New Single from Stag Hare

I remember being at a Stag Hare show years ago, listening as thick, syrupy drones slowly coalesced into a heavy, beat-driven crescendo. Most of the audience, myself included, took some time to come out of the deeply-felt meditative trance Stag Hare's soothing tones had pulled us beneath. Someone in the audience, a bit incensed at the rest of his peers, yelled out "come on! This is dance music!".

That it is.

Kinetic energy bridges that gap between body and mind. Flailing limbs are more effective than head nods to expedite this process.

"Star Valley" follows this similar trajectory. Long pulls of peaceful drones over strummed major chords, buzzing synths crackle like telephone lines. Then the beat drops. "Star Valley" is reborn.

"Come on! This is dance music!"

We are lucky enough to Stag Hare donate a track to Heligator Records to assist the cause of continuously funding the library at the Malindza Refugee Camp in Mpaka, Swaziland. We caught Garrick at a particularly prolific time. HIs three-part series just dropped (staghare.bandcamp.com) and "Star Valley" takes elements from each tape and weaves them together into this glowing tapestry. A wizard's cloak full of sacred geometric symbols.

All proceeds go to maintaining the Malindza Refugee Camp Library.

New Single and Photo Essay

Heligator Records is incredibly humbled to release a new single by legendary post-rock (hyphen-heavy) band Landing from New Haven, CT. This is really, really huge for us. So far it has been getting a lot of great press and we are happy to present it to you.

As all gerund ending verbs, the "ing" indicates continuous happening. In print: eternal life. An ever present now. An infinite process. Landing, a part of our aural landscape for more than 15 years (releasing albums on K Records, Ba Da Bing! and Geographic North), are ever present in that flux. In this latest track, you hear a band who have been in a sonic relationship that outlast most marriages, yet still surveying new ground while staying rooted in the same krauty, spacey, expansive palate that brought them together as college students in the most un-college towns of college towns: Provo, UT. 

You may notice a few things about this track. Live drums are back in a major way. That muscular bass line punching holes through the swirling reverb drywall with sewing machine precision. The way Aaron Snow's guitar just tears into the fabric of the track after the first verse with equal parts noise and shimmer. 

Landing recorded this track exclusively for Heligator. Aside from being an incredible musical statement, Snow's lyrics get at the heart of what Heligator strives to do. "Why can't you see me/I'm not invisible" is really what the refugees at the Malindza Refugee Camp are trying to say. 

Forced to leave their homes because of war, political instability, xenophobia (or all of the above) these refugees want people to know they exist. Not only that they exist, but they are surviving and, against all odds, thriving. They are building libraries, teaching each other and learning/connecting to the world that they feel has largely ignored them. 

Your purchase of this track goes directly to the Malindza Refugee Camp library and librarians. Funds go to keeping the lights on, repairs and providing a small stipend for the refugee volunteer librarians. Rarely do you get so rewarded for your generosity. But...here we are. 

Buy Here:




Because we are doing big things, I also wanted to share some photos that our friends Marcela and Vanessa Bordin took when they visited the camp. These photos are over a year old but give an idea of what life is like in the camp.

New CLIPD BEAKS single and major expansion!

Hey all -

Crazy excited to announce that Heligator Records has released a new single by Bay Area experimental musicians CLIPD BEAKS. CLIPD BEAKS has been one of my favorite bands for awhile, the fact that they would contribute to Heligator Records and the Malindza Refugee Camp is humbling. You can check out their new single below.

Scrolling through my facebook feed this morning left me supremely bummed out. Ferguson, friend-of-a-friend shot in his car for no reason, violence and all the justifications for violence. Then this showed up in my inbox. This piece of positivist jamn. A reconnaissance into the void of human spirit, report back: "it gets better". Sometimes you gotta ride that sine wave to its deepest pitch for the corresponding high. Anger turns into catharsis only if it channeled appropriately. CLIPD BEAKS has been my divining rod for a few years now.

 Listening to the Oakland-based CLIPD BEAKS track is like watching a knot unwind itself in reverse. A focused, stereo-panning, bass line joined by sea-bird calls of angled distortion, until shortly after the drums kick in, all hell breaks loose. "FKWRK" turns into propulsive, limbs-a-flailing crescendo of dosed, Hoarse Loads-era noise with the openness and expansiveness off of anything off their latest tape Lost Offering. A Gordian knot of voices and mantras petitioning an empty sky. 

