Today we're proud to announce the commercial launch of our design studio, HOLY MOUNTAIN MEDIA.
Over the past few years of creating the in-house design for Paradigms Recordings and undertaking various freelance projects, we're fully launching our bespoke design services for print, web and production this month. Please feel free to contact us with all your design needs and spread the word, if you will, as we're keen to get involved in new projects both large and small.
We specialise in developing bold esoteric graphics and aesthetics, design, typography, illustration and photography in both 2D and 3D media and are starting to work on animation concepts too, primarily in the music and entertainment industries but we love to get involved in any interesting work internationally.
Our fully updated portfolio is online now at www.h-mtn.com
Thank you
Holy Mountain Media
London. England.
www.h-mtn.com
studio@h-mtn.com
Monday, 29 November 2010
Saturday, 27 November 2010
A postcard from Norway
After several trips to Norway over the past few years, Oslo has become one of our favourite places in the world, so it's been a pleasure to spend most of this week over here enjoying the harsh arctic winds and sub-zero temperatures; barely getting any higher than minus five degrees celsius during the days and plummeting much lower into the evenings. Very nice indeed if you have the right clothing...
This time around we finally got to visit the Viking Ship Museum at Bygdøy where three ships are displayed. The Oseberg ship is absolutely stunning, dating back to 800AD and built from oak, it's carvings and structure is a wonder to behold. The other ships discovered at burial mounds in Gokstad and Tune are also fascinating, as is the selection of accompanying grave goods on display. Highly recommended
Managed to get away from the city for a while for a trek into the mountains before returning to spend too much money at the highly recommended and very friendly Tiger Records store. Then watched the sun go down over the freezing fjord whilst listening to Supersilent's sublime new album. Quite an experience, I can assure you and a perfect end to a perfect day.
Thanks to all our amazing Norwegian friends old and new. Thanks to drunken nights at the Mono Bar and The Garage and stumbling into Elm Street for that one last beer...
And to finish off a great Scandinavian week, we got to see the new MOOMINS film on it's opening day here in Norway, which was a truly beautifully crafted little film.
Oslo, we will miss you, until next time.
Saturday, 20 November 2010
Paradigms Recordings vs Aquarius Records SF
We're very happy to announce that the ever mighty Aquarius Records store in San Francisco has named MURMUÜRE's self titled Paradigms debut as their 'Album Of The Week' this week and also their 'Black Metal Album Of The Year'.
Many thanks to Andee and all the fine folks over there. Always strong supporters of Paradigms right from the start and true bastions of pioneering independent music, we salute you.
Many thanks to Andee and all the fine folks over there. Always strong supporters of Paradigms right from the start and true bastions of pioneering independent music, we salute you.
Sunday, 14 November 2010
NEW RELEASE : SEPVLCRVM - 'Hermeticvm' out on Paradigms this week
Paradigms Recordings is pleased to announce the release of a very special project today - the debut from Italy's SEPVLCRVM entitled 'HERMETICVM'. The haunting soundtrack to your final spiritual ascension. Due to the esoteric nature of it's hidden knowledge, this arcane item is strictly limited to 100 copies only, presented on pro-manufactured cdr with screenprinted disc, beautifully packaged cover art and inner sleeve, printed on textured and recycled papers and board.
'HERMETICVM' is a journey of mystical-spiritual ascent - drawn from primordial understanding and interpretation of ancient sacred texts. A sacral process of pure, uncontaminated improvisation intent on releasing inner spiritual energy from physical form to set one free on the path to the inner circle of true universal wisdom.
"Hermeticvm" is now available through the Paradigms store so check it out here. And you can sample a track from the album on the Paradigms audio player.
A triumphant work over 3 acts in 60 minutes - hypnotic, occult guitar drone, chiming prayer bells, trumpets, xylophones, organs, choral chanting and a whispered monologue evoke vast cathedrals of sound on a truly transcendental trip in search of the Eternal. Enlightenment is ours!
'HERMETICVM' is a journey of mystical-spiritual ascent - drawn from primordial understanding and interpretation of ancient sacred texts. A sacral process of pure, uncontaminated improvisation intent on releasing inner spiritual energy from physical form to set one free on the path to the inner circle of true universal wisdom.
"Hermeticvm" is now available through the Paradigms store so check it out here. And you can sample a track from the album on the Paradigms audio player.
A triumphant work over 3 acts in 60 minutes - hypnotic, occult guitar drone, chiming prayer bells, trumpets, xylophones, organs, choral chanting and a whispered monologue evoke vast cathedrals of sound on a truly transcendental trip in search of the Eternal. Enlightenment is ours!
