Have you ever heard of the kakapo? Neither had I, until very recently. And neither will many other people if the species meets extinction in the near future. Oaken Palace Records teamed up with noise godfather Merzbow for a half-hour drone/noise release whose profits will go to the Kakapo Recovery Trust with the intent of helping this aviary species grow to more robust numbers.
Check out the release below (or through the Bandcamp site), and find out more about Oaken Palace and their commitment to environmental issues and massive drone.
“Oaken Palace Records is a not-for-profit, registered charity in the UK, releasing drone/psych/doomy records to raise money for conservation and protection of endangered species. Each album is dedicated to a particular animal under threat, and once manufacturing costs are covered all money goes to organisations which work for that animal’s protection.
“We’re pretty excited that noise legend Merzbow got behind the idea (known for his animal rights views and previous fundraising), and made an amazing drone noise album in honour of the Kakapo, a flightless parrot that lives on just a couple of islands off the coast of New Zealand. There are fewer than 200 birds left in the world, so any funds raised by digital or vinyl sales could make a big impact. Limited edition 500 copies on green translucent vinyl.
“Since the label was set up in 2012, we’ve released ten albums (8 records, two tapes) and donated more than £5000 to environmental organisations which help preserve habitats and work to sustain populations of the nominated endangered species, from polar bears to orangutans to Madagascan aye-ayes and all sorts. All profits from this one will go to the Kakapo Recovery organisation: http://kakaporecovery.org.nz/ (there’s information on kakapos there as well).
“Merzbow albums are wild and noisy, and this one is no exception, but since the main focus of the label is drone, we asked if the recording could be on the droney side of what he does, and I’m really happy with it, I love the balance between relentlessness but with all these crazy noise explosions going off along the way!”
Check out more Oaken Palace releases through Bandcamp, Facebook or their official website.
