{"title":"Whatitdo Archive Group","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Whatitdo Archive Group is a Reno, Nevada-based band that has been making waves in the music industry. With their unique blend of genres and captivating performances, they have gained a loyal fan base. Their music transcends boundaries and resonates with listeners from all walks of life. Whether you're into rock, hip-hop, or electronic music, the Whatitdo Archive Group has something for everyone. Don't miss out on experiencing their incredible talent firsthand.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFormed in [year], the Whatitdo Archive Group consists of [band members]. They have released several albums to critical acclaim and have toured extensively across the country. Known for their energetic live shows and infectious stage presence, they never fail to leave audiences wanting more.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat sets the Whatitdo Archive Group apart is their ability to seamlessly fuse different musical styles together. Drawing inspiration from various genres such as funk, soul, and jazz, they create a sound that is truly unique. Their songs are thought-provoking and lyrically rich, tackling themes of love, loss, and personal growth.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"palace-of-a-thousand-sounds","title":"Palace of a Thousand Sounds","description":"\u003cp\u003eUS cinematic outfit Whatitdo Archive Group return with 'Palace Of A Thousand Sounds', the band's sophomore album exploring the worlds of Mid-Century exotica and library music, out on May 5th. \n \nFrom the instrumental cinematic-soul outfit behind 2021's critically acclaimed The Black Stone Affair comes Whatitdo Archive Group's most recent foray into the realms of the esoteric and arcane, and their most adventurous album to date: Palace Of A Thousand Sounds, available May 5th, 2023 on Record Kicks on limited edition LP, CD and digital platforms.\n \nAfter The Black Stone Affair enthralled record collectors by traversing the cinematic landscape of an imagined 1970s Spaghetti Western, Palace Of A Thousand Sounds finds Whatitdo Archive Group entrenched deeper in the worlds of mid-century exotica and library music—from the Tropicalia-steeped Amazon to the minor key tonalities of the far-out Near East.\n \nWhen the dust finally settled from their debut album, composer and tireless sound scientist Alexander Korostinsky set out to discover the band's new direction, with the ultimate goal to breathe new life into the mid-century era sound with the compass of modernity as his guide.\n \nFrom its conception in 2021, Palace has sought to carry on a legacy set in motion by the likes of Martin Denny, Les Baxter and Juan García Esquivel. Korostinsky, guitarist Mark Sexton, and drummer Aaron Chiazza recorded the album in marathon sessions from Korostinsky's Studio \"A,\" in Reno, Nevada—a mysterious sonic laboratory where the year 1970 has yet to happen, and vintage analog equipment interfaces with modern musical perspectives and experimental recording techniques to produce era-defining sounds.   \n \nNot content to appeal to the sensibilities of armchair anthropologists, Palace Of A Thousand Sounds finds the band interrogating the genre itself while making studious tributes to the real places and times it draws from. It's in this tension between here and there, fantasy and reality, that Whatitdo Archive Group find their groove.\n \nDrawing from a century of pop and folk sounds from around the world the way only 21st-century crate-diggers can, Palace is rooted in an undercurrent of heavy funk that is decidedly here and now. Whatitdo Archive Group showcase the breadth of their influences with disarming confidence, equally at home behind sweeping harp, loungey vibraphone or Turkish bağlama saz. This instrumental mélange entices listeners to imagine a borderless planet, unified by melody and rhythm.\n \nThe album is unafraid to explore the strange and uncomfortable in pursuit of an authentic musical identity, subverting expectations in pursuit of forwarding the genre while paying homage to its past. Fans will appreciate the architectural complexity of the record accessible only through multiple listens—each visit to the palace yielding new details to marvel at, curiosities to ponder, grand mysteries to explore.\n \nOnce the needle drops, W.A.G carefully guides you from room to room, sound to sound within the walls of the album's sonic palace. Listening becomes an aural journey providing glimpses into different worlds both real and imagined; you are everywhere and nowhere all at once—a guest in the grand halls and hanging gardens of time and sound.\n \nSteeped in obscurity, a cult following of crate-diggers and musical oddity collectors has been brewing over the mysterious releases of the Whatitdo Archive Group. Surfacing in 2009 from the high deserts of Reno, NV USA, this three-piece recording collective (Alexander Korostinsky, Mark Sexton and Aaron Chiazza) focuses solely on curating, performing and preserving esoteric soundtrack, library and deep-groove collections. As an onlooker, it's hard to tell whether the music they are procuring is actually archival, music of their own creation, or both. Their debut LP The Black Stone Affair, the formerly lost soundtrack music of a once-shelved Italian cinematic masterpiece, was released in 2021 and received praise from the likes of Wall Street Journal, Mojo Magazine, Uncut, Shindig, Blues \u0026amp; Soul Magazine, BBC 6, FIP Radio (FR), KCRW (US), JazzFM (UK) and more. Two years later, the Whatitdo Archive Group is back. Get ready  for an exotic adventure with their sophomore full-length effort: Palace of a Thousand Sounds.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Record Kicks","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50389765816651,"sku":"2010443","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_c973ea7e_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726371184"},{"product_id":"the-black-stone-affair","title":"The Black Stone Affair","description":"\u003cp\u003eFor the first time ever, Record Kicks is pleased to announce the release of the long lost soundtrack by Whatitdo Archive Group to the Italian Cinematic Masterpiece \u003ci\u003eThe Black Stone Affair.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLong thought to be lost alongside the movie itself by the production studio, the soundtrack's master reels were recently recovered and its audio meticulously restored and remastered by J.J. Golden in Ventura, CA. The movie itself was understood to be unusual for its time: a globetrotting adventure\/western-noir written and directed by aspiring visionary, Stefano Paradisi. Unfortunately for Paradisi, the tragic loss of his masterpiece during a fire also meant the end of his short lived career in movies. People who worked on the film have been cited as saying this film was very ambitious, set to be a turning point in Paradisi’s carrier putting him on the map alongside the likes of Sergio Leone and Antonioni. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWhile the movie never saw the light of day, the soundtrack by obscure band Whatitdo Archive Group has thankfully been recovered. The music itself is staggering to hear, each track evoking all the senses almost all at once. \u003ci\u003eThe Black Stone Affair (Main Theme)\u003c\/i\u003e sets the story with its dizzying bassline underneath a Morricone-esque harpsichord melody eventually all digressing into a psych-freakout of guitars swirling over what is the overarching motif groove of this iconic soundtrack. We then get taken into the giallo-steeped melody of \u003ci\u003eBlood Chief\u003c\/i\u003e. What can only be the theme of the antagonist, this cut offers crunchy drum breaks, reverb-drenched bongos and a sinister baritone guitar line that seems to be indicative of its character. \u003ci\u003eEthiopian Airlines\u003c\/i\u003e transports the movie into exotic lands with its afro-centric rhythms and mysterious horn melody. The search is on for the elusive Black Stone, an artifact so coveted it had been hidden for decades for its fatal power of seduction. For fans of KPM and De Wolfe Music, \u003ci\u003eIl Furto Di Africo\u003c\/i\u003e definitely delivers a similar 'library' flavor popular at the time. Our ears are treated to an ambiguous sense of center. What were Whatitdo Archive Group thinking? There almost seems to be two key centers at once and a slithering flute line blending between both. We can only imagine that the Black Stone was successfully stolen from the small Italian village of Africo with this track. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWhat movie really is complete without a lounge-y Bossa number? \u003ci\u003eItalian Love Triangle\u003c\/i\u003e delivers that sun-soaked Mediterranean romance. Our cunning female lead, Lola, decides the only way she can acquire the Black Stone is to pit the trio of characters against each other with an erotic love triangle she carefully crafts to exploit the vulnerability of Blood Chief and Beaumont Jenkins. \u003ci\u003eLast Train to Budapest\u003c\/i\u003e finds our two male leads in a gun-wielding, high-stakes train chase through the dizzying mountains of Bosnia racing to Hungary's capital city. The music brilliantly calls upon the soundtrack's multiple melodic motifs to all collide into a single stressful heart-racing track sure to put a knot in your stomach. Probably the most unusual song appearing in this soundtrack is the French infused \u003ci\u003eL'amour au Centre de la Terre\u003c\/i\u003e, an obvious yet tasteful homage to the composers' musical hero, Alain Goraguer. A lilting monologue is recited by who seems to be Lola, the tragic female lead in \u003ci\u003eThe Black Stone Affair\u003c\/i\u003e. Her passage speaks of the entangled romance she shares with the other two male leads and her plan to acquire the elusive Black Stone for herself. It's every man (and woman) for themselves! Paranoia and deceit has crept into the minds and motives of our conniving trio. No one can be trusted and false alliances are crumbling from within. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Black Stone Affair (Reprise)\u003c\/i\u003e evokes the characters' gut-wrenching feeling with its ever-rising key center. \u003ci\u003eFarewell Lola\u003c\/i\u003e is the saddening funeral dirge and exit of the aforementioned Lola. Sworn enemies Beaumont and Blood Chief stand silently outside the church and watch as Lola's casket is lowered into her untimely grave. This is merely an armistice between the remaining opponents, only to resume after paying their respects to their former 'lover'. A gory fight leaves Blood Chief standing. Beaumont is nowhere to be seen and only a cloud of dust slowly settles into the landscape as the mournful guitar and harmonica of \"Beaumont's Lament\" plays quietly in the distance. All is not lost. Triumphantly, Beaumont Jenkins stands tall, throws one last devastating blow to Blood Chief leaving him incapacitated. \u003ci\u003eThe Return of Beaumont Jenkins\u003c\/i\u003e plays loudly in the face of Blood Chief desperately reaching for the stone only to realize it's a false! Our new hero, Beaumont Jenkins, sustained by Alessandro Alessandroni Jr.'s cinematic whistle, rides away victoriously into the night sky... the Black Stone hidden cleverly in his hat. End credits. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Record Kicks","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50414126694731,"sku":"1116011","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50414123680075,"sku":"1116010","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/4171bc83-4009-48e2-8557-da7877822528_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726681855"},{"product_id":"the-return-of-beaumont-jenkins-b-w-la-pietra","title":"The Return of Beaumont Jenkins b\/w La Pietra","description":"\u003cp\u003eFor the first time ever, Record Kicks is pleased to announce the release of the long lost soundtrack by Whatitdo Archive Group to the Italian Cinematic Masterpiece \u003ci\u003eThe Black Stone Affair\u003c\/i\u003e'. The Soundtrack will be released on April 09 on Gatefold LP, CD and Digital Download. The first extract from the movie soundtrack is a limited edition 45 vinyl featuring \u003ci\u003eThe Return of Beaumont Jenkins\u003c\/i\u003e on side A and the non-album bonus track \u003ci\u003eLa Pietra\u003c\/i\u003e on side B. While the movie never saw the light of day, the soundtrack by obscure band Whatitdo Archive Group has thankfully been recovered. The music itself is staggering to hear and this 45 is just a little appetizer of what you'll be hearing on the LP. Rare groove and soundtrack fans don't sleep on it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Record Kicks","offers":[{"title":"Black | 7\"","offer_id":50530227552587,"sku":"1115407","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/fd92c1c0-6630-412f-8944-3b9e6378cc7e_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1728074430"},{"product_id":"wild-man-greensleeves","title":"Wild Man \/ Greensleeves","description":"\u003cp\u003eAfter navigating the labyrinthine musical chambers of their 2023 modern exotica album \u003ci\u003ePalace Of A Thousand Sounds\u003c\/i\u003e, Reno. Nevada’s Whatitdo Archive Group has returned with their first-ever holiday offering - venturing into the darker side of Christmas folklore with their new ice-cold 45, 'Wild Man'. Drawing inspiration from a global archetypical myth of the same name, Whatitdo Archive Group examines the ancient story of the Wild Man - the hairy, half-human, half-beast that stalks the shadows of humanity’s shared primeval past. The myth of the Wild Man is a folktale that goes by many names: The Yeti of the Himalayas, the Bigfoot of North America, and, of course, Krampus of Eastern Europe—a yuletide beast with a reputation as a child-devouring \"Anti-Claus\" who now finds himself the subject of Whatitdo’s latest musical exploration.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Wild Man’ gives us a glimpse into the band’s newest sonic direction. With a heavy rhythm section carried by Alexander Korostinsky’s driving bass line, the sticky wah-guitar of Mark Sexton’s L-5, and the acrobatic lines of the Wurlitzer electric piano, “Wild Man” revels in the spiritual jazz flavors of Pharoah Sanders and grooves hard like the classic soul-jazz stylings of Ramsey Lewis. Much like the Krampus myth itself, 'Wild Man' is meant to weave an ominous spell over any Christmas cocktail party long after the kids have gone to bed. Hear the warning for yourself in the song’s haunting chant: \"You better watch out for your life, when the Wild Man comes in the night\".\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut mythology isn’t abandoned on the B-side. The band takes the traditional English folk melody 'Greensleeves' and reimagines it through the musical lens of Ethio-jazz. Recorded live at the Archive Group Studios, the track exudes a dark, roomy atmosphere, drenched in unease and mystery courtesy of the wandering electric piano dancing above the hypnotic rhythm section and mesmeric groove of the distant Batá drums. This fresh reimagining taps into the ancient, cross-cultural lineage of the \"Green Man\" myth, a pagan symbol of rebirth and the power of the natural world, further blurring the lines between holiday cheer and the primal, elemental forces enshrined in our collective cultural memory.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter the band’s \u003ci\u003ePalace Of A Thousand Sounds\u003c\/i\u003e was named 2023’s \"Best Library Record\" by PopMatters Magazine, their new 'Wild Man' 7” capitalizes on the same creative process that shaped their last record, while now exploring new conceptual territory. By drawing inspiration from archaic global folklore and again utilizing their peculiar recording techniques, W.A.G. has crafted a truly unique holiday offering that unearths the darker, more primal undercurrents of the Christmas tradition. The 'Wild Man' 7\" is released as part of the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club, pressed on snow-white bio-vinyl and limited to 300 copies.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Snowflake","offers":[{"title":"White 7\"","offer_id":50531073655115,"sku":"2226545","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/711f545e-2c52-4bb7-626c-6eb02d885208_16bb458e_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1728092620"},{"product_id":"palace-of-a-thousand-sounds-4","title":"Palace Of A Thousand Sounds","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhatitdo Archive Group's 'Palace Of A Thousand Sounds' – Pop Matters' best library record of 2023 – gets a super limited edition reissue on clear yellow marble vinyl. 300 copies only, instant collector's item. \nBy popular demand, Record Kicks presents a reissue of the highly acclaimed album 'Palace Of A Thousand Sounds' by UScinematic outfit Whatitdo Archive Groupon limited edition clear yellow marble vinyl that drops on June 7th. The albumexplores the worlds of Mid-Century Exotica and Library Music and itwas originally released in May 2023. Unanimously praised by critics and library music fans alike, the vinyl rapidly went sold out and it is now once again available in a new clear yellow marble edition limited to only 300 copies worldwide. It's an instant collector's item!\nFrom its conception in 2021, 'Palace Of A Thousand Sounds' has sought to carry on a legacy set in motion by the likes of Martin Denny, Les Baxter and Juan García Esquivel. Korostinsky, guitarist Mark Sexton, and drummer Aaron Chiazza recorded the album in marathon sessions from Korostinsky's Studio \"A,\" in Reno, Nevada—a mysterious sonic laboratory where the year 1970 has yet to happen, and vintage analog equipment interfaces with modern musical perspectives and experimental recording techniques to produce era-defining sounds.\nDrawing from a century of pop and folk sounds from around the world the way only 21st-century crate-diggers can, 'Palace' is rooted in an undercurrent of heavy funk that is decidedly here and now. Whatitdo Archive Group showcase the breadth of their influences with disarming confidence, equally at home behind sweeping harp, loungey vibraphone or Turkish bağlama saz. A lush seventeen-piece orchestra commanded by award-winning composer Louis King (Janelle Monáe, Monophonics) completes the instrumental mélange, enticing listeners to imagine a borderless planet unified by melody and rhythm.\nOnce the needle drops, W.A.G carefully guides you from room to room, sound to sound within the walls of the album's sonic palace. Listening becomes an aural journey providing glimpses into different worlds both real and imagined; you are everywhere and nowhere all at once—a guest in the grand halls and hanging gardens of time and sound.\nSteeped in obscurity, a cult following of crate-diggers and musical oddity collectors has been brewing over the mysterious releases of the Whatitdo Archive Group. Surfacing in 2009 from the high deserts of Reno, NV USA, this three-piece recording collective (Alexander Korostinsky, Mark Sexton and Aaron Chiazza) focuses solely on curating, performing and preserving esoteric soundtrack, library and deep-groove collections. As an onlooker, it's hard to tell whether the music they are procuring is actually archival, music of their own creation, or both. Their debut LP 'The Black Stone Affair', the formerly lost soundtrack music of a once-shelved Italian cinematic masterpiece, was released in 2021 and received praise from the likes of Wall Street Journal, Mojo Magazine, Uncut, Shindig, Blues \u0026amp; Soul Magazine, BBC 6, FIP Radio (FR), KCRW (US), JazzFM (UK) and more. Two years later, the Whatitdo Archive Group returned to venture on an exotic journey with their sophomore full-length effort: 'Palace of a Thousand Sounds'.\n\nReviews: \n\n\"Unlike its many retro influences 'Palace Of A Thousand Sounds' is consistently darkly funky, with a grittiness even glockenspiels and the odd \"open sesame\" gong won't shift. Classily kitsch\" Uncut Magazine\n\"This is exemplary library music of the highest order […] Enter their arcane world and prepare to be dazzled. 5 stars\" Blues \u0026amp; Soul\n\"I could go on forever about this wonderful work of art. 'Palace Of A Thousand Sounds' is worth a million words. Best Library Record of 2023\" Pop Matters\n\"From the tiki jungle to the freeway to the boudoir, 360 degrees of listening pleasure, 4\/5\" Mojo Magazine\n\"The Nevada collective takes us on a new cinematic journey where the Exotica rises on lush orchestrations and an imperial groove. Album of the month\/Sélection FIP\" FIP Radio France\n\"It's a wonderful meshing of styles and compositional nous that works brilliantly on the likes of opener 'Enter The Palace', the shimmering 'Sun Harp' and the richly-layered funk of 'Iron Tusk', to name but three immersive highlights on an album that's full of them. 4 stars\" Shindig Magazine\n\"Like thick incense smoke obscuring a telescope's lens 'Astral-Desia''s regal groove offers a Bohemian soundscape that's ideal for both narrative voiceover and psychotropic meditations... Song of the Day and one of the best Albums of the Year\" KUTX \n\"A must-hear album\" Kalporz\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Record Kicks","offers":[{"title":"Yellow LP","offer_id":50531306668363,"sku":"2201436","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_9fb1df64_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1728103330"},{"product_id":"exotique-italian-love-triangle","title":"Exotique \/ Italian Love Triangle","description":"\u003cp\u003eA cinematic journey of lush orchestration \u0026amp; deep exotic groove - together on vinyl for the first time.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hi-Tide Recordings","offers":[{"title":"7\" - Sea Glass","offer_id":51778827190603,"sku":"R9702-8713","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/709388075647MockupHi-TideRecordings_1_b0644f69-424d-4396-87e9-8721ee4642c5.jpg?v=1752321710"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_40f0b535_thumbnail_4096_7dddb033-67d7-4d7e-9dba-9b293025d8c9.jpg?v=1726371166","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/whatitdo-archive-group.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}