Asthmatic Kitty Records: Epstein

JELLYFISH. FOAM. VIDEO.

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

VIEW A VIDEO OF A VISUAL FROM EPSTEIN

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

EPSTEIN'S SEALESS SEE ON OUR SHORES TODAY

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

You can now purchase Sealess See, Epstein's new album. You do this digitally here for $8, or in vinyl here for $18+S. Upon doing so, you will hear the world. Or, at least, the world of Epstein (aka Roberto Carlos Lange). The theme of the album is the sea. This is a record that feels like something born from water—a warbling undersea journey from tropical surface to sun-filtered depths. (Imagine an octopus' garden party only with DJs instead of Beatles.) We have been enjoying it at the AK offices for some time now, and we are so happy to finally share it with you, the world.

Stream it for free here, or below.

PREFUSE 73/JAYTRAM/EPSTEIN OUT NOW

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Last week we mentioned that today, Tuesday the 14th, we'd be activating an amazing new remix album from Prefuse 73, Jaytram (of Yeasayer). Well, we just did.

Prefuse 73/Jaytram/Epstein is Prefuse 73 and Jaytram taking the extensive backcatalog of Epstein and mutating it into a very different animal. An animal, we should say, we like to listen to. You probably will as well.

Stream it, then pay what you want here.

PREFUSE 73 & JAYTRAM OF YEASAYER REINTERPRET EPSTEIN

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Earlier this year we released When Man is Full He Falls Asleep from Epstein, who is also known 'round these parts as Helado Negro or Roberto Lange. After getting the album out in the open, Roberto asked friends Prefuse 73 and Jaytram, drummer for Yeasayer, to mine the extensive Epstein backcatalog and craft it into something altogether new. Duly appointed, the two carefully took the usual notions of accuracy and sanctity usually associated with remixes and ate them promptly for brunch. The result is the aptly named Prefuse 73/Jaytram/Epstein, an album replete with layers, thick beats, and sonic exploration. Expect it when we open the doors to asthmatickitty.com on the morning of December 13th.

"you know they out" (Download)
"Seite campanas de la Serenidad" (Download)

NEW ALBUM FROM EPSTEIN, HENCE TOUR

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Photo by Kristi Sword

Today Epstein Y El Conjunto's When Man is Full He Falls Asleep is being released across the internet in all of its nooks and crannies. A reminder, Epstein is one of the many talented alter-egos of Roberto Lange, and El Conjunto the willing volunteer band to fill out the Epstein sound. This April, in celebration of this release, Roberto Lange, Julianna Barwick and visual artist Jonathan Dueck, will be engaging in a unique collaboration that blurs the divisions between studio, stage, touring and recording. Roberto will be performing under both of his monikers, Epstein (exploration into the digital debris and soul of experimental hip-hop influenced electronic music) and Helado Negro (the official band of the Latin Awareness Initiative). Julianna will be performing her ethereal and magical vocal layering. Using the framework of a traditional music venue tour, these three artists will create a new body of work that will reflect their time together and those they encounter. While the two musicians collaborate and produce new music, Jonathan Dueck will be documenting with drawings, video and photography which will later be incorporated into the packaging materials for the final product of this experience.

The live set will include projected video by Jonathan Dueck in between music sets. These visually and musically rich videos are a culmination of 4 years of work on 20 short films. Dueck scratched, painted on, stamped over, and projected old 16mm films to create this work. With the collaboration of I Heart Lung, Chad VanGaalen, Deneir, and Son Lux, he has created 20 short, but visual rich videos from these 16mm films.

The tour will also include two art exhibitions, the first in New York at the 92YTribeca which will include stills from Jonathan's films plus the playful work of Kristi Sword. This show will be up for the month of April. The second will occur in Indianapolis at the Big Car / Mt. Comfort galleries and will include art by DM Stith, Ryan Irvin, John Berry as well as Dueck. See full list of tour dates here.

ROBERTO LANGE IN TIMES SQUARE WITH DAVID ELLIS

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Now there's one more reason besides the M&M Store to head into Times Square. From March 2nd to March 8th, artist David Ellis and our own Roberto Lange (aka Helado Negro, Epstein) will be installing a Kinetic Trash Sculpture at 46th and Broadway in collaboration with Scope Art Fair.

What will it look and sound like? Will former Mayor Giuliani come out of retirement and try to clean it up? Who knows, but you can see something of a preview on YouTube here and get more details here.

EPSTEIN BACKCATALOG OUT NOW

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

In March we'll be quite happy to release When Man is Full He Falls Asleep, the brand newest from Epstein. That's not long but just in case, today we've released three full albums worth of Epstein, stretching over ten years back. Epstein released them in Japan on several different labels - but we liked them so much we thought we'd bring them over here.

For now we're selling these over iTunes $10 each. You can buy Gente Sin Pueblo here, Otros here, Canto De Hermanos here, and Puñal here.

ASTHMATIC KITTY WELCOMES EPSTEIN TO THE FAMILY

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

On March 9th, Asthmatic Kitty will be digitally releasing the new album by Epstein Y El Conjunto. Epstein is one of the many talented alter-egos of Roberto Lange, and El Conjunto the willing volunteer band to fill out the Epstein sound. The album's title, When Man is Full He Falls Asleep, comes from a lyric by Facundo Cabral translated into english from the song: "No soy de aqui, Ni soy de alla". The song and Facundo's philosophy serves as inspiration for the album, positioning the musician as conscienscious objector to the succumbing of violence and misery in the world. Rather, a sense of joy and humor are embraced and music is used as a surrogate for words. The physical process of this record is a journey traveled to dusty closets of thrift stores in Crown Heights, to forward thinking record stores in Lynchburg, Virginia. The samples and synthesizers are the medium to complete the story that is a visual and ephemeral representation of the two worlds of hunger and sleep, both important daily routines. The resulting sound is a hazy dreamscape of bass, beats, and gloriously washed-out electronics.

To prepare for this release, we are celebrating 10 years of Epstein music making with the release of "Epstein - Completed Mythologies (Back Catalog)". The release is made up of his four back catalog titles (with cover art by La Mano Fria). These will be available through all of your fine digital music stores February 28th. This is the first time any of these titles have been available outside of Japan. And in support of this release, Epstein will be touring in Japan in March as part of the Beta Bodega Coalition alongside La Mano Fria. Check out tour dates here.

In between his many musical costume changes, Roberto is also finding time to amaze the artworld with his collaborative work with David Ellis and Nene Humphrey. Currently, his collaborative work with Nene is being exhibited at the Sharadin Art Gallery at Kutztown University. You can view this work in progress here. The show runs til March 5, 2010. Also, his work with Ellis was a big success at the Scope Art Fair in Miami during Art Basel, earning them a commission from none other than prominent art collector Charles Saatchi for one of their trash pieces. You can see these pieces in action here.