IN THE MOON CAGE (2LP) | VINYL RECORD (LP)

What's the definition of a treasure? Perhaps something precious, hidden in a safe place by a king? Offen Music begins it's journey... stunning stuff. Serbian electronic music pioneer Rex Illusivii (Latin for The King of Illusions) left an extensive collection of never-heard-before musical gems in his mother's place, and other secluded corners of the world. They have been properly archived, years after his death in a studio fire in Brazil in 1999, on the evening of the promotion of his Sao Paulo Confessions (released as Suba). This archive, spanning 1980-1991, reflects both his cutting-edge creative spirit and his classical training. In the Moon Cage, which dates from 1988, has been selected from this archive as an invitation to take a peek into this unlocked treasure chest, filled with valuables of an undeniable intensity and sincerity, belonging to the multifaceted man behind the Rex Illusivii and Suba monikers: Mitar Subotić. On In the Moon Cage, Subotić treats us to Yugoslavian folk lullabies, rain songs, ancient incantations, combined with equally mesmerizing electronics. These works, circulating on tapes that Subotić sent out in person, were awarded the UNESCO International Fund for the Promotion of Culture, enabling him to start his influential career as a producer in Brazil. Still, In the Moon Cage and the rest of his early projects have remained mostly uncharted and unrecognized since their creation. Subotić was as comfortable producing for Yugoslavian new wave bands as for bossa nova singer Bebel Gilberto, proof of an exciting divergence in his likings and interests. The disclosure of his own more personal material leads to a renewed appreciation, crowning him as the rightful king of illusions that he was. Double LP with an etching on side D.