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Otoroku is proud to present a prodigious, captivating album of solo guitar improvisations from Basque musician, Joseba Irazoki. Ranging across 23 tracks, the two parts of the album act almost as fractal mirrors; each reflecting the other in myriad ways, teasing out fresh threads and intricacies with each listen. Gitarra Lekeitioak (Onomatopeikoa II) follows on from Irazoki's 2017 Gitarra Onomatopeikoa release, and that album's sense of untethered, questing curiosity is not only carried over but expanded upon even further here. Combining a fully committed approach to the guitar with an almost egoless lightness of touch, Gitarra Lekeitioak (Onomatopeikoa II) builds upon the already impressively scopious range of Gitarra Onomatopeikoa to dizzying effect. From the gated tone-and-noise and abrasive melodies of opener RO 276, to the driving, mesmeric thrust of 3KO; the yearning, twilight refrains of 396267, to the delicate, harmonic patter of MU; the acoustic virtuosity of CHESHIRE HOTEL to the semi-scrambled electronic ‘duet’ of OSOL, Irazoki makes full use of an impressively broad palette. Yet nothing feels forced, nothing is for show – there’s just a sense of open-hearted generosity. In lesser hands such a whirlwind tour of style and form might risk failing to get its hooks in deep enough, yet not only does Irazoki have the imaginative scope to tackle these varying approaches to the instrument, he has the technical chops to pull it off. Each composition seems to have an openness of intent that is utterly disarming; all cards are on the table and nothing is held back, resulting in a creative tour de force that builds, piece by piece, to a unifying cohesiveness that makes the whole far greater than the sum of its parts. Featuring contributions from long-time OTO favourites Rhodri Davies and Raphael Roginski, Gitarra Lekeitioak (Onomatopeikoa II) is nevertheless unmistakably a work of singular craft and vision. -- "I recorded this album between November 2023 and May 2024 in the studio of Eztegara's house. Iñigo Irazoki has done the mixing at Atala studios. This album is the continuation of "Gitarra Onomatopeikoa" that I released in 2017. I have continued to look for new paths with the guitar trying to work on my own voice, using "instant composition" formula. All the music has been created by me, except for the "Hotel Hor Cheshire", composed by Sazem. In two pieces I have been accompanied by the Polish guitarist Raphael Roginski and the Welsh harpist Rhodri Davies. The cover has been made by Ramón Zabalegi. Thanks to everyone who has helped me making the album." - Joseba Irazoki, October 2024, in tribute to Mikel Laboa.

Joseba Irazoki – Gitarra Lekeitioak (Onomatopeikoa II)

Net of Atoms is a new album from Otis Jordan, drawing closely from the previous two albums for Them There - Dodger Point (2020) and Restless Guests (2022) - Jordan delivers his most ambitious and well articulated full length work to date, perfectly rounding off a trio of releases for the label. The Glasgow based band leader has remained active since his last outing for Them There with contributions to the ongoing research project Folklore Tapes’ most recent V/A compilations and a split tape for the nascent ‘Ceremonial County’ series on the label. Most notably and surprising perhaps was his recent collaboration with Sam Mcloughlin’s Hood Faire imprint ‘Early Experiments in Recording Vol 1 (1976 - 2021)’ - a compilation which Jordan curated that unearthed early recordings from a slew of experimental heads and many now renowned in their field musicians. More so than ever before, the songs on Net of Atoms stomp sure-footedly through the meandering instrumental textures of Otis Jordan’s vivid musical landscape. Ever off-kilter and unpredictable - violin motifs, clarinet themes and hammered found sounds disappear into the mist as suddenly as they arrived leaving behind breadcrumbs to be picked back up later. Recurring variations on melodic themes act as waymarks through the webs of rhythms and resonance as each short scene side-steps into a new tempo and timbre rewarding repeat listens. “This is the most ‘song’ based album I’ve ever made, with vocals on nearly all of the tracks” says Jordan - and the voice does also help guide the listener, although the vocal lines remain linear and consistently curious, rarely repeating. Instrumentally, any given moments can swiftly abscond from smokey Jazz feels to Captain Beefheart-y low-key Psych and freeform Folk ditties recalling the early noughts ‘Twisted Nerve’ jams of Aidan Smith and frequent collaborator Samandtheplants. All the while compounded by a restless forward drive that seems determined to explore the furthest reaches of this exotic sound world. Once again Jordan assembles a multitude of esteemed musician friends for the assignment. Many of the players from the ‘Restless Guests’ live session return including the nimble Moondog-esque percussive touches of Finn Rosenbaum, locally renowned virtuoso DBH offers up some violin and Lost Map’s Molly Linen returns to lend her dulcet, whispered tones on the track ‘Pendle Hill Conversation’. New friends such as Manchester's legendary DIY enthusiast Paddy Steer and the trumpeter Hermon Mehari also feature across the album. For the most part however, Jordan records and composes these crafty, intricate records himself in true DIY style across various home studios from Todmorden to Glasgow and shows no signs of slowing down.  Finn Rosenbaum - drums (4) Hermon Mehari - trumpet (4,14) Ike Goldman - vocals, glockenspiel, guitar and musical saw (7) Molly Linen - vocals (8) Dan Bridgwood-Hill - violin (8,11) Paddy Steer - lap steel (11) Zola Mooney - words and vocals (11, also end of 2) Sam McLoughlin - electric guitar, bass and keyboard (11,12) Marley Moat - violin (12) Other instruments played by Otis Jordan

Otis Jordan – Net of Atoms

"A classically trained Chinese bamboo flutist, Lao Dan picked up the saxophone again around 2013 as he went wildly astray in the world of avant-garde jazz and free improvisation. While demonstrating an ever-growing ability to deliver explosive force and intensity in his free playing, Lao Dan keeps a brutal honesty in his approach to the instrument. He plays ‘jazz’ as what it is, not what it’s supposed to be. Navigating constantly between the East and the West, Lao Dan embraces a unique aesthetics which fuses all his past influences into a voice of glorious mayhem and sheer zaniness.Recorded in June 2019, this is a solo set in which two instruments – tenor saxophone and Zheng, also known as the Chinese zither – were played successively and simultaneously by hands and feet. The recording was made in one go with no overdub or effect added. Lao Dan never learned to play the Zheng properly before this very first attempt. As a result, he didn’t struggle at all to play it in an awkward way, while with the saxophone he did, as always, try very hard to do that.The cover art, created by Shenzhen-based artist Tiemei, is a portrait of Shennong, the Deity of medicine and agriculture in ancient Chinese mythology. The three tracks in Chinese Medicine are named after three species of herb each believed to have unique medicinal properties. It is our responsibility to remind you to take them with extra caution. In Chinese medicine, after all, every drug is a thirty-percent poison."

Lao Dan – Chinese Medicine

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