A Cuneiform Appreciation Thread

[bill g]

Never met a Cuneiform release I didn't like. Funny, I just pulled out a Muffins cd the other night, first time I'd heard it in years and I'd forgotten just how much I liked them. I actually played it twice in a row, something I never do. I do have 'Cutting Both Ways' (Phil Miller) on vinyl still. Don't have a turntable though. Thinking Plague is perhaps my favorite Cuneiform artist if I had to pick one.

[Joe F.]

I've only got three Cunei titles on vinyl; Le Poison Qui Rend Fou by Present, Faultline by Birdsongs of the Mesozoic and Open City by The Muffins.

These are the only Cunei titles that I have on vinyl.

Vinyl:

3 Present "Le Poison Qui Rend Fou"
9 Univers Zero "Heatave"
15 Univers Zero "UZED"
19 Birdsongs of the Mesozoic "Faultline"
20 Univers Zero "1313"

[arise_shine]

I love Cuneiform for its very unique Cuneiform-sized niche its carved out for itself in the world of progressive/experimental music. Bridging the worlds of prog, jazz, avant, etc., like nobody else. I don't love everything they've ever put out (don't much care for most jazz type stuff), but just about everything they put out is quality, even if it's not exactly to my tastes.

[Udi Koomran]

June 2014 will be the 30th anniversary !!!

[rcarlberg]

June 2014 will be the 30th anniversary !!!

Does that mean we have to stop trusting it?

[Steve F.]

Welcome to 2014 and Cuneiform's 30th anniversary celebration.

How nice of you folks to make a thread all nice and warm and ready for this posting!



You can hear tracks here:
https://soundcloud.com/cuneiformreco...-february-2014

You can buy stuff here:
www.waysidemusic.com

or here
http://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com/


Thanks.

[NogbadTheBad]

Congratulations Steve!!

[adewolf]

A label I respect and I have a large percentage of the releases. While Steve F. and I don't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, I have found all the Cuneiform releases to be enjoyable and well worth the time invested to listen and buy.

[NogbadTheBad]

See that the January releases are up on Wayside

Present-Le-Poison-Qui-Rend-Fou-(expanded-remastered)

Present-Triskaidekaphobie-(expanded-remastered)

Palermo-Ed-Oh-No-Not-Jazz

Thumbscrew-Thumbscrew

Bjorkenheim-Raoul-Ecstasy

Sonar-Static-Motion

I'll certainly pick up the Present & Sonar, will probably pick up the Ecstasy.

[zombywoof]

Let us know what you think!

[Phlakaton]

Discovered Cuneiform back in 1993... getting that brown cardboard package in the box was the highlight of my day so many times. My first cd was The Muffins - Open City - took a chance off the recommendation from the mailer. Best money I ever spent.

Thank you Cuneiform!

[SteveSly]

My tastes tend more towards mainstream prog, but over the past 15 years or I have expanded my horizons significantly and much of that has to do with the Cuneiform Label. Bands like Guapo, Djam Karet, Zevious, Cheer Accident, Far Corner, Gosta Berlings Saga, The Muffins, and several others now sit in my collection right next to IQ and Marillion. Hell, I have even seen Thinking Plague live on several occasions! When I “re-discovered” prog back in the mid-90’s I had no clue that bands like these even existed. Cuneiform is defiantly the leading light in North America for those looking to explore truly boundary pushing music, and even though it might not all be my personal taste, every album that I have ever heard from the label has been top quality featuring impeccable musicianship. I don’t know Steve F well, but every time I have been around him at various festivals he has always been extremely nice and interesting to talk to. Congratulations on the 30th anniversary!

Steve Sly

[Trane]

Discovered Cuneiform back in 1993... getting that brown cardboard package in the box was the highlight of my day so many times. My first cd was The Muffins - Open City - took a chance off the recommendation from the mailer. Best money I ever spent.

Thank you Cuneiform!

93 is about the samle year I saw my library system carrying Cuneiform releases in their catalogues... I must say that it (Cunei's presence) opened quite a few avenues of exploration in the rest of the catalogue...

[arturs]

^^^ Yeah, I discovered Cuneiform around '93 also. I found Muffins--Chronometers, Richard Pinhas--Iceland and UZ--Heatwave in a Tower Records cutout bin for $5 each. I must have sort of heard about these bands because somehow I knew I had to buy these. Needless to say I was hooked instantly. It's been a fun 20 years!

