Welcome to the Free Music Archive (Beta)

Mysterious rootsstep producer from Berlin, Germany, "Don Goliath" contacted us a few monthes ago to ask us to make a selection from his vaults.
So that's from about 250 earthshaking tunes that we picked only 12 to build "Rootsstep Colossus", an ode to this not-so-known (and should-be-more) genre of dub.
We hope that you will enjoy it as much as we do !

Here is the release page on FMA :Don Goliath : Rootsstep Colossus

Bassement votre,

LibreCommeLair (LCL)

Local duo Le fruit vert have become masters at building intricate sonic worlds. Layers of vocals, effects, and an array of acoustic and electronic instruments weave together, a web of finely-tuned sonic detail stretched out to envelope listeners in sound. We caught them live at Casa del Popolo on June 17th as part of the Suoni Per Il Popolo festival, broadcasting their set over the airwaves for all to hear. Here's the audio for those who missed it -- and those who want to re-live the magic all over again. 

Bonne Fête du Canada! The latest album by Alaclair Ensemble is finally available as a free CC download. Toute Est Impossible was leaked earlier this year via Alaclair’s own version of the deep web. That deep web is just one extension of the ensemble’s parallel universe.

"Postrigodon" is what they call their musical style—a playful freeform mashup through the lens of hiphop. Alaclair’s members KenLo Craqnuques, Maybe Watson, Ogden, VLooper Eman and Claude Bégin are at the forefront of a very exciting hiphop scene in Quebec, but "Bas-Canada" is their true home. The album cover portrays Stephen Harper, Canada’s Prime Minister, who apparently becomes a superhero when he dons the group’s signature upside down maple leaf.

Alaclair’s last album was shortlisted for the Polaris prize. With Toute Est Impossible, they continue flipping that maple leaf upside down. They want you to "Logoff" the computer, referencing Facebook, Google on songs like "Logoff." "Woof! mami / It's a bloggy blog world." A couple tracks delve into R&B territories, like "Calinour" (Care Bears forever?) while "Licornes" paints a g-funk vibe, referencing Sadé. Elsewhere, they shout out Kool Keith. I’d say Alaclair is somewhere on that spectrum, but really they are in their own world. 

Alaclair has many releases in a dizzying array of styles. Check them out on the FMA, bandcamp, and alaclair.com.

A screaming, beyond logical continuation of future primitive rock n' roll madness flows from TUNNEL OF LOVE. This s/t record was the first vinyl issuing of this trio's blatant low chord number freakish-ness. Another band vying for the title of most popular band on the Boston area underground music circuit during the first half of the 00s decade.

I first encountered these miscreants (a truly applicable term) raging out (stand up drummer, twins or close relations at least barking and battering a guitar) @ the Berwick Institute in Dudley Sq. in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. They were the one garage rock band among a whole scene of art freaks and their resulting music. At the time the Berwick was certainly one of the epicenters of underground music and art in the Boston area, and so when I would see that bands were playing there it was essentially a stamp of approval. TOL received that stamp time and time again. They would eventually become staples @ my house venue THE HOSS and I would eventually release this album for them on LP and CD with my friend Dave Conway.

Originals paired with choice covers, all rendered in one of the gnarliest takes on garage rock that has ever been. You'd be forgiven for thinking that this scuzz was a product of Memphis or Detroit, but no, Boston, MA. Actually, Brookline, MA, just across the Muddy River from Boston, really. Unholy, scuzzing garage rock bombast. As of 2014 these guys do not play very much anymore, but they still stop to throw shit from time to time. Several 7's and LPs followed this one (and a good handful of CD-Rs preceded it). The brothers MacBain went on to bands like THE MONSIEURS, MARTY KINGS, THE PSYCHED, and 99999999999999999999.

- Dan Shea (bostonhassle@gmail.com)

** Unfortunately we can't host the cover songs from this record on the FMA.
Get a copy of the LP, or hear the record otherwise, it's worth it. Their version
of "Paint It Black" is LEGENDARY.

LP was limited to 300, 100 of which were ruined by a basement flood. There's
like 20 left.
If you want one get in touch: thehossboston@gmail.com