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On June 1, 2013 the Pome Pome Tones was born, releasing AVARUS Salon des Amateurs on LP (PPT-1)
Now, exactly nine years later, here it is again - newly re-mastered and sounding better than ever! 2022 is probably a better time to put this into the world anyway. 🙌
Presented in the preferred cassette format (PPT-18). There are a few short sections cut out for streaming here. The tape itself contains two side-long uninterrupted head-melters.
AVARUS has been the ringleader of beer trance since 2001. That makes the group finally old enough to drink now in the States, but of course they have been well hammered since birth in their native Finland. Come celebrate with us, raise a can and dive back into the Salon.
Some words from long ago that I happened upon via the wayback machine:
"Edition of only 200 copies LP from this Finnish free/rock commune: a welcome return for this Finnish behemoth after a prolonged period of silence. Salon des Amateurs presents a set of extended jams that combine the fractured logic of the Faust Tapes with heavy, bass-driven dirges and Silence/Ohr/Pilz-style psychedelic punk strategies. Everything is nailed into place by the nod-out rhythm section, providing an anchor for some way out orbits of electronics, guitar, communal percussion and hypnotic sleight of hand that could almost pass for goddamn Siloah outtakes." (Volcanic Tongue)
"Finest I've heard from these Finnish experimental trip-rockers. In fact all the best stuff I've heard by them is live like this. Think that's when they really cook, instead of getting too clever in the studio! Mostly this reminds me of Circle (fellow Finns)." (Ultima Thule Records)
"11th album from this Finnish psych folk band that started back in 2001, with about 10 to 20 rotating members. Hypnotic, rhythmic instrumental jams. Guitars, a little funky at times in the background. Rolling soft drums. Crystal electronics. Gorgeous blending of modern and futurist sounds. Psycha-futura? Easily accessible, great to open the front door and bask in some sunshine with." (KFJC)
"Aware or not, this near-anonymous septet follow a lineage that seems to ricochet from Philemon Arthur and the Dung to Terry Riley's time-lag to Godz to planet Earth's inner chakra. Avarus' vicissitude consists of liquid rhythms filling the cracks between surface clatter and scrawl, flowing along the brink of pre-articulated titanic constructions. In short, Avarus are a heavy trip." (Dusted Magazine)
"When I am listening to the Banana album by the Velvet underground I always think of this super group just jamming for hours, facing music more as a trance experience than a state of art. This is the period that psychedelic music and drugs like acid had a major influence to the musicians and the youth. Artists found new ways of expression to the hippie phenomena and communal life, participating in music collectives and open groups. From the mid-60s onwards more and more collective crossover happenings taking in electronic experiments began to be held in Finland (Various ‎– Psychedelic Phinland: Finnish Hippie & Underground Music 1967-1974, Love rec, 2006). This sense of community is still alive there and since now a lot of great collectives derived from this country. One of them is Avarus that born from the ashes of Anaksimandros (2000 – 2004) and Pylon. They formed in 2001 releasing their albums on various labels (Lal Lal Lal, Secret Eye and HP Cycle records) and with a different line up. Their music is classified in the most avant-garde form of “free folk”, mixing free jazz and musique concrete. Salon des Amateurs finds this collective (line up: Arttu Partinen (percussion), Tero Niskanen (synthesizer), Lars Mattila (guitar), Jukka Räisänen (bass), Jeffrey Alexander (guitar, horn), Moritz Kleiner (synthesizer)) traveling around Europe with the addition of a German keyboardist and even some American jabroni from Jackie-O Motherfucker. This 200 only copies limited edition LP is including two quite similar long run jams of the group. They remain upbeat and fancy with a lot of electronic sounds and a more Krautrock attitude. They sound more tied as a group and they seem to be more focused on rhythm. There are no fragmented sounds in here like there was in their first period (Horuksen Keskimmaisen Silman Mysteerikoulu, 2001 and III, 2002) but this album is still a documentation of their furious live performances, placed with their Vesikansi (2006) and Kirppujen Saari (2008) live albums." (Soundtraag)
"It’s been four year since the latest official Avarus albums IV and Toosassa were released, but there have been a couple of tapes since then. On Salon des Amateurs this Finnish free form experimental psych rock/folk/jazz/electronic outfit is joined by Jeffrey Alexander (electric guitar, Black Forest/Black Sea, Secret Eye Records etc.) from the US and Moritz Kleiner (synthesizer) from Germany. Other players are this time Jukka Räisänen (electric bass), Lars Mattila (electric guitar), Arttu Partinen (percussion), Tero Niskanen (synthesizer). These two, untitled side-long tracks on this very nice vinyl album were both recorded spontaneously at Kunsthalle in Düsseldorf, Germany, on May 30 2011 when Avarus was on their European tour. The sound quality is good and the band is clearly in great and inspirational mood. The A side starts off slowly with some electronic sounds and hypnotic bass line and monotonic guitar while Arttu slowly lets the rhythm grow. The track gets VERY hypnotic and trance-inducing in the middle and you will be transported into this strange, psychedelic Avarus world that only exists during their gigs. On side B they have a nice, almost dub like beat going and even some chord changes, until the track cools down into weird, quiet, jazzy drone. I might not be the right person to review this music since I don’t really know many bands like this, but I think Avarus is a great band and I do enjoy their strange, improvisational aural trips even if they’re pretty primitive, monotonic and whimsical. Or maybe that’s exactly the reason!" (Psychotropic Zone)
credits
released June 1, 2022
recorded at Salon des Amateurs, Kunsthalle DĂĽsseldorf, Germany on May 30, 2011.
Arttu Partinen - drums, percussion
Tero Niskanen - synthesizer
Lars Mattila - electric guitar
Jukka Räisänen - electric bass
Jeffrey Alexander - electric guitar, balloon horn
Moritz Kleiner - synthesizer
poster art by Zeloot.
Founding member of The Iditarod in 1996, Black Forest/Black Sea in 2003 and Dire Wolves in 2008. Joined JOMF in 2013.
Started The Heavy Lidders in 2019. Former label owner of Magic Eye Singles and Secret Eye Records. Also toured with and featured on recordings by Kemialliset Ystävät, Avarus, Es, Fursaxa, Christina Carter, Gravenhurst, Jeffrey Alexander-Andrea Belfi-Stefano Pilia Trio....more
Modular synths sparkle amidst piano, vibes, and other organic instruments stringing together constellations of sound. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 22, 2023
