Hardformat

Artist: Kraftwerk
Title: Minimum Maximum
Label: EMI
Year: 2005
Designer:
Type of music: Kraftwerkian
Notes: Yet more proof of Kraftwerk’s playfulness. This is the luxury version of the standard separate DVD and CD releases of their live double album. Confession: I own a promo version of the CD release in a card sleeve (for review purposes), the standard DVD release (review purposes again) which is a handsome thing in its own right and the 4 LP vinyl version (for the hell of it).

Artist: Alva Noto
Title: Xerrox Vol.1
Label: Raster Noton
Year: 2007
Designer: Uncredited, probably Olaf Bender
Type of music: Electronic/Elegiac
Notes: Minimal design of this quality is an absolute delight, from the touch sense of the rich card to the blank text on silver, the allusive iconography and the pleasure of the simple die-cut card mechanism for holding the disc. Not to mention that the music here is tremendously emotionally rich, allusive and full of pathos for our post-industrial, nomadic, but probably short-lived era.

Paul Mawhinny, owner of the largest record collection in the world is trying to sell it off. Valued at $50million, he only wants $3million for it. Bargain.

Read more on Gizmodo

Paul’s site – www.thegreatestmusiccollection.com

Artist: Free Kitten
Title: Inherit
Label: Ecstatic Peace
Year: 2008
Designer: Uncredited
Type of music: Guitar
Notes: Kindly supplied by Cargo Records. Sincere thanks to Costas!

If this chap’s going to cut up records like this, maybe he should be buying MP3s instead…

As seen on ffffound!.

Limited edition box set, including:

1. Beautiful Future, over two super-heavyweight vinyl LPs.
2. Exclusive Andrew Weatherall 12” remix of ‘Uptown’.
3. 12-page fully illustrated booklet.
4. Exclusive, ltd edition Beautiful Future cinematic poster.
5. Credit panel, foil blocked on red, mirrored paper.

£50… £50? Too much for me, even with the Julian House artwork.

Update: One of the aspects about music design I’ve always loved is its democratic distribution – for a relatively small amount of money you can own your very own artwork, but with this sort of release, it’s getting pretty costly. I know it’s due to supply and demand, but I can’t help but think this trend for expensive, limited edition releases doesn’t sit well with me.

Link: Vinyl Factory page

Publication: The Journal of Popular Noise
Release: Vol.1 Issues 4-6
Label: The Journal of Popular Noise
Year: 2008
Designer: Creative Director: Brian Kalet
Type of music: Popular Noise
Notes: Delightful use of one piece of thick card, some ink, three 7″ singles and a whole heap of imagination. I was a little nervous that I wouldn’t be able to fold it back into the right shape, but I managed it. It’s an edition of 300, so hurry!

Artist: Basic Channel
Title: Radiance
Label: Chain Reaction
Year: 1994
Designer: Unspecified
Type of music: Radiant
Notes: Beautiful? I don’t think so, but memorable certainly.