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
DEATHSPELL OMEGA - Paracletus
Deathspell Omega is Black Metal. Black Metal is Deathspell Omega.
Granted, we're preaching (most likely) to the converted here but after submersing ourselves in the new Deathspell Omega 'Paracletus' album this week, we thought that you can never praise true greatness too highly.
So, it is also a given that Deathspell Omega's body of work over the last ten years has been absolutely faultless -- a rare thing to be able to claim of any band or artist and we've been possessed by their blackened metaphysical genius since procuring a copy of 'Inquisitors Of Satan' from Northern Heritage back in 2002.
France too has become the undisputed breeding ground for relevant, forward-thinking and genuinely experimental extreme metal over the past few years (Blut Aus Nord, Stagnant Waters, Decrepit Spectre, Celeste, Murmuüre, BORGIA, even Gojira and obviously Deathspell Omega to name just a few), and on the strength of 'Paracletus', France is delivering what Norway's Moonfog scene never quite managed to realise over a decade ago; true, theological high art in extreme metal.
'Paracletus' makes pretty much ninety nine percent of all contemporary black metal completely redundant. With the still ever mysterious Deathspell Omega in the world, there is little need for much else - ever technical and played with absolute precision, it relentlessly drives like Thorns, drifts in psychedelic twists like Virus but is still pure Deathspell Omega. Beautifully balanced, organic and textured throughout, 'Paracletus' is a modern masterpiece of biblical proportions.
Er, yes, you may gather we like this quite alot....
Deathspell Omega / Norma Evangelium Diaboli
So, it is also a given that Deathspell Omega's body of work over the last ten years has been absolutely faultless -- a rare thing to be able to claim of any band or artist and we've been possessed by their blackened metaphysical genius since procuring a copy of 'Inquisitors Of Satan' from Northern Heritage back in 2002.
France too has become the undisputed breeding ground for relevant, forward-thinking and genuinely experimental extreme metal over the past few years (Blut Aus Nord, Stagnant Waters, Decrepit Spectre, Celeste, Murmuüre, BORGIA, even Gojira and obviously Deathspell Omega to name just a few), and on the strength of 'Paracletus', France is delivering what Norway's Moonfog scene never quite managed to realise over a decade ago; true, theological high art in extreme metal.
'Paracletus' makes pretty much ninety nine percent of all contemporary black metal completely redundant. With the still ever mysterious Deathspell Omega in the world, there is little need for much else - ever technical and played with absolute precision, it relentlessly drives like Thorns, drifts in psychedelic twists like Virus but is still pure Deathspell Omega. Beautifully balanced, organic and textured throughout, 'Paracletus' is a modern masterpiece of biblical proportions.
Er, yes, you may gather we like this quite alot....
Deathspell Omega / Norma Evangelium Diaboli
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Paradigms Song Of The Day : "Lay In A Shimmer" by PANTHA DU PRINCE
Already been raving about the "Black Noise" album here on the Paradigms blog a few weeks ago and will definitely feature in our albums for the year list for 2010. Anyway, thought we'd stick one of our favourite tracks from the album up here as it makes our day and it might just make yours too, if some rather fine minimal German techno / electronica / IDM is your thing.
...more stunning animation for a cold, rainy Sunday afternoon
We'd also encourage you to investigate some of the decadent, glorious and mindboggling genius from the modern-day artisans at the The Black Heart Gang animation studio. Here's 'The Tale Of How', part of an on-going series of some of the most inventive, visual storytelling that we have seen in a long while.
Jóhann Jóhannsson and Marc Craste
Icelandic composer / musician Jóhann Jóhannsson captivated our imagination a couple of years back with his quite sublime 'Fordlandia' release on 4AD. This truly beautiful, arctic modern classical composition / electronica chills our hearts and transports our minds into a long-lost dreamworld; all of his work being pretty much essential. So we were obviously excited with the release earlier this year of a soundtrack he'd composed for a Marc Craste animated film from 2008 called 'Varmints'.
Like most of his work, 'And In The Endless Pause There Came The Sound Of Bees', as it is entitled on cd / vinyl, is isolating in part, delicate and subtle - working perfectly as a soundtrack to the masterful animation but also is powerful enough to stand on it's own as a commanding music piece.
And this rather incredible album has introduced us to Marc Craste, London based master animator / director and key player of UK animation studio, STUDIO AKA. We were actually aware of much of their work already, with various stunning spots for the BBC and iconic animation for advertising - however, it's in award winning short films where his unique, dark fairy tale vision really flourishes. Check out the aforementioned 'Varmints' if you get a chance and check out a full version of one of our personal favourites 'Jojo In The Stars' below. Enjoy.
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