{"title":"Exploratorium","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"exploratorium-expanded-vinyl-lp","title":"EXPLORATORIUM Expanded vinyl LP","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow available is this sumptuous clear vinyl edition of our expanded edition of Exploratorium, solo ambient guitar home recordings by Savage Republic, Scenic, and Independent Project Records founder Bruce Licher. This vinyl LP features a hand-letterpress printed die cut jacket in a numbered edition of 600 copies, and includes a set of 4 insert cards sealed in a glassine envelope with a unique Exploratorium sticker, plus an oversized download card for a free digital download of the album. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRecorded in July 1997 on a cassette 4-track, and consisting of layered effected guitars and bass, these recordings sat unreleased for almost a decade. Transferred to digital and mixed in April 2006 by Michael Krassner and Bruce Licher, these tracks were originally released as a mini-CDr format in a signed and numbered edition of 300 copies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd the music? It consists of three instrumental tracks totaling 22:22 minutes, all layers of heavily effected guitars and bass. “Peak” opens the proceedings, a 9 1\/2 minute atmospheric dronefest with shimmering guitars floating in liquid space, exploring territory similar to the closing number on Scenic’s ”The Acid\u003cspan\u003e Gospel Experience” CD, “A Journey Through The Outer Reaches Of Inner Space.” “Going Home” is another shimmering dronefest, with some shoegaze-style guitar sounds and sublime melodic structures. The EP ends with “The Penstemon Field,” a 7+ minute epic sounding like something Ennio Morricone might have written for an Antarctic Western, with liberal fuzz guitar and haunting melodies. Fans of Scenic’s more ambient work will find plenty to enjoy on this EP, though the tracks are a bit rawer in sound than most of Scenic’s studio recordings.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow being re-issued as an expanded edition, Exploratorium’s original selection of three immersive solo recordings are now augmented by the 26-minute atmospheric electronics of ‘Number 09,’va song composed on an old Roland SH-2000 synthesizer whose title is a clear nod to to The Beatles’ most adventurous composition. The release features the iconic hand-letterpress printed oversized die cut pocket folder packaging designed and created by Licher at his Independent Project Press.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eExploratorium has been remastered by Josh Bonati at Bonati Mastering and reclaims equal fondness for the natural and the industrial. Licher’s mission is an exploration of sound that feels scientific and transcendental at the same time. This thoroughly inquisitive approach is made all the more clear (and intriguing) by the unexpected pairing of the original three tracks with ‘Number 09.’ Whereas ‘Peak,’ ‘Going Home' and ‘The Penstemon Field’ eagerly played with stretching the role of guitars and bass, ‘Number 09' takes its cue from the hypnotic synths of the Human League's The Dignity of Labour EP from 1979 and sets off for an unconstrained sonic trip that goes from the jarring to the meditative. Together, these four instrumentals make for a most entrancing experience. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe music of Exploratorium blurs the boundaries between Licher's cinematic work with Scenic and the early recordings of his UCLA days, which led him to start the Independent Project Records label in 1980. It's a mesmerizing blend of ambient and post-rock, noisy shoegaze and pastoral melodic structures, droning avant-garde and soundtracks at their most sparse and yearning.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Independent Project Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49719854661869,"sku":null,"price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0804\/6995\/0701\/files\/92471d38-e1014b_11f9b0ac5e49425f8ac359ca2840c941_mv2.jpg?v=1774300802"},{"product_id":"tape-excavation-expanded-special-edition-cd","title":"TAPE EXCAVATION Expanded SPECIAL EDITION CD","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginally released as a 14-song limited edition vinyl LP to accompany the deluxe edition of the \u003cem\u003eSavage Impressions\u003c\/em\u003e book published by P22 Type Foundry in February 2020, Tape Excavation was compiled by Savage Republic and Independent Project Records founder Bruce Licher after scouring through dozens of boxes of cassette tapes from rehearsals, demos, and other recordings to find previously unheard nuggets from his various aural endeavors.