Heligator is unspeakably honored to have CLIPD BEAKS donate a track to the cause. Every dollar spent at Heligator Records goes directly to the Malindza Refugee Camp Library in Mpaka, Swaziland. The proceeds from Heligator go to maintaining the library (literally keeping the lights on) and providing a small stipend to the volunteer, refugee librarians. The library is home to over 1,500 books, two computers as well as English and French classes taught by refugee volunteers. To learn more about the Library and where your money is going please visit the Library's blog at: malindzarefugeecamplibrary.blogspot.com There's nothing like donating to a good cause, getting incredible music to replace the bum jamz happening around the world. Maybe even more satisfying than dumping a bucket of ice water on your head. IDK. FKWRK, tho.

In other news, the expansion of the Malindza Refugee Camp Library is completed. Another room adjacent to the library has been rennovated and now holds weekly English and French tutoring courses taught by head librarian Jean Bosco Birgimana. There has even been "Kids Reading Nights" in the newly expanded "wing" of the library. Check out the pics below.

Friends of Heligator,

So far fundraising has been going really, really well. I am able to send over $50 a month (E500) to the camp free of any bank or transfer fees (minus the nominal 1.25 fee at the ATM). Next month I am flying out the Goldrush Music Festival in Denver, CO. I would like to represent Heligator at the record fair as well as print some t-shirts and buttons. In order to cover these expenses of the record fair fee and material costs for screen printing t-shirts and buttons I will need about $125 so as not to cut into the $50 dollars I am able to send a month the library. If you haven't donated, now would be a great time to do so. Head on over to http://heligatorrecords.bandcamp.com/and score on some great music if you haven't already. T-shirts and buttons will be available for purchase on the bandcamp Please share with your friends as well. 

Siyabobga kakhulu, 

Ryan.

New Single from SLC Artist Braeyden Jae and Major Expansion/New Paint Job!

We are really pleased to announce a brand new single from Heligator Records by SLC-based drone musician Braeyden Jae. His song "Switches" is a beautiful piece of build-and-release style melodic drone.

From Heligator Records "Salt Lake City based guitar-wrangler, Braeyden Jae, has graciously donated this slow-build track to the goodship Heligator. "Switches" looms  like a storm cloud in its third trimester, pregnant with expectation and static. When the storm comes it doesn't arrive with monsoon force, but rather, that cooling, giving rain that cuts the humidity in half and waters your garden for you. It breaks like that.

Beautiful washes of soft distortion worn smooth like river rocks.

Download the record here


As for work on the ground in Swaziland. Volunteer Head Librarian Jean Bosco and the Refugee Camp Allstars have been hard at work renovating and expanding the library to encompass another room next to it to make way for more book donations and a classroom to hold English/French language lessons to students living in the camp.  They also partnered with a local school to give the library a pretty rad new paint job. This is the visible manifestation of your donations. Keep 'em coming! Your donations go to supplies for the library, keeping the lights on and allowing the refugee volunteers to live/eat. Seriously, there is literally no other income these guys get. This is their 9-5. Their passion for the education and betterment of the refugees in the camp comes through in every whats app message we exchange. Here is what he has to say to donors:

"Dear Donors -

A refugee camp is sometimes a place where people, young or old, spend time doing nothing than turning negative thoughts in their brains, since they are unable to change their life or get any solution to their worries. But the library came as a place where to get friends, a kind of relief to those who can read.

We thank u and all donors for the good gift. It is like an oasis. A fountain in a plain desert for us. Thanks for keeping us in ur heart, may God bless your hands forever.

- Jean Bosco "

Here are the pics:

New EP from South African band Make-Overs on Heligator Records! New photos!

Make-Overs a psych-punk band from Pretoria, South Africa just released a new EP on Heligator Records. You can check out their brand of chaotic, rhythmic bedlam below. All proceeds from the purchase of the EP go directly to the library.

http://heligatorrecords.bandcamp.com/album/make-overs-ep

They will be touring the states this summer. They will be in Cincinnati from June 9th-25th playing several dates in punk houses and skateparks. Come on out!

In other news. Your donations have been going to great cause at the Library. They recently were able to purchase supplies to fix the electricity problem so that students and patrons can enjoy the library after dark. There were also several donations of new tables and chairs. Can't thank all you donors enough for making this happen.

Ryan and the Malindza Refugee Camp Library Staff

UPDATES! NEW PICS! NEW RELEASES!

I apologize for cramming everything into one mega-post but there is a lot happening at the Malindza Refugee Camp. So check it out.

New pics:

Jean Bosco sent me these pics of some new shelving, desks, chairs and computers the library has received. Now, the computers aren't up and running yet. But hopefully by the next post we will have some pics of students and pupils using them. For now, they are trying to figure out how to fix these "gadgets".

New shelving:

New desks, computers and chairs:

Volunteer Librarian Mudu enjoying the librarian desk:

In other news, Heligator Records has put out two new releases to help fund the library. They are by Morgantown, WV band The Furr (this is their debut release) and Mufreesboro, TN musician

Sparkling Wide Pressure

Check 'em out here. 

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