Saturday, October 12, 2013

FFFour KMSU: A Benefit Release for KMSU's annual Fall Pledge Drive



This Fall marks the third year for us doing the FFF podcast series, and it also happens to be the 50th anniversary of KMSU, our beloved college/community radio station where we produce our show. So, for the station’s annual Fall Pledge Drive fundraiser, where we reach out to our listeners for support, we wanted to put something special together that not only documented what we have been doing on the podcast series, but something that we could use to give back to the station. Through the support and generosity of several talented artists and musicians that have been featured on our podcast in one form or another over the past three years, we were able to put together FFFour KMSU, a limited edition 4-way split 10” lathe and supplementary 20-track digital compilation. 

The 10” mono lathe record, cut in an edition of 30 by the good folks at 2208 Recordings in Minneapolis, features original artwork from Graham Lambkin (formerly of cult favorites, The Shadow Ring) and was printed by Niagara Press (operated by Clint Simonson of De Stijl Records). It includes a hand-numbered insert (formatted by Chris Berry of Soft Abuse Records) and four new and/or previously unreleased tracks from the likes of Sean McCann, Decimus, Rambutan, and Nite Lite. These tracks then flesh out a nearly two-hour long compilation that includes a heady mix of new/unreleased tracks from several key players in the experimental cassette underground, including: Sparkling Wide Pressure, Justin Meyers, Panabrite, Jason E. Anderson, Henry & Hazel Slaughter, Charlatan, Cream Juice, Parashi, Hobo Cubes, Cody Yantis, John Zuma St. Pelvyn, Tilth, Black Eagle Child, .mf (aka Michael Flora), Derek Rogers, and Chapels. The sounds fluctuate wildly, yet form a cohesive and immersive whole: consider it a new podcast show comprised of all exclusive material.

In an effort to get this to people in a timely fashion and to minimize the number of hands it would typically have to travel through, we’ve decided to streamline things a bit and make everything available from our Bandcamp page starting on October 17th. We will, however, set aside a small stash for when we are on-the-air during the pledge drive. There are three options to choose from (while supplies last, of course): 

1) For $40 or more, you can get the 10” lathe (edition of 30) with download code for the complete compilation. 



2) For $20 or more, you can get a limited print (edition of 150) of the artwork by Graham Lambkin with download code for the complete compilation. 



3) For $5 or more, you can just immediately download the complete digital compilation as is at freeformfreakout.bandcamp.com (available on Oct. 17th). Here's a taster:



The money raised from the sales of this release will be donated to KMSU for their Fall Pledge Drive fundraiser, which runs from November 6-17. While KMSU receives some funding from the university and various grants, it relies heavily on listener support to help pay for its annual operating costs, which are getting more-and-more expensive with each passing year. Like many college/community radio stations across the country, annual funding is always a big question mark and the station is often held together “with baling wire and bubblegum” and the enthusiasm of its volunteers. We are incredibly proud (and humbled) to be offering up this release by some of our favorite artists operating right now. We hope you will consider picking up one of these release options and, in the process, helping our station remain a vital part of our community.  

Here is a link to check out some sound samples of the mono lathe cut tracks: 

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