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTape Excavation is filled with a wide range of musical expression, from Licher's early, no-wave inspired first recordings for the Project 197 EP on IPR in 1980, through previously unheard recordings from his groups Savage Republic \u0026amp; Scenic (and various offshoots), a wide range of solo recordings (some created as demos for his fellow band members to be able to listen to new song ideas), collaborations with Henry Frayne (Lanterna) and Michael Krassner (Boxhead Ensemble), to a rehearsal demo from his current musical endeavor The Great Quiet (formerly known as SR2), a powerful collaboration with his wife Karen Nielsen Licher. Eight additional tracks have been added to the original fourteen on this expanded re-issue for over 70 minutes of listening intrigue. This Tape Excavation compilation contains 22 compelling windows into the ongoing evolution of Licher’s sound and musical vision.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAvailable in two color variations: gold or silver.  Please select your preference when ordering.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Independent Project Records","offers":[{"title":"silver","offer_id":49719854596333,"sku":null,"price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"gold","offer_id":49719854629101,"sku":null,"price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0804\/6995\/0701\/files\/4c0cb96b-e1014b_5c010366e0e84351be8e21d187383e2b_mv2.png?v=1774300804"},{"product_id":"exploratorium-expanded-special-edition-cd","title":"EXPLORATORIUM Expanded SPECIAL EDITION CD","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNow available on a replicated Special Edition CD for the first time, our expanded edition of Exploratorium consists of \u003c\/span\u003esolo ambient guitar home recordings by Savage Republic, Scenic, and Independent Project Records founder Bruce Licher. Recorded in July 1997 on a cassette 4-track, and consisting of layered effected guitars and bass, these recordings sat unreleased for almost a decade. Transferred to digital and mixed in April 2006 by Michael Krassner and Bruce Licher, these tracks were originally released as a mini-CDr format in a signed and numbered edition of 300 copies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd the music? It consists of three instrumental tracks totaling 22:22 minutes, all layers of heavily effected guitars and bass. “Peak” opens the proceedings, a 9 1\/2 minute atmospheric dronefest with shimmering guitars floating in liquid space, exploring territory similar to the closing number on Scenic’s ”The Acid\u003cspan\u003e Gospel Experience” CD, “A Journey Through The Outer Reaches Of Inner Space.” “Going Home” is another shimmering dronefest, with some shoegaze-style guitar sounds and sublime melodic structures. The EP ends with “The Penstemon Field,” a 7+ minute epic sounding like something Ennio Morricone might have written for an Antarctic Western, with liberal fuzz guitar and haunting melodies. Fans of Scenic’s more ambient work will find plenty to enjoy on this EP, though the tracks are a bit rawer in sound than most of Scenic’s studio recordings.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow being re-issued as an expanded edition, Exploratorium’s original selection of three immersive solo recordings are now augmented by the 26-minute atmospheric electronics of ‘Number 09,’va song composed on an old Roland SH-2000 synthesizer whose title is a clear nod to to The Beatles’ most adventurous composition. The release features the iconic hand-letterpress printed oversized die cut pocket folder packaging designed and created by Licher at his Independent Project Press.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eExploratorium has been remastered by Josh Bonati at Bonati Mastering and reclaims equal fondness for the natural and the industrial. Licher’s mission is an exploration of sound that feels scientific and transcendental at the same time. This thoroughly inquisitive approach is made all the more clear (and intriguing) by the unexpected pairing of the original three tracks with ‘Number 09.’ Whereas ‘Peak,’ ‘Going Home' and ‘The Penstemon Field’ eagerly played with stretching the role of guitars and bass, ‘Number 09' takes its cue from the hypnotic synths of the Human League's The Dignity of Labour EP from 1979 and sets off for an unconstrained sonic trip that goes from the jarring to the meditative. Together, these four instrumentals make for a most entrancing experience. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe music of Exploratorium blurs the boundaries between Licher's cinematic work with Scenic and the early recordings of his UCLA days, which led him to start the Independent Project Records label in 1980. It's a mesmerizing blend of ambient and post-rock, noisy shoegaze and pastoral melodic structures, droning avant-garde and soundtracks at their most sparse and yearning.