Purplish Records

Takaat

Is Noise Vol. 3

Purplish Records

"With bass drones cranked way past 11, frantic guitar shredding passages, and blown out drum machines, TAKAAT’s ‘Is Noise Vol. 3’ poses the question, ‘what if the Tuareg songwriting legends Tinariwen started a band with drone-lords Sunn O)))? Well, that might be what ‘Is Noise Vol. 3’ kinda sounds like.Drawing from sonic inspiration of blown out Takamba recordings of the Sahel, slinky drum machines of Hausa pop mp3s, and manipulated field recordings collected in Agadez, Niger, ‘Is Noise Vol. 3’ is yet another exciting musical departure from its prior volume.TAKAAT was birthed from the idea of always evolving concepts and taking risks, seeing each volume as an opportunity to explore noisy futures steeped in a shared language of DIY. Through chronological limited 10” EPs you too can take the noise home. Play it loud." -Mikey Coltun

Ampelos Trio

A Puppet of Passing Time

Purplish Records

The first track on this album, “A Puppet of Passing Time,” is inspired by the song Laabat Al-Ayam, composed by Egyptian composer Riad El Soumbati and sung by Algerian singer Warda. This track draws on the imagery in the lyrics and the instrumental introduction of that song, reimagining them in an improvisational experience that moves between the nostalgia of Egyptian lyrical melodies and the impulse to challenge that nostalgia by seeking new paths to explore different sonic and technical possibilities. The second track, “The Four Islands Journey,” is a free improvised piece that builds on the connection that Ampelos Trio developed while performing the first track live.

Songs For A Tired City, Digging In India

Feeling So Good

Purplish Records

Feeling So Good sinks into the hazy world of ’90s self-help and spiritual ephemera - a half-remembered dream of cassette tapes, echoing mantras, and the warm hiss of analog decay. The voices of godmen and gurus dissolve into layers of modular synths, tape loops, and haunting textures. The project began as a one-off live improv set between ambient musician Shiv Ahuja (Songs for a Tired City) and music archivist Nishant Mittal (Digging in India) but it quickly grew into something deeper. With a nudge from Purplish Records and a series of late-night sessions, the project evolved into a full-length album treading a thin line between healing and hallucination.

Takaat

Is Noise Vol. 2

Purplish Records

Tinariwen are the grandfathers of what we know today as Taureg guitar music. Started in refugee camps in Algeria and Libya in 1979, Tinariwen created a new sound of Taureg music that pushed the tradition into a new direction. Ahmoudou, Souleymane, and I all came to Tinariwen in different ways throughout our life and there is no doubt the importance the music has on all three of us. Just as much as Tinariwen pushed what Tuareg music is, that was the idea with TAKAAT is, to push the tradition even further, create something new, create something fresh that blends our love for bands like Tinariwen but also our love of heavier more chaotic bands. Is Noise Vol. 2 includes the TAKAAT versions of a couple of our favorite Tinariwen tunes. Unlike the original Tinariwen versions, these songs are unedited shredding jams recorded live to tape in Washington D.C. This is raw, this is noisy, this is TAKAAT. -Mikey Coltun 'Damn, that's very good.' - Ahmoudou Madassane

Sabou-Gnouman De Kita

Kita Koun Kan

Purplish Records

Kita, a small town in the West of Mali was once considered the music capital of the country. The town, before artists started moving to the bigger capital city, Bamako, birthed some of the most important musicians the country has seen including guitarist extraordinaire Djelimady Tounkara, most famously of The Rail Band. Back in January, 2012, and for years after, I was fortunate to visit Kita, Mali with griot, master ngoni player, and uncle, Cheick Hamala Diabate. Cheick’s brother, Tos, runs a music school in Kita called ‘Sabou-Gnouman De Kita’, an important cultural institute providing young kids and adults with music lessons, teaching them the important music and tradition of the region. Kita Koun Kan was recorded at the music school over an evening of performances by some of the region's most talented players. This is some of the most heartfelt, energetic music I’ve got to experience in Mali! -Mikey Coltun

Takaat

Is Noise Vol. 1

Purplish Records

TAKAAT (pronounced tuh-cot), meaning “noise” in the Tuareg language Tamashek, is the trio of Ahmoudou Madassane, Mikey Coltun, and Souleymane Ibrahim, also known as the rhythm section of Mdou Moctar. TAKAAT is sonic chaos, improvisation, freedom of exploration, and the punk styles of bands such as Fugazi and Unwound, all mixed together with the guitar music from the Sahel. TAKAAT started during soundchecks while on the road with Mdou Moctar when the trio indulged their shared love for amps cranked to 11 and the sound of blown out speakers. Towards the end of 2023, the three started writing music together, inspired by their shared experiences with the sounds and energy of Hausa bar bands, gritty soukous, and 2000s post-punk. The music of TAKAAT is intense, dark, and energetic. Deeply inspired by the DIY ethos of punk, Ahmoudou, Mikey, and Souleymane capture that thrill of the new and the ecstasy of togetherness in these heavy rockers. TAKAAT follows in the spirit of the independent music culture that birthed hardcore basement shows, bedroom tape labels, and generator-powered pick-up wedding bands. Is Noise Vol. 1 (10”) EP was recorded on a cold winter day in Washington, D.C by engineer, bass player, and producer Mikey Coltun direct to ½” tape. The band set up, took a short tea break, and banged out the four tunes in one take. Very little editing was done. The record is as raw as the way the EP was recorded. All songs written by Alhassane Gajil and Ahmoudou Madassane...

Ipek Eginli

Clouds carry me to the sky every morning

Purplish Records

The sonic narrative immerses you in the journey of being carried into the sky by the clouds, with all of its emotional elements and physical sensations. You let yourself feel as you're elevated to the unknown, learn to let go along the way—moment by moment—worry less about what’s left behind. You look around to the vast nothing and come to understand that loss and freedom can coexist. You return lighter than ever, just like a cloud. In the piano, prepared strings and unprepared strings create two distinct characters with percussive sounds and left-over pitches that shape into different modes. While live electronics from modular synthesizers get triggered by the piano sounds, through improvisation, the pieces travel between atonality and poly-modality and explore rhythmic structures that desire to burst out of their structured-ness.

Jad Atoui

Ghost Sectors

Purplish Records

"Ghost Sectors" is an album made entirely from modified hard drives, with all sounds and tones generated by the drives themselves. Each track is a live take, capturing raw and mechanical sounds. The hard drives were built after I received a commission from Yarn/Wire, transforming the motors and needles into instruments capable of producing tones and rhythms. These custom instruments were crafted with the help of mechanical engineer Sevag Babikian. Ghost sectors are forgotten memories, like those in HDDs, that remain present but are no longer accessible. They exist in the background, hidden, much like people, places, or ideas that time and brutality have left behind.

freddie Murphy & Chiara Lee

TERRA NOVA, The Land of Long Shadows OST

Purplish Records

Chiara Lee and freddie Murphy are sound artists and curators based in Torino, Italy. Their musical practice involves experimenting on the duality of natural/synthetic, using acoustic recordings processed into synthetic sounds, as well as mimicking natural sounds using analogue tools. Their approach to composition is bound to visual imagery and concepts linked to rituality.

Groupe Derhane

Imidrane

Purplish Records

Issouf, known as Issouf Derhane, was born in the peaceful village of Tidene almost a hundred kilometers northeast of Agadez. From a young age, Issouf was called by the desert winds, which carried him to Libya, a country where he grew up, forged by the trials and unique experiences of life. There, he witnessed the tumult of the civil war, an experience that sharpened his resolve and his understanding of peace. In Libya, he discovered the guitar, an instrument which quickly became his refuge and his inner voice. Every note he played resonated like an echo from his soul, conveying tales of struggle, resilience and hope. In 2015, when he finally returned to his country of origin, Niger, destiny had a decisive encounter in store for him. In Agadez, he met Mohamed, another guitar enthusiast. From their first exchanges, an unwavering connection was established between them, nourished by their shared love for music and their Tuareg heritage. Together, they founded the group "Derhane", quickly recognized as an essential pillar of the music scene.

Guguou

Great Place To Be Locked Up

Purplish Records

Utilizing low-tech and electro-acoustic tools to process sounds and vocals, they create strategies to distort and manipulate them, while incorporating experimental forms and techniques of popular music with improvisations and lyrics written in everyday language. Inspired by Dada and situationism, their productions blur the boundaries between life and art and approach the art in a playful, interventionist, and performative manner.

Vieux & Cheick Niang

Djelibougou

Purplish Records

Vieux & Cheick are brothers musicians, instrumentalists from Mali. They come from a large family of musicians. Their late father was a pioneer of tradi-modern music, and afro jazz. That cultural origin stands out in their music with a combination of traditional notes and modern instruments. With the guitar, this pair can transcribe the notes of N'goni, Kora and other traditional instruments. Creating music together was a way of living for them as they grew up together. Today, they live and play in different countries, different environments, so these reunions, are special / precious moment when they reconnect. Recording this album was a moment to rekindle the spirit of their childhood, pay tribute to their late father and simply enjoy the blood connection.

