Sockets Records

The Fly Girlz
"Da Brats From Da Ville" - SCKTS004
$12ppd Buy Here

The Fly Girlz, six MCs aged twelve to fourteen, use their songs to explore everyday struggles in Brownsville, from boys to drive-bys. The Fly Girlz was formed at a 21st century sponsored after school program facilitated by long time New York City public school supplementary arts education providers LEAP (Learning through and Expanded Arts Program). The Fly Girlz wrote and rehearsed for 6 months to author their first album “Da Bratz From Da Ville”. Overcoming social, and academic obstacles of all varieties the Fly Girlz offer us a look into their young but challenging day to day. The record's beats and production were done by Nathan Corbin, aka ZEBRABLOOD, who is a member of the bands Excepter, and Lake. He is also an independent producer and runs his own label and production team Avant-God.

Jane Jerardi and Ginger Wagg
"Facade" - facade
$11.5ppd Buy Here

Façade is a multimedia dance-theater work by collaborators Jane Jerardi and Ginger Wagg. Façade incorporates dance, projected video images, and original sound provided by Tristana Fiscella and Rebecca Mills of (at the time of this performance) The Caution Curves. This dvd is a vital document in the creative avant-dance work in and around Washington, DC.

Little Women
"teeth" - scd002
$11ppd Buy Here

Brooklyn quartet Little Women formed two years ago to create music that blurs the line between structure and spontaneity. The group’s sound distilled from a broad range of influences that stretch from classic Chicago free jazz thru pop music, punk rock, math metal, and harsh noise. Little Women never stop pushing into new sonic territory: splitting overtones to create ghost notes, violently disassembling their instruments onstage, and attacking written and improvised material with equal ferocity. During performances band members often experience side-effects more commonly associated with prescription drugs such as nausea, dizziness, and internal bleeding.

Extra Life
"2 Song EP" - scdr43
$5ppd Buy Here

The out-of-print Extra Life “2 Song EP” cdr is now back in print with new art and packaging on Sockets. Extra Life (ex-ZS, Little Women, Yukon) weds brutal instrumental abstraction with the ancient popular art of monophonic song. Extra Life is music for our time, when myriad faceless humans swarm together in humiliated panic, not at the foot of a towering colossus, but in the diffuse and blindingly soft hospital-white light of Power itself. The new full-length “Secular Works” is out on Planaria.

FFFFs
"Friends" - scdr41
$7ppd Buy Here

"Friends" is the second full-length album from FFFFs. A different, more updated sound finds FFFFs incorporating field recordings to the subtle melodies and sound textures.

ManyHillsMassive
"New Summer" - scdr40
$8ppd Buy Here

“New Summer” collects the musings and music of Bob Doto (of SPRCSS) through his ManyHillsMassive project. Following the two initial zines by ManyHillsMassive Publications (found here), “New Summer” emerges as a dub-text/aural-crust mini-zine with four blistering, focused noise compositions on a 3” mini-cdr. Well worth the wait and just in time for the this new summer.

Chris Lynn
"Audio Landscapes" - scdr38
$7ppd Buy Here

Chris Lynn is a local-DC artist creating compelling and beautiful experimental films. For his first Sockets release, Chris presents various field recordings from his films as well as other edited and remixed sound pieces on "Audible Landscapes." The tracks that make up this collection encapsulate the everyday subtlety of sound. It's damn good.

(The) Plums
"(the plums) split release" - scdr35
$7ppd Buy Here

(The) Plums seethe from the Arlington basement to release their first Sockets cd-r. "Split Release" captures this DC stalwart at one of its many live shows, mastered for maximum freakrock effect. Driving, heavy, and the soundtrack to a city completely devoid of comparable outfits.

Church Clothes
"Lazy Illumination" - scdr34
$6ppd Buy Here

"Lazy Illumination" is an enveloping composition that slowly unfolds into a meditative, reflective pool of sound. Featuring Aaron Leitko on laptop, this project is the first proper release by the Church Clothes project.

Zs
"Four Systems" - scdr32
$6ppd Buy Here

This is a full-length realization of "Four Systems" - a cover of Earle Brown's "Folio and Four Systems". An edited version of this is to be found on a Tzadik compilation. Very limited quantity of these left since Zs just took them on tour!

Harm Stryker
"Class Consciousness" - scdr27
$7ppd Buy Here

Harm Stryker's beautiful noise is proudly displayed in the new Sockets release entitled "Class Consciousness". The sleeves were beautifully hand-screened by the band. Emerging from the 804Noise collective in Richmond, Harm Stryker layer experimental textures and noise in a refreshing mix, making them a standout from the rest of the so-called noise bands. Check them out on the web. They've got plenty of other releases with various labels.

The Caution Curves
"A Little Hungry" - scd001
$13ppd Buy Here

This is the first LP by Caution Curves which is comprised of three DC area musicians - Tristana Fiscella, Amanda Huron and Rebecca Mills. Collectively the three create a sound completely their own and make all the boys trying their hands at experimental music look like posers.

Kohoutek
"Hair on the Sidewalk" - scdr25
$9ppd Buy Here

Kohoutek's a live experience and this cd-r + dvd-r captures them in that context with an amazing show and video in Philadelphia this past year. This comes with amazing, original cover art by Scott Allison and features video by Jim Brophy. Sweet. Pick it up, only 50 copies.

Layne Garrett
"...The Lost Spaces Reconstructed..." - scdr21
$9ppd Buy Here

This is a double cd-r release by Layne Garrett. The first disk contains original compositions that evoke both pop sensibility and acoustic experimentation. The second disk finds Layne experimenting with percussion. This disk is not to be slept on - includes original photo collage unique to each cd and also includes hand-screened cardboard cases by Layne himself.

Martin McCavitt
"Marxophone" - scdr18
$8ppd Buy Here

Marty McCavitt's zither music is here. This LP includes studio and live recordings. Music for the mind on any day.

Hand Fed Babies
"Live_2006" - scdr15
$6ppd Buy Here

Hugh McElroy (ex-Black Eyes, Equinox, Sentai) and Sean Peoples (FFFFs, Big Cats) making some art-dub-beat-chant racket. Only 100 made.

Slim Castle
"Siege of His Sand City" - scdr14
$8ppd Buy Here

Slim Castle's "Siege of His Sand City" - Sprawling and lush guitar, atmospheric electronics and genre-bending sound that's accessible. This is Slim Castle's first LP issued with beautiful art. Music and art by Luke Wyatt.

Audio Zine 2
"" - scdr11
$8ppd Buy Here

Featuring the sounds of Chris Grier, Guy Picciotto and Eddie Janney, Slim Castle, Echolalia, Occupational Athlete, Radel Esca, Layne Garrett, Aaron Leitko, Dan Caldas, Justin Moyer, Rivers in Fields, Jonathan Morris, Carolina Mayorga, Gnome Hobo, Stereo Moon, Insect Factory and McCavitt|Jones