Mark Freedman notably owned and operated NYC’s Battery Sound recording studios in the early-to-mid 1980s, providing a deep and open space for Downtown’s oddballs to experiment within. The space become mythically used by Arthur Russell during late nights creating World of Echo there and working on songs like “Another Thought,” “Home Away from Home,” “Hollow Tree,” “Just a Blip,” and “See Through Love,” “In the Light of the Miracle,” and “Let’s Go Swimming,” (which Freedman has a co-production credit on).

As well as an engineer, Freedman was a multi-instrumentalist and composer operating under various monikers, the most prolific of which was the Powerman alias. As Powerman, Freedman voyaged strange synth-pop seas, coasting weird waves and wielding different arms of the avant. With Freedman, a cast of characters from the Battery Sound world played within his disorderly-creative systems, enjoying the deep and magical sound catalyzed by the studio’s state of the art equipment. The crew created a number of now-coveted releases, ranging from epic chugging groove marathons; wistful, puzzle-piece new wave albums; tinkering synth exploration and much, much more.

Mark passed away in 2012, his son and daughter surviving him. After establishing a connection with his family through James Hines at Where To Now Sound?, we journeyed to Mark’s upstate storage container to see what, if any, Powerman record stock and reels remained. While a fair number of records we discovered did not weather the decades of seasonal damage so well, we were able to retrieve a stash of stock for each of the five records that Mark released on his Battery Sound imprints (excluding Discharge, released on Flexible). It took awhile, but we eventually made it through the entire inventory to sort all of the playable stock. So, while none of the records are still sealed, they are guaranteed to play without your needle stumbling across the side.

We’re working with Mark Freedman’s family to share this found stock with the new world and we are thrilled to offer these titles to you at prices that feel right given their rarity. Please don’t hesitate to e-mail with any questions; we’re here to help.