Various Artists - Interpretations on F.C. Judd by Optigram

Link: Optigram
Link: Public Information

Coming after last year's 35 track F.C. Judd collection, Electronics Without Tears, the Public Information label has invited Chris Carter, Perc, Pye Corner Audio, Holly Herndon, Mordant Music and more to reconfigure selected sounds from his extensive archive. Optigram has, in turn, delivered slick monochrome artwork to house crisp white vinyl. Limited edition with 500 copies worldwide plus substantially less exclusive/sexy digital versions.

Forward Strategy Group - Labour Division packaging by Adult Art Club

Link: Adult Art Club
Link: Perc Trax

Released by the Perc Trax label is the Labour Division album by Forward Strategy Group. The CD version fits neatly in a metal tin - hinting the recordings' industrial edge - with a full colour, four page booklet designed by Adult Art Club. The cover additionally has a tough aesthetic with its suspended, brutally sliced classical statue perhaps evoking the dream-like work of Giorgio de Chirico.

Wallzo's sleeve for Hot Chip's Ready for the Floor long-player also seemed to touch on the same artist's imagery although this, with it's ominous - maybe apocalyptic - landscape, is somewhat darker whilst all that concrete-like grittiness is offset nicely by Adult Art Club's more minimal detailing.

Gatekeeper - Exo artwork, environment and font by Tabor Robak

Link: Tabor Robak
Link: Hippos In Tanks

Following acclaimed releases from the likes of Grimes, James Ferraro and Laurel Halo, the always intriguing Hippos In Tanks label now readies the debut long-player from, New York-based duo, Gatekeeper.

Exo, as it's titled, is accompanied by collaborative visual work from Tabor Robak that extends further from a simple packshot to include a custom-made downloadable font and an immersive, first person gaming environment. The whole utopian sci-fi/techno-fetishism aesthetic might work for many [personally, I prefer the more organic and abstract digital fantasies of artists like Konx-om-Pax in addition to work including Robak's own 'Rocks' experiments], but the idea of providing something far more innovative than a bundle of MP3s with a thumbnail is always welcome. Especially given that this is genuinely a truly exploratory, multi-sensory project. Out July 17th.

Matthew Dear - Beams by Michael Cina

Link: Michael Cina
Link: Ghostly International
Link: Matthew Dear

Following the dark visual and sonic aesthetic associated with Matthew Dear's Black City long-player, Beams - his upcoming album - has a very different feel. There's a more optimistic approach here that, in terms of both sight and sound, was evident on his 'Headcage EP'. And it has continued through, catchy new single, 'Her Fantasy'.

For the artwork, Michael Cina's use of colour is clearly suggestive of the new direction, but texturally - lacking the smokiness and grittiness of Black City - it also feels more joyful (whether that's applied to his abstract or more figurative imagery). Cina says:

"The Beams project has been the most ambitious music packaging project that I have worked on to date. It started in November of 2011 and ended in May of 2012. The full scope involves almost 100 paintings, two of the paintings being 20 feet long, flying to NYC to be filmed painting a six foot portrait, another portrait that took two months to paint, a custom typeface, and countless designs. There will be four singles to come off this record as well, each requiring new pieces as well."

F.C. Judd - Electronics Without Tears artwork by Optigram

Link: Optigram
Link: Public Information
Link: F.C. Judd 

With CD and download versions available at a special price to mark its composer's 98th birthday, it's worth revisiting Optigram's designs for the release of F.C. Judd's Electronics Without Tears.

First released by the Public Information label in January, externally it continues a series of hard-edged yet hypnotic patterns by Optigram's Manuel Sepulveda. Although, within the CD packaging, there is additionally an eight page booklet with notes on the retrospective album's 35 tracks plus a biography on the radiophonic master by, experimental documentary maker, Ian Halliwell. [The vinyl edition - limited to just 500 copies - appears to be sold out.]

Mouse On Mars - Parastrophics artwork

Link: Mouse On Mars
Link: Monkeytown

"...We found out about the Shakers — they were similar to the Quakers in the 19^th century. They tried to reconsider religion and use America as new ground to do that... They had a very tolerant idea of the non-material world and the idea of Jesus. They had this practice where they drew all these weird maps of things that happened to them in a day, including the ghost world and mathematical formulas. And this whole map looked like a score or a diagram to create a machine. So we used this as the album sleeve — that’s a Shaker design."
(MTV Hive)

"...And then, we found those Shakers drawings, which basically we stole… or took as inspiration for the album. And the Shakers were a weird religious sect because men and women in the group were equal; they had the same rights, for within the 19th century, it was quite radical. They were great craftsmen, but also liberal in a way, very un-dogmatic. And they even had this idea of a metaphysical world that they would deal with in drawings, in craftwork, in poems. So we used this kind of worldview for the record."
(Exclaim.ca)

Photos: Steve Loya

Program Your 808 by Rob Ricketts

Link: Rob Ricketts

Set of four posters from, graphic designer, Rob Ricketts detailing how some of the most notable drum sequences were programmed using the Roland TR-808 Drum Machine. Each sequence has been analyzed and represented as to allow users to re-programme each sequence, key for key. Essential infographics for electro/acid aficionados.

 

Bleep.com 100 Tracks 2011 'gift card' by Give Up Art

Link: Bleep.com
Link: Give Up Art

London graphic design studio Give Up Art have created a stylish physical product for Bleep.com's 2011 music round-up.

Incorporating an embossed 90gsm card wallet with clear foil containing a folded A3 poster, the gift package provides a visual referent for over nine hours of modern music across a host of genres. With pre-orders being taken now, lucky recipients of either the MP3 or FLAC formats will be unwrapping music from James Blake, Fennesz, Burial, Modeselektor, Battles, Photek, Rustie, Martyn, Soul Clap, Nicolas Jaar and many, many more come December 25th.

14 Tracks from Planet Mu

Link: Ben Curzon
Link: 14 Tracks From Planet Mu

The new 14 Tracks from Planet Mu compilation features photography from Hilary Walker with design by Ben Curzon. The latter also devised that explosive motif that has graced the label's single releases and, previous collection, The Mu School: a really striking identity that has unified disparate releases from a roster of highly individual music makers.

As he puts it:

Planet Mu Records required an identifiable and expandable design system for an indefinitely numbered release schedule series of 12” singles. The design also needed to be simple and iconic to work equally effectively as small thumbnail images on digital download stores such as their own webstore at www.planet.mu and Bleep.com. A simple flash-like motif was created to display the key information of each release (Artist, Title, catalogue number and RPM). The structure remains identical, with colour changes and photography identifying each release...

The flash motif became so synonymous and immediately recognisable as part of the brand, it was applied to T-shirts, embroidered onto hooded tops, record bags and printed turntable slipmats.