tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285097122024-03-10T02:45:53.217+00:00The Gutterbreakz ArchivesThe Place Where Shit Used To HappenN.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.comBlogger700125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-69193649739581372092009-07-08T00:28:00.005+01:002010-09-03T22:20:09.865+01:00THE ANALOGUE LOUNGE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwEVbt2A02CM40luR6vBUItRIU2K2IFtIHfM973sWk9ndsi4bKuI1rdcaoeQShsYVDSn-jfZT5ZmDafcy7Lo-4WEANkq4Afs2FrDToMq30Ipk7Xj1rcMt7zfx_1eK6eQrfwRfcLQ/s1600/analog_life.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwEVbt2A02CM40luR6vBUItRIU2K2IFtIHfM973sWk9ndsi4bKuI1rdcaoeQShsYVDSn-jfZT5ZmDafcy7Lo-4WEANkq4Afs2FrDToMq30Ipk7Xj1rcMt7zfx_1eK6eQrfwRfcLQ/s400/analog_life.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512800092967653970" border="0" /></a><br />After a decade out in the cold, I finally got some of my hi-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">fi</span> gear, and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">specifically</span> a turntable, back into the living room at home, having removed all the kids' crap and reorganised the furniture, thus reclaiming this room as an <span style="font-style: italic;">adult</span> living area.<br /><br />Oh, the simple joy of playing a record on a decent stereo system whilst lounging on a sofa. It's almost like the old days...except I'm not allowed to smoke anymore...and if I get <span style="font-style: italic;">too</span> comfy I will invariably doze off.<br /><br />Yes, there's always the possibility that the little buggers will fuck with my shit, and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">possibly</span> break something, but I'm willing to take that chance.<br /><br />You will notice that this is a purist system. Turntable, tape deck and amp only. No CD player. This is a digital no-go zone. Though admittedly there is an emergency <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">USB</span> interface jacked into the Aux input, should the need to play digital/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Spotified</span> music via laptop ever arise, but so far only the kids have taken advantage of this facility (I may have removed all their stuff, but their presence still stubbornly remains). Me, I'm trying to keep the faith, baby.<br /><br />Here's to the Analogue Life!<br /><div></div>N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-64633369394965551742009-07-03T23:31:00.006+01:002009-07-04T00:55:14.902+01:00WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE FUTURE?<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ERaF-h8UhvU&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ERaF-h8UhvU&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><i>"Once upon a time, people believed in the future. When I was growing up in England in the 1970s, one of the most popular programmes on TV was called 'Tomorrow's World'. Every week scientists would talk about how new and wonderful inventions would make our life better. Sociologists talked of an impending leisure society, where our biggest problem would be what to do with all the spare time created by increasing automation..."</i><br /><br />Neil Transpotine (<a href="http://history-is-made-at-night.blogspot.com/2009/07/we-were-brought-up-on-space-race-now.html">History Is Made At Night</a>)<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kbdjx1MYPtc&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kbdjx1MYPtc&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><i>"The future we were sold in the 1970's/1980's where robots would be our servants<br />and we would hop into our hovering cars in the twenty-first-century techno<br />cities never quite materialised. Here we stand, twenty years on from seeing<br />chip-shop-chips on compact discs and things are the same but worse as our<br />optimism of the future has been eroded away collectively.<br /><br />'Tomorrows World' never came."</i><div><br /></div><div>Leyland J. Kirby, from recent press release</div><br /><br />An interesting point, aside from the convergence of thought in the two above texts, concerns the stylistic differences between the two youtube clips. The first is the opening titles for Tomorrow's World as it appeared in the 1970s - a jaunty, exciting, endearing and kind-hearted view of the future with a bright easy listening soundtrack. The second clip shows the new title sequence introduced at the start of the 80s - cool, spacey and mysterious, propelled by a synthetic euro-disco beat that informs the work of modern day retro-futurist <a href="http://www.factmagazine.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1892&Itemid=68">Belbury Poly</a>. What was it about the 80s that demanded such a clean break with the old? Other programmes given quite dramatic overhauls at the time included Top Of The Pops and Dr. Who (with Delia's original theme finally superceded after 17 years). It seems we couldn't wait to leave behind the stylistic signifiers of the '70s. Yet each decade tinted the future with it's own distinct hue. Both promised us a better world. If only...N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-81951226304266889342009-07-03T22:34:00.001+01:002009-07-03T22:34:50.113+01:00GENIUS AT WORK...<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XI-w7LjSNi4&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XI-w7LjSNi4&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-79137235479985849282009-06-30T00:22:00.002+01:002009-06-30T00:35:00.197+01:00DODGY PROMO ALERT<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2mZ7dCstuWI&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2mZ7dCstuWI&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />There's a program on my laptop called 'Windows Movie Maker'. I've never opened it before, but tonight I was feeling bored and listless so I opened the fucker and, for the sheer hell of it, 'created' the above promo clip using a few old pictures from my raving days and the first two minutes of a killer tune called "Elephants" by October. It is scheduled for release around late July or early August on Immerse Records.<br /><br />Here's what Immerse's Kid Kut had to say about it:<br /><br /><i>"...created back in 2003 when Jules (October), myself and a few others used to go out to parties and get a little worse for wear and wanted something to listen to when we came home, didn't have a label then but now is definitely the right time to put these out, definitely captures an era for me personally, a time when i was first getting into dubstep, ThinKings mix and SLT with that amazing ep on Soulja."</i><br /><div><br /></div><div>And if you understand what he's saying, like I do, then that probably means you were vibing on early Mark One, Plasticman, SLT Mob, Soulja and Road 12-inchers and getting really excited about this ice-cool new form of UKG that was so fresh and underground it didn't even have a firm name yet. </div><div><br /></div><div>This tune is the shit. Buy on sight.</div>N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-15089415526464546282009-06-27T17:41:00.009+01:002010-09-03T22:22:52.171+01:00ANOTHER DEAD SHOP<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8QgzX_58WkYQsjO9xhwQJTO3J_6nz1v5on_1TCBkbxXZhFPUXzPpIw7gU9iU9zDjh7_M1q-_gSEviZ-2XPqeNLQTlgceV4PjSuWhddouurblDr7BS5f-E1SAcTXW6sBQ37kyGQ/s1600/ripoffy.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8QgzX_58WkYQsjO9xhwQJTO3J_6nz1v5on_1TCBkbxXZhFPUXzPpIw7gU9iU9zDjh7_M1q-_gSEviZ-2XPqeNLQTlgceV4PjSuWhddouurblDr7BS5f-E1SAcTXW6sBQ37kyGQ/s400/ripoffy.