It's pretty rare when a band comes along that creates something truly unique. Scarcer still are multiple standout recordings from the same group. Rarest of all is one who amasses a large body of work that varies greatly, yet consistently remains impressive.
Southern Florida's
FLOOR were around for roughly 10 years and recorded well over a dozen times during their on-and-off existence. Nearly 100 tracks are the result of a decade of persistence amid overall underappreciation, and only in the wake of their demise did underground audio followers finally take note. Their huge body of work yielded only a few officially released records, and most of what the band recorded just collected dust in the vaults. Finally, everything ever laid down to tape by this truly ahead-of-their time(s) outfit has been compiled into one massive release.
From the living rooms and basements of 1992 to the studios of 2001/2002,
FLOOR had an incredible evolution from the
GODFLESH and early-
MELVINS-inspired sludge worship, to the unrivaled sugary doom/pop amalgamation which would eventually pave the way for
TORCHE,
HOUSE OF LIGHTNING and others. The changes in sound from recording-to-recording means the sheer variation of style (and audio fidelity) witnessed throughout this collection is astounding, and when dating these recordings against what would eventually follow, it becomes crystal clear that
FLOOR were consistently operating on that fabled "next level".
It is with great honor and elation that we are able to present the
Below & Beyond Box Set to you. After many years in the making,
FLOOR is finally able to conclude their existence with this extensive collection. Ten 12" LPs, one 7" EP, eight CDs and a (roughly) 32-page booklet of writings, photos, lyrics, artwork (and more) are all to be housed in separate jackets contained within a custom cloth-bound box. Each record comes on a different color of vinyl to match to the corresponding artwork, and two etchings accompany recordings that didn't have appropriate flipsides.
We are making 305 copies of this box set, and if the demand is there maybe more at a later date. It's hard to know what the response to this release is going to be, considering the band hasn't been active for over 5 years and had a varied fanbase during their actual existence... so 305 was the number chosen by the parties involved and we're offering up 275 copies to the public now.
That all being said, the price for the
FLOOR -
Below & Beyond Box Set is $250 plus postage. We know this is a huge amount of money, so as a way of thanking those who pre-order, an exclusive t-shirt is being included (that's design+style will only be available with this preorder). If you purchase the box set PLEASE remember to include your t-shirt size in the "notes / comments" section at checkout... this includes any size you may normally be, from Youth Small to Quintuple Extra Large.
PLEASE NOTE: An enormous amount of work has gone into this release, but not quite everything is fully ready to go into production. So THIS IS A PRE-ORDER, and we're *hoping* to have the release in your hands by Thanksgiving at the earliest, and Christmas at the latest. Because those purchasing this box set are spending a lot of money, we have built a website with the sole purpose of keeping people who buy this informed on the status of the production. Some details of the project may slightly change as we approach the final artwork adjustments, so please realize the above image is simply a mockup of what the final product will roughly resemble (also feel free to
click here to check out a bigger version of the above graphic).
Normally we do not like to take pre-orders for records because people (understandably) get impatient and often want to know what the status of the release is... and there are always the inevitable delays too. But due to the sheer cost of producing this beast, we have decided to break our "no pre-orders" rule on this rare occasion. We will do our best to get this done and in your hands as quickly as possible, but highly appreciate your patience and understanding that producing something this large can happen somewhat slowly. The "status" website link will be emailed to you if you place an order, so you can follow along as this beast gets closer and closer to full existence.
SHIPPING & PAYMENT DETAILS: Because this is such an expensive item, we MUST ship this to a confirmed address (the same one associated with your PayPal or credit card account), and only via a shipping method that is trackable with a signature confirmation. That means ALL people in the USA must order this via
UPS GROUND and be able to sign for the package. It is a bit more expensive and possibly a pain in the ass, but it is also more secure for both the buyer and seller. If you cannot deal with this, please do not order (or find a friend who can comply with this to order for you).
ALL INTERNATIONAL ORDERERS: please choose USPS Priority Mail or any UPS shipping method & make sure your shipping address matches the address on your PayPal or credit card account. Please include your full telephone number in the "notes / comments" section as well. Also, we can NOT put a lower value on the customs forms, so please don't order if you can't pay any local taxes there may be on an incoming $250 US item.
And last but not least, if you order other items along with this box set they will NOT ship until the box sets are finished. If you want other items in the immediate future, please place a separate order for those & we will get them out to you ASAP.
A major personal thank-you is due to Anthony, Steve and Henry for braving everything that went into this, and for trusting us to finally do the band justice with this massive release. An additional thank you to everyone else who contributed as well (be it artwork, musicianship, moral support or otherwise), and to you for still being interested after all these years. Namasté!
