Distro: Scream & Writhe (Canada), Industrial Coast (United Kingdom), Tobira Records (Japan), Satatuhatta (Finland), Parallax Records (Japan), White Centipede Noise (Germany)
Professionally-manufactured CD in full-color, 4-panel digipak.
Originally released via HalTapes, 90s
Remastered by Grant Richardson
Layout by Max Julian Eastman
1. UMBRELLEN
Al Margolis: tapes, processing, piano
2. PRELUDE TO AN ONGOING CONVERSATION
Brian Charles: dijeridu
Al Margolis: vocals, whistler, percussion
Danielle Reddick: percussion
Paul Richards: drums
3. REVENGE
Trigger (Paul Hoskin, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Leslie Ross) on tape
Al Margolis: ARP 2600, tapes
4. A CLARION CALL
Brian Charles: bass clarinet
Al Margolis: accordion, alto clarinet, electronics
5. ICELESS, FACELESS
Al Margolis: tapes, processing
6. YAMMING
Al Margolis: vibe samples
Danielle Reddick: percussion
Paul Richards: drums
"'Iceless, Faceless' has always felt like a 'lost' release to me. It
was originally released on Hal McGee's Haltapes label, just as he was
suspending the labels activity. So I'm very pleased that Max/Tribe
Tapes is reissuing this (as a CD!!!) and rescuing it from 'the void'.
I hope it is still worth a listen."
Al Margolis, July 2022
"I first encountered Al Margolis (If, Bwana) in 1984, through the cassette networking mail method. It is impossible to remember where I first read about Al and his projects. Perhaps in Graham Ingels' "Castanets" column in OP magazine. Soon we started trading cassettes and later that year we collaborated through the mail for the first time, on the second side of a cassette release on Al's Sound Of Pig label, titled "An Organized Accident". In 1986 we collaborated on a cassette called "Untranslatable" on my Cause And Effect label, and on 'Symbolic Accidents Of Ceremony" on Gary Mundy's Broken Flag label. In 1987 we issued two more collab cassettes 'sacrifice Of Reason" and "Joint Venture" before embarking on a tour that included performances in Brooklyn, Boston, Toronto, Windsor, and Memphis. Over the last four decades Al and I have maintained a friendship that includes occasional collaborations. No matter how much time has passed in-between our collaborations we always easily find that special Bwana Dog groove."
Hal McGee, July 2022
"Decades of experience by now; that is Al Margolis. Long ago, he worked as If, Bwana and had a cassette label, Sound Of Pig. He has used his real name in recent years and ran another label, Pogus Productions. His music also changed over the years. From the more or less randomized tape experiments of the early years to minimalism (the excellent 'R.ISMV.1' CD springs to mind) and improvisation. As with many of the releases on Tribe Tapes, especially regarding people, we can call 'veterans'; this is a historical release. 'Iceless, Faceless' was intended for release on Hal McGee's Hal Tapes, but that didn't happen as he was about to stop his label activities. This being in the early 90s. On the six pieces on this release, there is sound input from others, and two pieces are solo. The improvisational aspect of the music is there, especially in the collaborative pieces, but in all six, there are elements of that. Margolis plays tapes, electronics, piano, processing and an ARP 2600. Usually, not all at the same time. Yet, the music isn't all that improvised sounding perse. Maybe Margolis' tape processing adds a different shape and texture to the music. In 'Jamming', for instance, he plays vibe samples, while Danielle Reddick adds percussion and Paul Richard drums. It sounds as if the piece never starts and keeps stumbling around. This piece has a lo-fi quality, making me like it even more. There is also something similar with 'Prelude To An Ongoing Conversation', with a four-piece line-up, same percussionists but adding Brian Charles on didjeridu and Margolis on vocals, whistler and percussion. A curious, minimalist rockist agenda approach. Not all pieces have the lo-fi quality, but that studio-as-instrument approach to reshape improvisations lingers through all of these pieces. It's music that isn't easily captured as one thing or another (musique concrète, new music, improvisation), and indeed not easy to digest, but one that slowly unfolds its beauty."