Amadou Ousmane Ali

Mai Molo

Purplish Records

While on tour with Mdou Moctar in 2018 and 2019 we were listening to a lot of different music in the van. Everything from autotune Tuareg music from Niger, Mali, and Algeria, to Celine Dion. There was also this 2 minute field recording Mdou had on his phone. We played this short recording almost everyday while in the van on our 2019 Europe tour. Who was this person? What was this instrument? This person to us was Mai Molo. In Hausa Mai Molo means the Molo player. A Molo is a guard instrument similar to the Ngoni but deeper in tone than the higher pitched Ngoni’s I’m used to in Bambara music or Takamba music. We were obsessed with the recording. We wanted more! While in Niger in 2021 I mentioned to Mdou ‘Do you remember that Mai Molo recording? Where does Mai Molo live?’ Unbeknownst to the group, Mdou made some calls. 6 hours later Mai Molo rolls up! He unpacked his Molo and started playing and singing. We were so excited and moved that we found Mai Molo! He spent the night at the house we were staying at, talking, playing music, and drinking tea with us. The next morning I set up a few mics and recorded him playing and singing. I got the chills. I teared up by the beauty of his music. I was in a trance. When we started talking about Purplish I knew this was a record I wanted to release. People needed...

Masami Tomihisa

Invitation

Purplish Records

“MA, written in old character form kanji on the cover, meaning even from a closed gate, moonlight seeps out. I have always loved the sensation of feeling lost, in my mind. There is freedom, excitement and security there. No sense made, no thing defined, yet. I refer to this place within myself as MA - the Japanese concept for silence, pause, distance in music, speech, movement, or objects. MA is three dimensional, relative and personal, in the moment and infinite, in relation to what came before and what it’s between. The music that’s here is my way of sharing bits of what lies inside of me. What was not said but ( ), what is not there but ( ). I hope you hear something that can connect you to your feelings.”-Masami Tomihisa

Abdoulaye & Ahmoudou

Akaline

Purplish Records

Brothers Abdoulaye and Ahmoudou Madassane are integral artists in the Agadez, Niger underground scene. They are the go-to rhythm guitarists for the local wedding bands and the first accompanists Tuareg superstar guitarists call when they come to town from Algeria, Mali, Libya or other parts of Niger. Abdoulaye and Ahmoudou are ambassadors to the community, gathering guitars, strings, cables, amps, tuners, and other hard to find necessaries to give out to others. They teach guitar to the younger generation, hoping to keep their beloved Tuareg tradition alive. Ahmoudou is a songwriter, guitarist, visual artist, and actor. He is a long time member of Mdou Moctar and was key to the woman fronted Tuareg guitar band Les Filles De Illighadad coming together, lead guitarist and singer Fatou Seidi Ghali is Ahmoudou’s cousin. Additionally, he co-wrote, acted in, and composed the score to Zerzura, the first Tuareg acid spaghetti western, spoken entirely in Tamasheq, and shot in Agadez. He runs the most popular backline company in Agadez, supplying equipment to weddings and employing young Tuaregs. Abdoulaye, the oldest of five, is a songwriter, guitarist, and composer. He wrote all the songs on Abdoulaye and Ahmoudou’s first album Akaline. Abdoulaye recently joined Les Filles De Illighadad as a full-time member playing guitar and co-writing songs.

KOLTUN

SOL

Purplish Records

“My last name, Coltun, comes from the old Slavic KOLTUN 1. slang someone with crazy, knotty or weird hair 2. someone of the dark town 3. a person who doesn’t fit into society. I wanted a project that explores a KOLTUN take on folkloric Jewish themes and melodies - catchy melancholic melodies reflecting the environment I imagine existed with my ancestors living in Eastern Europe who were balancing their hardships with their senses of humor. The world I grew up in was playing in bands, eventually touring, and then creating records that captured that live energy. With KOLTUN I wanted a project that didn’t reflect the tradition of writing, touring, and then recording - I wanted the records to sit in their own world, to have the music just exist. KOLTUN mixes my love of Ennio Morricone, sonic noise and textures I find to be an important part of my musical identity, and the legacy of KOLTUN - equal parts dark and sonically interesting. SOL is my first installment of the KOLTUN universe and is named after my grandfather Sol Leonard Coltun.”-Mikey Coltun