Friday, November 23, 2012

Temple of Set and Crown of Cerberus tapes are available

After countless production delays, Cult of Craft is proud to finally announce the move from merely publishing visual art to release sonic work in the same esoteric vein of the woodcuts that preceded them.


Temple of Set "s/t" C32
Dark and unrelenting. Four tracks of harsh, power drone. Distorted, low end oscillations, and swaths of mid range static pound against the walls and shake the hanging ropes of incense smoke. This is the sound of pure darkness tearing the world apart. First release from this Twin Cities duo.
Packaging consists of a handmade, grimoire style u-card with a ribbon that binds the cassette within.
Limited edition of 51

Sample track "I":
http://soundcloud.com/cult-of-craft/temple-of-set-i




Crown of Cerberus "Her Strength" C32
Gentle and uplifting. 10 tracks of powerful wavering drones and loops fill you with all that you could be missing. Ethereal female voices and field recordings bath you in light and sonic pleasure. This is the follow-up to Crown's "Strength" on Human Ignorance, and this is the most cohesive release by this Bay Area tape loop guru so far.
The tape is wrapped in a 4x8 woodcut print, bound by a purple ribbon. Artwork inspired by the music it holds. This is essentially the image that I saw when I first heard the music. Hand drawn design, hand carved relief cut, hand printed. I know Mack is very proud of this release, and I feel great pride in complimenting (what I consider to be) his magnum opus in a visual capacity.
Limited edition of 49

Sample track "At the Steps of Her Throne":
http://soundcloud.com/crown-of-cerberus/at-the-steps-of-her-throne



Both releases are on Type II, high bias COBALT tapes to give the extra volume bump and maintain the classic tape sound. Both tapes come in a resealable poly bag to protect the artwork (and to make it easy to pack back up if you're too lazy to retie them).

Prices include US postage:
Crown of Cerberus =  SOLD OUT
Temple of Set = SOLD OUT

Contact/Paypal: craftcult@gmail.com

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Delays on batch #1

Ok, reviews have been published for the upcoming releases I'm doing for Crown of Cerberus and Temple of Set, but I still haven't completely finished the batch.  I sent some advance copies to a few reviewers as I was starting to put things together, but right after that, I got pounded at work. Still being pounded. Trying to get these done as soon as possible. Major thanks go out to both projects who've been 100% understanding of the setbacks. I promise you, these will be worth the wait.

Here are the reviews from Dead Formats: 
http://devdformats.blogspot.com/2012/10/temple-of-set-cs.html
http://devdformats.blogspot.com/2012/10/crown-of-cerebus-her-strength-cs.html

Sunday, July 8, 2012

New releases in the works

In the works are releases by two masters of esoteric noise.  The first is by the Twin Cities-based power drone duo Temple of Set.  The second is from Bay Area-based tape loop guru Crown of Cerberus.  I'm extremely excited to be a part of these releases.  Be prepared for not just a stunning sonic effect but also top notch visuals to match.

I'm also excited to take Cult of Craft to the next level.  COC started as just to be a DIY publishing label for my own artwork and maybe sound. I'm happy to find a few others who's sonic and visual aesthetics match my own ideals.  Essentially, Cult of Craft should maintain a consistency of aesthetics rather than just things I like, and I'd like to have each release be a collaboration on some level.  This is just a framework though.  We'll see where it goes.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Blessed be, Tehuti!


COC003: As Heru-ur and Sutekh try to destroy each other day in and day out, we recognize that light always comes and darkness always comes. The god Tehuti regulates the violence and creates balance by not allowing either god to destroy the other. "…in his capacity as regulator of the strife which existed between the two gods [he] was called Ap-rehu … or 'Judge of the two opponent gods'." (The Gods of the Egyptians v2, p. 242).

Tehuti was known to the Greeks as Thoth, and their god Hermes was nearly identical in control and capacity. Thoth and Hermes were combined in their roles and recognized as Hermes Trismegistus, by early followers of esoteric thought. I often associate the effect of Tehuti with the Hermit in cartomancy, as well. In addition to being a cosmic arbitrator, Tehuti is the god of balance, of knowledge, of wisdom, of philosophy.

Today is the Autumnal Equinox, where we have equal night and day. Sutekh grows stronger and our lives become darker and darker in the coming months. In honor of the god of balance, I present the second woodcut in this series, "The Asterism of Tehuti." This is my representation of the stars Lanx Australis, Lanx Borealis and Brachium, which are within Libra, and each star has 9 rays. The final installment of this trilogy will be unveiled under the darkest day this year.

7"x16"
Drawn, carved and printed by hand.
Black water-based ink on white Rives 100lb paper.
Edition of 9

$9 ppd US/CAN
$11 ppd World

Email for prints.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Blessed be, Heru-ur!


COC002: The ancient Egyptians believed that the god Heru-ur controlled the day sky. There was an everlasting battle between him and the god of the night sky, Sutekh. As they fought, there were waxing and waning moments of victory for each. This is why we have night and day.

Today is the longest day of the year, and the god of light is at his most powerful. Tomorrow begins his steady decline that will lead to the upmost power of the god of darkness.

In honor of the Sun god, I present a woodcut, "The Asterism of Heru-ur." This is my representation of the 3 stars Altair, Deneb and Vega, which make up the Summer Triangle, and each star has 19 rays. This woodcut is the first in a 3-part series. The other 2 will take form later this year.

7"x16"
Drawn, carved and printed by hand.
Black water-based ink on white Rives 100lb paper.
Edition of 9

$9 ppd US/CAN
$11 ppd World

Email for prints.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Though my eyes are veiled, I still can see.

Currently working on a diptych-style project, focusing on the common theme of blindness. I'm extremely proud of how this has come to light. It's become so much more than I had originally intended.

Edition probably some time in February.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Humanity: The Purpose


COC001: This is my latest woodcut. "Humanity: The Purpose" is a working and categorical title, but it has no official title. Drawn, transferred to woodblock, carved and printed by hand. Black paint on white Rives BFK 250 gsm paper.
8" x 10"
Edition of 9
SOLD OUT