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512800815756409634" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Nothing unusual in itself, but I'm taking this one personally.</div><div><br />All my life this little retail space at the bottom of Cleeve Hill has been an off-licence. My dad used to come in here to buy his cans of Hoffmeister and packs of Marlborough. Sometimes I would go with him and wait obediently and patiently while he chatted with the ever-jovial proprietor about the football results, hoping that he might feel inclined to buy me a packet of crisps or a chocolate bar or maybe some Opal Fruits from the enticing selection of snacks on display at the counter.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Years later, having moved back into the area, I began frequenting the shop myself, to buy my bottles of Budweiser , Drum tobacco and Rizlas. Occasionally my children would accompany me and, if they were well-behaved, I might feel inclined to buy them a packet of crisps or a chocolate bar or even a packet of Starburst. But I never had any idea who the proprietor was. The counter was now a plexi-glassed fortress with a little opening where cash would be furtively exchanged with an ever-changing staff of young student-types who always seemed vaguely annoyed at my presence. Perhaps because I had disturbed them in the middle of some urgent text-messaging.<br /><br /></div><div>And you wonder why I keep going on about the past.</div><div><br />The atmosphere, lay-out and even the brand names might have changed, but there's one thing that's always stayed the same about that shop: the <i>smell</i>. I think it must be something to do with the wood. The shop has dark wooden walls and floors, and they secrete a particular warm, woody odour that is, in my experience, entirely unique to this shop. I've never smelt it anywhere else in the world. It's a lovely, comforting smell. Whenever I smell it I connect with a little 8-year-old kid, holding his dad's hand, happily biting into a Cadbury's Fruit & Nut bar. I hate the idea that, for the time being at least, I am denied access to that smell and the sensations it inspires.</div>N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-66514193052781533202009-06-26T22:44:00.002+01:002009-06-26T23:13:24.038+01:00WHAT THE (BRITISH) FUTURE SOUNDED LIKE...<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/c4ea0sBrw6M&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/c4ea0sBrw6M&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Featuring Delia's green lampshade, John's cash register, and the bloke who used to present <span style="font-style:italic;">Screen Test</span>. What more could you possibly want?<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/F_9oSQaYbNQ&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/F_9oSQaYbNQ&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />The amazing and ultimately tragic story of Peter Zinovieff and EMS in a nutshell. <br /><br />And here's what the rock stars did with EMS synths... <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ccBoypwQ9zA&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ccBoypwQ9zA&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/O5voNyRmvXs&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/O5voNyRmvXs&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-80248554932630139142009-06-26T15:47:00.000+01:002009-06-26T15:48:58.416+01:00JACKO ABLETON 'TRIBUTE'<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mI9nEluGWcM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mI9nEluGWcM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />c/o <a href="http://dubstepheadhunter.blogspot.com/2009/06/rip-mj.html">Headhunter</a>. Amen, brother...N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-46040600374401919482009-06-22T23:23:00.005+01:002009-06-23T12:03:21.852+01:00MORE PIVOTAL TV MOMENTSFollowing on from the Cabaret Voltaire post, I've tracked down a few other clips that stand out in my memory as particularly influencial in my personal development. It is perhaps hard to remember now how influential these brief televised encounters could be for a teenager growing-up in the '80s, thirsty for fresh musical experience, yet desperately restricted for choice and information by today's standards. Yes, we had the radio, and we had the music press, and sometimes we even had enough pocket money to buy an actual record, but often it's these fleeting, unplanned televisual experiences that burn brightest in the mind's eye. Perhaps the slower rate of intake allowed these things to be inwardly digested better. I mean, I can't remember what I was watching/listening to on the internet last week, yet these clips from over twenty years ago still linger...<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z9O2tsIbKD0&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z9O2tsIbKD0&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />I didn't see the original broadcast, but this clip was repeated on Whisletest sometime in the mid-'80s (during the Mark Ellen/Andy Kershaw years). At that time I knew very little about Pil apart from maybe recent hits like "Rise". I'd never seen a group playing like their lives depended on it before, and I remember being utterly gobsmacked by Keith Levine's deft, almost violent, approach to synth-playing. As the clip finished I suddenly realised I'd been holding my breath.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FzTw4PYfROU&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FzTw4PYfROU&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />I'm not sure when and where I saw this clip, originally broadcast on one of Granada's regional shows, but it was my first exposure to the music of Joy Division, viewed without any knowledge of their history or growing legendary status, nor any inkling of the dark, tragic story attached to the lead singer. I wasn't as immediately blown-apart by the music, but the image of the group on those raised podiums, so starkly intense and transfixed by their own sound, (plus the singer's rather curious dancing technique) is the first image that comes to mind whenever I think about Joy Division.<br /><div><br /></div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3TuG5ru3Km0&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3TuG5ru3Km0&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />The Southbank Show did a documentory on the Velvet Underground in 1986. I'm not sure if I'd even heard of the group at this point, but I would always make a point of watching the programme when they were covering music. This one totally hooked me into the sound and mythology of the Velvets. It looks like the whole thing is now up on youtube, although this section, with it's evocative description of the creative tensions that spawned "Sister Ray", made a particularly heavy impact on my young mind.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DgD4x_SfyD8&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DgD4x_SfyD8&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />To finish (for now), here's one that was actually a current, brand new track at the time. Again I have Whistletest to thank for playing this video and thus irrevocably cementing my love for Mantronik and electro-flavoured '80s hip-hop in general.N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-58188391520280489672009-06-18T12:16:00.000+01:002009-06-18T12:18:19.366+01:00MATT CAN SPOON<object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4600693&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4600693&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/4600693">Matthew Ingram Showreel January 2009</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/hollowearth">Matthew Ingram</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p><p>Clever chap, isn't he..?</p><p><br /></p>N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-32981152984479759052009-06-15T22:02:00.008+01:002012-10-28T08:35:12.694+00:00AUF DIE MOND!A couple of links sent my way earlier today - Jan Jelinek's <a href="http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12694-recordings-1969-1988/">'radiophonic' hoax album</a> (via <a href="http://westnorwoodcassettelibrary.blogspot.com/">Bob</a>) and a <a href="http://www.bleep43.com/podcast/2008/1/4/podcast-81-conny-plank-special.html">Conny Plank podcast</a> (via <a href="http://www.hollowearth.org/blog/">Matt</a>) - converged in my mind and sent it flashing back to a little-known krautrock-inspired hoax album entitled <i>Auf Die Mond!</i> I always assumed it was a hoax, anyway. Promotional cd-r copies were floating around in 2001, yet when I googled it I couldn't find a single reference to it's existence! Hard to believe, I know, but somehow this particular item has managed to remain undocumented on the web...until now.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Mq0uG6IJa4COF79sI5XJzYNfM_lvNxnQ2Wnyje6fPfggErsa0CnD4zEvrm7kkIsTR8KjoqI-5_iQ9n2eV2F9JRxivOT4lL_E12YRqtWsjQP4tr9WfyUY_MOQCd6_yxn4NtflYg/s1600/adm_front.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512968369127602578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Mq0uG6IJa4COF79sI5XJzYNfM_lvNxnQ2Wnyje6fPfggErsa0CnD4zEvrm7kkIsTR8KjoqI-5_iQ9n2eV2F9JRxivOT4lL_E12YRqtWsjQP4tr9WfyUY_MOQCd6_yxn4NtflYg/s400/adm_front.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 380px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 366px;" /></a></div>
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After a good deal of searching through mountains of dodgy old promo CDs, I finally found it. The sleeve notes, written by one Clifford Snouts, claim that the master tape for this 'forgotten krautrock gem' was discovered by a retired German recording engineer in a filing cabinet. The album, by an unknown artist/group, was apparently recorded in late 1974, possibly in Hamburg. Stylistically, the music recalls Kraftwerk circa <i>Ralf & Florian</i>, although the title track is clearly endebted to Neu! But perhaps the closest overall comparison would be with Cluster, as the music veers between the formless dronescapes of <i>Cluster II</i> and the naive cyclic melodies of <i>Zuckerzeit</i> or <i>Sowiesoso</i>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxeEkVw0uNdq88boxA6KJ2z3mDFjAzWIQAH4d2-4Yj5vR3d6cbJaL_eJuecZOLj4Ztc4OpKq8kPNnGQvmx1qb34DZKqYG9mz10JLKfcdE6OvtpSpem63_S_HiWrw1rr1u3r4TCw/s1600/adm_back.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512968714320697234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxeEkVw0uNdq88boxA6KJ2z3mDFjAzWIQAH4d2-4Yj5vR3d6cbJaL_eJuecZOLj4Ztc4OpKq8kPNnGQvmx1qb34DZKqYG9mz10JLKfcdE6OvtpSpem63_S_HiWrw1rr1u3r4TCw/s400/adm_back.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 358px;" /></a><br />
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Now I'm not usually one for wholesale filesharing, but on this occasion I've decided to share the entire release with you, dear readers, complete with reproduced sleeve notes. Afterall, this is one of those weird little forgotten electronic projects that is so obscure that the chances of anyone actually finding a copy are practically nil. Plus I'm almost hoping it's creators might spot this and get in touch to solve the mystery of it's origins once and for all. </div>
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As I said, I'm pretty sure this must be a hoax, but it's still an enjoyable and quite authentically retro-analogue listening experience, full of filtered rhythm machines, Farfisa organs, backwards guitars and clunky hand-played monosynths. </div>
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Download <a href="https://dl.dropbox.com/u/7271828/oldies/Auf_Die_Mond.zip">here</a>.</div>
N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-82875600454783295522009-06-11T21:55:00.002+01:002009-06-11T21:57:42.547+01:00WARP20<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHPNUwFlOfqV9EC6vE4Awh60rkaSEE5uU9DfYxosaREe58p4jo-bd6nPjrRs0ufAcHB866jQ-bg5NRIQWcOLK82RSYpKSOnPNFax5LFNrq9kLKq_1KcAlmMUX7d5sUZ9ONrysbMQ/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHPNUwFlOfqV9EC6vE4Awh60rkaSEE5uU9DfYxosaREe58p4jo-bd6nPjrRs0ufAcHB866jQ-bg5NRIQWcOLK82RSYpKSOnPNFax5LFNrq9kLKq_1KcAlmMUX7d5sUZ9ONrysbMQ/s400/2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346176687048518562" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://warp.net/records/warp20/warp20-box-set#3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "></span></a><a href="http://warp.net/records/warp20/warp20-box-set#3">Go on, you know you want to...</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-44032248372284728122009-06-09T23:51:00.002+01:002009-06-09T23:57:46.918+01:00THE REAL McCOY<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/h5hcTUeeaG0&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/h5hcTUeeaG0&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Shocked and stunned to discover this snippet of archival footage of Daniel Miller and Robert Rental in performance and at home studio back in '79 - I had no idea such a document existed.N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-85517364216048701892009-06-09T23:45:00.003+01:002009-06-09T23:50:01.731+01:00SACRILEGE<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HTKSRIgyP1I&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HTKSRIgyP1I&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Discovered this by accident tonight. Not sure how I feel about it. Of course, my wife (who knows that (a) I detest Duran Duran on general principle and (b) Warm leatherette is one of my favourite singles ever) thinks this is absolutely hilarious.<br /><br />And when did La Bonn and his chums start pretending they were Kraftwerk..?N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-18668565214233173962009-06-05T00:09:00.004+01:002010-09-04T09:19:32.175+01:00R.I.P. DAVID CARRADINEI don't pretend to be an expert on his career, all I know is I fucking loved watching Kung Fu when I was a kid. I still have my collection of bubble gum cards and, as a mark of respect, here's a few of my favourites....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1c6IaGTKKi_gP31jIMa9wBG0wmbCgW6qPDpg9-u6VfixInmMl9MnA7xoJZWXA7GB8e-Hy8qUyhp8pjWGJr-Zgd_YSgGzDkyYeX5SmcUVkngb3bTpxGh6IrLvs_H890YuLnGYwA/s1600/kungfu1.