Release Updates

Just touching base on some releases. Cronomi Records has just released their new compilation "People Walk Funny" which features Subra's remix of Jikkenteki's "Automagic". You can get the CD at these locations (among others)
http://www.psyshop.com/shop/CDs/crm/crm1cd002.html
http://www.beatspace.com/dettagli/dettaglio.asp?id=4832
http://www.saikosounds.com/english/display...ase.asp?id=7839
http://www.neptunwave.de/product_info.php?...products_id=862
http://www.techno.to/detail/?cat_no=CRONOMI002
http://www.goastore.ch/product_info.php?products_id=2996

As for Jikkenteki's next album "The Beginning Is At The End", we have received the files back from mastering. Now we are waiting on the artwork, after which it will be released through the usual channels.

Yes we are working on the shopping cart. Due to some server switching around, our regular access to updating it was lost, but we finally seem to have located the source of the issue. We will update it properly after "The Beginning Is At The End" is released. For those wanting to buy "Flights Of Infinity" email Jikkenteki at par-2.com directly and he will hook you up.

Overdue Update

Finally a long overdue check in from PAR-2 land. Things have been hectic behind the scenes (again) in the past few months. After yet another move and some studio design issues, Katapult's studio appears to finally be in the green for reconstruction in what should be its final home after years of relocation. In addition Katapult and Jikkenteki (aka PAR-2) have released a track "Swamp Monster" on Ektoplazm's most recent compilation "Organic Circuitry". Download the release or purchase the CD HERE.

The long lost Zekazy has also recently been in touch. As some of you may or may not know, he has been busy in house circles in recent years under the name K!nk!e and for various reasons his trance production has been pushed to the wayside to some degree. Luckily he informs us that he's got a couple of new psy focused tracks finished and we're hoping to squeeze at least one more out of him for at least an EP release. We recommend Zekazy fans start sending him endless messages to get him back to work!

Jikkenteki has finished the writing of "The Beginning Is At The End", his third full album of the PAR-2 era. More information will follow but we are currently waiting on mastering and artwork. There are a couple of threads discussion the album at Psynews.org as well. Check HERE and HERE. Style-wise the new album is very dark and pushes some different elements of the Jikkenteki sound to the front. The trance bits and downtempo bits are both there, but there is a lot of stuff kind of in between that make the album difficult to classify.

Finally about the website. Some of you have noticed that the shopping cart hasn't been updated to in ages. Due to some changes in our hosting and some site based plans that didn't pan out we haven't been able to gain access to the cart to update it, but we are planning on redoing it as soon as possible.

New Jikkenteki Releases and Website Server Work

Things have been quiet on the web front of PAR-2 Productions recently here. Jikkenteki's second album "Flights of Infinity" has been surprisingly successful as a free download at Ektoplazm and will soon reach 10,000 downloads. The actual CD is also available directly from us (email Jikkenteki directly at jikkenteki (at) par-2.com if interested), but due to some issues with our server we have been unable to update our webshop. On that note, we will be taking over the hosting of the site directly so it is possible the site might be down at some point in the next couple weeks when the transfer takes place.

In other news, Jikkenteki has a couple of new compilation releases. The first is on Cronomi Record's "Freshly Cut Tomato" feature Jikkenteki's "Super Power Mustard" written together with 11. The CD is available at most major shops such as Saiko Sounds. Also the net label Cosmic Flower Records has put out a new free net compilation feature the old Jikkenteki track "Boom Stick Gecko". The track is nearly 5 years old now, but still a good piece of early Jikkenteki work complete with a 7/4 time signature. Jikkenteki and Katapult (aka PAR-2) will have a track on Ektoplazm's upcoming new compilation as well. More details on that when it is out.

Jikkenteki - Flights Of Infinity Released! FOR FREE!!!

Over a year after being completed, Jikkenteki's second album "Flights Of Infinity" has finally been released. There were numerous delays and a lot of waiting involved in getting it out to you, but probably the most important issue involves changes that have been happening the last couple of years in the business side of the dance music scene in general and the psy-scene in particular.

Simply put, psy-trance sales have been terrible as of late. While there are a combination of reasons for this, the end result is that it is nearly impossible for most labels to keep even, much less make a profit, these days. With "Mainspring Motion" PAR-2 Productions was hit hard with this reality. Nearly all comments on the album were positive, the full preview version was downloaded thousands of times, but the CD sales were practically nothing. This was among several factors that prevented us from having the money to print "Flights Of Infinity" and made the future for PAR-2 Productions rather dark for a while.

