Cheap chouchenn all around !

ZZP is (slowly) gaining momentum ! 968 views on the blogspot this month, thanks mainly to the release of Huata's Atavist Of Mann ! From what I could gather, their january tour went smoothly (mainly thanks to some unholy honey-based beverage), and you have probably heard about their recent addition to the line up of Roadburn 2012 ! Hurray for them !

For all those who preordered some Atavist Of Mann tapes, please be patient. I know this release suffered some delay, but hopefully the wait won't be much longer now.

Same goes for Proud Father full length tape. The process of making these tapes has been pretty long and convoluted in both cases.

February should hopefully see the official release of those two albums, and maybe even some additional surprises... Stay tuned !

Proud Father : streaming, free download, and preorders !

Today is a great day for Zugzwang Productions, as the collaboration with noise/ambiant/soundscape artist Proud Father is finally taking shape, with the tape release of Hearu Shi No Proud Father : a 90mn journey through lo-fi ambiant, cascading analog drones and electric shoegaze riddled with kaiju samples.

The design of the packaging has been a long process, conducted by Proud Father & myself, and we hope you will love the result as much as we do. The tapes are handpainted, and come in stencil painted resealable plastic bags. Each copy comes with a full size screenprinted poster, with an artwork by Zugzwang Productions.

You don't see much yet but it's on purpooooose.

From now on, the album is available through streaming and free download via the bandcamp page of Proud Father (where you can also download much more gorgeous PF noise/ambiant extravaganza), and through Flaccid Plastic Records, where there's even MORE experimental audio delights. You can even already listen to it through the handy embedded player below.





And last but not least, preorders for the tape version are now open ! 30 copies, 6€ each including a screenprinted poster.

Finally, pictures of the show where Proud Father performed are available here.

First news of 2012

It's always like this. You work for months. You plan ahead. But at the end, the planets align and mysteriously but inevitably, every deadlines fall at the same time and you have to finish several projects in a four days span.

This is why in a single post, I can announce that the two impending releases of ZZP will be available before the end of january.


ZZP-005 - PROUD FATHER - Hearu Shi no Proud Father
(The Glorious Death of Proud Father)

Proud Father's longest effort to date : 90mn tape of glimmering soundscapes, noise bursts and shoegazy wall of sound, from the ruins of New Orleans, Louisiana.

Due to the circumstances, the artwork, packaging, and digital version of the album will be probably be unveiled at the release date. Same goes for the pricing.

Proud Father will perform THIS GODDAMN SATURDAY 14th, at the Red House and The White House in New Orleans, LA.

This show will also feature Caddywhompus, B L A C K I E All Caps With Spaces, /fucks/, Habitat and Choi Wolf. More info here.

But more importantly, the first tapes will be available at this show ! Get in a plane ! Go there ! Get 'em !

Also, a first glimpse at the album artwork, made by myself. Hopefully more will be revealed soon.

ZZP-006 - HUATA - Atavist Of Mann

FINALLY, the long awaited first full length of Brittany, France gloomiest doom cult is available ! First, as a digital version via their Bandcamp. Then, the tape version will be carried by the band during their Mannus Millenium Tour in january (Nancy, FR. Tournat, BE. Lille, FR. Mudfest, ND), and soon after through your favorite sonic dope dealer Zugzwang Productions.

The 2xLP edition is still on preorders through De Arte Magica, a label conglomerate (Throatruiner Rcd, Boue Rcd, Odio Sonoro, Mordgrimm and Psychedoomelic Rcd).

As you may have seen during the small series of posts "Playing Peeping Tom", the making of the packaging for the tape edition has been very long, but is now nearing completion. We hope you'll like the result as much as we do ! Here's a last picture before the complete unveiling of this hell of a tape.

And for those wondering, ZZP is already working on other releases. I can't tell you much now, but stay tuned ! 2012 will kick ass !

2011 Xmas sale !

Oh oh oh ! With Christmas approaching, we decided at Zugzwang Productions to do a special offer on our products, ZZP releases and Distro included.

Every single item available in the ZZP roster and in the tape & vinyl sections of the distro will see its price reduced by 1€ !

Every CD from the distro or the second hand sections,will see its price reduced by 2€ !

Those new prices won't be displayed in the shop section. You'll have to do the substraction yourself. For the second hands CDs, the already existing promotion (-20% for 5 items, -40% for 10 items) is still available, but the reduction will be calculated from the Christmas price. This reduction does not apply on preorders.

This special promotion will end on January 1st 2012. If you have any question about this promotion, please drop me a line at contact.zugzwang (@) gmail.com.

Happy shopping !