[Phlakaton]

^^^ Yeah, I discovered Cuneiform around '93 also. I found Muffins--Chronometers, Richard Pinhas--Iceland and UZ--Heatwave in a Tower Records cutout bin for $5 each. I must have sort of heard about these bands because somehow I knew I had to buy these. Needless to say I was hooked instantly. It's been a fun 20 years!

Funny... I found UZ - Heresie in a bootleg cd store in Savannah, Georgia in about 1993 and bought it based on the cover photo - looked totally sinister - and because the label was Cuneiform. Turns out I LOVED it. Still a great listen whenever I put it on.

[taliesin]

Listening to Cobra Fakir now - I'm enjoying it but definitely a bit of a different sound for them.

Which led me to think about how the artists work with the label - is there generally any interaction while the recording is going on, or does the finished product just show up in the mail one day?

Steve - not sure how much you want to discuss this but I'd be interested how much involvement the label might have in the course of doing the album - do the bands talk to you about what might be sellable (within the market you're dealing with), etc.

Thanks - and thanks for all the music I've enjoyed from the label over the years.

[Steve F.]

Which led me to think about how the artists work with the label - is there generally any interaction while the recording is going on, or does the finished product just show up in the mail one day?

That's a great question and one that I can't completely answer while the label is still going.

There's usually some interaction, but how much varies hugely, depending on a lot of things...

Steve - not sure how much you want to discuss this but I'd be interested how much involvement the label might have in the course of doing the album - do the bands talk to you about what might be sellable (within the market you're dealing with), etc.

That's another great question and one that makes me even more uncomfortable than your first question.



again, this is one you'll have to wait for the memoirs to have answered, but I can say this:

Commercial considerations are always a concern for us; I have a office rent to meet, payroll, health insurance, etc etc. etc.

I've turned down releasing many great albums (I mean great) solely because I was afraid they were not going to be commercially viable for us.

Something being commercially viable has many different components.

But the simple answer to your question is yes; we don't operate in a vacuum and we don't get any funding besides people paying us if they like the music we release (and, of course, nowadays it is much too easy for people to enjoy our work and not pay us anyway...).

We have to always consider the money issues involved in our work.

[zombywoof]

Something I've always wondered, Steve, how on earth do you find all of this talent? Do you have a lot of bands sending you promos? Do you attend a lot of festivals and find matches that way? A little of both? Neither?

[Modry Effekt]

I have a Miriodor vinyl.Great label ,the best.

[Steve F.]

Something I've always wondered, Steve, how on earth do you find all of this talent? Do you have a lot of bands sending you promos? Do you attend a lot of festivals and find matches that way? A little of both? Neither?

There are a lot of musicians out there, looking for opportunities.

And we are quite established by now. And have a good reputation.

I don't get 4-6 SERIOUS demos a day, but I do get 4-6 a day.....

[Phlakaton]

I would put SERIOUS next to Thinking Plague. Damn do they make some special sounds.

[taliesin]

That's a great question and one that I can't completely answer while the label is still going.

That's another great question and one that makes me even more uncomfortable than your first question.



again, this is one you'll have to wait for the memoirs to have answered

Steve - thanks for the reply - looks like I was having a good question day

I understand that you can't really talk about a lot of this - but I'll be looking forward to the memoirs.

On a slightly related note it looks like a bunch of Cuneiform stuff has shown up on e-music - just wanted to confirm it's legit before I d/l.

Thanks.

[Steve F.]

Yes. It's legit. We are giving eMusic a shot and seeing how it goes.

Thanks for asking.

[battema]

Been said before but always happy to repeat: great label through which I've discovered more music than I can even remember. My very first non-mainstream progressive CD was a Cuneiform (Rattlemouth) and for quite some time after that, whenever I found a Cuneiform CD while browsing, I *always* paid a bit more attention. Here we are, decades later (almost 2 for me, and 3 for the label)...and anything new from Cuneiform *still* always means paying a bit more attention.

So yeah...cheers for the 30 years and infinite thanks for all the awesomeness.

[Blah_Blah_Woof_Woof]

During the 80's I did a monthly order with Wayside Music for the record store I managed in SF. I could always depend upon the descriptions and recommendations. There was a time that I was buying more records for myself than for the store!

In the last few years I have bought very little new music. Like others here, Gosta Berlings Saga is one that I found quite tasty.