Our aim at PAR-2 has been to focus on newer artists, helping them get their first few releases and spread their name. For this reason we have been hesitant to abandon the CD medium, as most pf the business side of the industry takes artists with actual physical releases more seriously than those who don't. Unfortunately the costs and numbers of copies involved in the traditional printing and distribution process are making this nearly impossible in the psy-scene today, where fewer and fewer are actually buying CDs. Luckily some new printing options have presented themselves that enabled us to still offer physical discs for those still want them or want to support our efforts, while costing us considerably less money in the process by not forcing us to print several hundred more copies than we will ever sell. Making CDs available to those who want them, instead of the primary means of getting our music out there, has enabled us to shift goals to some degree and now the promotional aspect of getting our artists' names known has become our main focus.

We have long been friendly with the people behind Ektoplazm.com and right when our problems seriously came to a head, Ektoplazm was coming to the forefront as THE place to go for legitimate and legal free downloads of all things psychedelic. The new outlet they provide enables us to reach thousands more listeners than the current CD distribution model ever could have. Therefore, with the idea of promotion in mind, we have shifted to making our releases available as free downloads, while still of course having the actual CDs for sale for collectors, fans, people who prefer the medium, or people who want to support our efforts.

Jikkenteki's "Flights Of Infinity" is the first release in this new model and the results have been better than we had ever hoped, with nearly 4000 downloads in the first 3 weeks alone. Head over to Ektoplazm.com to download it now HERE. Or order the CD directly from the printing company HERE or at our webshop here on PAR-2.com as well.

PAR-2 Update (or "Where Have We Been?")

Things have been quiet on the web side here at PAR-2 recently. We have been experimenting with a new site design a bit, but nothing is finalized yet there. So what has been going on since the release of "Mainspring Motion"? A lot and not much. The state of the psy-trance market, among other factors both professional and personal among the PAR-s staff, contributed to a bit of a financial crisis for the last half a year so things have been moving slowly since last July.

However, things are finally looking up and we are hopeful that the biggest victim in current release schedule, Jikkenteki's "Flights Of Infinity" will finally be printed in late Jan. or Feb. 2008. Zekazy informs us that "Be Your Own Boss" is progressing nicely. The third release in the works is a double CD remix project by Jikkenteki that is roughly half finished, but we have no word on when that will be completed at the moment.

Feedback on Mainspring Motion is finally starting to come in and its been pretty positive. Check out some comments here. Nov. 3rd saw the Mainspring Motion release party in at Club GEL in Akita, Japan. The event was great and the crowd was in good spirits despite some serious computer issues in Jikkenteki's live set (oh, the joys of modern technology!). Mainspring will also be available on Cytopia.org in WAV and 320 mp3 format sometime in the next few weeks so check back soon if you prefer the digital formats.

Mainspring artist Fizzy also had a release party in Tokyo last month, but unfortunately seriously injured his hand a few days before the show and was unable to perform his live set due to being in the hospital. Reports tell us the show was still a success and thankfully Fizzy appears to be recovering well. Best of luck!

Mainspring artist Prosect has been busy under his Sound Field and Sonify project names as of late. He has launched a new website, http://www.andivision.com/ and has released a couple of free digital EPs there complete in wav format. We highly recommend checking them out. In addition the Sound Field - Ascension EP has been released digitally by Oxygen records, which contains the original version of Tribalogic (which Amygdala remixed on Mainspring Motion). Check out the Ascension EP here.

PAR-2 Productions On Last.fm and Mainspring Motion At Saiko Sounds

A few quick updates here from PAR-2 HQ. We have finally gotten around to uploading all of the PAR-2 Productions catalog to date to Last.fm. For those of you wanting to check out what we have released to date, all our releases are available there in full for previewing. Check the page here. On the "Mainspring Motion" front, it will soon be available for sale on Saiko Sounds here starting Aug. 31st.

"Mainspring Motion" At Psychedelic Garden

Psychedelic Garden, one of Tokyo's major providers of all things psychedelic, now has "Mainspring Motion", along with PAR-2's other releases in stock. If you are in the Shinjuku area, drop by. Otherwise you can order from their site here.

Ektoplazm.com, the net's biggest and best source of legal and free psychedelic trance related downloads, has also been kind enough to host the free full length preview version of "Mainspring Motion" so those of you wanting to "try before you buy" can either download it here on PAR-2.com or head over to Ektoplazm.com and grab it while checking out all the other music they have available. Visit Ektoplazm.com here.