Yes, once again I give you a bunch of recent releases by the commendably unique French/Chinese one man label WV Sorcerer Productions! We're starting with a record I could have grabbed directly from the band's merch table after their fantastic show in Husum - but alas, I had to wait a little longer, since I had already preordered it. (I did however get another album exclusively available at their shows.)
DOPE PURPLE - Live Evil (Coral Pink vinyl LP) (2026)
Yes, this is as wild as the two names on the cover - and the downright audacious album title famously used by Miles Davis and Black Sabbath before - promise: During this hometown show in June 2025 the Taiwanese Psychedelic Rock maniacs Dope Purple were aided my none other than their obvious paragon, Japanese Psych Noise legend Kawabata Makoto from Acid Mothers Temple!
Armed with drums, bass, synths and (including Makoto) three guitars the band wastes no time and immediately shows us what that means. We've heard "New Psyche & Beyond The Body" before, but this version is the noisiest, most rabid version yet. There are no brass or other wind instruments involved in the three longtracks of "Live Evil", but with all those chaotic trippy cascades of Boris-level six string Noise and relentless Kraut overfeed(back)ing your floored ears won't miss it, because how could this insane force of sonic overflow possibly not be enough?
This album surely isn't Dope Purple's most beautiful or delicate work, but fuck yeah, it will cleanse the space between your ears for good! Is that's too much for you I won't even judge - personally I'm having a blast with it. So far these freaks seem incapable of dissappointing me. And with coloured vinyl and OBI strip the presentation by WV Sorcerer is great as usual as well. Bottom line: banger!
Armed with drums, bass, synths and (including Makoto) three guitars the band wastes no time and immediately shows us what that means. We've heard "New Psyche & Beyond The Body" before, but this version is the noisiest, most rabid version yet. There are no brass or other wind instruments involved in the three longtracks of "Live Evil", but with all those chaotic trippy cascades of Boris-level six string Noise and relentless Kraut overfeed(back)ing your floored ears won't miss it, because how could this insane force of sonic overflow possibly not be enough?
This album surely isn't Dope Purple's most beautiful or delicate work, but fuck yeah, it will cleanse the space between your ears for good! Is that's too much for you I won't even judge - personally I'm having a blast with it. So far these freaks seem incapable of dissappointing me. And with coloured vinyl and OBI strip the presentation by WV Sorcerer is great as usual as well. Bottom line: banger!
ARROKOTH - Avàvâgo Zamran! (CD) (2026)
Arrokoth is a celestial object in the Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune. It's also a project initiated by Neptunian Maximalism mastermind Guillaume Cazalet, featuring John McKusick, Dimitar Dimitrov and guest Zakiyya Mahmudova. Uniting traditions from Central and Southeast Asia, India and Northern Africa it clearly resides within his signature realm of trans-cultural, trans-historic shamanistic world music, his other projects have built before.
Passages of these long ritualistic tracks would easily fit into the context of any Neptunian Maximalism or Zaäar release. This album however presents the most shapelessly flowing, primordial Ambient form of Cazalet's vision. The four average nineteen minutes long tracks use a familiar array of sounds, created by gongs, bowls, other percussion instruments, electronics, incantatory vocals and throat singing. The latter has such an important role that "Avàvâgo Zamran!" feels like a wanderlustly cousin of Phurpa.
The packaging of this simple digipak CD may not be the most spectacular we've seen either from the artist or label, but the music contained here is a highly immersive and transcendent experience. A meditation like spiritually hovering inside the eternal pulse of Earth's core. The sound of forever.
Passages of these long ritualistic tracks would easily fit into the context of any Neptunian Maximalism or Zaäar release. This album however presents the most shapelessly flowing, primordial Ambient form of Cazalet's vision. The four average nineteen minutes long tracks use a familiar array of sounds, created by gongs, bowls, other percussion instruments, electronics, incantatory vocals and throat singing. The latter has such an important role that "Avàvâgo Zamran!" feels like a wanderlustly cousin of Phurpa.
The packaging of this simple digipak CD may not be the most spectacular we've seen either from the artist or label, but the music contained here is a highly immersive and transcendent experience. A meditation like spiritually hovering inside the eternal pulse of Earth's core. The sound of forever.
破地獄 SCATTERED PURGATORY - 破地獄 Post Purgatory (CD) (2026)
Last but not least here's another CD in the label's signature 7" + OBI strip packaging, by a band I would probably have an easier time talking about, had I seen them at Roadburn Festival this year, where they unfortunately clashed with several other artists including Acid Mothers Temple (what a small world!), who I ultimately ended up seeing.
The Taiwanese duo (extended to a full band by guest musicians on drums, saxophone and vocals) comfortably fits into the WV Sorcerer roster with a musical language beyond genre restrictions, which brings together many approaches familiar to connoisseurs of the label and beyond, bridging worlds between the cosmic flow of artists like Senyawa or those reviewed above to the Urban heartbeat in the music of Mong Tong or the collaboration of Jaydawn and Wukir Suryadi. Is it based on Trip Hop or Kraut Rock? Does it contain more Doom Metal or Asian Pop influences? Is this Industrial-infused Electronic Music or Psychedelic Rock ornated with Spiritual Jazz and Drone?
You presage the answer: Scattered Purgatory's "Post Purgatory" is everything, often at once, but none of those exactly. Speaking and singing in Taiwanese, Chinese and English, yet playing in musical languages from many more cultures and times, the artists take us onto an anachronistic journey through their strong, uncompromising vison. With a surpisingly clean, but not sterile production this album is easily accessible despite its Experimnetal nature. An exciting, seriously fascinating joy to listen to.
The Taiwanese duo (extended to a full band by guest musicians on drums, saxophone and vocals) comfortably fits into the WV Sorcerer roster with a musical language beyond genre restrictions, which brings together many approaches familiar to connoisseurs of the label and beyond, bridging worlds between the cosmic flow of artists like Senyawa or those reviewed above to the Urban heartbeat in the music of Mong Tong or the collaboration of Jaydawn and Wukir Suryadi. Is it based on Trip Hop or Kraut Rock? Does it contain more Doom Metal or Asian Pop influences? Is this Industrial-infused Electronic Music or Psychedelic Rock ornated with Spiritual Jazz and Drone?
You presage the answer: Scattered Purgatory's "Post Purgatory" is everything, often at once, but none of those exactly. Speaking and singing in Taiwanese, Chinese and English, yet playing in musical languages from many more cultures and times, the artists take us onto an anachronistic journey through their strong, uncompromising vison. With a surpisingly clean, but not sterile production this album is easily accessible despite its Experimnetal nature. An exciting, seriously fascinating joy to listen to.
