Before founding Crammed Discs (www.crammed.be/) and producing numerous classics, from Minimal Compact to Konono N°1, Marc Hollander was a Belgian musician, in a cult avant-rock band Aksak Maboul (check their amazing first LP released at Marc ‘Placebo’ Moulin’s label) and later in The Honeymoon Killers. Thirty five years later, he released ‘Ex-Futur Album’ with Véronique Vincent & Aksak Maboul, and goes back nowadays on stage. For us, it is time to ask him few gems from his treasure chest.

 
 

Paul Bowles
Concerto for two pianos, wind and percussions

«Before settling in Morocco and devoting himself fully to literature, Paul Bowles was active as a (great) composer in the US. He wrote many scores for the theatre (including for several Tennessee Williams plays), as well as pieces such as this concerto, which he completed in 1948 while he was working on what was to become his successful novel The Sheltering Sky. Really happy to have found this some 20 years ago, in a 2nd hand record store.»

Scritti Politti
Bibbly-o-tek

«One of the best releases by one of my favourite postpunk bands. Aside from the gloriously shambolic music, this EP contains an element which is typical of its era and environment: the details of the recording and manufacturing expenses are printed on the cover, under the motto “the means of production : the production of meaning”… Bought at Rough Trade, London, in ’79 (as part of a batch of records for the small DIY distribution service I had set up with a friend).»

Gunter Hampel Group + Jeanne Lee
The Capacity Of The Room

«One of the very few jazz albums released by cult contemporary classical German label Wergo (generally more associated with names such as Boulez, Ligeti or Stockhausen). Under its extremely unhip cover art, this album includes several gems by one of the most forward-thinking free jazz bands of the time, featuring the voice of the sublime Jeanne Lee. Bought from the Discothèque Royale de Belgique, early ’70s.»

The Residents
Constantinople

«To illustrate the fact that this is more like two half-albums than one album, The Other Fab Four released it in a sleeve with two different, back-to-back front covers. This is The Residents at the peak of their weird experimental electronic pop madness, with 14 songs which are trying hard to stick to a song format, but are joyously bursting at the seams. Bought from Ralph Records (the band’s label), ’79.»

Stanley Cowell
Maimoun

«Reflective, energetic and sometimes beautifully abstract, an inspired solo piano album by the vastly-underrated Stanley Cowell, released on Strata-East, the label he co-founded in NYC, which became the home for a certain strain of afro/spiritual jazz in the 1970s. Bought at the Brussels flea market, around ’76.»