in conjunction with Cardinal Fuzz for UK/Europe) presents the seventh full length album from veteran psychonauts WHITE MANNA. Long recognized as one of the leaders of the modern psychedelic movement, White Manna's ARC builds upon an already impressive discography and further develops the band's always evolving approach to sound and songwriting. This nine song journey sees the band exploring new directions that are more meditative in nature, a welcome development in light of the current state of world affairs. The song "Mythic Salon" certainly demonstrates such intent, as well as growth. ARC, the band’s first release since last year's Ape on Sunday, was recorded at guitarist ANTHONY TAIBI's 3D Light Studios in Humboldt County, California. The songwriting this time around took on more of an inward process, both musically and thematically. This shift allowed for more spontaneity and improvisation than their previous efforts. This was especially true when it came to translating musical passages that had already become part of the band's live repertoire. ARC is not a concept album per se, but its focus on such an omnipresent icon certainly leaves the listener a variety of avenues for interpretation, making this the most daring and unique album in the White Manna discography. Edition of 500 copies. (STREET DATE - 8/28/2020)
LP $20.75
08/28/2020
***Centripetal Force, in conjunction with the UK label Cardinal Fuzz, presents the vinyl release of No Ear to Hear, a split album project from PRANA CRAFTER (WILLIAM SOL) and ragenap (JOEL BERK). The album is a sort of eulogy for longtime Grateful Dead collaborator and lyricist Robert Hunter. Sol and Berk, unbeknownst to one another, turned to their instruments after learning of Hunter's passing and recorded their expressions of grief and loss. It was only by cosmic chance that they learned of each other's sessions and decided to offer their recordings to the world. It is quite fitting that this tribute to a man who was masterful with his words would end up being two impassioned instrumentals. Previously only available as part of a 60 cassette run on the Baked Tapes label, this vinyl edition of No Ear To Hear is limited to 350 copies, evenly split between Centripetal Force (USA / North America) and Cardinal Fuzz (UK / Europe).
LP $20.75
07/31/2020
***Centripetal Force presents the vinyl release of I Just Wasn't Made For These Set Times, the new album from DIRE WOVES (JUST EXACTLY PERFECT SISTERS BAND). Recorded during the same prodigious session that produced 2018’s Paradisiacal Mind (Cardinal Fuzz / Feeding Tube) and 2019’s Grow Toward the Light (Beyond Beyond is Beyond), this most recent dive into the Dire Wolves archive continues to demonstrate the band’s propensity for improvisation, as well as the ability to transport the listener's consciousness with their meditative vibes. Previously only available on Dire Wolves’ recent European tour as part of a 50 cassette run on the Ruralfaune label, this vinyl edition of I Just Wasn't Made For These Set Times is limited to 300 copies.
LP $20.75
07/31/2020