part 3 of the townes van zandt tribute with interpretations from amenra, cave in and marrissa nadler.

umeko ando (1932-2004) was a folk singer from japan. she is a representative of the ainu culture on the hokkaido island in the north of japan. iuta upopo was released on her last cd upopo sanke in 2003, produced by oki kano (oki dub ainu band). upopo is the name of a particular singing style which involves repetition, while iuta simply means song. umeko ando performs this minimalistic vocal in a brittle, emotional manner which is framed by a slow, percussive pulse and oki’s tonkori patterns (the tonkori is a string instrument of the ainu). when pingipung’s andi otto toured japan in 2017, he came across this enchanting, folkloristic and danceable song in a dj set of a friend. he made contact with oki kano who agreed to license the track from his own label chikar studio. it is pressed on vinyl for the first time. this single is part of pingipung’s ongoing concentrical series of 7inches. we are very pleased to have a m.rux remix on the b side. he is not only a brilliant original producer, as his ep in the hold (ynfnd 2016) has proved, his claim to fame is a sublime collection of edits & cuts (for free on his bandcamp) which skillfully takes classics by nina simone, townes van zandt and others to the slowhouse dancefloor. his remix adds a gliding subbass, a kickdrum and occasional claps to the enhanced percussive structures of the original. umeko ando’s vocals adapt seamlessly to m.rux’s powerful electronic production

in 1986 steve earles new brand of country-rock music was taking nashville by storm. his debut album >guitar town< topped the billboard country album charts, as did the single with the same title.
influenced by bruce springsteen (who was earles eureka!) and townes van zandt (after whom he named his firstborn), this was one of the strongest & most confident debut albums released in the 80s.
he showed an angry literacy, a dark sense of humour & a street-smart snarl that was uncommon amongst his country counterparts and made him stand out amongst the crowd. but he was also ostracised because of his anti-vietnam stance & long hair.
this is the first vinyl re-issue of this double grammy nominated album since its original release! comes on audiophile 180 grams vinyl, including bonus track and insert.

kiwanuka, a 25 year-old uk native of ugandan heritage, was raised in north london where he split his time between session work and local gigs. along the way, having found footing as a solo artist, he was signed to communion records, then polydor, and has since performed throughout europe and north america too touring in direct support of adele. he made his way through nashville this past summer with just enough pause and aplomb to commit these morsels to tape. the a-side *you ve got nothing to lose* is an original composition, featuring the buzzards dominic davis on upright bass and cory younts on piano, joined also by fellow balladeer lillie mae rische on fiddle. their contributions transform his work into a stone-cold groove with almost orchestral underpinnings, making it a fitting extension of their previous blue series. the single also features a chilling rendition of townes van zandts infamous *waitin round to die* on the b-side, the perfect compliment to the timbre and mood of the a-side.