Now-Again Records

New York Daily News Investigates Psych Funk: “….Now-Again Travels The Globe To Capture Far-Flung Psychedelia.”

We’re pleased to announce that the New York Daily News was so impressed by our investigations into global psychedelic funk music that they dedicated an article to it. Alongside discussions about our forthcoming Indonesian psych-funk compendium Those Shocking Shaking Days, writer Jim Farber had this to say:

“As it turns out, psychedelia’s glow didn’t only affect musicians in its clichéd epicenters but in places as far off as Ghana, Tehran and Manila all through the ’70s.

Only lately, though, has the full scope of these sounds come to light, many through the efforts of a company called Now-Again Records. Indian-American owner Eothen Alapatt began putting out collections of this swirling music in 2009 with “Forge Your Own Chains: Heavy Psychedelic Ballads and Dirges 1968 to 1974.” It featured mind-bending cuts by period acts born in Colombia, Sweden, South Korea and elsewhere. From there, the company started traipsing the world, territory by territory, to issue in the last year alone collections by psych bands centered in India, Zambia and Indonesia…

…f ew have exceeded Now-Again’s eagerness and breadth, not to mention their sumptuous packaging and obsessively detailed liner notes.”

Various – Those Shocking Shaking Days

Buy it here

Tracklist:

Panbers – “Haai”
The Brims – “Anti Gandja”
Bad News – “Rollies”
Shark Move – “Evil War”
Golden Wing – “Hear Me”
AKA – “Do What You Like”
IVO’s Group – “That Shocking Shaking Day”
Ariesta Birawa Group – “Didunia Yang Lain”
Terenchem – “Jeritan Cinta”
Benny Soebarjda and Lizard – “Candle Light”
Superkid – “People”
Koes Plus – “Mobil Tua”
The Gang of Harry Roesli – “Don’t Talk About Freedom”
Black Brothers – “Saman Doye”
Rasela – “Pemain Bola”
Freedom of Rhapsodia – “Freedom”
Rythm Kings – “The Promise”
AKA – “Shake Me”
Duo Kribo – “Uang”

3LP, CD, Digital. 2011. NA5065.

Egon’s Funk Archaeology at NPR: A Lo-Fi Report From Indonesia

Egon’s latest entry to his Funk Archaeology series at NPR sheds some light on his forthcoming anthology Those Shocking Shaking Days: Indonesia Hard, Psychedelic, Progressive Rock and Funk 1970-1978. Indonesia’s various 70s scenes were dense, but often times underground; this piece sheds light on not only the process he and fellow record collectors and archivists Jason Connoy and Chandra Drews had to go through in the discovery process, but also on a forthcoming (hopefully?) Madlib/Indonesian collaboration, of sorts, for the discussed, but not-yet-realized, Supreme Team project.

Link: Lo-Fi Indonesia: Egon’s Funk Archaeology at NPR
More: Indonesian Psych on Now-Again/Those Shocking Shaking Days Anthology.

A Sneak Peak Into Our Indonesian Psych/Prog/Funk Comp: Egon Interviewed in Jakarta’s Whiteboard Journal

Now-Again collaborator Chandra Drews recently interviewed Egon for Indonesia’s Whiteboard Journal and talked shop about Stones Throw, Now-Again, and our forthcoming Indonesian Psych/Prog/Funk comp Those Shocking Shaking Days. Read and see what’s in store for you in early fall…

FORTHCOMING COMPILATION OF INDONESIAN PSYCH PROG FUNK ROCK ON NOW AGAIN

Now-Again, in conjunction with Canadian producer Jason “Moss” Connoy and Indonesian rock legend Benny Soebarjda, will release an anthology that represents an extensive survey into the Indonesian psychedelic and progressive rock scene that flowered in Jakarta in the early 1970s. The release is planned for early 2010. Researcher Chandra Drews, an Indonesian-national who is assisting in assembling the liner notes for the compilation, recently interviewed Soebarjda in Holland. His story gives a brief glimpse into what is to come with this compilation:

“Hardly any bands ever come out of Indonesia having developed a cult following in the West. One notable exception would be 1970s progressive psychedelic rockers Sharkmove and its later incarnation as Giant Step who despite never having mainstream success in their country of origin are steadily gaining popularity amongst dusty fingered crate diggers worldwide. Sharkmove was established by guitarist/vocalist Benny Soebardja (who with his high-school band The Peels had modest success not only in Indonesia but also neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia), keyboardist Soman Loebis, drummer Sammy Zakaria, vocalist Bhagu Ramchand and bassist Janto Diablo as a means to pass idle time during their student years studying at Bandung’s Technical University (ITB). The five-piece played local underground venues for a few months before travelling to the capital Jakarta in 1973 to press a mere 1000 copies of their first and only album: the seven track Ghede Chokra’s Sharkmove (Ghede Chokra translates as ‘Great Session’ in Sanskrit) featuring amongst others the nine minute Prog Rock tour-de-force ‘My Life’, the more melodic drug awareness track ‘Madat’ and the politically charged Led Zeppelin inspired Fuzz Rock ‘Evil War’ (spouting anti-governmental lyrics was risqué to say the least in Suharto’s thirty year dictatorship of Indonesia, even when sung in English) without ever signing to a record label, thus being pioneers of fundamental independent record producing in Indonesia. Though never successful as recording artists in their homeland, they did strike a notable cult following in Jakarta and Bandung as a result of their regular gigs with Indonesia’s better-known rock bands God Bless and SAS in the capital. Sharkmove folded as soon as they started with Soebardja dissolving the group after the tragic and untimely death of Soman Loebis in a road accident in Jakarta. The band’s second coming as Giant Step was a much more fruitful one commercially with the band releasing a full seven studio albums to date and finally receiving some mainstream popularity in Indonesia in the eighties. Giant Step’s first two albums; Giant Step Mark One and Giant on The Move as with Ghede Chokra’s Sharkmove are also receiving plenty of attention from the vinyl heads notably for the tracks ‘Air Pollution’ and the heavily progressive ‘Waste Time’. Giant Step still play charity events and reunion tours across Indonesia’s major cities.”