Episode 2 of Playing Peeping Tom : Huata - Atavist Of Mann.

Episode 2 of our thrilling series "Playing Peeping Tom", where you can enter the creation process of Zugzwang Productions' trademark : customized packaging warfare.

Still working on the tape edition for Huata - Atavist Of Mann, which is probably the most complex design and creation process we made this far. Everything is going smoothly. Boxcutter and double-sided adhesive tape in hands. It should be available before the end of the year, and probably before the release of CD and vinyl version. Hope you'll like the result ! 

We also received the tapes, that we were lucky enough to find in a color that is pretty close the paper we're using. Those will enter homedubbing soon.

Episode 3 will be about the complete unveiling of the packaging. Stay tuned !

Click on the pictures to enlarge. Preorders still open : 5€ (Europe) / $8 (World), including shipping.

Preorders are over ! 6,66€ shipping out ! Visit the SHOP for more ZZP goodness !

The saucepan of Doom.

I had to paste over a thousand of these, so don't give me that look, okay ?

Thining the herd.

The Trimmer.

Hours of fun ahead.

Yay.

Episode 1 Playing Peeping Tom : Huata - Atavist Of Mann.

Hi people, today I have decided to try a little something. From now on, in a series called "Playing Peeping Tom", I'll try my best to document all the process needed in the creation of an album packaging. From the first draft made with cornflakes boxes to the luxurious final product, with all the mind-numbing paper cutting, folding, pasting that goes in-beetween.

Considering that I only have two arms and little to no impulse control, I probably won't be able to take pictures at every step of the production. So expect some gaps in the timeline.

So, to begin with our new series, here's as promised a first glimpse of the packaging for Huata - Atavist Of Mann on tape. This is just a part of the packaging, so expect some more surprises about it. And to make things clear, this is NOT silkscreened, but classic black/white prints. For those who own a Open The Gates..., we went to the same shop, so you know it's good. For those who don't, it's good, believe us.

Step 1 was about cutting and tracing the folding lines in these covers. Step 2 will be about abusing a roll of double-sided tape. Oh, the fun we're having.

Click on the pictures to enlarge. Pre-orders are still open : 5€ (Europe) / $8 (World), including shipping !

Preorders are over ! 6,66€ shipping out ! Visit the SHOP for more ZZP goodness !

Trade from the Cold But Loving Mother Russia

After weeks of wait due to the conjoined laziness of both russian and french postal service, I could finally get my hands on "IT".

"IT" being a trade package from my good russian friend dirt, the mastermind behind QUAGMIRE, home and purveyor of the sickest, dirtiest and most repulsive music from this side of the iron curtain.

This guy already released some RAPE-X, SETE STAR SEPT, HUATA, FISTULA and more... He also makes music as EMOTION OF LOSS, aka the first ZZP release ever !

Here's what he graced me with...

SHAMAN - Ritual Of The Rainforest (Tape)

SHAMAN offers over 30 mn of droning, suffocating ambiant/noise that will get you lost into the deepest entrails of the forest on a moonless night. From the man behind THE WHOREHOUSE MASSACRE.

For its first release, Quagmire worked wonders with the packaging of this little baby. This hand-painted tape comes in plastic case with the artwork pasted on the case, for an absolutely stunning result. Safely packaged in a sealed envelope (the one on the pic is my copy, but the one on sale is still sealed) with a sticker of, quoting dirt himself, "two dirty alcoholics" (and THAT is a selling point).

OINTMENT - Satan's Sandbox (Tape)

This one has been literally dug up from oblivion. OINTMENT was formed in 1989 in Boston, by Big Daddy, drummer of the legendary corrosive sludge act KILSLUG. Before splitting up in 1993, they recorded in 1991 these eight tracks. Twenty goddamn years later, they're finally available. And like every good wine left to stew for two decades, they taste like the piss and vinegar we'd happily drink before going on our sunday morning roadkill spree. Packaged in a bodybag black ziplock bag, with insert and an interview of Big Daddy.

RAPE-X - Paul Stanley (CD)

Harsh noise terrorists legends. Seven tracks based on digital manipulations of the words of Paul Stanley. Layers over layers of speech colliding with harsh noise walls to create an exhausting yet captivating experience.

V/A - Tribute To Seaman Popeye (7-ways split tape)

Title says it all : Tribute to Seaman Popeye, fuck yeah ! The seven bands on this comp go from noise, grind, more noise, sludge, more grind, more noise with samples, more grind, southern rock, and finally more noise. All this in about 15mn. See QUAGMIRE's release page to learn more about the bands.

All these babies are available at our SHOP section, so don't be a fool and buy them all. Guaranteed success next time you show your records collection to girls.