*
ORDER @ OUR ONLINE STORE*
PREVIEW 10 SONGS @ FLOOR'S MYSPACE PAGEObviously that is the biggest Robotic Empire news for this week (and possibly the whole year), but we've also got a small amount of new
Online Store stuff for this update as well. Here's the skinny on what we've received over the past two weeks:
NEW ITEMS:* As Hope Dies - Legions Bow To A Faceless God - CLEAR W/ RED SPLATTER COLORED VINYL 12" (Forest Moon) $9.99
* Buckshot Facelift - Anchors of the Armless Gods - 1-Sided DARK GREEN COLORED VINYL 12" (Self Released) $10.99
* Crom - The Cocaine Wars - ORANGE COLORED VINYL 12" (Forest Moon) $13.99
* Dead Hearts - Live at CBGB's - COLORED VINYL 7" (State of Mind) $4.99
* Depise You - Westside Horizons - PURPLE COLORED VINYL 12" (Forest Moon) $14.99
* Envy / Thursday - Split Cassette (Academy Fight Song) $6.99
* Fall Of Efrafa - Inle 2x12" (Halo Of Flies) $18.99
* Flood, The - Self-Titled 10" (These Family Jams) $8.99
* Floor - Below & Beyond BOX SET (Robotic Empire) PRE-ORDER $249.99
* Funeral Pyre, The / Landmine Marathon - Split 7" (Forest Moon) $5.50
* Funeral Pyre, The / Leech - Split - PINK AND GREY COLORED VINYL 7" (Forest Moon) $4.99
* Government Warning - Executed 7" (Grave Mistake) $4.99
* Government Warning - Paranoid Mess 12" (Grave Mistake) $9.99
* Graves At Sea - Documents Of Greif - PICTURE DISC VINYL 12" (Kreation) $10.99
* Overmars - Born Again CD (Crucial Blast) $7.99
* Scott Hull - Requeim - BEER CREAM COLORED VINYL 12" (Kreation) $9.99
* Snowblood - Self-Titled CD (Super Fi) $7.99
* Subarachnoid Space - Eight Bells CD (Crucial Blast) $7.99
* Thank God / Deepslauter - Split - 1-SIDED VINYL 12" (These Family Jams) $8.99
* This is Hell - Self-Titled - 1-SIDED VINYL 12" (State of Mind) $9.99
* Trifle Tower / Steeples - Split 7" (These Family Jams) $4.99
* Valkyrie - Man Of Two Visions - CLEAR GOLD BLEND COLORED VINYL 12" (Kreation) $9.99
* Wasted Time - Futility 12" (Grave Mistake) $9.99
RESTOCKS: * A Day In Black And White / Black Castle - Split CD (State of Mind) $8.99
* Across Tundras - Dark Songs Of The Prairie CD (Crucial Blast) $9.99
* Atavist / Nadja - 12012291920 / 1414101 - COKE BOTTLE GREEN AND WHITE COLORED VINYL 12" (Kreation) $13.99
* Black Elk - Always A Six, Never A Nine CD (Crucial Blast) $9.99
* Black Elk - Self-Titled CD (Crucial Blast) $9.99
* Drowning With Our Anchors - Breathing Lessons 7" (Commodity Fetish) $4.99
* Genghis Tron - Cloak of Love CDep (Crucial Blast) $6.99
* Ghostlimb - Self-Titled CDep (Commodity Fetish) $6.99
* Glissade - Further - BLUE COLORED VINYL 2x12"+CD (Deep Space) $16.99
* Gnaw Their Tongues - An Epiphanic Vomiting Of Blood CD (Crucial Blast) $9.99
* LSD And The Search For God - Self-Titled - YELLOW COLORED VINYL 12" (Deep Space) $10.99
* Nachtmystium - Demise - PURPLE SILVER COLORED VINYL 12" (Kreation) $13.99
* Protestant - The Hate. The Hollow - RED BLACK SWIRL COLORED VINYL 12" (Halo Of Flies) $11.99
* Sea Of Bones - The Harvest CD (Doornail) $7.99
* Skullflower - IIIrd Gatekeeper CD (Crucial Blast) $8.99
* Skullflower - Tribulation CD (Crucial Blast) $8.99
* Trees - Lights Bane CD (Crucial Blast) $9.99
* Us, Haunted Bodies - Self-Titled 7" (Communique) $4.99
* Weedeater - Sixteen Tons CD (Crucial Blast) $7.99
* Wildildlife - Six CD (Crucial Blast) $7.99
* Yob - Catharsis 12" (Kreation) $13.99
ITEMS NEWLY ON SALE: something from every letter of the alphabet (that we carry)* A Silver Mt. Zion - This Is Our Punk Rock CD (Constellation) $11.25
* Atavist / Nadja - 12012291920 / 1414101 - COKE BOTTLE GREEN AND WHITE COLORED VINYL 12" (Kreation) $13.99
* Avenging Disco Godfathers Of Soul, The - This Is The Invasion 12" (Insolito) $5.49
* Bible Of The Devil - The Diabolic Procession CD (Cruz Del Sur) $6.99
* Black Boned Angel / Nadja - Christ Send Light 12" (Sound Devastation) $15.99
* Black Pyramid - Self-Titled CD (Meteor City) $7.99
* Black Widow - Night Of The Raven CD (Heathen Skulls) $7.99
* Cable - Never Trust A Gemini CD (This Dark Reign) $7.99
* Cable - Skyhorse Jams CD (This Dark Reign) $7.99
* Cephalic Carnage - Anomalies CD (Relapse) $5.99
* Coffins / The Arm And Sword Of A Bastard God - Split CD (20 Buck Spin) $7.99
* Daybreak / Godstomper - Split 12" (At A Loss) $8.69
* Descolada - Self-Titled CD (Gasping For Breath) $5.99
* Dreamed Yellow Swans - Self-Titled CD (Deleted Art) $5.99
* Elder - Self-Titled 12" (Electric Earth) $20.99
* Enablers - Tundra CD (Exile On Mainstream) $11.99
* Flood - Native CD (Meteor City) $7.99
* Gregor Samsa - 27:36 + 2Dot 12" (Riptide) $13.99
* Hummingbird of Death - Show Us The Meaning Of Haste CD (To Live A Lie) $7.99
* Iscariote - Necropole Trauma CD (Oto) $8.99
* Javelina - Self-Titled - 180 GRAM VINYL 12" (Triumph Of Death) $17.99
* Karp - Mustaches Wild CD (K) $9.99
* Lymbyc Systym - Carved By Glaciers CD (Magic Bullet) $6.69
* Maladie - Self-Titled CD (Nuestra Lengua) $6.69
* Meet Me In St. Louis - Variations On Swing - CLEAR BLACK SPLATTER COLORED VINYL 12" (Denovali) $11.99
* Nachtmystium - Demise - PURPLE SILVER COLORED VINYL 12" (Kreation) $13.99
* Nadja - Clinging To The Edge Of The Ocean 12" (Vendetta) $13.99
* Nine Shocks Terror - Zen and the Art of Beating Your Ass CD (Havoc) $5.99
* Oxbow - The Narcotic Story - RED COLORED VINYL 12" (Black Diamond) $10.69
* Phoenix Bodies - Raise The Bullsh!t Flag CD (Happy Couples) $5.49
* Satyricon / Enslaved - Split CD (The End) $7.99
* Satyricon - Nemesis Divina CD (The End) $7.99
* Satyricon - Now Diabolical CD (Century Media) $7.99
* They And The Children - Thoughts on Becoming a Ghost CD (Tor Johnson) $5.99
* Torche - Meanderthal - CHERRY BURST COLORED VINYL 12" (Robotic Empire) $17.99
* Tournament - Swordswallower CD (Trip Machine) $4.99
* Tusk - The Resisting Dreamer - BLACK VINYL 12" (Tortuga) $9.99
* Various Artists - Empower: Exercising The Human Spirit CD (Underadar) $2.99
* Winters In Osaka - Molded To Crawl CD (Haunted Hotel) $7.99
* Xiu Xiu - Live CD (Nail In The Coffin) $6.69
* Yob - Catharsis 12" (Kreation) $13.99
* Zann - Three Years In The Desert CD (Vendetta) $8.99
This would probably be a good time to include a reminder that if you want to order the
FLOOR box set AND other stuff from our site, please place separate orders if you want to get the non-
FLOOR items before the pre-order ships... which may take a while.
Again, we will email everyone who orders the
FLOOR -
Below & Beyond Box Set a link in the coming days that will head to a "status page" of sorts on the progress of this behemoth of a release. This will be updated as the production continues, and should be a decent way of keeping everyone who orders in-the-loop.
Thank you for taking the time to read all of this, and thank you in advance to anyone who plans on pre-ordering the
FLOOR box set... we highly appreciate it! Peace,
Robotic Empire - Online StoreOTHER CRAP:Robotic Empire's TwitterRobotic Empire on MyspaceRobotic Empire on FacebookRobotic Empire's email listRobotic Empire's news blog/archiveRobotic Obscurities free audio archiveRobotic Empire's cruddy youtube channelRobotic Empire Wholesale (distro stuff too!)Robotic Empire's main website
2009 has seen ACROSS TUNDRAS self-release yet another recording, Herds of the Fathomless Valleys, a collection of new demos, one cover song, some exclusive material and three old classics recorded live at their first and only appearance on the Grand Ol' Opry, prior to being banned for refusing to "turn the hell down"! This DIY release paints an accurate picture of the vibe ACROSS TUNDRAS conveys, and is now available in its entirety for free download here:
