Mandatory Liberation Vol. 1

released digitally 12/6/24

NYC labels Gold Bolus Recordings and Strategy of Tension have teamed up to put together a couple dozen tracks offered in support of the Palestinian people in the form of a digital-only compilation entitled Mandatory Liberation Vol. 1. Crossing sonic and geographic zones, these artists call for an immediate cessation of destruction, displacement, and occupation in the face of Israel’s genocidal actions in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon.

All proceeds from this compilation will be donated to Crips for eSims for Gaza, which donates funds that allow Palestinians to receive aid and maintain communication with one another and the outside world. This funding remains urgent, with an eliminationist regime holding the reins in Israel and the incoming regime in the US poised to make matters worse.

The compilation features artists and friends from the two labels’ respective extended universes, and is suitably eclectic: hushed chanting while eating from thingNY, gentle chamber folk from Iceblink, pastoral grieving via Powers/Rolin Duo. Mandatory Liberation also includes the first ever released recording of Ashcan Orchestra (the long-running brainchild of composer Pat Spadine) and the debut recording from legendary NYC guitarist Chris Cochrane’s new project Butt Dialers. Further sweetening the pot, the collection also boasts live/outtake rarities from Amirtha Kidambi’s Elder Ones, Upper Wilds and Thee Reps.

Participating artist include Abbie from Mars, Jay Afrisando, Ashcan Orchestra, raimundo atal, Matt Bachmann, Derek Baron, Julian Bozeman, Butt Dialers, Deadbeat Beat, Dhana Jeera, Amirtha Kidambi’s Elder Ones, Gold Dime, Iceblink, Megafortress, Melt Up, Weston Olencki, Michael Aaron Potter, Powers/Rolin Duo, SHRAF, Thee Reps, thingNY, Wave Generators, Upper Wilds, and Jonathan Zorn.

compilation produced by Jeff Tobias & Dave Ruder
mastered by Matt Bachmann
art by Esther Neff

individual track notes & credits

#2:
“Anthem Post-National”
Visions & Hopes for a Time & Space
free of nation states,
when & where Coalitions gather & dissolve
as easily as conversation;
rendered on electro-mechanical Tubular Bell Towers, Flute Organs, & altered Xylophone
by Ashcan orchestra in New York City during
the Fall of 2024.

#3: Penguin Cafe Orchestra cover
Jeff Tobias – Sax; Mari Maurice – Violin; Jade Guterman – Guitar; Lynn Avery – Guitar; Adelyn Strei – Flute

#4: An Indictment by Butt Dialers:
Chris Cochrane – Guitar and Vocal, Marlon Cherry – Bass, Percussion and Vocal, Sulynn Hago – Guitar and Vocal
(Cochrane, Cherry, Hago (Safno / Pocket God Music) BMI / ASCAP)
produced by Chris Cochrane and Jasper Leach

#5: Track produced by Andrya Ambro, additional guitar by Matteo Liberatore

#6: music by Jeff Tobias; Jeff Tobias – bass, Dave Ruder – guitar, Andie Tanning – violin, Sam Morrison – synth, Mike McCurdy – drums; recorded February 2020, mixed by Mike McCurdy

#12: written by Paul Pinto; performed by Paul Pinto (reciter), Andrew Livingston (whisperer), and Dave Ruder (whisperer); mixed by Andrew Livingston

from thingNY’s Mouthful (2024), created by alejandro t. acierto, Gelsey Bell, Isabel Castellvi, Andrew Livingston, Paul Pinto, & Dave Ruder

#13: This song is an interpolation of “the Garden of Time” by JG Ballard, which Amber from Famous Mammals explained to me isn’t just a shitty Met Gala theme, but a great short story about the fall of the ruling class. You can read it at cultureinjection.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/ballard-james-graham-the-garden-of-time-1962.pdf – Alex

Alex Glendening – Guitar, vocals , Maria Nuccilli – Drums, vocals, Zak Frieling – Bass, Pete Steffy – Synth, Rhodes, Shelley Salant – Guitar; Recorded by Alex Glendening, Mixed by Gordon Smith

#14: Amirtha Kidambi: voice, synth, vox fx, Alfredo Colon: tenor sax, fx, Matt Nelson: soprano sax, fx, Lester St. Louis: bass, Jason Nazary: drums/modular synth

#15: “Audio alt-text/description:
– A sound collection with a rhythm of Morse code-like dash-dash-dot-dot-dot.
– It starts with a unison hit of various percussive sounds, followed by its jumble here and there.
– Three powerful motorcycle engine sounds abruptly occur, mimicking the said rhythm, then crossfading with a cluster of intense car horn sounds on the street, mimicking the rhythm inconsistently.
– Then, a fragment of the car horn’s consistent rhythm repeats several times, subsequently coupled with the initial unison percussive hits many times.
– Another cluster of car horns’ inconsistent rhythm appears briefly.
– Finally, all the percussive and car horn sounds strike with a faster, stronger unison hit.

Credits: Featuring a field recording of a global rally in solidarity with Palestine, Ottawa, ON, CA, October 22, 2023, and other sounds recorded in 2015 and 2024.”

#17: excerpt of live performance recorded on March 16th, 2024 at Unnameable Books in Turners Falls, MA; Nat Baldwin: double bass, Parsa Ferdowsi: santur

#18: Performed by Matt Bachmann and Kyle Boston in their old apartment. Recorded by Brady Custis and Mixed by Matt.

#20: some melodic ideas are borrowed from “The New Stone Age” by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

#22: for lyrics, see individual track

#23: Parts of this recording were made at the Sonic Divination event curated by Shan Perry and Emmie Pierce at the Athens Institute for Contemporary Art in the Summer of 2024.

#25: composed by Robert Schumann