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.