Frans de Waard, Vital Weekly 1356
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Distro: Scream & Writhe (Canada), Industrial Coast (United Kingdom), Tobira Records (Japan), Satatuhatta (Finland), Parallax Records (Japan), White Centipede Noise (Germany)
1. UMBRELLEN
Al Margolis: tapes, processing, piano
2. PRELUDE TO AN ONGOING CONVERSATION
Brian Charles: dijeridu
Al Margolis: vocals, whistler, percussion
Danielle Reddick: percussion
Paul Richards: drums
3. REVENGE
Trigger (Paul Hoskin, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Leslie Ross) on tape
Al Margolis: ARP 2600, tapes
4. A CLARION CALL
Brian Charles: bass clarinet
Al Margolis: accordion, alto clarinet, electronics
5. ICELESS, FACELESS
Al Margolis: tapes, processing
6. YAMMING
Al Margolis: vibe samples
Danielle Reddick: percussion
Paul Richards: drums
"'Iceless, Faceless' has always felt like a 'lost' release to me. It
was originally released on Hal McGee's Haltapes label, just as he was
suspending the labels activity. So I'm very pleased that Max/Tribe
Tapes is reissuing this (as a CD!!!) and rescuing it from 'the void'.
I hope it is still worth a listen."
Al Margolis, July 2022
"I first encountered Al Margolis (If, Bwana) in 1984, through the cassette networking mail method. It is impossible to remember where I first read about Al and his projects. Perhaps in Graham Ingels' "Castanets" column in OP magazine. Soon we started trading cassettes and later that year we collaborated through the mail for the first time, on the second side of a cassette release on Al's Sound Of Pig label, titled "An Organized Accident". In 1986 we collaborated on a cassette called "Untranslatable" on my Cause And Effect label, and on 'Symbolic Accidents Of Ceremony" on Gary Mundy's Broken Flag label. In 1987 we issued two more collab cassettes 'sacrifice Of Reason" and "Joint Venture" before embarking on a tour that included performances in Brooklyn, Boston, Toronto, Windsor, and Memphis. Over the last four decades Al and I have maintained a friendship that includes occasional collaborations. No matter how much time has passed in-between our collaborations we always easily find that special Bwana Dog groove."
Hal McGee, July 2022
"Decades of experience by now; that is Al Margolis. Long ago, he worked as If, Bwana and had a cassette label, Sound Of Pig. He has used his real name in recent years and ran another label, Pogus Productions. His music also changed over the years. From the more or less randomized tape experiments of the early years to minimalism (the excellent 'R.ISMV.1' CD springs to mind) and improvisation. As with many of the releases on Tribe Tapes, especially regarding people, we can call 'veterans'; this is a historical release. 'Iceless, Faceless' was intended for release on Hal McGee's Hal Tapes, but that didn't happen as he was about to stop his label activities. This being in the early 90s. On the six pieces on this release, there is sound input from others, and two pieces are solo. The improvisational aspect of the music is there, especially in the collaborative pieces, but in all six, there are elements of that. Margolis plays tapes, electronics, piano, processing and an ARP 2600. Usually, not all at the same time. Yet, the music isn't all that improvised sounding perse. Maybe Margolis' tape processing adds a different shape and texture to the music. In 'Jamming', for instance, he plays vibe samples, while Danielle Reddick adds percussion and Paul Richard drums. It sounds as if the piece never starts and keeps stumbling around. This piece has a lo-fi quality, making me like it even more. There is also something similar with 'Prelude To An Ongoing Conversation', with a four-piece line-up, same percussionists but adding Brian Charles on didjeridu and Margolis on vocals, whistler and percussion. A curious, minimalist rockist agenda approach. Not all pieces have the lo-fi quality, but that studio-as-instrument approach to reshape improvisations lingers through all of these pieces. It's music that isn't easily captured as one thing or another (musique concrète, new music, improvisation), and indeed not easy to digest, but one that slowly unfolds its beauty."
Frans de Waard, Vital Weekly 1356
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