Needle Time

  Soft Verdict - Struggle For Pleasure [TWI 189 BEL 1983 24-Bit FLAC] Is this avantgarde or is this modern classical? This is music for piano, clarinet & harp with random, occasional and stark electronics, after all Belgium is a nation of quirks. Flemish composer Wim Mertens is responsible for writing some of the most beautiful music recorded over the past four decades. No more so than on the title track and the single Close Cover . If you don't think that know these two tracks ...you possibly already do!  I have often wondered what if Mertens and Vini Reilly ever recorded together, a joint album could have been just wonderful. I last ripped this album in 2019, this is a brand new rip which reveals much more of the music from vinyl at 176.4kHz. A1 Tourtour A2 Struggle For Pleasure A3 Salernes B1 Close Cover B2 Bresque B3 Gentleman Of Leisure

Wim Mertens - Educes Me [TWI 808 BEL 1987 24-Bit FLAC] A parallel release licensed also to Factory Records (FACT 190) for the UK at the time. Educes Me by Belgian composer Wim Mertens was likely my first purchase of modern classical music, this purchase was likely to have been because of my desire to own everything on the Factory label. The Factory Classical stuff came much later. This rip is from an original Belgian pressing on Les Disques Du Crépuscule. Whilst the 18 minutes of harp plucking on the title track is enough to educe nausea, this album is very worth a full listen, purely for the magical choral wonder of The Fosse . A1 A Visiting Card A2 The Fosse A3 No Plans No Projects B1 When The Line Grows Thick B2 Usura B3 Educes Me

Wim Mertens - A Man Of No Fortune & With A Name To Come [TWI 748 BEL 1986 24-Bit FLAC] Six gorgeous pieces for piano and voice from the Belgian master of modern classical music ripped from an original vinyl pressing released on the Les Disques Du Crépuscule. Sit back, relax and indulge..... A1 Casting No Shadow A2 A Tiels Leis A3 Hirose B1 You See B2 Multiple 12 B3 Naviamente

Soft Verdict - For Amusement Only [TWI 049 BEL 1982 24-Bit FLAC] The sound of pinball machines. After a brief hiatus from the world of blogging, here is something very different which should appeal to all those who appreciate experimental electronica. Soft Verdict were originally the experimental duo of Wim Mertens and Gust De Meyer. For Amusement Only was their debut for Les Disques Du Crépuscule recorded in May 1981 and released on cassette and vinyl. Subsequent reissues have been on compact disc. listed as Mertens' solo work.  The sleeve notes tell you exactly what to expect... For Amusement Only is using electronical potential of pinball machines' micro-processors as a creative force of music, structuring the sound produced by the course of a pinball into an original electronical language. For Amusement Only is the extension of the consumer's attitude towards entertainment games.... An aesthetic experience taking pleasures out of their context and giv...