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1c6IaGTKKi_gP31jIMa9wBG0wmbCgW6qPDpg9-u6VfixInmMl9MnA7xoJZWXA7GB8e-Hy8qUyhp8pjWGJr-Zgd_YSgGzDkyYeX5SmcUVkngb3bTpxGh6IrLvs_H890YuLnGYwA/s400/kungfu1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512969864113736194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvyy-Qe7WqIrmOoSOlA3emA72mbjSC_72lgnSxqw58KS-TvqH8vqxGR-3w0ImWOBOYavqIJgdtpwP_LhfaHBV6u_qrmJ0lgx_MfFdBNic8eqTb1nJqVaGjMsqwC2LHfmVG_KhEA/s1600/kungfu2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvyy-Qe7WqIrmOoSOlA3emA72mbjSC_72lgnSxqw58KS-TvqH8vqxGR-3w0ImWOBOYavqIJgdtpwP_LhfaHBV6u_qrmJ0lgx_MfFdBNic8eqTb1nJqVaGjMsqwC2LHfmVG_KhEA/s400/kungfu2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512969858280217906" border="0" /></a>N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-28651836561639990162009-06-04T23:39:00.003+01:002009-06-04T23:54:44.877+01:00WHEN WORLDS COLLIDEIn the middle of reading Dave Haslam's "Not Abba - The Real Story Of The 1970s" (4th Estate, 2005),which I found in the local library, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">not</span> a charity shop. Haslam's narrative style can be a bit jarring in places, but I like the way he's interwoven the political landscape with popular music. So on the one hand I read that <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"the National Front made headway in an era when the political process looked flawed and the major parties lacked credibility"</span> (hmmm, sounds familiar), whilst on the other discovering that soul group Sweet Sensation were from Manchester, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">not</span> the States as I had always assumed, and that their lead singer Marcel King would make a record on Factory Records in the following decade in collaboration with Barney Sumner (New Order) and Donald Johnson (ACR), which would become an early dancefloor hit at the Hacienda. <div><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/z9Rrrz0ZfRc&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/z9Rrrz0ZfRc&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-h7X3z8JghY&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-h7X3z8JghY&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></div>N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-26168896984469307632009-06-03T21:24:00.004+01:002010-09-04T09:25:35.755+01:00DISCSTYLESpeaking of books, how did people manage to drool over cool pictures of sexy records and CDs before websites like <a href="http://www.hardformat.org/">Hard Format</a>? Well presumably they spent twenty quid on a big coffee-table tome like this...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwEom4U8LTEYz_5OH4TtZXDrT-sCkYznsSEh4m2aHjI53_vnGesrm1b2NmrhsdIwPaBK9ZKORwtGZjK3Z8WAJzl1jEESkR7tNtn156xOlxJA2Z4MxyrYpzMa2QJKYpda2b2jDbw/s1600/discstyle1.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwEom4U8LTEYz_5OH4TtZXDrT-sCkYznsSEh4m2aHjI53_vnGesrm1b2NmrhsdIwPaBK9ZKORwtGZjK3Z8WAJzl1jEESkR7tNtn156xOlxJA2Z4MxyrYpzMa2QJKYpda2b2jDbw/s400/discstyle1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512971150334549026" border="0" /></a>"Discstyle" by Martin Pesch & Markus Weisbeck (Collins & Brown, 1999)<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I assume it's long out of print, but I came across a copy in a charity shop this week for two quid. It's a luxurious thing, with a forward by Ian Anderson (Designers Republic), charting the design trends of electronic music graphics in the latter half of the nineties. Not enough time has elapsed for it to really exude a strong, pungent flava of the era, in fact much of the imagery on offer wouldn't look too out of place today. But it's a nice thing to have and will perhaps grow in collectibity in the coming years.<br /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4D3kltacWw_72Z1j23D3Tw8Wg7-WKsg0YY09Tjmf4oP3LpXfUoiT_QQlWz43HtD6NQh2ViIkEo99QYBjPLQ72Ji2GHtrwATsfxO8Lle69uRL7snd7d20p4Ufgm-iSe7MqiHmTA/s1600/discstyle2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4D3kltacWw_72Z1j23D3Tw8Wg7-WKsg0YY09Tjmf4oP3LpXfUoiT_QQlWz43HtD6NQh2ViIkEo99QYBjPLQ72Ji2GHtrwATsfxO8Lle69uRL7snd7d20p4Ufgm-iSe7MqiHmTA/s400/discstyle2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512971146488383010" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmee43U4AC7mOH9RQxR8trEwDB9WmG6KTtZwzLX5QE5JoaUKdH92s2sBDiWAlpMW_rEu3ybo3zG8x-b-nWGaVHn29grCTumMI_UWr2Plfs6RTRxjomsqjw51C65aEZoFPrX3KXsw/s1600/discstyle3.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmee43U4AC7mOH9RQxR8trEwDB9WmG6KTtZwzLX5QE5JoaUKdH92s2sBDiWAlpMW_rEu3ybo3zG8x-b-nWGaVHn29grCTumMI_UWr2Plfs6RTRxjomsqjw51C65aEZoFPrX3KXsw/s400/discstyle3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512971143472717394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPe3-ZLIWbRj7uQyYe1i6jdzHBl558ypWHMH3KNDCtR1WcbEmNHuv6KBI8vpr8L0ZqUJvZqd247FaKvD5UunWTt2MX2VU-gYjjv018AEwYPiHWR-gkJtbL5xFWlVRLCcrtr4eWig/s1600/discstyle4.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPe3-ZLIWbRj7uQyYe1i6jdzHBl558ypWHMH3KNDCtR1WcbEmNHuv6KBI8vpr8L0ZqUJvZqd247FaKvD5UunWTt2MX2VU-gYjjv018AEwYPiHWR-gkJtbL5xFWlVRLCcrtr4eWig/s400/discstyle4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512970829247923362" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2k8uG7t5kW2Gv98Kr-0-5a8OrH0eMU1jPkkWUdiKh4Ubqjppn4I4PPpYqW_okm3n8o7snDYZrRjltIDShJ8qF2L40HJPlHEzKoEsRTrA9fmW1avE4tG7jOnAHkG1I2M3x25ZyJA/s1600/discstyle5.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2k8uG7t5kW2Gv98Kr-0-5a8OrH0eMU1jPkkWUdiKh4Ubqjppn4I4PPpYqW_okm3n8o7snDYZrRjltIDShJ8qF2L40HJPlHEzKoEsRTrA9fmW1avE4tG7jOnAHkG1I2M3x25ZyJA/s400/discstyle5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512970825991546322" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAvEXKdd1OagEed1pDQarXKbqU2fnDxK3a6SPN7HTz2YsF6wg1Z8KXr06IwiHvgG2_6MT1lLhSxQXOBt8Gs1LaSO4JCeKer51Vj2pFxpVYtZz_TC9lBDhsjeK5Vg3j-3UH8HehA/s1600/discstyle6.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAvEXKdd1OagEed1pDQarXKbqU2fnDxK3a6SPN7HTz2YsF6wg1Z8KXr06IwiHvgG2_6MT1lLhSxQXOBt8Gs1LaSO4JCeKer51Vj2pFxpVYtZz_TC9lBDhsjeK5Vg3j-3UH8HehA/s400/discstyle6.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512970824274828338" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjl0uxXHybsEaCaYk8lCndkNzQ__GiM9-YXwwBcvutfPI5vRWsiwUydkpg2Prvzzlr3DdyQUZJVq5Du6hgNHXT2Zp0B9gb9jPK0yStsvPI45Ql643GoHLJ4Wsi-MANwVkNAfXwzw/s1600/discstyle7.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjl0uxXHybsEaCaYk8lCndkNzQ__GiM9-YXwwBcvutfPI5vRWsiwUydkpg2Prvzzlr3DdyQUZJVq5Du6hgNHXT2Zp0B9gb9jPK0yStsvPI45Ql643GoHLJ4Wsi-MANwVkNAfXwzw/s400/discstyle7.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512970821064512146" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxyPTSJKIBWERIbJ2gvZAMVL4CbDiZAjm709YA8g7aLdfmoNvJA528fWlv-5dIR2Addni9h8osWNw1nvboDxUJ_GwphItYL13u3FUeLGTBZ6fnGcz4dUlNKc9uVH0arXY-Nt1WMQ/s1600/discstyle8.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxyPTSJKIBWERIbJ2gvZAMVL4CbDiZAjm709YA8g7aLdfmoNvJA528fWlv-5dIR2Addni9h8osWNw1nvboDxUJ_GwphItYL13u3FUeLGTBZ6fnGcz4dUlNKc9uVH0arXY-Nt1WMQ/s400/discstyle8.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512970809953232498" border="0" /></a></div></div>N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-37131112771775253292009-06-02T22:40:00.007+01:002010-09-04T09:29:28.968+01:00GEOLOGY OF A LIFE: BOOK SPINES AS SEAMS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5o4jxTxKRa5k8_IXWOeQGZpo4b4t_xgIc_TiCiu6ggvH15sC9aFegZ8gWxFKicVuv7iMwHWxNwhBFoB2QyCiPDX6aT7JibsS736h2omhVVPBnaqDN17Y6ZhCZmq1TE6cVALTdRg/s1600/DSC02143.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5o4jxTxKRa5k8_IXWOeQGZpo4b4t_xgIc_TiCiu6ggvH15sC9aFegZ8gWxFKicVuv7iMwHWxNwhBFoB2QyCiPDX6aT7JibsS736h2omhVVPBnaqDN17Y6ZhCZmq1TE6cVALTdRg/s400/DSC02143.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512972553164570434" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWz9lvZ2XnZZGm1zQzdVYXPb1jFXt2aBn8elCSNRuByFgfl_yy-W2WXxeunSMNsMjnh8F1m8TSjqC2SGw9-CPfOmqrmrufhwt4K0Z5zggxHohMGz_nt1UUDr1kIg5yYw_P2LZCog/s1600/DSC02144.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWz9lvZ2XnZZGm1zQzdVYXPb1jFXt2aBn8elCSNRuByFgfl_yy-W2WXxeunSMNsMjnh8F1m8TSjqC2SGw9-CPfOmqrmrufhwt4K0Z5zggxHohMGz_nt1UUDr1kIg5yYw_P2LZCog/s400/DSC02144.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512972543314826290" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgosKz9JXYzadA7EPQyIPtyT0LS-vpS5s66H5csX8BdhNVoop4KdHpAm5X5kjJo5hyphenhyphenyfqDWVklrLURF7vcQPdMWoMvJDJcARjfaQDjh36W-adWEnXSF7NmYtTqFF6lfIvV7EcDZPQ/s1600/DSC02145.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgosKz9JXYzadA7EPQyIPtyT0LS-vpS5s66H5csX8BdhNVoop4KdHpAm5X5kjJo5hyphenhyphenyfqDWVklrLURF7vcQPdMWoMvJDJcARjfaQDjh36W-adWEnXSF7NmYtTqFF6lfIvV7EcDZPQ/s400/DSC02145.