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Independent Project Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49719854825709,"sku":null,"price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0804\/6995\/0701\/files\/3d691df6-e1014b_b4ddb3af1e9f4b00a1e468f8186e8d9a_mv2.jpg?v=1774300804"},{"product_id":"source-the-independent-project-records-collection-cd","title":"SOURCE - The Independent Project Records Collection CD","description":"\u003cp\u003eThere aren't many compilations that highlight the best of a label's catalog and let you know what the label will become. Source both surveys the history of Independent Project Records and gives you a taste of what's in store as IPR prepares to relaunch with an extensive series of reissues and digs through the archives.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSure there are cuts by some of California's leading bands of the late twentieth century who blended post-punk, psychedelia, and atmospheric soundscapes, like Shiva Burlesque, Red Temple Spirits, the Ophelias, and IPR head Bruce Licher's groups Savage Republic and Scenic. Yet there are also acts working at the edge of rock and experimental trance music who never found a big alternative audience. And there are even goodies by icons who haven't previously issued music on Independent Project, like David J of Bauhaus \u0026amp; Love And Rockets.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf there's a connective thread in this wildly eclectic trip through the sonicsphere, it's a determination to create spiritual-minded music that neither tries to follow trends nor create them. You'd be hard-pressed to compare the goth-flavored soar of Torn Boys, for instance, to much else. The same goes for the almost cabaret-ish whimsy of Woo, the warped space folk of AE Downs, or the ghost-from-the-fifth-dimension musings of Greenland \u0026amp; Craig.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf collectable early post-punk's your thing, there's an alternative mix of a track from Bpeople's 1981 debut EP—not originally on IPR, but a taste of the numerous projects from other catalogs and archives the new IPR will revive and investigate. Spiced by alternative mixes, limited-edition rarities, demos, and live performances, Source is a sampler of musicians determined to sound like no others. With the kind of evocative cover design that has made IPR releases as immediately identifiable as those of iconic companies like 4AD, Elektra, Factory, and Impulse!, it’s also a label that will continue its mission to sound and look like no other, in the mainstream or the underground.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePackaged in an oversized cardboard pocket folder letterpress printed by hand at Independent Project Press. Includes a full-color 24-page booklet with details and photographs of all the artists included on the compilation, featuring an introduction written by former Rolling Stone writer\/editor David Fricke.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Independent Project Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49719855349997,"sku":null,"price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0804\/6995\/0701\/files\/SHOP_260609_package_IP076_Source_SECD_01.jpg?v=1781649411"},{"product_id":"tape-excavation-compilation-lp","title":"TAPE EXCAVATION - Compilation LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eBlack vinyl edition of the \u003cem\u003eTape Excavation\u003c\/em\u003e compilation LP limited to 200 numbered copies for sale. This 14-song limited edition vinyl LP was created to accompany the deluxe edition of the \u003cem\u003eSavage Impressions\u003c\/em\u003e book published by P22 in February 2020.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eTape Excavation\u003c\/em\u003e was compiled by Bruce Licher in early 2019 after scouring through dozens of boxes of cassette tapes from rehearsals, demos, and other recordings to find previously unheard nuggets from his various musical endeavors. Dating from his first recordings for Independent Project Records in 1980 to a rehearsal demo of his current musical endeavor The Great Quiet (previously known as SR2), a collaboration with his wife Karen Nielsen Licher, this compilation contains 14 intriguing windows into the ongoing evolution of Licher’s sound and\u003cspan\u003e musical \u003cspan\u003evision.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe earlier recordings were digitally transferred from the original source cassette tapes and then pre-mastered along with several later digital recordings by Michael Krassner in April of 2019.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTape Excavation is a co-release from Independent Project Records and P22 Records.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Independent Project Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49719855481069,"sku":"IP073","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0804\/6995\/0701\/files\/db41defe-e1014b_0520b348c05943cea5cc3de516c0e309_mv2.jpg?v=1774300802"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.independentprojectrecords.com\/collections\/exploratorium.oembed","provider":"Independent Project Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}