Various Artists | ABC 20th Anniversary Compilation

Description

ABC 20 (20th Anniversary Compilation) celebrates two decades of fearless DIY publishing and underground recording, serving as both an archivist’s treasure chest and a definitive survey of the Abaton Book Company universe. Released in 2017 as a 24-track digipak CD, the collection chronicles the label’s evolution since its 1997 founding by artist Mark Dagley and writer Lauri Bortz in Newton, New Jersey, prior to its move to Jersey City. For an independent DIY label, retrospective compilations like ABC 20 are vital milestones. They validate decades of grassroots endurance, map out interdisciplinary creative networks, and offer listeners a unified lens into their creative aesthetic. The compilation highlights an extraordinary roster of artists. At the center is visionary multi-instrumentalist Marianne Nowottny; appearing solo, in spoken-word pieces with poet Barry Schwabsky and via her various projects (SHELL, Marzanna, All American Band). The tracklist showcases an international array of talent, including Hindustani classical vocalist Veena Sahasrabuddhe, Russian bard Julia Vorontsova, English psych-folk musician Pantaleimon, P.G. Six, and an excerpt from the Elliott Sharp & Lauri Bortz opera featuring The Yellin String Quartet featuring Joan Wasser and
Eric Mingus. Co-founder Mark Dagley appears across multiple eras: solo classical guitar, vintage Boston punk with The Girls, and backing P.G. Six. An eight-page booklet features a comprehensive label history written by award-winning author and cultural journalist John Strausbaugh. Strausbaugh provides crucial context detailing how a small press expanded into a home for boundary-pushing art. ABC 20 stands as an essential document of uncompromising artistic independence.

Track Listing

1. What Would I Do ? (3:13)
2. Ain't Gonna Be Pretty (3:13)
3. A Modicum of Passion Overture (2:14)
4. Fais Dodo (2:25)
5. Fountain of Youth (4:06)
6. Folia (1:54)
7. Centipedes Have Needs, Too (1:54)
8. Maypole (4:03)
9. You Know the Signs (2:16)
10. Kung Fu Kitty (5:00)
11. Baby (Excerpt) (2:55)
12. Afraid of Me (3:59)
13. Cities & Countries (4:20)
14. Cognac (3:14)
15. Frick It! (1:50)
16. Cubist Grid (2:05)
17. Tall Trees (2:44)
18. Crickets, Inc. (1:29)
19. Vanda Mataram (2:54)
20. Illusions Are Real (3:20)
21. Lobby (Excerpt) (3:35)
22. Tomorrow Never Knows (2:56)
23. Our Day Will Come (2:56)
24. Sequin Serenade (4:02)