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512972535238326434" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPWNehyphenhyphen0lElTk-aNn_YZiBWwRvUCh0wdgaGobAPmwYXiOx4WqY8JC-e8pFIjjaZ_cNFb_7ws92lyGzT8sdl6RxhtKcD5CnSNI0VneN6GAq2UbIQ08GFYKlZ9x9JHTZ-SXgbUxasg/s1600/DSC02146.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPWNehyphenhyphen0lElTk-aNn_YZiBWwRvUCh0wdgaGobAPmwYXiOx4WqY8JC-e8pFIjjaZ_cNFb_7ws92lyGzT8sdl6RxhtKcD5CnSNI0VneN6GAq2UbIQ08GFYKlZ9x9JHTZ-SXgbUxasg/s400/DSC02146.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512972528994783490" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPIqd7HPeoQqTFMDICLoOzxNkOhZmuTPdFSGUF21ER84AqAgDS5C979wbdenusfuGdMVbLKegZ9b-6klwK9EdiC7Z0wi9mj2Lcf4agj0O2LVoHJ3MbJUs7-IHF92O_iLvaKYe6Q/s1600/DSC02147.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPIqd7HPeoQqTFMDICLoOzxNkOhZmuTPdFSGUF21ER84AqAgDS5C979wbdenusfuGdMVbLKegZ9b-6klwK9EdiC7Z0wi9mj2Lcf4agj0O2LVoHJ3MbJUs7-IHF92O_iLvaKYe6Q/s400/DSC02147.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512972351172590674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNllLA1bM8nnLZJDMPkGrs-PsgNhczquLia6sZpI1uTxR0E3CZzQSD7Xi_6kyfatBLkELsyfKvNgfAaLPBLSba4eL-w4_QkBcV7cTHRGViSQ234zTeb5f5j5Q45nVsKDNPFc8h7A/s1600/DSC02150.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNllLA1bM8nnLZJDMPkGrs-PsgNhczquLia6sZpI1uTxR0E3CZzQSD7Xi_6kyfatBLkELsyfKvNgfAaLPBLSba4eL-w4_QkBcV7cTHRGViSQ234zTeb5f5j5Q45nVsKDNPFc8h7A/s400/DSC02150.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512972345101270210" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixI7Tj5MEOq5xX9McpWP_6syCcTn_FiGnWmHL4LCVaTNASfHm5rDiHPqtnYfpa7-Us1_i-wZi0tLvrwPW9V2ahQUTWihm4Zh7Z6ra0gty9rpW1lqPDnFkcjKTBTcrJv_3Q0hhQMw/s1600/DSC02151.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixI7Tj5MEOq5xX9McpWP_6syCcTn_FiGnWmHL4LCVaTNASfHm5rDiHPqtnYfpa7-Us1_i-wZi0tLvrwPW9V2ahQUTWihm4Zh7Z6ra0gty9rpW1lqPDnFkcjKTBTcrJv_3Q0hhQMw/s400/DSC02151.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512972342667983698" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpNWhbCOQjZfdWTi0XaEuVRdBy0wRmapbzGtHBnnLfUC21eSCL4DXt44n3oNDkdenjy0jbCIwYRPVRqrhloXLRyX2Rj02X2Sd1ye7Llk6wn5Ae7-TermBvjp6hFrN2BUUo4NhZ3w/s1600/DSC02152.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpNWhbCOQjZfdWTi0XaEuVRdBy0wRmapbzGtHBnnLfUC21eSCL4DXt44n3oNDkdenjy0jbCIwYRPVRqrhloXLRyX2Rj02X2Sd1ye7Llk6wn5Ae7-TermBvjp6hFrN2BUUo4NhZ3w/s400/DSC02152.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512972335607840610" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-I7fp6XRyf5JpvytJI7vNHM2N9B5E6TLLzn12Xj_O-Our_YxhaAFSCa1_cHa2Q-Ui1sFziJQUAhDo8DYKNN_GTlvRFhlYdJEzWgPzxEV6NdaEA7djFwrDmTbX8mDm71KWJ9YYJQ/s1600/DSC02156.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-I7fp6XRyf5JpvytJI7vNHM2N9B5E6TLLzn12Xj_O-Our_YxhaAFSCa1_cHa2Q-Ui1sFziJQUAhDo8DYKNN_GTlvRFhlYdJEzWgPzxEV6NdaEA7djFwrDmTbX8mDm71KWJ9YYJQ/s400/DSC02156.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512972332718886034" border="0" /></a>N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-27997761000593374842009-06-02T17:10:00.003+01:002009-06-02T17:19:57.814+01:00STILL FASCINATED, 25 YEARS ON<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sWDdWOk0HTg&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sWDdWOk0HTg&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />As <a href="http://gutterbreakz.blogspot.com/2003/11/richard-h-kirk-second-prelude.html">previously discussed</a> (in the days before youtube)...<br /><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">...but it was those Cabs promos that really got under my skin, particularly Just Fascination which I taped and watched over and over again. I felt the change a-comin'. The realisation that maybe there was more to music beyond Queen, Billy Joel and Nik Kershaw. Something about Mal's freaky staring eyes, or maybe Richard's spectral presence...perhaps Peter Care's superb video direction and visual techniques..Definitely something about those hard rhythms. Quite accessible yet very un-pop with none of the usual hooklines. That ominous synthetic groove <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">was</span> the hook. The lyrics... more like a mantra, "This private... Fascination, just fascination, just fascination", looping, hypnotic, mesmerising. It's also quite possible that Peter Care's voyeuristic close-ups of the mysterious female in the black stilleto's and fishnets had some kind of profound effect on my still-developing psyche, introducing me to a particular adult pasttime known as sexual fetishism. (Even now, I'm still turned-on by a nice pair of ankles in high heels - thanks for that, Pete). Overall I was getting the impression that here was something with bit more depth than the usual chart-fodder. Something that took a little time and effort to assimilate and form opinions about. Something that perhaps had a message within the message. Something that had something important to say, but wasn't gonna say it directly. It wanted the listener/viewer to draw their own conclusions; there was a veil of mystery, an aura of subversivness, that just clicked with me...</span></div>N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-91023897983281888922009-05-18T09:53:00.006+01:002010-09-04T09:39:01.725+01:00SOUNDS FROM BETWEEN THE WARSExcellent to see some much needed publicity for James Kirby <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">aka</span> The Caretaker <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">aka</span> The Stranger <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">aka</span> The Artist Formally Known As V/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Vm</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">aka</span> The Artist Soon To Be Known As <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Leyland</span> Kirby. First there was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><a href="http://kidshirt.blogspot.com/">Kek</a>'s</span> crucial interview piece in <a href="http://www.factmagazine.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2476&Itemid=68">Fact</a>, along with accompanying <a href="http://www.factmagazine.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2478&Itemid=28">podcast</a>, quickly followed by a splendid feature by Mark '<a href="http://k-punk.abstractdynamics.org/">K-Punk</a>' Fisher in this month's <a href="http://www.thewire.co.uk/">Wire magazine</a>. From arch prankster to serious, 'thoughtful' artiste, Kirby appears to have pulled-off one of the great self-reinventions of our time. I was first seduced by the V/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Vm</span> brand when I came across those spectacularly vulgar <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">'Help <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Aphex</span> Twin'</span> 3" <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">CDs</span> many moons ago, though I can't bare to listen to them now. Rather, it is Kirby's ongoing 'ambient' explorations of time, space and place that captivate me now. Previews of forthcoming <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Leyland</span> Kirby material inspired me to fork-out some hard cash and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">pre</span>-order the double-vinyl (and you can too, via Kirby's new <a href="http://www.brainwashed.com/vvm/">website</a>). More thoughts on that as-and-when it arrives, but for now...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGPZ8q3cTUR610msQPdqQBqRlKpgP6i6oXcsi6ydDmJ-deeYPUhbIICBVz3qaqi3jR_bQEwLpIO87gu21OwFsi5OYsAsgSYAdJzalEXKjS93YOJ8xar0gi6oRrGlShFPLklLplw/s1600/bo.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 399px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGPZ8q3cTUR610msQPdqQBqRlKpgP6i6oXcsi6ydDmJ-deeYPUhbIICBVz3qaqi3jR_bQEwLpIO87gu21OwFsi5OYsAsgSYAdJzalEXKjS93YOJ8xar0gi6oRrGlShFPLklLplw/s400/bo.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512974255646694946" border="0" /></a>I sometimes wondered why I found the overt references to 1930's ballroom music in The Caretaker's work so personally powerful and evocative. Initially a spin-off idea from Kubrick's movie <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Shining</span>, by the time of last year's stunning <span style="font-style: italic;">"Persistent Repetition Of Phrases"</span> the concept had taken on a whole other life of it's own. It was only when I read the references to Al <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Bowlly</span> and Dennis Potter's TV drama <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Pennies From Heaven</span> in the recent interviews, that the penny dropped.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT5kJCKIN8SKgmX-3dmzASy7bYorwVjwTNwwtdj11h9WP2GDXzrE1cQStwksXWrFZKv3e5wULJiPDvJsr7-i4qY3MrboTo18LV4bMh5DoTVSnVj8NcErMeGTIrS_QnUeKmntVyDA/s1600/pennies.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 392px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT5kJCKIN8SKgmX-3dmzASy7bYorwVjwTNwwtdj11h9WP2GDXzrE1cQStwksXWrFZKv3e5wULJiPDvJsr7-i4qY3MrboTo18LV4bMh5DoTVSnVj8NcErMeGTIrS_QnUeKmntVyDA/s400/pennies.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512974270214854530" border="0" /></a><div>The reason why the music of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Bowlly</span> and his ilk resonates dimly in my skull is all because of my Grandmother. She was a strong presence throughout my childhood (I often stayed at her house and she lived with us in the family home for some time) and I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">must've</span> been exposed to this music early on by her. A quick search through Gran's record collection yesterday confirmed my suspicions - there they were: the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Bowlly</span> records and the soundtrack to the TV series. She had a big pile of old 78s too, but I didn't get around to checking them, nor her massive collection of sheet music. But I spent an enjoyable S<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">unday</span> afternoon in Grans' company, playing the records and discussing them with her. This was the 'dance music' of her youth and she could still recognise each song just from the opening notes, still knew all the words, and had memories associated with them all. Even without The Caretaker's audio treatments, this music still has a naturally <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">transportative</span> quality - the particular grain of the recordings seem to impregnate the present with a misty aura of the past - in Gran's case, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">pre</span>-war glow of her teens, for me a nebulous yet comforting sensation associated with time spent in her company as a child back in the 1970s.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg32p2J0SVR50zi11qim9SSTY5cU3m5f0mTpwC5fKkyzVbNpB6r35mM__ErV9YRuu5M2kIfeH-L38xXwDCQtfWoRFAvfnTrgZUS3rJW0ghywLwLDvNgdeEv-hn1i1a3qusNaAXLsg/s1600/bowlly_stone.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 399px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg32p2J0SVR50zi11qim9SSTY5cU3m5f0mTpwC5fKkyzVbNpB6r35mM__ErV9YRuu5M2kIfeH-L38xXwDCQtfWoRFAvfnTrgZUS3rJW0ghywLwLDvNgdeEv-hn1i1a3qusNaAXLsg/s400/bowlly_stone.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512974263257944290" border="0" /></a><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It was a interesting experience and it makes me wonder why I've never spent time listening to music with my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Grandmother</span> in adulthood. Always too busy, I suppose. But it felt good to experience this cross-generational exchange and it also got us talking about my Gran's own musical 'career'. Yes, she had a good pair of lungs on her, by all accounts, and built quite a strong reputation on the live circuit. She can still hold a note even now, well into her eighties, but unfortunately no known recordings exist of her in her prime. Apparently many people tried to push her to further her career by appearing on talent shows like 'Opportunity Knocks' in the '60s, but she has an aversion to fame and it's trappings which comes as a breath of fresh air in this age where the pursuit of fame is an end to itself. This Briton Had Talent, she just chose to keep it low-profile. Good for you, Gran...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqe9zjKVs6Ilf51vi9-x3IK91bk-eRzv_YAwXaZnBZKO3MK0ylxTAn6wFcacxStJN0UyR7rpvPLbJcnlzDm3pKODIcnUQJOsQvix0SArNJ1ZbeA5ijBgfi5Q1EcQZPOQHz7eMpFg/s1600/DSC02126.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqe9zjKVs6Ilf51vi9-x3IK91bk-eRzv_YAwXaZnBZKO3MK0ylxTAn6wFcacxStJN0UyR7rpvPLbJcnlzDm3pKODIcnUQJOsQvix0SArNJ1ZbeA5ijBgfi5Q1EcQZPOQHz7eMpFg/s400/DSC02126.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512974258468808386" border="0" /></a></div></div>N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-89876019106742745972009-05-16T22:04:00.003+01:002009-05-16T22:22:09.279+01:00DJ DELIA IN THA MIXJust noticed someone had uploaded that clip of Delia Derbyshire splicing together 'sampled' tape loops, then 'beat-matching' them to form a rhythmic composition (from the BBC4 <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Alchemists Of Sound</span> documentary).<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NDX_CS3NsTk&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NDX_CS3NsTk&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Get <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">humble</span>, muthafuckaz...N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-69186065466506107882009-05-13T10:04:00.012+01:002010-09-04T09:32:26.246+01:00SAPPHIRE & STEEL<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2l7FJlVbJ9sigQGkbbxfkjfmwg4Bxgoy-SKfK2SWtiycTavEnHWvzg8cu_dDItgGrrFIm2j16DqZarhR5U59sV_VNpLFTnL-jD-EAFRvkMOFitIHIQJol3T5bk5T1SuQGsGM-A/s1600/sapp_steel.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2l7FJlVbJ9sigQGkbbxfkjfmwg4Bxgoy-SKfK2SWtiycTavEnHWvzg8cu_dDItgGrrFIm2j16DqZarhR5U59sV_VNpLFTnL-jD-EAFRvkMOFitIHIQJol3T5bk5T1SuQGsGM-A/s400/sapp_steel.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512973267523988066" border="0" /></a>One of those old TV series I've been meaning to re-experience ever since K-Punk's <a href="http://k-punk.abstractdynamics.org/archives/001316.html">blog</a> <a href="http://k-punk.abstractdynamics.org/archives/001513.html">posts</a> back in 2004. Finally, I came across a bunch of VHS tapes in a charity shop recently and I've been gradually working my way through them, late at night, when the rest of the family have gone to bed. <div><br /></div><div>Yes, VHS tapes, faithfully replicating that low-budget, badly-lit world of yore - to hell with your digitally remastered DVD special editions! It's still as weird as my childhood memories suggested, and the plot-lines are only slightly more comprehensible to me now, as an adult. Here was a series so creepy, even the <a href="http://www.lookinarchive.com/homepages/sapphireandsteel/index_sapphireandsteel.html">Look-In picture strip adaptation</a> had an unnerving quality about it. How anything as <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">impenetrably</span> arcane as this could ever have been considered mainstream family viewing remains one of the great cherished mysteries of what we might call the '<a href="http://www.ghostbox.co.uk/">Ghost Box</a> era'. Though of course that's not actually correct - the series falls just outside the 1958-78 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">timeframe</span> for true <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">hauntology</span> buffs...but that's the beauty of it: it's the last word, the final rallying cry for the uncanny in popular culture, ultimately crushed by the onslaught of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Thatchersim</span>, the 'Me' decade etc; the last of the dreamers, and the nightmares.<br /><br />It's the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">pace</span> of the thing that I find so fascinating. Due to budget restrictions, every storyline unfolds very slowly, typically stretched over six 25-minute episodes. Events occur at a magnetically slow pace, in a scenario where, funnily enough, Time itself is supposedly the 'villian'. Special effects, supporting characters and scene-changes are kept to a bare minimum - everything is held together by the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">rivetting</span> on-screen presence of lead actors Joanna <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Lumley</span> and David <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">McCullum</span>. The complete <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">absence</span> of spectacle imbues everything with an eerie stillness, which makes the occasional action sequences even more startling. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Special</span> mention must also go to Cyril <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Ornadel's</span> incidental music. Arranged for a small ensemble of musicians (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">predominatly</span> woodwind) with liberal use of electronic treatments (ring modulation, echo/delay) to intensify the drama and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">suggestion</span> of horror, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Ornadel's</span> cues are far more powerfully chilling and evocative than anything you're likely hear in the mainstream media today. </div>N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-90065278103116566382009-04-30T11:50:00.009+01:002009-04-30T17:30:18.612+01:00SPOTIFY: PROS & CONS<div>I've been playing around with <a href="http://www.spotify.com/en/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Spotify</span></a> this week. Download the program and you can stream a staggering amount of music for free. And it's completely legal. Some thoughts for the curious... </div><div><br /></div>ADVERTS: So you have to pay <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family:-webkit-sans-serif;font-size:13px;">£</span>9.99 a month to go Ad-free, which seems a bit steep to me. I'm happy with the free version for now. The ads aren't any more or less intrusive/irritating than what you'd hear on most independent/pirate radio stations. Typically, listening to a full album will only be interupted once by a couple of ads somewhere in the middle. The 99p 'day pass' option could be useful if, say, you were throwing a party and wanted to prepare some suitable <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">playlists</span>. Hook the laptop up to an amplifier/speaker set-up for instant, ad-free soundtrack to your swanky dinner party. Guests can have fun picking tracks without getting their grubby little mitts on your beloved vinyl/CD collection.<br /><br />CHOICE: Considering it's still at Beta stage, the choice of music is enormous. Obviously, if you're specifically looking for niche/marginal genres, you'll be very disappointed. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Dubstep</span> is only really represented by the Soul Jazz 'Box Of Dub' compilations and a few other bits here and there (my in-progress <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">dubstep</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">playlist</span> <a href="http://open.spotify.com/user/gutterbreakz/playlist/6nMdVpBOpHRqlJnVbsFOEH">here</a>). Post-punk <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">electronica</span> is quite well represented due to involvement of Mute/Grey Area (a nice <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">playlist</span> I built <a href="http://open.spotify.com/user/gutterbreakz/playlist/2PDLae8wwOuM1tzlagY2Ty">here</a>). Recent releases by Warp acts like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Autechre</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Squarepusher</span> and Clark are available, but generally there's a lot of work to be done before <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">electronica</span> reaches an acceptable level of representation. Where <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Spotify</span> excels is, naturally, the pop/rock area. Some big names like The Beatles and Pink Floyd aren't involved yet, whilst Elvis and the Stones are. Some 'classic' Left-field artists like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Kraftwerk</span>, Brian <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Eno</span> and Soft Machine are comprehensively covered, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">krautrockers</span> like Can, Faust and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Neu</span>! are also well-represented. Yet I can't find anything by <s>Scandinavian</s> Dutch <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">prog</span>-rockers Focus yet. No doubt these anomalies will continue for some time. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Afterall</span>, there's an awful lot of music out there to collate, publishers to negotiate with, etc.<br /><br />FUNCTIONALITY: Searching the site is pretty straightforward and especially helpful if you're not quite sure what you're trying to find. Type the word '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Donk</span>' and you'll be quickly directed to Blackout Crew's "Put A <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Donk</span> On It", type '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Sigor</span> Ross' and you'll be asked if you mean '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Sigur</span> Ros', etc. The ability to create <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">playlists</span> is useful and fun, though I think it would also be nice if there was a facility to build your own virtual 'collection' of favourite artists/albums, organised by genre/year or whatever. Perhaps <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">that'll</span> come later. Being able to share/modify your <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">playlists</span> with other users is useful too and could lead to fruitful collaborative efforts. Those who still prefer to buy their music elsewhere may still find <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Spotify</span> a useful tool for previewing material and researching artist's catalogues. The speed of delivery is superb - the stream kicks-in almost instantaneously when you make a selection (it's as quick as playing mp3s on your media player) and I've had no system crashes yet. <div><div><br /></div><div>ETHICS: Look, it's legal, okay? So everyone gets paid, right? And I don't need you giving me a fucking guilt trip cos it's not a 'real' format. I still love and maintain a hard-format collection and I think I'll always enjoy the act of searching for and acquiring vinyl records, though I rarely buy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">CDs</span> these days. A big part of my motivation is tracking down music that hasn't been absorbed by digital formats - those forgotten remnants and curios of the 20<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">th</span> century that only exist in the analogue world. Plus vinyl is a joy to handle and drool over, you can smell it, and of course it sounds great providing you look after it, but there's the problem: the burden of ownership means you have to protect your investments. I've got some lovely, collectible records that I never play cos I'm too scared of ruining their condition. Sometimes I pull them out of the stack and have a good <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">oggle</span> at them, but then put them back <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">unplayed</span>. Sometimes I feel weighed-down by the responsibility of maintaining this wall of 12" cardboard and plastic that I've put all my adult life into ("my possessions - will the howling never end?!"). Sometimes I almost wish I owned nothing. And with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Spotify</span> you really <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">don't</span> own anything. You don't even have to worry about how much space your MP3s are taking up on the hard drive - the burden of ownership, maintenance and storage has been passed on. Yes, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">Spotify</span> reduces music to a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">souless</span> stream of zeros and ones, and renders proper sleeve art useless, but it sure takes a lot of the worry out of my listening experience. Inevitably, this is the way most passive music consumers will access sound in future; there will no longer be individual character-defining collections, just one gigantic all-encompassing stream; especially when it becomes possible to access this kind of service from mobile phones, in-car systems, etc. Only producers and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">djs</span> will need more '<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">malleable</span>' media. For the rest of us, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">resistance</span> will constitute little more than an alternative, 'eccentric' lifestyle choice.</div></div>N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-51086572298633326622009-04-27T10:20:00.002+01:002009-04-27T10:26:58.849+01:00KYMATIK TRIBUTE<div>Just spotted this on Facebook...</div><div><br /></div><img src="http://profile.ak.facebook.com/object3/94/17/n32688639969_5508.jpg" /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 255);">REWIND! The Tribute To Neil Kymatik<br />SAT 30 MAY<br />10-6am<br />@ LAKOTA<br /><br />Room One : Dubstep<br /><br />Mary Anne Hobbs<br />Headhunter<br />SLT Mob<br />Search and Destroy<br />Rossi B<br />El-B<br />Komonazmuk<br />Joker<br />Pinch<br />Gemmy<br />Forsaken<br />Hyetal<br />Blazey<br />Superisk<br />Coleco<br />Wascal<br /><br />Room Two: Trisect : D&B<br /><br />DJs TBC<br /><br />Room Three : Bristol Crew! : Eclectic<br /><br />DJs TBC<br /><br />£5 adv + b/f - tickets will be available from Bristol Ticket Shop<br /><br /><br />For those who knew Neil Kymatik, he was a very special person. In honour of this legend, we are throwing a massive rave as a tribute to him.<br /><br />We have booked Lakota for one huge party in his honour - and the date is:<br /><br />SATURDAY 30TH MAY @ LAKOTA<br /><br />We will be going all-out to make this the best party we can provide, as a testament to the man who's passion and enthusiasm touched so many lives. A legendary rave for a true legend.<br /><br />All proceeds from the event will go to charity.<br /><br />Needless to say, Neil loved his music - so we will be putting together an incredible line-up of quality sounds for this. The line-up will be announced soon and it is BIG!<br /><br />However, we do need a lot more than just the music!<br /><br />We want this to be the most magical evening possible, and to do that we need all the bits and bobs that make a rave like this go that extra mile.<br /><br />So, we're looking for VJs, Decor, Rigs, Lighting, Fire Spinners, Magicians, Face Painters and so on - anybody who feels they can add a special element to this party. As this is for charity, we would be asking you to donate your services for free.<br /><br />We are also looking for as many people as possible to help with the promotion of this. We want as many people as possible in attendance to rave it up in honour of Neil - so it's vital we have a team dedicated to helping us get the word out!<br /><br />If you think you can help us in any way with the party, then please get in touch - either by messaging me on here, or contacting me at: info@byte-club.co.uk<br /><br />Above all though we want you all to come and party! Tell your friends, spread the word, and come down to call for the Rewind!<br /><br />***PLEASE INVITE YOUR FRIENDS TO THE EVENT PAGE***</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I notice there's also <a href="http://www.hijackbristol.co.uk/board/the-forum/neil-kymatik-has-died/">a thread</a> on the Hijack forum that's become a place for people to pay tribute to Neil, and some of Neil's mixes have been gathered together <a href="http://www.hijackbristol.co.uk/board/the-forum/call-for-re-ups-of-kymatiks-mixes/">here</a>. </div>N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-46366922749260408452009-04-23T08:18:00.007+01:002009-04-23T17:16:46.770+01:00DATA 70 ON RESONANCE 104.4FMMake sure to lock-on to <a href="http://resonancefm.com/">Resonance FM</a> this Saturday (25th April) at 9:30pm when Data 70 (aka Bob Bhamra and John Chambers) will be guests on Johnny Mugwump's show, chatting and playing some exclusive music from their exquisite forthcoming release 'Space Loops Vol.3'.N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28509712.post-63384530751791105412009-04-20T09:46:00.003+01:002009-04-20T10:05:54.227+01:00AUTHOR'S NOTE<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"Readers who find themselves daunted by the unfamiliar narrative structure - far simpler than it seems at first - might try a different approach. Rather than start at the beginning of each chapter, as in a conventional novel, simply turn the pages until a paragraph catches your eye. If the ideas or images seem interesting, scan the nearby paragraphs for anything that resonates in an intriguing way. Fairly soon, I hope, the fog will clear, and the underlying narrative will reveal itself. In effect, you will be reading the book in the way it was written."</span><div><br /></div><div>J.G. Ballard, 2001</div><div><br /></div><div>So I dug out my copy of The Atrocity Exhibition (revised Flamingo edition, 2001). As a personal tribute to the man, I'm gonna have another go at it. Hoping that my hypersensitized nervous system, fortified on a steady diet of Twitter-stimuli, will be able to cope with the intellectual demands of non-linear narrative this time. Afterall, the above note by Ballard describes almost <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">exactly</span> the way I read Twitter updates.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>N.E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05422753615782986293noreply@blogger.com2