July 16, 2025:
I took last week off from publishing a blog entry after a busy stretch that included a great response to our Freedom Sale, followed by strong interest in our previously owned sale. We also upgraded our battery backups and surge protection systems following the lightning strike we mentioned earlier that hit our building. During that time, I also focused heavily on this magazine, The Squid's Ear, working to make our reviews and blog more responsive and easier to read on mobile devices — more on that below.
Meanwhile, I'm preparing for a holiday starting later this week to celebrate getting older and my 20th anniversary, returning before the end of the month. Carl will be managing the store and staff while I'm away, so orders will continue to be processed as usual. However, there will be no store updates or new blog posts after July 17th until the first week of August. That said, a good number of purchases were made before my departure, and I'm leaving you with the latest titles from Relative Pitch and Confront — available now in our Just In Stock section — with full cataloging to come upon my return.
Easter Egg Alert: For readers of the blog, a special — While I'm away, from July 17 to August 1, you can enter the code philzAway in the coupon field at checkout to reduce your order total by 10% !
The Squid's Ear Changes & Interviews:
The Squid's Ear was launched 21 years ago as an independent but closely linked music magazine to Squidco. The idea was straightforward: independent writers would receive review copies of albums sold at Squidco and contribute their perspectives. We've been fortunate — and humbled — to work with some exceptional writers who've brought insight into the music we're deeply passionate about.
But building the site 21 years ago also meant relying on early versions of web styling through cascading style sheets (CSS), a technology that was still maturing and prone to quirks. At the time, mobile browsing was rare, so both Squidco and The Squid's Ear were designed primarily for desktop use. As mobile devices became the norm, modernizing a site built on aging yet reliable layout methods proved challenging — and for too long, that challenge remained on the back burner.
Earlier this year, we began a new series of interviews with artists we've come to know through albums and concerts we've supported. This series has added an exciting dimension to the magazine — and it finally pushed me to bring the site into the mobile era. Updating the layout required a number of clever workarounds, and the process is ongoing. Still, I hope these changes make the site more accessible and enjoyable for our readers, wherever and however they visit. Below are all the interviews published thus far.
These are the updates to Squidco and The Squid's Ear over the last week. You can view our latest fully cataloged albums in the Recently Section.
You can also browse new titles as they enter our Just In Stock Section — meaning we physically have the album and can ship it, though we may still be updating additional information about the release.
To see restocks of previously listed titles, visit our Recently Restocked page.
And if you're interested in a future release, you can ask us to notify you by email via our Upcoming Releases page — no obligation necessary.
July 5, 2025:
Apologies for the lack of an entry — between the shortened week for the U.S. Independence Day holiday, the sale we ran to mark the occasion, and the rough start to our week caused by a lightning strike at our building... well, there simply wasn't time. Here's what I posted to Facebook and Instagram about the event:
Yesterday we spent the day recovering from what must have been a close lightening strike near our office @ Squidco. Despite having a UPS and surge protected strips, we lost a switch, a wi-fi router, ethernet ports on two mac minis, and our internet provider had to replace their cable modem.
For those who don't believe that climate change is creating stronger storms, this is the 3rd time in the last year that I've lost gear to these ever-more-powerful storms here, at home, and in my studio. I'm spending time this week buying new, more powerful protection gear for Squidco's equipment, and suggest to everyone that it's worth beefing up your surge protection with outlets that protect up to 3940 Joules of power or more, and if you use ethernet, ethernet surge protection.
It's sad that the US is going backward on fighting climate change when the real expenses of doing nothing are happening right in front of us.
Despite all of that, Squidco is fully back to normal, and our website, which is located in a separate data center, was never affected.
After the network was re-established, we discovered that every unit in our office complex had suffered a similar fate, with one business losing two computers entirely. Four days after the lightning strike, one of my powered speakers — a Tannoy Reveal 802 — mysteriously died, which I suspect was also due to the surge that ran through the building. We escaped with just a few hundred dollars in damages, so it's safe to say we were lucky in our unluckiness to get hit. The building owner told us it was the first lightning strike in the 42 years since he built the place — further proof that climate change continues to supercharge storms, as most Americans (outside of our leadership) now understand.
Squidco Publishing Roundup:
These are the updates to Squidco and The Squid's Ear over the last week. You can view our latest fully cataloged albums in the Recently Section.
You can also browse new titles as they enter our Just In Stock Section — meaning we physically have the album and can ship it, though we may still be updating additional information about the release.
To see restocks of previously listed titles, visit our Recently Restocked page.
And if you're interested in a future release, you can ask us to notify you by email via our Upcoming Releases page — no obligation necessary.
June 27, 2025:
The oppressive heat dome that's settled over the U.S. East Coast this past week has kept many of us indoors, searching for relief from the unrelenting temperatures. While the sun scorches the world outside, we've found a bit of solace in sound — the exceptional albums we've added to Squidco this week have provided a much-needed escape. These recordings don't just fill the room — they cool the mind and soothe the spirit, offering a kind of auditory shade amidst the swelter. When the world feels like it's melting, it's music that brings us back into balance.
New Directions in ezz-thetics:
The biggest news this week at Squidco comes from the Swiss label Hat Hut, whose ezz-thetics by Hat Hut, Ltd. series we've proudly carried for the past several years. Hat Hut is a core part of our catalog, thanks to founder Werner X. Uehlinger's visionary approach that has embraced free improvisation, contemporary composition, electroacoustic experimentation, and essential reissues of foundational free jazz and traditional jazz forms — genres that continue to inform and shape the music we support.
After decades at the helm, Uehlinger has passed the baton to a newly formed Board of Directors, which he will continue to guide in the near future.
We remain both the U.S. distributor and a dedicated supporter of the label and its extensive catalog. Below is the official announcement from Hat Hut regarding this new direction.
Hat Hut Records Looks to the Future
Basel, June 23, 2025
The iconic Swiss music label Hat Hut Records is reaffirming its legacy and forging ahead into the future. Just after celebrating its 50th anniversary, the Basel-based label has re-established its direction under new leadership. Musician Marco von Orelli and Melanie Imhof now helm the label as part of a newly formed Board of Directors, joined by founder Werner X. Uehlinger, Swiss saxophone pioneer Co Streiff, and long-time friend and companion of the label, Christian C. Dalucas.
Founded in 1975 by Uehlinger, Hat Hut Records began as a bold, independent initiative inspired by his meeting with pen pal Joe McPhee, a saxophonist and trumpeter, during a business trip to the U.S. The label's first releases featured elaborate three-part LP sleeves designed by artist Klaus Baumgärtner, with the now-iconic hat as a visual centerpiece. From that moment, Hat Hut was born.
Over the decades, Hat Hut evolved into an internationally respected label, moving from limited vinyl editions to a series of tastefully produced and ecologically sustainable CD releases. From the beginning, Hat Hut placed strong emphasis on graphic and cover design, creating a distinct visual identity with high recognition value. Releases were often accompanied by insightful packaging texts, offering a kind of philosophical extension to the listening experience. Each album stands as a unique work of art.
"Impressed by the innovative broadcast of the catalog, coupled with the great merits of WXU for the avant-garde scene since 1975, I was also quite quickly fascinated by the clear, almost strict visual language of the cover art. Each piece is a collector's item. It should stay that way,"
- Marco von Orelli
He continues, "The music market is changing a lot; the needs of how music is consumed are an exciting challenge."
As the label enters its sixth decade, the new board remains committed to Hat Hut's artistic core and visionary orientation, while embracing new strategies to ensure its relevance and strength in the evolving musical landscape. The history of Hat Hut continues — with purpose, clarity, and renewed energy.
Unusually for our mailing list, this week's fully cataloged entries are split evenly, with half falling into our experimental and electronic categories. As a composer of electroacoustic music myself, I'm continually impressed by the artists represented in that catalog. Our local concert series — Hooked on Sonics — similarly focuses on sound art and experimental forms, making this a particularly engaging week.
Two albums stand out to me in this mailing. The first is a double CD of studio compositions by Francisco López, crafted from environmental sounds. The results are indescribably rich in nuance and sonic detail — López's compositional approach weaves these textures into fascinating narratives that are both reflective and deeply engaging.
The second is a collaboration between Marc Baron and Éric La Casa, whose work in field recordings and acousmatic composition I greatly admire. For this project, they visited the Hiventy laboratories in Joinville-le-Pont — formerly Pathé — to explore the film restoration process. Each artist created installation-like recordings based on their individual perspectives, then combined them into a compelling sonic statement about the act of restoration itself.
Following those two albums, I've highlighted seven additional Squidco Picks from our experimental and electronic categories. Each is a unique statement from artists pushing beyond conventional musical boundaries — all are well worth exploring.
continued...
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Eddie Prevost:
Stian Larsen / Colin Webster / Ruth Goller / Andrew Lisle:
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii / Ramon Lopez:
Lisa Mezzacappa:
Schick / Tuerlickx / Zoepf:
Matt Mitchell:
Sophie Agnel / John Butcher:
Damon Smith:
Alexander von Schlippenbach / Dag Magnus Narvesen Duo:
Lotte Anker / Kamil Piotrowicz / Jacob Anderskov:
