Bryn Jones, AKA Muslimgauze, recorded this album in December 1995, just three years before his early and unexpected death at the age of 38. The master tape he submitted ran over 77 minutes, which meant two minutes had to be edited out to make this 75 minute CD.
?Alms for Iraq? has many of the hallmark sounds of the late-era Muslimgauze recordings already released, with abrupt starts and stops, swooping transitions and layer upon layer of samples and rhythms. There are nevertheless still plenty of surprises.
The inside panels include a number of pictures, some with strong or disturbing content, collected from various websites dedicated to publicizing the conflicts in Iraq and Palestine.
Seven years ago, way back in Soleilmoon released ?Re-mixs? (SOL 37 CD), the first album in which Muslimgauze remixed his own music. Ever the perfectionist, he didn?t trust anyone else with the job. Two years later he surprised us with a follow-up album, ?Remixs Vol 2? (SOL 78 CD).
Both releases were limited editions, and have been out of print for years. On each CD Bryn Jones (Muslimgauze), reworked his own material to the point where it became nearly unrecognizable, resulting in entirely new works. Many people consider the ?Remixs? CDs to be among his best albums. They are now back into print, packaged together for the first time, and offered at a friendly price.
A fur-covered collector?s edition of 150 copies has been made, of which 100 will be offered exclusively through soleilmoon.com, with the balance going to the designer. There are three untitled pieces on disc one and ten on disc two. Each CD runs slightly over 62 minutes.
Soleilmoon Recordings:
