The Gutterbreakz Archives

WHERE I'M AT...

2010-04-07T09:26:00.009+01:00

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THE ANALOGUE LOUNGE

2009-07-08T00:28:00.005+01:00

After a decade out in the cold, I finally got some of my hi-fi gear, and specifically 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 adult living area.

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 too comfy I will invariably doze off.

Yes, there's always the possibility that the little buggers will fuck with my shit, and possibly break something, but I'm willing to take that chance.

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 USB interface jacked into the Aux input, should the need to play digital/Spotified 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.

Here's to the Analogue Life!

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE FUTURE?

2009-07-03T23:31:00.006+01:00

"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..."

Neil Transpotine (History Is Made At Night)

"The future we were sold in the 1970's/1980's where robots would be our servants
and we would hop into our hovering cars in the twenty-first-century techno
cities never quite materialised. Here we stand, twenty years on from seeing
chip-shop-chips on compact discs and things are the same but worse as our
optimism of the future has been eroded away collectively.

'Tomorrows World' never came."

Leyland J. Kirby, from recent press release

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 Belbury Poly. 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...

GENIUS AT WORK...

2009-07-03T22:34:00.001+01:00

DODGY PROMO ALERT

2009-06-30T00:22:00.002+01:00

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.

Here's what Immerse's Kid Kut had to say about it:

"...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."

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.

This tune is the shit. Buy on sight.

ANOTHER DEAD SHOP

2009-06-27T17:41:00.009+01:00

Nothing unusual in itself, but I'm taking this one personally.

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.

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.

And you wonder why I keep going on about the past.

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 smell. 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.

WHAT THE (BRITISH) FUTURE SOUNDED LIKE...

2009-06-26T22:44:00.002+01:00

Featuring Delia's green lampshade, John's cash register, and the bloke who used to present Screen Test. What more could you possibly want?

The amazing and ultimately tragic story of Peter Zinovieff and EMS in a nutshell.

And here's what the rock stars did with EMS synths...

JACKO ABLETON 'TRIBUTE'

2009-06-26T15:47:00.000+01:00

c/o Headhunter. Amen, brother...

MORE PIVOTAL TV MOMENTS

2009-06-22T23:23:00.005+01:00

Following 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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

MATT CAN SPOON

2009-06-18T12:16:00.000+01:00

Matthew Ingram Showreel January 2009 from Matthew Ingram on Vimeo.

Clever chap, isn't he..?

AUF DIE MOND!

2009-06-15T22:02:00.008+01:00

A couple of links sent my way earlier today - Jan Jelinek's 'radiophonic' hoax album (via Bob) and a Conny Plank podcast (via Matt) - converged in my mind and sent it flashing back to a little-known krautrock-inspired hoax album entitled Auf Die Mond! 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.

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 Ralf & Florian, 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 Cluster II and the naive cyclic melodies of Zuckerzeit or Sowiesoso.

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.

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.

Download ~~here~~.

WARP20

2009-06-11T21:55:00.002+01:00

Go on, you know you want to...

THE REAL McCOY

2009-06-09T23:51:00.002+01:00

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.

SACRILEGE

2009-06-09T23:45:00.003+01:00

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.

And when did La Bonn and his chums start pretending they were Kraftwerk..?

R.I.P. DAVID CARRADINE

2009-06-05T00:09:00.004+01:00

I 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....

WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE

2009-06-04T23:39:00.003+01:00

In 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, not 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 "the National Front made headway in an era when the political process looked flawed and the major parties lacked credibility" (hmmm, sounds familiar), whilst on the other discovering that soul group Sweet Sensation were from Manchester, not 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.

DISCSTYLE

2009-06-03T21:24:00.004+01:00

Speaking of books, how did people manage to drool over cool pictures of sexy records and CDs before websites like Hard Format? Well presumably they spent twenty quid on a big coffee-table tome like this...

"Discstyle" by Martin Pesch & Markus Weisbeck (Collins & Brown, 1999)

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.

GEOLOGY OF A LIFE: BOOK SPINES AS SEAMS

2009-06-02T22:40:00.007+01:00

STILL FASCINATED, 25 YEARS ON

2009-06-02T17:10:00.003+01:00

As previously discussed (in the days before youtube)...

...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 was 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...

SOUNDS FROM BETWEEN THE WARS

2009-05-18T09:53:00.006+01:00

Excellent to see some much needed publicity for James Kirby aka The Caretaker aka The Stranger aka The Artist Formally Known As V/Vm aka The Artist Soon To Be Known As Leyland Kirby. First there was Kek's crucial interview piece in Fact, along with accompanying podcast, quickly followed by a splendid feature by Mark 'K-Punk' Fisher in this month's Wire magazine. 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/Vm brand when I came across those spectacularly vulgar 'Help Aphex Twin' 3" CDs 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 Leyland Kirby material inspired me to fork-out some hard cash and pre-order the double-vinyl (and you can too, via Kirby's new website). More thoughts on that as-and-when it arrives, but for now...

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 The Shining, by the time of last year's stunning "Persistent Repetition Of Phrases" the concept had taken on a whole other life of it's own. It was only when I read the references to Al Bowlly and Dennis Potter's TV drama Pennies From Heaven in the recent interviews, that the penny dropped.

The reason why the music of Bowlly 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 must've 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 Bowlly 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 Sunday 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 transportative quality - the particular grain of the recordings seem to impregnate the present with a misty aura of the past - in Gran's case, the pre-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.

It was a interesting experience and it makes me wonder why I've never spent time listening to music with my Grandmother 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...

DJ DELIA IN THA MIX

2009-05-16T22:04:00.003+01:00

Just 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 Alchemists Of Sound documentary).

Get humble, muthafuckaz...

SAPPHIRE & STEEL

2009-05-13T10:04:00.012+01:00

One of those old TV series I've been meaning to re-experience ever since K-Punk's blog posts 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.

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 Look-In picture strip adaptation had an unnerving quality about it. How anything as impenetrably arcane as this could ever have been considered mainstream family viewing remains one of the great cherished mysteries of what we might call the 'Ghost Box era'. Though of course that's not actually correct - the series falls just outside the 1958-78 timeframe for true hauntology 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 Thatchersim, the 'Me' decade etc; the last of the dreamers, and the nightmares.

It's the pace 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 rivetting on-screen presence of lead actors Joanna Lumley and David McCullum. The complete absence of spectacle imbues everything with an eerie stillness, which makes the occasional action sequences even more startling. Special mention must also go to Cyril Ornadel's incidental music. Arranged for a small ensemble of musicians (predominatly woodwind) with liberal use of electronic treatments (ring modulation, echo/delay) to intensify the drama and suggestion of horror, Ornadel's cues are far more powerfully chilling and evocative than anything you're likely hear in the mainstream media today.

SPOTIFY: PROS & CONS

2009-04-30T11:50:00.009+01:00

I've been playing around with Spotify 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...

ADVERTS: So you have to pay £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 playlists. 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.

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. Dubstep is only really represented by the Soul Jazz 'Box Of Dub' compilations and a few other bits here and there (my in-progress dubstep playlist here). Post-punk electronica is quite well represented due to involvement of Mute/Grey Area (a nice playlist I built here). Recent releases by Warp acts like Autechre, Squarepusher and Clark are available, but generally there's a lot of work to be done before electronica reaches an acceptable level of representation. Where Spotify 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 Kraftwerk, Brian Eno and Soft Machine are comprehensively covered, and krautrockers like Can, Faust and Neu! are also well-represented. Yet I can't find anything by ~~Scandinavian~~ Dutch prog-rockers Focus yet. No doubt these anomalies will continue for some time. Afterall, there's an awful lot of music out there to collate, publishers to negotiate with, etc.

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 'Donk' and you'll be quickly directed to Blackout Crew's "Put A Donk On It", type 'Sigor Ross' and you'll be asked if you mean 'Sigur Ros', etc. The ability to create playlists 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 that'll come later. Being able to share/modify your playlists 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 Spotify 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.

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 CDs 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 20th 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 oggle at them, but then put them back unplayed. 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 Spotify you really don't 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, Spotify reduces music to a souless 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 djs will need more 'malleable' media. For the rest of us, resistance will constitute little more than an alternative, 'eccentric' lifestyle choice.

KYMATIK TRIBUTE

2009-04-27T10:20:00.002+01:00

Just spotted this on Facebook...

REWIND! The Tribute To Neil Kymatik
SAT 30 MAY
10-6am
@ LAKOTA

Room One : Dubstep

Mary Anne Hobbs
Headhunter
SLT Mob
Search and Destroy
Rossi B
El-B
Komonazmuk
Joker
Pinch
Gemmy
Forsaken
Hyetal
Blazey
Superisk
Coleco
Wascal

Room Two: Trisect : D&B

DJs TBC

Room Three : Bristol Crew! : Eclectic

DJs TBC

£5 adv + b/f - tickets will be available from Bristol Ticket Shop

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.

We have booked Lakota for one huge party in his honour - and the date is:

SATURDAY 30TH MAY @ LAKOTA

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.

All proceeds from the event will go to charity.

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!

However, we do need a lot more than just the music!

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.

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.

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!

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

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!

***PLEASE INVITE YOUR FRIENDS TO THE EVENT PAGE***

I notice there's also a thread 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 here.

DATA 70 ON RESONANCE 104.4FM

2009-04-23T08:18:00.007+01:00

Make sure to lock-on to Resonance FM 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'.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

2009-04-20T09:46:00.003+01:00

"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."

J.G. Ballard, 2001

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 exactly the way I read Twitter updates.

INNER LANDSCAPE....

2009-04-19T23:32:00.004+01:00

...of my Farfisa Rhythm 10. This was the sort of technology required to spit out a basic tango riddim back in the '70s. You could actually make it play two different riddims at once, thus creating variables by combining say, 'Slow Rock' with 'Bossa Nova'. Then send the output through an echo and a VCF and things start to get interesting. That's how groups like Cabaret Voltaire started out, anyway. You ever heard that brutal hissy thud that propels the Cabs' cover of "Here She Comes Now"? That's a Rhythm 10 in action.

The problem with my machine isn't with the circuits, its with the power supply, which is knackered. I managed to briefly revive it a few years back by experimentally poking around with exposed 9v wires. Took me a while to make the right connection, but then there was a crackle, a spark and then a clunky cha-cha riddim kicked into life and thundered out of the amplifier. I managed to record a few things before it died again. Actually there's quite a few examples of this baby in action in my tape archive. If I thought for one minute that anyone out there gave half a shit I'd upload a couple of bits. But I don't, so I wont.

Still, I keep thinking it would probably be a fairly simple job to build a new power supply and get this beast back into active service. Not by me, though. I can't build or solder electronics for shit. But maybe if I can find somebody local with the necessary skillz...

----------------------------------

In other news: RIP J.G.Ballard. I read a few of his books. I liked most of them. Especially High Rise. Though if I'm honest I found The Atrocity Exhibition a bit hard-going.

Of course, I first heard the sad news via BBC News' Twitter update. Then I started wondering what would be a respectful period of time to leave it before 'unfollowing' JG_Ballard on Twitter, because, somewhat naively, I assumed that it was actually the great man himself. I mean, why not? There's bloody loads of (semi)famous people twittering like maniacs now, and I could almost imagine Ballard getting a kick out of Twitter. But then JG_Ballard sent an RIP tweet to himself, which kinda gave the game away.

---------------------------------

I love Twitter, for nearly all the same reasons that Doppelganger doesn't. But then, if I love the 'dissected consciousness' of it so much, then why don't I like The Atrocity Exhibition? Hmm...maybe I need to re-read it. Maybe it'll make more sense now, along with Naked Lunch. I mean, I always liked the idea of the 'cut-up' technique, but it only really worked for me when applied to audio (as with Cabaret Voltaire's Burroughs-inspired sonic collages). When I'm reading a book, I generally get on better with a clear narrative, which is why I enjoyed reading something like Junkie more than Naked Lunch. But with Twitter it's like this live cut-up happening in real time - a non-hierarchical stream of info where 'important' events like Ballard's death rub shoulders with ludicrously mundane facts, like jrowett burning his lunch earlier today. I'm trying to get all my mates to get on board cos I think it's the best form of social networking I've seen so far. But a lot of people just don't seem to 'get it'. Or they're too busy piddling about with all their wanky Facebook apps. Or, maybe, they've got a 'real' life.

RIDDIM BOXES

2009-04-18T10:58:00.001+01:00

Pre-programmed for your listening pleasure. Found these pics in a folder on my hard drive. Can't remember where I stole them from.

(I once owned one of these)

( I still do own one of these, unfortunately it's broken)

R.I.P. NEIL KYMATIK

2009-04-15T10:34:00.003+01:00

Neil Kymatik at Noir 2006

photos by Jack Rampling

Just spotted the tragic news over at Headhunter's blog. I don't really know what else to add. I wouldn't say me and Neil were ever 'close', but if you type 'Kymatik' into this blog's search box you'll see that he was a regular face on the Bristol dubstep scene that I tried to document here, and someone I enjoyed many conversations with and dj sets by during that great clubbing adventure. My deepest sympathies go out to all Neil's family and friends. Rest in peace, mate.

GRAVEYARD SHIFT

2009-03-20T16:45:00.002Z

OLD DUKE

2009-03-20T16:28:00.002Z

Bristol jazz pub

RADIOPHONIC LUSHNESS

2009-03-20T16:17:00.001Z

Found this pic on my phone - can't rmbr why i took it but looks kinda cute dunnit

TWITTERPATED

2009-03-20T08:29:00.001Z

R u?

DOOMWATCH...

2009-03-17T08:00:00.004Z

c/o the mighty Doppelganger

HOCUS POCUS!!

2009-03-06T23:48:00.007Z

Well I really should be listening to all these new digital tracks on my hard drive, or at least formulating some kind of opinion/response to the whole funky/wonky scenario that others seem to think is actually intellectually engaging enough to bother discussing. Yeah, I enjoyed that Jamie Vex'd mix and Paul's new comp looks interesting, but still I'm disinclined to get involved right now. I suspect my lack of enthusiasm for current trends may be linked to a wider sense of doom and gloom about life at the present, and a lack of hope for the future, both on a personal and global scale. If one has no faith in the future, how can one engage with the music of the future?

"Can the world be as sad as it seems?", or am I just having some sort of midlife crisis triggered by impending 40th birthday? Also, I haven't had a cigarette for 26 days and am rapidly losing the will to live. But determined to keep at it, because I do actually want to live, and I'm hoping this is only the halfway stage of my life. I'm only 10 years away from the age my dad was when he died of lung cancer. I remember he had a failed attempt at giving up the fags when he was about my age now. Perhaps if he'd succeeded he'd still be here today. I intend to live long enough to see my grandchildren...that's what I keep telling myself everytime the cravings gnaw at my chest.

But then the little nicotine demon says " fuck it - if you have no faith in the future, why are you trying to extend your own future". He has a fair point.

I am looking forward to seeing the Watchmen movie, mainly cos I'm fascinated to see how they made a film out of Alan Moore's brilliant but 'unfilmable' comic book. And I intend to eat a shitload of popcorn.

Meanwhile, fear and uncertainty of the present-tense encourages one to seek refuge in the past. Perhaps this whole 'Hauntology' thing is the by-product of a generation's collective panic attack as it hurtles towards middle age in a world that it finds increasingly scary and uncertain. Of course, the world's always had a scary/uncertain element, but we were too young to understand or care back then. Applied to my buying/listening habits, the upshot is that I haven't bought new products online at Boomkat or Juno for months, but I'm crate digging in charity shops at any opportunity, in search of audio artifacts that somehow connect with my past life, or in the case of the above album by Dutch prog-band Focus that I found earlier today, a sense of completion of unfinished business. It's just a compilation of their first three albums, released in '75, but it has the hits "Sylvia" and "Hocus Pocus" which I always kinda liked when I heard them on the radio and always meant to buy a Focus record but never did. I could find a suitable Focus record in 30 seconds on the 'net, but I'm really enjoying getting back into physical searching again. It takes a lot more time and patience, but when you're not looking for anything too specific it can be a surprisingly rewarding pastime - sometimes it feels like the records find you. Plus you save a shitload on shipping fees.

2009-03-04T22:27:00.001Z

(click 2 enlarge)

This looks bloody lovely, and yes of course I want to come along, Matt...but you know how it is with me and travelling anywhere that isn't five minutes away. Best of British to all concerned...

2009-02-26T13:09:00.001Z

Stuff that music lovers just don't seem to need anymore...

FROM THE DAYS WHEN HI-FI WAS SEXY...

2009-02-26T12:59:00.007Z

2009-02-25T21:20:00.001Z

Bleep gets a makeover...

http://beta.bleep.com

SOMETIMES...

2009-02-17T10:13:00.004Z

...is a minuscule record label based in San Francisco. The format of choice is the limited edition CD. Though lacking any formal design technique, each release is well-presented with good quality printed artwork in jewel cases, though I think it would be more attractive if they went for a more unusual, possibly hand-assembled approach, maybe with some kind of unique personalisation of each individual item. Why should that matter? Well, I think it matters a lot right now. If the CD is to survive as a format against a backdrop of bleak economics and cheap downloads then presentation is vital, and I think this label needs to think about how they can manufacture items that people will want to cherish in future. I used to co-run a tiny cd-r label with a friend. Editions ranged from 4 to 50+ units, but we never used professional printers or duplication services. Everything was done by hand. I don't recall if that was a political or aesthetic decision - we just enjoyed doing the shit that way, and I honestly believe that the handmade arts will be one of the most effective ways to keep physical media alive in the future.

But enough inane ranting - what about this music? Well from the things they've sent me, it's generally pretty good. Prosumer Sound System makes retrofied instrumental electro/hip-hop/rave to a high standard, though somewhat lacking in 'edge'. Some more imagination/daring with the mixing and editing would definitely raise the stakes, though funnily enough when Prosumer drops out the beats completely, as on the humorously titled "Bonus Beats (No-Beats)" mega-mix from CD#2, the results are far more enlightening - an ambient wash of arpeggios, mentasms and orchestral samples that works perfectly.

Woodman & Woodman's "Sounds Of Wood EP" is a real surprise on account of the quality of his productions - clearly inspired by acts like Chris Clark and Jackson & His Computer Band, I could easily imagine this selection of twisted-tronica and spannered disco being released on Warp Records. But be careful with the heavy use of samples from well-known tracks by famous artists ...it might get you in trouble one day!

Bevels & Drop Shadows' "Vol.#1" is a strangely disfigured collection. On the one hand there are some anodyne IDM moments, then there's the bouncy electro gene-spliced with classical composition or that beautiful little child-like musical box piece that I find so enchanting. It's like they haven't quite decided what they want to do yet - and that makes for a fascinating half-hour.

This is a promising little label that could use your support, so if you're one of the few people out there with a bit of money left in your paypal account, why not give them a go? All releases (complete with audio previews) available to buy from the label's website.

BREAKCORE NOT DEAD

2009-02-17T09:56:00.003Z

Just been spending a 'relaxing' morning listening to this:

(dtrash122) VARIOUS ARTISTS Subvert Punx 4 Way Split

"4 punx from all over the world (Distonn/Russia vs. Clip/Belarus vs. Midi Fister/USA vs. Disbreakz/Croatia) decided to make a record/split featuring their vision of subversive breaks.

To spice things up, the record cover was drawn by Simon Gane, which makes this record 100% underground.

Subvert glitchy IDM jungle breakz meet punk diy vibe. This is breakcore."

Free download here.

front cover here.

PROMOS - FEB

2009-02-09T12:43:00.000Z

Guido - Orchestral Lab (Punch Drunk)
Trust Punch Drunk to bring us music from Bristol's freshest underground talent. This one's a kinda throw-back sound from one of Joker's grimey mates. As the title suggests, it's brimming with big orchestral arrangements of an unselfconsciously synthetic variety, shot through with the kind of raw squarewave riffs I haven't heard since Grime's instrumental 'golden age' a few years back. The strongest comparison I can think of is DJ Oddz in his prime (before he found God) - cinematic and emotional. Flipside "U Make Me Feel" continues the theme but with a moodier feel and the addition of a pulsing trancey undercurrent. I dig.

Various Production - Without You/Hole In My Memory
Occasionally Various send me links to new tunes, and these are the latest examples. "Without You" has a really odd, disjointed groove with high levels of 'feminine pressure' whilst the other one features Gerry Mitchell's grim Northern monologue. Both very different but continuing to prove that Various are still experimenting in the margins to good effect. Check their website for news and streams.

Subeena - Call It Anger/Dot - Longitude (Imminent)
Digital-only release from the label formally known as Immigrant. Subeena's track is a meaty 909 stomper, 4/4 stylee, full of jittery synth-pulses and melodic hooks, but also a subtle undercurrent of atmospheric fx. Dot's "Longitude" has more of a breakstep flava with it's dense layers of looped percussion. The loops are quite loosely syncopated, giving the track quite an organic 'live' feel. A tidy little two-tracker, which presumably you can buy on the 'net somewhere...

Search & Destroy/Toasty - Remixes (Hotflush)
I can still remember playing-out Loefah's remix of "Candyfloss" at Dubloaded when it first came out, to a packed room with N-Type, Skream and Chef watching approvingly from the wings. Ahhh...those were the days. Well, looks like Hotflush have seen fit to give it a re-issue and rightly so, as it's probably one of the great defining examples of Loefah's signature sound. Flip-over for a new refix of Toasty's "The Knowledge" (one of those tunes that just won't die) from Untold, which ramps-up the pressure whilst remaining respectful to the structure of the original.

Untold - Sweat (Hotflush)
And here's Untold once again, cutting-loose with a solo release. The A-side is maybe a bit too 'progressive/functional' breaks for my taste. It's pretty dull, actually. But the b-side "Dante" is much better with more of a 2-step swing on the beats and some sweet dubby chords.

Pangaea - Bear Witness (Hotflush)
Hessle Audio's Pangaea moonlighting on Hotflush with the kind of deep, thoughtful vibes we've come to expect. Actually, the lead track is almost too thoughtful...not much going on really...what do you say about it? 'Useful mix-material'? The flip-side "Mosaix" has a lot more going for it - stealthy and urgent with vague 2-step groove, warped double-bass, vocal snatches and a beautifully spooked pad-sound. Yeah, definitely another one where the b-side pisses over the a-side. Am I starting to see a pattern emerging on Hotflush here...?

Various - The Limpet (Couchblip)
Intriguing 4-tracker from Couchblip, perhaps wisely kicking-off with a track from established producer Boxcutter, in dreamy abstract mood on "Jaywalk". But then comes the completely bonkers "Araty" by Kadah-Vresky (who??!), which is a wild mash-up of dub, hip-hop drill-n-bass and spazzed-out editing with a dash of Raymond Scott. Funckarma's "FictionStub" keeps it weird with fizzing oscillator riffs bubbling under a half-step riddim with messed-up stream of consciousness vocals, and Herrmut Lobby brings thing to a satisfying conclusion with the relatively sane atmospheric stepper "Birds". Tip!

Threnody - No Hype EP (UK Trends)
First release from long-term soldier Threnody's new label, and it sounds like the man's on a mission from God. Opening track "Baghdad Street" features percussion loops and atmospheres sampled from the streets of Istanbul, giving a strong eastern flava to this restless, intense track. "To Have You" brings us firmly back to the UK, with a dark techy garage sound of the kind you used to hear on early Souljah or Hotflush records. Love it! Final track "Hype Hype" is an incredible 10 minute-long journey of relentlessly busy drum rolls, pumping sub-bass and endless cascading synth/trumpet melodies. Recommended!!

23Hz & Numeastro - Zumo (2nd Drop)
Excellent production levels on this release, and some really nice touches, but the overall feel on this and the flip "Fantasmas VIP" is a bit...old and tired. I used to get sent tonnes of demo tracks with drums just like these two or three years ago and frankly I don't wanna hear anymore in my life right now. But hey, don't let me put you off...

Rossi B & Luca - Jah No Dead (Soul Motive)
Now this is more like it - proper fucking dark garage from the El-B/Burial nether-zone - truly the sound of ghosts in the machine. Love it love it love it! Though funnily enough the flipside track by El-B himself is a fairly pedestrian (though undoubtedly tight) piano/breakbeat workout that once again fails to enthuse me to his new material. But for the Rossii B track alone you need this record, which should be out around the end of March.

Forensics - The Horror & The Glory (Digital Sin)
Another day, another Forensics promo. This one's a six-track cd-r that continues to mine those distinctive depths of dark, undancable dance music for social misfits and damaged bass-addicts. I like "Comfort Blanket" best - as the title suggests it has just that little bit of reassurance and hope in an otherwise nightmarish soundtrack world. Mind you, I must admit I think "All To Waste" sounds bloody lovely in an entirely different way with it's eerie and unsettling washes of melodic texture - one of Krys' best so far. I'm feeling the Horror, though the Glory eludes me. More info at Digital Sin Myspace.

G SPOTS

2009-01-29T01:00:00.001Z

"The Spacey Folk Electro-Horror Sounds Of The Studio G Library" proclaims the handsome sleeve of Trunk Records' latest rummage through the dusty vaults of vintage library music, focusing this time on one of the most intriguing, highly collectible British labels of all - John Gale's Studio G. Prized for their striking colour sleeve designs as much as their distinctive brand of ready-made moods, cues and jingles, the relatively small output of Studio G remains an elusive quarry for collectors. Which makes this new 26 track collection, spanning the label's two decades of active service, very welcome and indeed necessary, but at the same time frustratingly brief as it skims merrily across the surface of Studio G's considerable catalogue of audio treasures.

Library music is everywhere and nowhere. Practically everyone is exposed to it every day, via TV, radio, film and advertising, yet most never even notice it's there, remaining unaware of it's subtle powers of mood-manipulation. It's not generally available to buy outside specialised distribution networks, but filters down to the public domain when it becomes out-of-date. Collectors prize the early vinyl-only editions, particularly from the '60s and '70s, for various reasons. For some it's the ultimate in elitist/esoteric music collecting, for others a source of unusual samples, and then there are those, like me, who believe it is the great hidden soundtrack to the late-20th Century, and that by discovering these records we can learn something about the world we grew-up in. Most popular music of the past is constantly regurgitated, becoming merely cheap nostalgia or worse stripped of all it's resonance. As K-Punk so wisely wrote in a great blog post entitled "The Past Is An Alien Planet", "hearing T-Rex now doesn't remind you of 73, it reminds you of nostalgia progs about 1973". By contrast, once library records have fulfilled their initial purpose, they quickly become abandoned, locked away in a dusty store cupboard for years, and when they eventually appear on the second-hand market, the essence of their era remains locked within them, waiting to be released into the cold vacuum of our world today. To hear a really great library record for the first time can be a strange experience: at once fresh to the ear yet also hauntingly familiar. Sometimes you'll hear something that you can specifically remember, like an advertising jingle on heavy rotation in the winter of 1978, which can trigger a shuddering flash of memory (what I call a 'direct hit'), yet generally the feeling will be less specific, more like a tint of faded colour or a strong flava that you hadn't tasted for many years. By contrast, some library records turn out to be useless, overpriced piles of shite, which is why well-crafted compilations like this make for excellent, cost-effective navigational aids.

If it's 'direct hits' you're after, then listen to Cliff Johns' "Goofy", or Harry Pitch's "Elephants Dance", both quirky little cues that featured regularly in cult kids' TV show "Vision On" (and whilst I'm on the subject, a heartfelt R.I.P. to the late, eternally great Tony Hart). But for more indescribable sensations, check the minimalist synth-folk melodies of Douglas Wood, the melancholic woodwind and vibraphone of Paul Lewis' "Waiting For Nina", or the smokey Bontempi organ flourishes of Ivor Raymond's "Wild Cat Walk", a perfect soundtrack to the Testcard of the inner mind.

For me, the highlights of "G-Spots" are the really early electronic treatments, from that deliciously weird period in the late '60s through to early '70s, when the fine arts of tape-manipulation and electro-acoustic processing were rubbing shoulders with the early, unstable monophonic synths like the VCS3 - that's the kind of stuff I particularly covet when shopping around for library records. Hearing James Harpham's "Visions Of 2000AD 4" and "Voodoo Tronics", combining solo flute with jarring Musique Concrete, lashings of tape delay and vaguely psychotic laughter, you can almost believe it was 'Life On Mars' back then. Then there's Frederick Judd's "Sprockets" (from the legendary and frightfully rare "Electronic Age" album) a pure electronic realisation of ghostly mechanical rhythm that is as great as it is tantalisingly brief. I can only assume (and pray) that the reason for such a meagre example of Mr. Judd's music is that Trunk are holding the rest back for a proper anthology of this forgotten pioneer's work.

I subscribe to the theory that the 'Golden Age' of electronic library/soundtrack music ended when the technology started to get too good. As the synths became more stable, polyphonic and full of rich, 'credible' sounds (as opposed to incredible sounds) so the music gradually lost it's unclassifiably alien qualities and became orchestral muzak on the cheap. For hard proof of that you only need to listen to the recent two-disc Radiophonic Workshop Retrospective, where the strict chronological sequencing clearly illustrates this phenomenon of decline. There's evidence of it on "G Spots" too. Eric Peter's "Deformed Theme" is a mournfully atonal, almost crippled sliver of monophonia from the bowels of the early '70s, but by the time he wrote "Planet Travel" the sound had taken on an assured, grandiose richness of texture which, whilst perfectly pleasant, lacks that eerie spark of the arcane that I always crave. Or to put it another way, a bit too much Peter Howell and not enough Brian Hodgson.

But that's just my personal fetishes getting in the way. Trunk Records have set out to tell us a story from another time, long past, forgotten to all except those 'in the know'. And they have done so with considerable skill. I only hope this is just the first chapter.

"G Spots" will be released on vinyl and CD formats very soon. Check the Trunk Records website for further info and updates.

MEEK TIGER - SYNKROTIK NEKRONIZATION

2009-01-26T09:58:00.006Z

So I met this guy in a club a year or so back and we had a little chat about music and so forth. He was just visiting Bristol for the weekend and then returning home to Luton, so I assumed I wouldn't be hearing from him again. Then recently I get an email from him out-of-the-blue to tell me he's just released an album with a bit of a dubstep influence and would I like a copy? So I say sure, why not, bring it on, without having any expectations either way. The CD duly arrives and the first thing I notice is the packaging: the disc is sheathed in an unusual card envelope with the sleeve design glued on the front, a spray-painted Godzilla footprint and cryptic hand-written message on the back, giving the whole thing a distinct impression of hand-assembly. Clearly this is one of those limited-run, self-manufactured items that I always find so endearing. The package also contains a little booklet, with copious sleeve notes, perhaps more accurately described as a literary 'sub-text' - a fictional work with a heavy line in political metaphor. So it's a bit of a concept album too!

But the biggest surprise was the actual musical content. Opening track "Snares In The Surf" is dominated by clean, cyclic guitar figures that make me think of Vini Reilly's work in the Durutti Column rather than anything by, say, Skream. It quickly becomes apparent that this album is coming from the far-left of experimental dance music, where any influence from established genres is subverted to the artist's own twisted vision. So whilst "1868: Meiji Lumber Crisis And The Waking Woods" (hey, snappy title!) might have started-out from a skanky halfstep template, the end result is a fractured reverb-scape of decimated snares, distant chords and serrated feedback floating in a murky bubbling lagoon - the most literal interpretation of 'underwater dancehall' I've yet heard. Similarly, "Conveyor Belt Politics Prt.2" might have started life as a sort of techstep hybrid, but swiftly develops into something far more personal and unique. "Texan Coffee" is an improbable fusion of dislocated beats, guttural bass and twangy guitar licks, "Freudian Brain Surgeon" strips the beats down to a mere whisper, focusing on plaintive synthetic warbles and bursts of unclassifiably processed percussion, whilst "Karmic Adjustments" is a pure sound-bath of beautifully sustained melodic drones. Final track "Waltzing Godzilla" is almost post-rock in feel, with growling slabs of jagged guitar trailing across heavily echoed drums like early Tortoise in a really bad mood.

It's not a perfect album by any means - some tracks are less successful than others, and some tend to go on a bit longer than they perhaps need to, but the very fact that Meek Tiger is forging ahead, trying to carve-out a sound for himself in this age of sterile conformity and empty retrogressive posturing is something to be encouraged and, perhaps, cherished.

Now I don't normally post MP3s on this blog anymore but, with the artists' permission and encouragement, I'm making an exception here. So for a limited period you can grab the following track for 'evaluation purposes'...

~~Meek Tiger - Conveyor Belt Politics Pt.1~~

As I said at the start this is a very limited release without any proper distribution, so for more information about how to obtain this CD, check the label website or contact the artist direct- daniel@vstmrecords.com

LONGPLAYERS - OPENING SHOTS

2009-01-23T22:22:00.010Z

Struggling with a mountain of prejudice here...

Break - Symmetry (Symmetry Recordings)
Ummm dunno who it was at S.T. Holdings who decided to send me this, but I'm really the wrong man for the job. My first reaction was "christ, do people still actually make records like this??!!". Opening track "Last Chance" sounds like it could've been made anytime in the past decade or so - ultra-slick drum 'n' bass with nondescript soulful guest vocal, admittedly with some pretty good sub-manoeuvres in the bass end and some neat production touches, but ultimately very safe and predictable. Okay, so Break's been around for a while and he knows his audience demographic. This album is very carefully crafted to sustain a certain sound for a particular scene, unfortunately one that I'm not ever likely to be a part of. But let's take a look at the positives. You get 18 tracks on the CD (which, depending on your point of view, is either great value or utterly exhausting) and it comes in an attractive fold-out card digipac sleeve. The production is pretty much flawlessly professional throughout - some of the intro sections sound kinda cool, but then all the formuleric elements start to creep in and my attention starts to wander. Of all the d'n'b tracks I like "Symmetrics" best, mainly on account of the earthier breakbeats, making me a bit nostalgic for the old Metalheadz sound. Occasionally Break slips out of the genre-straight jacket and tries something a bit different, like "Too Hot To Hold", a moderately successful hip hop-style track with rapping by SP, or the mellow mid-tempo groove of "Recovery". Then there's "It's Coming" which has a trancier feel with the four-to-the-floor pulse, but it's all still a bit too polite for my tastes. "Thin Ice" is a brief attempt to do something a little more abstract, though its the final track "In The Blue" that's the real surprise, or perhaps I should say relief. A slow, ponderous instrumental with a very 'live' feel on account of the languid guitar lines and some pleasant tinkling electric piano. Obviously there's more to Break than just breaks, but frankly I think we're on different planets.

Gonken - Robot Vs. Zombie (Automation Records)
I struggle with this from the off, due to my almost clinical aversion to American snotty-indie white rap with eccentric lyrical themes, of which Mr. Gonken seems all too fond. But again, let's try and focus on the positives. It's got a nice cover design, with a classic pulp comic theme (in fact wasn't there a comic book awhile back actually called "Robots Vs. Zombies"? - I'm sure Doppelganger lent me a copy once) but unfortunately this is a download-only release, and only blaggers like me get special hard-format promo versions. But at least you can download all the artwork and make your own if you like (see website). And despite all the synth-pop-by-numbers of tracks like "Indie Rockstar 101" you get some strange collisions like "Brainbasher v2.0" with it's filthy oldskool breakbeats and pummelling distorted bassline. Mercifully there are a couple of instrumentals too: "A Study In Audiology" is a fairly enjoyable retro-electro romp, whilst "Taking It For What It's Worth" features a nice line in naive melodic IDM. But ultimately there's a geographical and ideological gulf between me and Gonken that's simply too wide to overcome. Best of luck, mate - you go your way and I'll go mine.

PROMOS - JAN

2009-01-20T21:23:00.010Z

Here's a bunch of quick reviews for things that have turned-up in my mailbox (both real and virtual) recently. Some are a bit overdue and a couple are a bit ahead of schedule, but I'm getting them done now while I have a bit of free time.

Narcossist - Sunblind (Mindset)
Hailing from the rural North of England but now relocated in Bristol, I'm really glad to see that Joe has finally got a release under his belt. He's one of those producers who started sending me beats ages ago when he first started out and I used to drop some of his tunes in my regular podcasts back in '06. He's been through several stylistic changes since then, and right now he seems to be exploring the still-fertile intersection between dubstep and techno, keeping the beats urgently propulsive over a very sparse yet satisfyingly complete palette of tones and vocal snatches - I particularly like that girlie giggle that crops up on the flipside "Frontier Dub". Looks like he's playing at Under_score next month. I might try and reach that one.

Mr. Messiah - The Dublab (Automation Recs)
'St. Petersburg's dubstep Christ', according to the press release. So what we have here is a Russian artist, released via an American label, purporting to make British underground music. I have no problem with that per se (in fact I would actively encourage such behaviour), but somewhere along the line the message has got a bit muddled. This 7" is nothing to do with dubstep. It's dark, minimal, downtempo breakbeat. Forensics would love this, I reckon. I quite like it too, though I think it could've done with maybe one or two more elements (a hook of some sort would've been nice). It feels like a backing track waiting for something to happen. More info at automationrecords.com.

Dissident - Society Of Silver Skeletons (Hotshore)
Also hailing from St. Petersburg, but Dissident gives us a very different take on what might loosely be called dubstep. This guy's been around for a few years and obviously knows his onions when it comes to production. It's an 8-minute epic driven by distorted kick drums (remember them?!!) glitchy, restless percussion and relentless, edgy oscillator arpeggios, which makes for a pretty pensive experience. I quite like it, though. Oh, and nearly forgot the other side is actually by Scuba. The track is called "Bruised" and it clearly gives a nod to the dubby/deep house scene, with it's comforting wash of block chords, but with much more spring in its step in the rhythm department. Pleasant, though not as good as...

Kontext - Convex Curved Mirror/Hometown Swamp (Immerse Recs)
Another Russian producer (in fact I think he's also from St. Petersburg, though I might be mistaken) releasing his second EP for Bristol's Immerse Records, coming out in March. I liked his debut record(s) and I like this one too. One of the things that caused me frustration with dub techno over the past year or two was its stubborn refusal to expand it's rhythmic horizons beyond the simple kick/hi-hat pulse of house. Such beautiful, deep textures locked in frigid rigor mortis. I pined for just a bit more detail in the drum programming, a hint of funkiness in the grooves, a slight increment in bpm rate to edge back into the 130s and a general move away from just being Basic Channel clones. And Kontext has been answering my prayers. Apparently there's an album planned for later in the year, which I have very high hopes for. Definitely one to watch. Info: immerserecords.com.

Spandex - Bermuda Triangle (Hand On The Plow)
Spunky, funky full-on techy house with a nice line in bouncy basslines and a knack for jittery, unusual vocal effects, a bit like some of the groovier stuff on M_nus, but with a bit more balls. It's not the sort of thing I'd listen to at home, but I can imagine the lead track setting a few dancefloors alight, which wouldn't be too difficult in yer average Mnml club, let's be honest. Spandex knows the power of a good hook. B side tune "Fourth Wall" is a bit more complex and experimental for those who like their shit leaning to the left, whilst "What's Wrong With You" is another straight forward banger featuring a woozy male vocal, subjected to much stuttery editing, and an unusual synth solo in the middle. If you're a jobbing house dj, you'll probably find this record very useful. Out mid-February. handontheplow.com.

Mount Kimbie - EP (Hotflush Recs)
Ummm, can't remember if I got a press release with this one, but I've lost it anyway so can't tell you much about Mount Kimbie or if and when this is coming out, or even if its actually on Hotflush or one of its sub-labels. But I really like this four-tracker. Definitely more in the area of 'home-listening electronica' than you might expect from a Hotflush EP, full of earthy clip-clop beats, making creative use of compression, reverb and delicately distressed timbres that give the whole thing a taste of the ancient and mysterious. Like an Aphex Twin b-side circa mid-90s, this stuff doesn't really fit in any particular dance genre, but it has a lot of charm, character and enough melodic thrust pack an emotional punch. Watch out for it, when and wherever it might be.

Martyn - Yet/2562 - Kontrol (Tectonic)
Yes, yes we all know Martyn can do no wrong, and here he is once again pushing all the right buttons on an irrepressibly groovy, immaculately produced tune underpinned by classy breaks and voluptuous b-line. Fellow Dutchman 2562, by contrast, offers a somewhat plodding halfstepper only slightly redeemed by the edgy 808-electro flava. I dunno, maybe I expect too much from the bloke, but this one sounds a bit old news to my jaded ears. I hear the unmistakable splosh of feet treading water. But its on Tectonic, so we'll all buy it anyway, right?

Hopefully have a couple of album reviews up soon...

UPDATE: Just had an email from a reader in the Ukraine who informs me that Dissident and Kontext are one and the same person. So now you know.

UPDATE #2: Alex from Hotflush emailed to say that the Mount Kimbie EP is released on 2nd Feb. Keep an eye out - it really is rather spiffing...

TOTALLY WIRED

2009-01-17T17:53:00.008Z

The first essential music book of the year has (almost) arrived. Having already caused a minor stir with "Rip It Up", his definitive guide to the post-punk era, Simon Reynolds follows-up with the essential companion: "Totally Wired: Post-Punk Interviews & Overviews" (Faber & Faber trade paperback).

As the title suggests, the main bulk of the book comprises in-depth interviews with some of the key figures in the scene, culled from the copious and exhaustive interview tapes used to research the first book, which never fail to be anything less than fascinating. Simon talks to many central characters, like Jah Wobble (PiL), Ari Up (The Slits), Green Gartside (Skritti Politti), Andy Gill (Gang Of Four), David Byrne (Talking Heads), not forgetting a few of my own personal heroes like Alan Vega (Suicide), Richard H. Kirk (Cabaret Voltaire), Phil Oakey (Human League) and Mark Stewart (The Pop Group). It was also a surprise and pleasure to see a few of the 'backroom boys' getting some attention, seeing things from the perspective of producers Martin Rushent, Trevor Horn and UK dub pioneer Dennis Bovell (of course Martin Hannett is no longer with us, but we peek into his working methods care of Factory boss Tony Wilson and Joy Division's Steven Morris). The late John Peel and writer/critic Paul Morley also feature.

Among the many highlights: Simon wrestling (figuratively!) with 'difficult' interviewee David Thomas (Pere Ubu) - a man with some frankly bizarre opinions and theories about music - and Devo's Gerry Casale describing in harrowing detail his eye-witness account of the National Guard shooting students at a demonstration at Kent State University in the early '70s. It's also interesting to note the recurring themes - almost everyone involved seemed to have come from an Art School background, almost everyone was a voracious reader (Penguin paperbacks were as de rigueur as records and trench coats!) and people like Bowie, Eno, krautrock and The Velvet Underground crop-up regularly as formative influences.

The 'Overviews' section contains a selection of previously published reviews and articles that touch on aspects of the post-punk milieu, the most essential of which must surely be "Mutant Disco And Punk Funk", the 'non-oral history version' of the 'NYC No Wave' chapter of Rip It Up that only appeared in the US edition originally (and incidentally, No Wavers James Chance and Lydia Lunch also get the full interview treatment). Finally, Simon Reynolds himself is interviewed, discussing definitions, inspirations and personal experiences/observations from the era, which is fascinating in its own right. I was particularly taken by his lucid invocation of the levels of boredom experienced by young people in the late '70s, deprived of so much of the music and media stimuli that we take for granted today everytime we log-on, and hence explaining the pivotal role of the music press during that time, which was still very tangible when I started reading the inkies in the mid-80s. Overall you really begin to appreciate the unique circumstances of the period that, as far as I can see, will never be repeated, and which gave birth to such a crucial swell of vibrant music and culture.

Totally Wired will be available from 5th February (pre-order at Amazon). Simon Reynolds will be in the UK to promote the book from 13th February, including a special event at The Roundhouse in Camden at 8pm on Sunday 15th, where he will be in conversation with a few post-punk legends.

In the meantime, keep an eye on Simon's new Totally Wired blog for updates and additional info.

2008-12-17T10:09:00.001Z

K-Punk on Postgate. Spot-on...

2008-12-11T09:37:00.000Z

Woofah #3 is here.

2008-11-26T08:12:00.002Z

Reports of a Cabaret Voltaire reunion are regrettabily unfounded. However, it looks like Richard H. Kirk will be reactivating the name for some solo gigs and possibily a recording project. In the meantime, check this wicked live recording of the Cabs at the height of their powers...

DAMN YOU, SIR (SLIGHT RETURN)

2008-11-23T10:54:00.008Z

"The '60s "were an incredibly fertile period in American (electronic) music", but the music of the times was not documented because publishers wouldn't produce books about it and record companies wouldn't release recordings. The true music history of that era, Bob claimed, only exists in composer's file cabinets like mine, all over the United States."
Thom Holmes, speaking to composer Robert Ashley in the introduction to his book Electronic And Experimental Music (Routledge, 2nd edition, 2002)

I've long suspected the same might apply here in the UK, albeit on a much smaller scale. The established history of British '60s culture and musical innovation generally ignores anything that doesn't fit within the framework of Rock and other more accessible genres. Ask anyone about British electronic music of the period and maybe they'll mention the Dr.Who theme and other worthy examples of the Radiophonic Workshop's output, perhaps they'll discuss Joe Meek's extraordinary methods of recording space-age pop, or cite the later psychedelic improvisations of the Pink Floyd and their offspring. And some extremely boring people would probably talk about The Beatles.

I've taken issue with Paul McCartney's attempts to boost his cutting-edge credentials before, but here he is once again trying to make us all believe that he was the most avant-garde member of the Fab Four. Recorded evidence of this is non-existent. All the most sonically innovative Beatles tunes were John Lennon things like "Tomorrow Never Knows", "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Revolution 9", not to mention solo outings like "Two Virgins". Even George Harrison, who Macca reckons "disparaged sonic experimentation" managed to make a solo album of experimental electronics. But apparently we should all be getting down on our knees and worshipping Sir-bloody-Paul just because he managed to coax his colleagues to "just wander round all of the stuff and bang it, shout, play it" for 10 minutes. Big deal. AMM were doing that long before he was.

But of course the legion of fans are dying to hear this racket, and I suppose its only right and proper that they should have the opportunity to do so. But I personally would be much more curious to hear some more recordings by the true electronic pioneers at that legendary festival - Unit Delta Plus, and specifically the work of Peter Zinovieff, who at that time was developing one of the most advanced privately-owned electronic studios in the world: EMS in Putney.

Whilst other British luminaries of the era (Daphne Oram, Tristram Cary, John Baker...) have had significant portions of their work anthologised over the years, I'm unaware of any major Zinovieff retrospective. The only things I've found are a vinyl album of his electronic realisation for Harrison Birtwhistle's "Chronometer" (1971), and "Agnus Die" cropped-up on a Space Age Recordings compilation a while back. Oh, and a couple of very short excerpts on an EMS promotional flexidisc (which you can listen to here). Presumably the guy must've built-up quite a large body of work during the decade or so that he was active, but where's it all gone?

Did you know that Zinovieff once tried to donate his studio to The Nation? Apparently, The Nation didn't want it and it ended up literally rotting away in storage in the dungeon basement of the National Theatre. But I digress...

"Unit Delta Plus once shared a bill with Paul McCartney at a "Million Volt Light and Sound RAVE - Dancing to Mystic Rock Groups" held in early 1967 at one of London's most hip venues, the Roundhouse. At the time, McCartney was deeply involved with electronic music (Stockhausen is one of the figures on the cover of Sergeant Pepper) and was a regular visitor to Peter's studio. As the swinging sixties started to unfold around Peter, he displayed an almost studied indifference to the rock musicians who became interested in electronic music. The world of rock stars, drugs, and counterculture was not really Peter's world. He was bemused by the EMS secretaries swooning over the famous musicians who came to visit, but for Peter it was business as usual."
Trevor Pinch, from the book Analog Days (Harvard, 2002)

I love that image of the slightly remote, aristocratic mad genius, completely unimpressed by the attentions of all those rock star 'hangers-on', stubbornly refusing to 'get hip' or creatively interact with popular musicians. But by remaining aloof in the world of classical composition and research, Zinovieff ultimately doomed himself to obscurity. His legacy lives on in the classic synths he helped design - EMS VCS3, Synthi AKS, etc - but for now I guess his own work must languish in another damned filing cabinet somewhere, along with early work by Dave Vorhaus' Kaleidophon Studio and other mysterious figures like Fred Judd.

But back to Macca. If he really was so 'deeply involved' in electronic music back then, why did he never put his enthusiasm to good use? And if he did, where's the proof? A bunch of hairy Liverpudlians banging a few rocks and sticks together with a bit of echo added doesn't really cut the mustard as far as I'm concerned...

2008-11-20T23:05:00.004Z

Hate to tell you, Martin, but when it comes to Google search referrels, you tend to reap what you sow.

Last 20 Searchengine Referrels For Gutterbreakz
Unique Visitors
20 Nov, Thu, 21:35:40 Google Images: LADY SOVEREIGN
20 Nov, Thu, 21:36:44 Google Images: lady sovereign
20 Nov, Thu, 21:38:35 Google: blogariddims bok bok
20 Nov, Thu, 21:43:17 Google: grime sound module
20 Nov, Thu, 21:51:46 Google: download death OR for OR life "death by stereo"
20 Nov, Thu, 21:51:47 Google: blogspot.com soundboy's gravestone
20 Nov, Thu, 21:57:34 Google: boards of canada Korona youtube
20 Nov, Thu, 22:02:16 Google Images: peverelist
20 Nov, Thu, 22:06:06 Google Images: lady sovereign
20 Nov, Thu, 22:07:12 Google Images: krush house arrest
20 Nov, Thu, 22:13:14 Yahoo: female sampled it takes two
20 Nov, Thu, 22:16:37 Google Images: skream
20 Nov, Thu, 22:18:04 AOL Search: fucking monkeys (eh??)
20 Nov, Thu, 22:20:23 Google: soundboys gravestone blogspot
20 Nov, Thu, 22:29:04 Google Images: lady sovereign
20 Nov, Thu, 22:35:07 Google: Soundboy's Gravestone Gets Desecrated By Vandals blogspot
20 Nov, Thu, 22:46:14 Google Images: house session photo
20 Nov, Thu, 22:53:57 Google: Soundboy's Gravestone Gets Desecrated blogspot
20 Nov, Thu, 22:55:45 Google: funky worm sheffield shuffle
20 Nov, Thu, 22:57:21 Google Images: who's that girl madonna (eh??! - oh, yeah now I remember)

BLOG RADIO

2008-11-16T22:48:00.003Z

Good to see that John Eden has found time to do another RSI Radio podcast. It's a very specialist reggae t'ing but never less than interesting especially with John's informative commentary. Also of interest is Ed DMX's Radio Show, which is now in it's second installment. It's basically Ed playing a load of old records that mean a lot to him, but he's very good explaining why he likes these records, how they influenced him and so forth. For me, it's like a catalogue of my own record buying experiences, particularly the '80s stuff - clearly we were into a lot of the same things - Mantronix, Kraftwerk, Chaka Kahn, even the Pointer Sister's "Automatic", which I still think is a brilliant record. Ed is slightly younger than me, so he was getting into 12" mixes and studying the building blocks of rhythm and sound when he was about ten, whereas I was about 14 before I started doing that. We were learning about music and developing our tastes via the same set of records at about the same time ('83 onwards) , it's just that he was evidently a more precociously gifted and mentally advanced child than me, lol!

I must admit these guys are almost inspiring me to try doing something similar. I used to do my Gutterbreakz FM thing a few years back, but that was more of an attempt to emulate the format of pirate radio. But the idea of doing a more sedate 'John Peel'-style show, with unmixed tracks and a bit of chat inbetween isn't something I've tried before. The thought of getting near a microphone again doesn't really enthuse me, but it would enable me to play a wider variety of musical styles without worrying about bpm rates etc. It's something to think about, anyway...

IN CONTEXT

2008-11-15T22:13:00.006Z

Thursday, March 10th, 2005. A small crowd gathers in the backroom of The Croft in Bristol for a Context 'dubstep special' - a rare opportunity to witness some seriously exclusive dubplate action outside the confines of the scene's minuscule Croydon heartland. Presiding on the decks: Loefah of DMZ infamy, back-to-back with Skream, a young almost completely unknown producer making his first appearance in Bristol. This wasn't the first dubstep event here, but it was my first, and it had a major impact on me - I wrote about it here.

Context was an occasional event run by a local dj and early dubstep adopter called Pinch (above, left). I'd corresponded with him previously by e-mail but this was the first time I met him in the flesh. It was also my first meeting with Shackleton (above, centre) and Appleblim (above, right), who were at this point simply keen followers of the scene, although I was aware that they were working on some music of their own, having heard a cd-r of their projected first Skull Disco release "I Am Animal/Mystikal Warrior". It was an exciting time, but the excitement was all generated by the music coming out of Croydon; there was no inkling yet that Bristol would develop it's own sound, or that these people I had just met would go on to have such a huge impact on the international scene.

Of course, there was one other notable character absent that night: Tom Ford, soon to become widely known as 'Peverelist', was away and unable to attend, although I'd known him for a couple of months already, since becoming a regular customer at Rooted Records where he worked. He too would subsequently become a hugely respected producer and dj.

The funny thing is that, for a little while in 2005, I was probably more 'famous' than any of them, but as their stars have ascended, mine has dwindled, and I blame no-one but myself. I've spectacularly failed to consolidate on the blog's popularity, in fact I've been actively distancing myself from the scene which I used to be a focal point of, plus I've found it increasingly hard this past year to balance the demands of earning a crust and raising a family with my 'hobbies' (blogging, clubbing, djing, producing, etc). I honestly intended to finish this blog forever, rather than let it limp-on as a mere shadow of it's former self, but here I am once again, tapping furiously on this bloody laptop when I should be getting on with something more 'important'. Why? Well basically because people have been sending me stuff. Which people? The ones mentioned above. The people who have completely outgrown any publicity a lowly blogger like me could give them. They don't need me anymore, but they haven't forgotten me, and I'm deeply touched by that fact. And that's why I back here: to remind any straggling readers about the excellent music these people are still releasing.

First came a 12" white label of the latest Peverelist offering on Punch Drunk. The a-side is called "Clunk Click Every Trip", a title which might be suggestive of psychedelic undertones, though if memory serves it was actually a catchphrase for a television advertising safety campaign about wearing seatbelts, presented by Jimmy Saville many years ago (a quick check on Wiki confirms this). I haven't asked Tom why he's adopted the slogan here; I think some things are best left a mystery. The track is the most m*n*mal thing I've heard from him yet, almost entirely constructed of beats, with liberal use of metallic delay effects weaving in and out of the mix. Then, just when you least expect it, a huge, glistening block of synth-pad chords swoops in and dominates for a few bars before promptly departing once more, leaving me slightly disorientated and wondering what the hell happened. The flip is called "Gather", and is also somewhat unexpected for entirely different reasons. It's a slice of downtempo dubwise atmospherics, coming from a similar sonic palette as some of Rob Smith's RSD material, with echoes of Renegade Soundwave circa "In Dub" - not the sort of thing you'd expect from the Pev at all, but obviously he likes to keep everyone guessing about where his muse is going, and he's certainly got my undivided attention with this one. It's in the shops now, so go buy it.

Then came an e-mail from Pinch with some MP3s of his new release on Tectonic, "Midnight Oil c/w Joyride". It's interesting to note the parrellel progress between Pinch and Peverelist at the moment - it's almost like they're in a micro-genre of their own: complex beats with galloping kick drums, a de-emphasis on basslines (no more than a one-note subsonic undertow), experimenting with weird fx that materialise and discorporate in the mix, heavy use of synth-pads to drive home the melodic 'argument', though Pinch's choice of pad textures are more eerie/atmospheric. Always that hint of Techno, a slight tint of Berlin, but never too overstated. Of course, they live in the same house so I guess it's inevitable that they're influencing each other...imagine sitting at the top of the stairs in their house, listening to the sounds drifting down the landing from their respective rooms, pushing the air around, blending and morphing. Two friends on a sonic voyage. Nothing unusual about that, except that in this case the world is listening in anticipation. Well, maybe bits of the world at least. Ummm, forgot to ask when this is coming out, but I'm sure it'll be quite soon.

Then, this morning, the postman brought me this...

...and I nearly chocked on my Fruit 'n Fibre in surprise because I thought those guys had long since abandoned me. The package came via S.T. Holdings, so I'm not sure who it was put me on the mailing list for this, but they have my eternal gratitude. This is the second Skull Disco CD anthology, called "Soundboy's Gravestone Gets Desecrated By Vandals". Disc 1 collects all the tracks since "Vansan/You Bring Me Down", so you get all those awesome Shackleton tunes like "Death Is Not Final" and "The Rope Tightens", along with Appleblim & Peverelist's "Circling/Over Here" on CD for the first time. Then disc 2 features a bunch of remixes, from the like of T+++, Bass Clef, Pole, Brendon Moller and Gieom, that twist the Skull Disco catalogue into all sorts of new mindbending shapes. I didn't get a press sheet with this, so can't say exactly when it's coming out (and Appleblim's not answering his phone as usual) but I think it should be in the shops in the next fortnight, so start saving your pocket money kids - this is the fucking business.

Intermittent service is resumed, though if you want to know what's really going down on the underground scene in Bristol and beyond, you'd be better off checking the Highrise Clothing Blog.

"IT'S THE END...BUT THE MOMENT HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR..."

2008-10-07T17:00:00.007+01:00

Firstly, greetings to those of you following the chain of blog posts in support of the last ever Blogariddims podcast, entitled "Terminus". If this is all going to plan then you've just left Droid's post at Weareie, and will shortly be heading over to the Heatwave blog to catch the next written installment. Or, if you're just passing by and wondering what this is all about, here's the list of all contributions, in the order which they appear, with associated links...

Blogariddims 50: Terminus
0- Droid Intro blog post
1- Paul Autonomic (6.01)
2- JEPM (John Eden + Paul Meme) (8:41)
3- Matt B (6:33)
4- The Rambler (7:09)
5- Wayne (7:00)
6 -Droid (7:44)
7- Gutterbreakz (6:02)
8- Heatwave (6:04)
9 - Hal (8.01)
10 - Flack (6:15)
11 – Slug/Droid outro blog post

I've only had chance to have a quick listen to the complete podcast, but there's certainly some excellent stuff going on, with several of the 'Blogamuffins' finding ingenious ways to shoehorn as much musical information into their allotted spaces as possible. The Rambler's further adventures in modern classical is a particularly potent (and educational) showcase, but it's a rollercoaster ride from the start, and if you can't find something here that doesn't intrigue, delight or bewilder then you is one jaded muthafucka. It's been an honour and a privilege to be involved in this illustrious series that began back in 2006, and I'm very pleased to be part of this final mash-down.

When they asked me to come up with six minutes of audio, I figured the only way a slow, laborious dj like me could do something interesting in such a short segment would be to go for a cut-up/collage approach rather than a proper mix (Matt B has done something similar in a reggae context). So I spent a few weeks gradually collecting a bunch of musical snippets, culled from a variety of sources, including vinyl, cassette, CD, live microphone and video tape (with no TV attached to the VCR, hence no distracting images, enabling me to focus purely on sound).

Far too many snippets to list here. In fact I don't think I could if I tried. Some of it is very random stuff where I'm not actually sure what the original source material was! However, some of the artists featured (in no particular order) are: Tom Baker (actor), Broadcast, Daphne Oram, Data 70, Jah Shaka, Sarah Sutton (actress), Child A (voice & turntable manipulation), Child B (voice), John Cale, Pierre Henry, No.1 Astronaut, Paul Spurrier (actor), John Cage, Syd Barrett, Throbbing Gristle, Brian Hodgson, Joe Meek, Delia Derbyshire, Dick Mills, Faust, Burl Ives, Sweet Exorcist, Todd Rundgren, John Baker, Suicide, W. Merrick Farran & Edgar M. Vetter, Anthony Ainley (actor), The Hafler Trio, Bernard Herrmann, Eric Peters, Raymond Scott, E.A.R., John Cameron, Steve Reich, Gareth Thomas (actor), Beaver & Krause, Roger Limb, Ted Atking & Alain Feanch, John Foxx, Milton Babbitt, The Beach Boys, Walt Rockman, Mordant Music, Captain Beefheart, Sammie Winmill (actress), Henry Blair & Ray Turner, Milt Jackson, T. Elerth, John Fraser (actor), Maddalena Fagandini, Cybotron, Cabaret Voltaire and no doubt a few others I forgot, plus quite a few snippets from my own work spanning the past 20-odd years. The parts were then pasted together without much planning. Only the very first and very last were deliberately placed. Nearly all the rest were left in the hands of Chance, to resonate or jar against each other as the case may be. I'm not entirely certain what the end product is trying to say, or even if there is any meaning to be divined from it all. Let the listener make of it what he or she will. The only other thing I will say in it's defence is that it's an honest reflection of who I am, where I'm from and, increasingly, where I seem to be going.

A final thank you to Droid for letting me be a part of all this, and much respect and admiration going out to everyone else who contributed to this series over the past couple of years.

Okay, job done. I'm outta here. Thanks for dropping by.

2008-10-01T08:10:00.004+01:00

LINK

2008-09-30T09:26:00.002+01:00

The penultimate Blogariddim comes from it's founders: Droid and Slug's 'Dubtronics' mix locates the intersections between classic '90s electronica (Aphex Twin, Autechre, Seefeel, Beaumont Hannant et al) and the finest contemporary dubstep sounds (from labels like Hyperdub, Skull Disco, Hessle Audio and Tectonic). What I really like about this is that it mirrors some of my own early observations and maybe helps prove the point that dubstep isn't just part of the hardcore evolutionary process, it also potentially picks-up where things left off around '95 before leftfield electronica became either too experimental or obsessed with jungle-derived breakbeat edits. Perhaps it would've been nice to include Seefeel's awesome remix of Authechre's "Basscad", as I always thought that was a very prescient piece of dubtronics (almost a prediction of halfstep) though I imagine it's slow tempo would've been difficult to beat-match.

2008-09-28T22:48:00.004+01:00

"It's now unthinkable that a public body could produce for the masses such avant-garde, forward-thinking, sometimes difficult music."

The Blissblogger commemorates the Radiophonic Workshop for The Guardian. So you see, I'm not talking bollocks.

Edit: Go here for the Director's Cut!

2008-09-26T22:57:00.003+01:00

Sorry...just coming to terms with my long-surpressed obsession with 'erotic dance act' Hot Gossip. Once I faced-up to the facts, things started to make a lot of sense. This clip works for me on sooo many levels, man.

BACK 2 REALITY (BRIEFLY)

2008-09-22T00:04:00.002+01:00

Some new music by friends and fam' that I'd like to draw to your attention...

GRIEVOUS ANGEL - BELIEF IS THE ENEMY
Gah, don't you just hate it when some mouthy blogger turns out to be, like, a really talented producer? No? Oh, well...must just be professional jealousy on my part, then. But the fact is that Mr.Meme has outdone himself with this debut album - an epic 2-disc collection, beautifully packaged in fold-out digipac, that thoroughly explores the points between dubstep, dancehall and techno, with a meaty dollop of oldskool dubwise technique thrown in, especially on disc 2, which is a masterful mash-up of dreadwise vibes and killer riddims, seamlessly mixed to the high standards we've come to expect from Paul. I personally lean towards the hard, techy bouncers like "Immigrant" and "Soundman Tribute", but fans of Loefah, The Bug and Kode 9 will all find plenty to get excited about here. This ain't no vanity project, it's a serious, passionate piece of work. To get some idea of the depth of thought that went into all this, check the full interview he did with Blackdown. Then buy it from Boomkat, or your emporium of choice.

HEADHUNTER - NOMAD
Headhunter's debut album for Tempa should be on sale in the next week or so and, as expected, it's a very impressive piece of work. The title refers to the fact that he is currently homeless, with no studio in the conventional sense - drifting across the globe from one dj gig to the next, writing tunes on his laptop wherever he happens to be staying. Surprising then that he's come up with such an homogenized, sonically consistent selection which, like the 2562 album, straddles the boundaries of dubstep and dub techno with ease. You can also occasionally detect a lingering aura of classic '90s drum & bass in some of his choices of pad sounds, chord patterns and samples, as well as teasing echoes Carl Craig and the nascent dubstep of early Horsepower, especially on tracks like the percussion-heavy "Technopolis". It's a very sophisticated sound, with in-the-pocket beats, detailed arrangements and textures that just slide down your ear-holes like melted butter - easily on a par with anyone else on the Tempa roster. There's a nice interview with Headhunter here, that traces his career to date. Pre-order the CD, or vinyl edition (which has extra tracks), at Boomkat.

FORENSICS - ZERO BILLION
Well I always said he was prolific, but even I wasn't expecting another album from Forensics so soon after the first one. The dry, sluggish beats continue, but I'm definitely hearing big advances in the melodic department, specifically on "Afterglow" with a pad sound quite similar to a Mellotron choir and "Atlantis" with it's beautifully forlorn warbly tones that add a delicate tint of fragile emotion to offset the bad-tempered bass throb and caustic percussion. These are some of the best things I've heard by Krys, and believe me, I've heard quite a lot. Final track "Ground State"is a surprising (for him!) excursion into 4/4 territory, but still too skeletal and awkward to be really considered danceable. Krys is still marking out his own style of urban dread muzik, and if you understood the first album, you'll find plenty to keep you entertained here. Check Forensics blog for ordering details.

GIEDO PRIMO - INFINITY MACHINES OF THE SECOND MOON
A private 12" album pressing from Denmark. I featured Giedo Primo on the blog three years ago, and since then he's taken the brave move of financing his own record. Nine tracks of clunky, clanky mutant electro beats entwined with layer upon layer of endlessly revolving synthetic melodies, entirely constructed with hardware gear and a predilection for live mixdowns. The nearest comparison might be with the 'Skweee' sound of his Scandinavian neighbours, though Mr. Primo has been forging ahead with his own sound for many years now, so any similarity is entirely inadvertent. My favourite track is the last one, "Yen-Tinh Sam-Set", which tones down the resonant synth textures and delves into a more understated, meditative zone of stealthy 909 percussion, warm, hypnotic bassline and cryptic dialogue samples (possibly of Japanese origin..?). Not an easy record to get hold of outside Denmark, as it has no proper distribution, but there are copies available from Praxis if you're feeling adventurous.

DATA 70 - SPACE LOOPS VOLUME THREE
Advance warning!! I've been cherishing this cd-r promo for some time now, and I can't keep my mouth shut any longer. This is the third installment in Data 70's 'Space Loops' series, which should hopefully be released before the year is out. As before, all tracks are only about one minute long, with 24 in total, and it's likely that they'll be spreading them over another yummy double 7" vinyl package (artwork being prepared at the moment). Getting to know Data 70 and their retro-evocative sonic sketches has undoubtedly been a musical highlight for me this year, and I reckon this is the best batch they've concocted yet. Future sounds from a past life, awakened in an alternative present. Make sure you buy it when it comes out or I won't be friends with you anymore.

TRANSWORLD SIRENS

2008-09-18T19:28:00.009+01:00

The first time I recall actually being 'haunted' by a piece of music came from an unlikely source...

It was 1990, I was 21, and totally 'in the Now'. But then a track called "Transworld Siren", tucked away near the end of Renegade Soundwave's "In Dub" album stopped me dead in my tracks. Of course, I was already aware of music's power evoke memories of a certain time or place, but this was something else. It was just a sample, sounding like a sequence of chords hammered out on a reverberating piano, or maybe a harpsichord, synchronised to, and dubbed-out, over a loping breakbeat. But it sounded very familiar to me, though I couldn't place where I knew it from. It took me somewhere, but the outlines were too fuzzy and indistinct to pinpoint the location. Everytime I heard the track I felt something tugging at my subconscious, and it obsessed me for quite some time.

Eventually I managed to I.D. the sample. It was the opening bars of John Barry's "Theme from The Persuaders". I don't recall ever watching the programme, but I suppose it was the sort of thing my dad would watch on telly when I was very, very young, and presumably weekly exposure to the theme tune caused it to lodge somewhere in my little brain, where it would remain dormant for nearly two decades. Then hearing the RSW sample caused a few neurons to start spitting little electrical signals, triggering some sort of garbled flashback experience that I was unable to process or make sense of.

I still don't really understand what my brain is trying to tell me when I hear this music, but what a fucking great theme tune, eh?

THEY DON'T MAKE 'EM LIKE THAT ANYM---

2008-09-18T19:28:00.003+01:00

Ahhh, fuckit. I'm bored now.

Just spotted that tha Sherburnator is playing Bristol tomorrow nite, with support from Ramadanman (one of the most promising dubstep producers out there right now). Gonna try and reach this one.

THEY DON'T MAKE 'EM LIKE THAT ANYMORE #7 & 8

2008-09-18T12:17:00.005+01:00

Featuring 'music heard on radio and television - including test card transmissions', this is the electronic flipside of the Tijuana muzak that held sway in '73. I think what fascinates me about that period is that I was there, but I don't really remember it very well, and its these less celebrated, barely documented slices of cultural ephemera that I find most intriguing.

This, the second Radiophonic Workshop album, was entirely composed and realised by Paddy Kingsland. A tunesmith who could seemingly bash-off a catchy signature tune in his lunchbreak, Paddy was the natural successor of John Baker. Except that his music here completely fails to conjure the other-worldy vibrations of his '60s forebears. All tracks feature live rhythm sections which instantly grounds them within the 'real world', and his easy-cheesy synth arrangements are only a hair's breath away from being crap 'Moog Records', except of course that he was using British EMS synths and writing his own music, rather than making insipid copies of the pop hits of the day.

'Wobulator Rock' is clearly a homage to the beat frequency oscillators used by the Workshop in the pre-synth era, although I doubt there's any real Wobulator on this track - they would've been collecting dust in a storage cupboard by the mid-seventies. However it does feature some pretty crazy detuned EMS riffs. The b-side is a cover of 'Get Back', which sees Paddy finally succumbing to the moog-sploitation tendencies that always threatened to undermine his muse. This 7" demo disc is apparently lifted from an album called "Supercharged", of which I've not had the pleasure.

THEY DON'T MAKE 'EM LIKE THAT ANYMORE #4 - 6

2008-09-17T21:23:00.006+01:00

Ah, yes...the sweet sound of Tijuana. Of Mexican origin. Massively popularized in the '60s by Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass ensemble, thus spawning a legion of copycats. There's a nice overview of the scene over at Space Age Pop. Yet for me, a quintessentially British sound, I guess because it was constantly piped into the home when I was kid via the Test Card transmissions...

The blub on the rear sleeve readily admits that, for legal reasons, this isn't an album of genuine test card tunes, but that "this is the sound that could indeed easily be test card music". I certainly couldn't tell the difference. I close my eyes and listen to this and I'm right there in deepest, darkest 1973 - a small child alone in a room with this jolly yet somehow spooky muzak pumping from the TV mono speaker - as jolly/spooky as the little clown doll that stares insanely from the screen, locked in his cathode prison of strange monochrome lines and shapes. As for the little girl...the Mona Lisa ain't got nuthin' on her in the 'enigmatic expression' stakes.

MUMMY MUMMY PLEASE MAKE IT STOOOOOOPPP!!!!!!

THEY DON'T MAKE 'EM LIKE THAT ANYMORE #3

2008-09-17T00:27:00.004+01:00

From the era of Geoff Love-style theme tune cover versions, with a heavy slant towards Sci-Fi.

Almost a tribute to Barry Gray - over half the tracks are faithful renditions of his themes for Gerry Anderson series like Thunderbirds, Joe 90, Stingray, etc.

Nifty 'live' version of the Dr. Who theme anchored by a solid bass guitar and vaguely dissonant organ chords.

Best of all a sassy big-band rearrangement of The Magic Roundabout theme. It works, believe me.

THEY DON'T MAKE 'EM LIKE THAT ANYMORE #2

2008-09-16T14:21:00.003+01:00

More of those nascent British electronic sounds that time forgot. From the same series of 'Listen Move & Dance' records that spawned Daphne Oram's only known vinyl releases. These records were designed for 'stimulating the imagination in art and craft and creative pursuits in the classroom'. Yes, they were designed for children, by a lady called Vera Gray, back in the crazy '60s. Always hoped I'd come across one of these, but never dreamed I'd find one for a fiver in reasonably good condition.

Side one featuring 'Moving Percussion' - all manner of percussive sounds and rhythms from Latin through to African, glokenspiels, vibraphones, timpanis, gongs etc, etc. Very nice indeed. But then side two, 'Electronic Sound Pictures', is a collaboration with Desmond Briscoe (joint founder and head of the Radiophonic Workshop) featuring the most bizarre selection of electronically generated and treated sound (quite possibly recorded at the Workshop after hours) that would surely have made children piss their pants in terror rather than inspire them to bust a few moves. Not so much a forgotten element of British post-war culture - more like some mad parallel universe shit that I wouldn't believe ever really happened if I wasn't holding the evidence in my hands.

Did I say 'forgotten'?

Not so.

Vera's legacy lives on.

Nice one, Jonny!!

RADIOPHONIC UPDATE

2008-09-12T09:45:00.002+01:00

Note to self: check facts before posting ill-informed rant about lack of new Radiophonic retrospective...

Mute are proud to announce the release of a 50th Anniversary Retrospective double CD from the Radiophonic Workshop. This brand new compilation features classic, extremely rare and previously unavailable sounds and music by the legendary BBC organisation. Presented in chronological order, the CD includes works from stalwarts of the Radiophonic Workshop such as John Baker, Delia Derbyshire, Daphne Oram, Elizabeth Parker, Desmond Briscoe, Paddy Kingsland, Peter Howell and Malcolm Clarke amongst others...

More info, tracklist and artwork here.

Don't sleep on this one, kids.

2008-09-09T16:54:00.000+01:00

Waiting for the end of the world.

RADIOPHONIC 50

2008-09-03T22:33:00.004+01:00

A belated mention for the 50th Anniversary of that great British institution of the 20th Century, The BBC Radiophonic Workshop. The BBC marked the occasion with a little write-up and a few nice documentary clips at their online magazine, but no actual commemorative releases unfortunately.

Apparently Mute Records are re-issuing the two albums "BBC Radiophonic Music" and "The BBC Radiophonic Workshop" on remastered CD later this year, which I'm sure will be welcome news to those who missed the BBC versions when they briefly appeared in 2002 (not me, though - I bought those suckers on the first day of release!). But it still amazes me that "BBC Radiophonic Workshop - 21", the album issued in '79 to commemorate the Workshop's 21st Birthday, still hasn't been re-issued, despite being, for me, the definitive historical account of the Workshop's achievements. That album is literally crying out for a remastered, expanded edition, but it seems the Beeb have no interest in such matters these days. Shame. Some of the other records, like the Paddy Kingsland solo effort "Fourth Dimension", are probably best left in the rare vinyl world, but others like the sublime sound fx album "Out Of This World"and even the "Dr.Who Sound FX" are still a damn good listen in places - it's not just about laser blasts and whirring mechanoids - some of those atmospheric background textures are still so evocative, as good as anything Eno put out in the name of Ambient musik around the same time.

25 years ago, the BBC marked the Workshop's 25th Birthday with an album "Sound House" (which is admittedly for completists only) and a book - "The First 25 Years", which is really great and highly recommended if you can find a copy. 175 pages featuring lots of interesting info, much of which isn't really talked about these days. Even then, Delia's "Blue Veils and Golden Sands" was described as "without parallel" in the Workshop's output, but it's nice to read a bit of background on the other members for a change (although where was Glynis Jones? I thought she made some superb tracks in the '70s - many feature on the above-mentioned "Out Of This World" album - but she seemed to be overlooked in the book).

But enough rambling, I'll leave you with a few poorly reproduced pics from the book - some of the ones you don't see so often...

Radiophonic Krew 1983
back row l-r: Brian Hodgson, Elizabeth Parker, Jon Gibbs, Dick Mills, Peter Howell, Roger Limb
front, seated: Desmond Briscoe

Founding member Daphne Oram in 1958

Two pics of John Baker - the smaller one from 1965, the larger from 1974.

Richard Yoeman-Clark operating the mighty EMS Synthi-100 (aka 'the Delaware')

Room 13, 1974.

Peter Howell with the Fairlight CMI, shortly after it's purchase in 1981.

Malcolm Clarke at work in Studio C, c.1982

Elizabeth Parker in Studio H, 1982.

HOLIDAY SPECIALS

2008-08-30T22:54:00.005+01:00

Vulcan Holiday Special (IPC, 1976)
Cover art: Don Lawrence

TV Comic Holiday Special (Polystyle Publications, 1978)

Cover art: Unknown

Starlord Summer Special (IPC, 1978)

Cover art: Unknown

Captain America Summer Special (Marvel UK, 1979)
Cover art: John Byrne

Captain Britain Summer Special (Marvel UK, 1980)
Cover art: John Buscema

2000A.D. Sci-Fi Special (IPC, 1980)
Cover Art: Mike McMahon

mickmcmahon.onlinefolio.biz

Warrior Summer Special (aka issue #4!) (Quality Communications, 1982)
Cover art: Steve Dillon

Dracula Comics Special (Quality Communications, c.1983)
Cover art: Mick Austin

2008-08-14T09:40:00.004+01:00

Doppelganger back from Spain, his reaction to the atrocious weather conditions back in Blighty mirroring my own when I returned from Fuengirola last weekend.

Be sure to check Chris' Highrise Clothing emporium - I was lucky enough to blag free Doppel-tees (see above) but if you wanna look as cool as me this summer you best get your credit card out...

THE WYRD WORLD OV KEK-W

2008-08-11T23:14:00.006+01:00

Well I said from Day One that Kek simply had to do a Blogariddim mix and looks like someone finally convinced him in the nick of time, just as the series is nearing it's closing stages. As expected, the "Ontological Hysteria Mix" represents a radical swerve into parallel dimensions and alternate histories, some of which are reassuringly familiar to me, while many more lie outside the boundaries of my limited musical experience, exactly as it should be. Top marks for slipping a Leo Sayer tune into a Blogariddim - if you read Kek regularly then this will come as no surprise, but still an audacious move in a series that prides itself on being sooo fucking hip and underground (John's 'Office Party' being a notable exception, of course!). I bet you won't find a more entertaining hour's worth of musical mayhem on the 'net this week, possibly even this month, so read the blog and grab the 'cast forthwith...

ELECTROFEAR...

2008-07-28T21:42:00.006+01:00

It's been a while since I last invested in an original library LP. I don't tend to buy them for the sake of it, especially since the prices started rising a few years ago, and tend to look for ones with a very specific vibe, from a fairly narrow time-frame (specifically late-'60s - early '70s, though anything earlier than 1980 considered!) so couldn't resist a copy of "Electromusic", issued by KPM back in '72, when I spotted it on e-bay recently. Composed by Eric Peters, it ticks all my boxes in terms of the sound-sources (pure electronics) and general stylistic approach (experimental/atmospheric/spooky, though with a few more playful/humorous pieces on side 2). A couple of these tracks appeared on a compilation called "Electronic Toys" a few years back, so I had a rough idea what to expect, but even I wasn't prepared for the extreme depths this record plunges into.

I think this would probably be a strong candidate for addition to Woebot's 'Pre-History of British Electronics' (I say probably because I don't even know if Mr. Peters is/was British!). Certainly worthy of a re-issue I reckon. In fact the catalogue # (KPM 1103) suggests this was released in between Derbyshire's "Electrosonic" and Geesin's "Electrosound" as part of a KPM mini-series of twisted electro-experiments, so surely Glo-Spot should consider licensing it. Perhaps I'll e-mail them about it.

Best of all, I immediately spotted that the track "Industrial Activity" was used in early episodes of The Tomorrow People series (it's that 'drum machine-propelled synth dirge' that I mentioned in my review of Trunk Record's "Tomorrow People OST" - worth the price of admission alone! I suspect that several other cues included here were used as atmospheric backgrounds in the series although I haven't had chance to do any comparison tests yet. I e-mailed Jonny Trunk about it anyway and he wasn't aware of the connection, so perhaps he'll start researching the album himself at some point...

DOPPELEFFECT

2008-07-26T01:10:00.001+01:00

Doppelganger in the mix for Blogariddims? Believe!

Sigh...I can still remember a time when I'd have to drag him kicking and screaming to check a club night, and even then he'd usually bugger off home early. But nowadays he's more up for it than I am! I think he's even toying with the idea of starting his own club night when he moves to Colchester.

Check the blog post here, but if you want to actually hear the 'cast, best go straight here, innit...

BFND002

2008-07-24T23:14:00.001+01:00

Here

2008-07-24T16:10:00.005+01:00

The nearest Delia ever got to being credited for the Dr.Who theme back in the early days. Would she have got a much-deserved co-writing credit if she'd been a man? I think I would've been pretty cheesed-off if my most famous piece of music aired on the TV for 17 years without ever once mentioning my name! Whatever, great news about those lost tapes. Thanks to 'Tokolosh' for the link.

2008-07-24T15:56:00.003+01:00

A very difficult man to track down. I still haven't managed to find a copy of this anywhere. Only released five years ago and yet completely unavailable anywhere, new or secondhand, as far as I can tell. Having watched an old video-taped Daleks episode again recently, I can at least testify to the power of Cary's early-sixties electronic incidentals.

TAPE NON-REVIEW

2008-07-20T00:19:00.005+01:00

The Smoking Ban has messed things up. People come to clubs like Tape because they're into their music, but the primary biological need to feed their nicotine habits overrides the less-urgent desire to dance to some nice tunes. So they head for the smoking area outside the club, light-up, then get involved in conversations with other smokers, which can end-up lasting for half an hour or more. The net result being that they spend more time outside smoking and chatting than inside checking the sounds they came to hear. This realization came to me in a flash last night as, once again, I found myself fighting through a crowd of smokers to try and squeeze back into the building, to a near-deserted dancefloor. Just one more reason to give the damn fags up.

To be honest, even when I was inside the club I spent most of the time in conversation, shouting in people's ears, fighting against the PA's volume; the music almost getting in the way of my social life. Maybe it's because I haven't been out as much recently. I bump into people I haven't seen for a while and there's lots of catching-up to do. I'm a sociable person. I had a really good time, just talking to people. The fact that most of Luke Malcher and October's dj sets were completely lost to me is an unfortunate by-product of this situation. Someone jokingly asked me where my notebook was. I truthfully answered that I've never written notes when I'm out clubbing. When writing these so-say 'reviews' I just rely on the aura that still lingers in my mind. An impressionistic afterimage, rather than specifics. I seem to have lost interest in the trainspotting aspect of track I.D.'ing. But maybe I'm not the only one like that. I don't hang around drug-driven scenes. These aren't frenzied crowds, 'on one', united in an ecstasy of pills 'n beats. These people wander in and out of the music. They dance enthusiastically for maybe twenty minutes than wander off for a chat and fag, then come back to the dancefloor an hour later. This may be Underground music, but it sure ain't a Hardcore scene. It's mellow, easy going. Without chemical assistance, Minimal/Tech/House lacks the kind of hooks required to sustain the attention levels for very long. After a while, your mind starts to wander. So you go and do something else for a bit. The music becomes a high-volume ambient backing track to a social occasion. So what? In club culture it's the clubbers themselves who are supposed to be the stars of the show, and last night they provided great entertainment value.

So what about Headhunter? Oh, he was on good form as usual. I reckon I managed to stay focused on at least 25% of his set, which was exceptionally good going (it would've been more but, y'know, people kept coming up and talking to me). Rather than a showcase of his own productions, Headhunter had his selectah head on, starting out quite techy-minimal, then moving into deep-dubby, before breaking-out the cd-rs for some dubsteppy exclusive shizzle. All good, but don't ask me for specifics. Right now I'm just surfing the sine waves, cruising at high-altitude, occasionally dipping below the clouds for a quick look around, then floating off again. Bare with me...

RON GEESIN'S ELECTROSOUNDS

2008-07-18T20:46:00.005+01:00

That 'tiny trickle' of Pre-History British Electronic Music that Woebot highlighted a couple of years ago still hasn't been satisfactorily exhumed for the reissue market, though occasionally a few things do come through (see previous post, for instance). Having already made an invaluable contribution with the Delia Derbyshire/Brian Hodgson "Electrosonic" reissue (which I reviewed here) Glo-Spot Records returned this year with a second gem from the vaults of KPM Recorded Music Library - in this case Ron Geesin's "Electrosound", from 1972.

As before, it's a more-or-less faithful reproduction of the original album, but on sexy coloured vinyl, with a new cover design. So now we have a brilliant cartoon (by Geesin's son Fraser) depicting our hero clambering from the guts of a piano clutching an EMS Synthi-A and a microphone, literally under attack from a multitude of instruments, tape spools and household objects as he fights to regain control of the studio (though the photo on the back cover, showing his immaculately neat 'n tidy work area paints a very different picture). This one's a gatefold sleeve too: open it up and you get sleeve notes from Geesin himself, explaining how he became involved with KPM and describing (as far as his memory will allow) how each track was created. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Do we need to know how that scratchy metallic rhythm on "Electric Barbed Wire" was realised? (de-tuned banjo played through Synthi's ring-modulator, in case you were wondering) or should we be left to wonder how those ghastly sounds like lost spirits in torment were achieved on "Duet For Choir And Tunnel"? (shouting into a piano, recording only residual resonances, fed through tape delay). On balance, I'd prefer to know the facts and it's interesting to note how many of these electronic pieces started life as acoustic sounds before Geesin worked his dark magic on them.

Listening to the unbridled, playful sonic exploration on this record makes me hungry to investigate more of Geesin's music, having only ever heard barely a handful of other examples of his work before now. He has a discography listed at his website (including Electrosound Vol.2!) but nothing you could ever reasonably expect to come across at an affordable price. So anyone out there with an interest in these matters should grab a copy of this one whilst they can. It's a limited edition, and already getting scarce, but looks like there's still copies on sale at Norman Records. Quick! Hurry now!!

(...and fingers-crossed that Glo-Spot will continue to unearth more Prehistorical Britronica in the near future...).

THE JOHN BAKER TAPES

2008-07-15T16:00:00.002+01:00

Now here's something that's long overdue: a two-volume anthology of recordings by the late, great John Baker, undoubtedly one of the sharpest musical talents under the employment of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in it's 1960s/70s heyday. Whilst the music of his then colleague Delia Derbyshire has gradually risen in status in recent times, Baker has remained until now a fairly marginal figure, perhaps owing to the lack of available products featuring his work. He was one of the 'big three' (along with Derbyshire and David Cain) who appeared on "BBC Radiophonic Music", the classic album first issued in 1971, subsequently re-issued on CD in 2002 and also issued as a 10" vinyl set by Rephlex in 2003. And, like Derbyshire, he was responsible for a piece of music that will be instantly recognisable to anyone of a certain age: the rapidly ascending/descending cascade of notes used to sign-off John Craven's Newsround for over a decade (originally the coda to a longer piece called "New Worlds" as featured on the above-mentioned album). Although there are a few other Baker gems scattered on a handful of other compilations, that's pretty much all there is available to the public until now, so hopefully these collections from the ever-reliable Trunk Records will help to inspire some fresh interest in his work. In fact I reckon this is the most important historical document of forgotten British electronic innovation since Paradigm Disc's sensational Daphne Oram "Oramics" anthology last year.

John Baker was a talented musician imbued with an instinct for popular, accessible arrangements combined with a surgically precise skill with tape editing that enabled him to make some truly dazzling music. Back in the sixties, before the BBC invested in analogue synths, he was taking found sounds from everyday objects, recording them onto tape, then speeding/slowing the tape to change the sound's pitch, then editing a multitude of individually tuned snippets of tape together to form a rythmic and/or melodic pattern, which would then be mixed with other similarly created tape patterns and sometimes live instrumentation, to produce finished compositions which sound more like they'd been arranged using modern digital samplers and sequencers. So for instance, he'd record the sound of a wooden ruler being twanged against a desk and turn it into a bassline, 20 years before the Art Of Noise did it with a Fairlight on their first album. You just wouldn't think it possible to create such naturally flowing musical patterns with the primitive tools at his disposal. Whilst Derbyshire might've had a deeper philosophy when it came to textural detail, Baker could out-edit anyone; the sense of groove and swing he managed to achieve made everyone else sound clunky and metronomic in comparison. But that populist instinct could sometimes make his work seem slight, mere jingle-fodder, despite the mind-boggling feats of engineering that accomplished them. Yet he was very capable of producing fascinating, occasionally chilling, works of ethereal beauty too, and these Trunk CDs skillfully navigate between the two extremes of his muse.

Volume 1 focuses specifically on Baker's work at the Radiophonic Workshop during the period 1963-1974 when he was employed by the BBC and features an impressive 49 tracks of long-lost jingles, theme tunes and incidental music. There are many examples of Baker's familiar chirpy, effervescent style, including "Big Ben News Theme", "Places For People", "Tom Tom", several idents for Radio Sheffield and Radio Nottingham and a beautiful watery rendition of "Barnacle Bill", which in another incarnation became the theme tune to Blue Peter. These pieces show Baker at his most Utopian; optimistic visions of the future that still sound rousing and life-affirming. Admittedly some of the more straight-forward piano-accompaniment pieces like "Look And Read" and the oompah military band style of "Sling Your Hook" do start to grate after a couple of listens, but at least they provide a useful background context - an insight into the sort of middle-of-the-road conservative work that Radiophonic employees had to undertake from time to time.

Occasionally we get to hear Baker personally explaining his methods, such as discussing the creation of the "Reading Your Letters" ident for Woman's Hour. There are several pieces that amply illustrate Baker's love of jazz, particularly on "The Caves Of Steel" and "Building The Bomb", both arranged for live instruments including double bass, cornet and vibraphone, whilst "Vendetta" combines bubbling tape sequences with live drums and solo saxophone. Elsewhere, "The Tape Recorder" brings an Eastern flavour with tape-manipulated Sitar sounds, "Submarine" displays Baker's ability to create eerie, ambient textures in the Delia Derbyshire mould, and "Diary Of A Madman" is a nightmarish assemblage of drones and swooshes. Perhaps the most obvious precursers to today's electronic dance music are "Trial" with it's hypnotic bass sequence and the brilliant theme to "Dial M For Murder" with a rhythm pattern that almost anticipates early Autechre. All told, this is yet further proof of the Workshop's ability to create impossible, otherworldly soundscapes for a mass audience, and the reason why they were probably the most subliminally influential group of electronic artists this country has ever produced. I'd take any of Baker's 40-year-old cues over the nondescript preset midi-mush that the media pipes into our homes today.

Volume 2 collects a further 39 recordings made outside the Workshop from 1954-1985. Whilst there are perhaps one too many jazz-lite piano pieces for my taste, this is more than compensated by the generous examples of his work for the Southern Library (recorded under the alias John Matthews to avoid contractual problems with his employers at the BBC). "Electro-Aggression" surfaced on Luke Vibert's "Further Nuggets" compilation a few years back (in stereo, rather than the mono mix used here), but otherwise those original library LPs were so rare as to be virtually impossible to locate, so it's fantastic to finally hear more extracts from the series, especially as they represent some of his most imaginative, experimental tape music.

There are also several examples of Baker's freelance advertising work, providing electronic jingles for products like Brylcreem, Omo washing powder and Girobank, which inevitably bring to mind (and compare favourably with) Raymond Scott's Stateside commercial repertoire from the same period. Then there's "John Baker Dubs", an all-too-brief unfinished piece from the mid-'60s of remarkable prescience- a cluster of echo-dappled organ chords over a surprisingly funky drum track - imagine (if you can!) lounge-keyboardist Klaus Wunderlicht remixed by Basic Channel.

Regrettably, by the late '70s Baker was fighting a losing battle with alcoholism, which had already cost him his job at the BBC. His final library recordings sound like they're drifting into a nebulous fog of dank, distressed atmospheres and almost unbearably tense ripples of cryptic tension. The spring had gone out of his step, the Utopian splendour of his classic work seemingly drowned in a bottle. But still these final pieces retain a strong voyeuristic attraction, spooked-out snapshots of a personality in disintegration - the Radiophonic equivalent of listening to Nick Drake's "Black Eyed Dog". But the last known recording he made, a simple piano piece recorded at home in the 1980s, seems to mirror his very first recording, a 78rpm acetate from 1954 that closes the disc, that suggests Baker had come full-circle, and maybe even found some contentment in his troubled personal life. The penultimate track is an obituary broadcast on Radio 5 at the time of Baker's death in 1997, read with superhuman levels of professional detachment by his brother Richard Anthony Baker, who also contributes a very personal account of John's brilliant, tragic life in the sleeve notes. Together, these two volumes paint an unmissable portrait of an electronic pioneer who's been overlooked for far too long. Get to know.

Volume 1 is released at the end of July, with Volume 2 following a month later. In between, there's a vinyl edition that collects all the highlights. For more info check the Trunk Records website.

GUTTERKIDZ IN THA MIX

2008-07-13T11:32:00.003+01:00

Yeah, it's a bloody racket. But I doubt my gran could tell the difference between this and the latest Wire-endorsed transmissions from the electronic vanguard.

LAST NIGHT

2008-07-12T20:51:00.007+01:00

Friday night on the waterfront in central Bristol. Many years ago this would be a normal scenario for me, going out after work and getting pissed with workmates on a mellow summer's evening. But since the area's been redeveloped I hardly recognise it. It's like stepping into another world. Doppelganger and I have hardly sat down when a fight breaks out nearby. A throng of lager-louts and girls in hot-pants and stilettos gather to watch. I feel middle-aged. Somewhere in the distance I see Dub Boy wandering by holding a plastic carrier bag, presumably depositing Ruffnek Discotek flyers in bars - oh, the glamorous life of the underground club promoter. We drain our glasses and make our way across the foot-bridge to the other side of the waterfront, where it's much quieter and dimly lit. Entering my old haunt The Shakespeare pub, I'm relieved to see that the place has hardly changed in the decade or so since I last patronised it. The clientele is a little older and less belligerent and I instantly feel comfortable again. Another beer and some good conversation in our darkened little corner...I could settle in here for the rest of the evening, especially as I'm constantly aware that this might be one of the last times I spend in the company of the Doppelganger before he splits for a new life in a new town. What little nightlife I currently experience will be much poorer without him.

But then it's time to hop across the road to the The Warehouse, where those nice people from Kingpin are putting on a party with DMX Krew headlining. Thanks to Ed's generosity, we enter without paying door tax. The music's not great at this point, but we find Ed and local Under_score dj Placid in a quiet corner downstairs and sit down for a chat. Ed's gear is already set-up on stage, but he wisely keeps the TB-303 at his side (in it's original plastic carry-case). Then Placid heads for the dj booth and as soon as he steps up to the the decks the vibes improve dramatically. Admittedly the first half of his set is a mixed-bag of nouveaux acid, deep house and dubby disco but for the last half hour he breaks out the proper oldskool shit and suddenly (combined with the lazor-lights and dry ice) it's 1988 all over again, which sets the tone nicely for Ed's live set. We drain a couple of Red Bulls to fortify ourselves for the coming hour's exhertions and join the throng of amiable bohemian clubbers as Ed presses 'play' on his MPC.

Imagine the entire mid-late '80s electro/funk/acid diaspora sped-up to 135bpm and compressed into an hour of relentless beats, bass and hooks, liberally peppered with classic samples and musical quotes that bring flashbacks of Kraftwerk, Simon Harris, Micheal Jackson, Steve 'Silk' Hurley, Pet Shop Boys, Prince and Model 500. Occasionally Ed hypes the crowd on the mic, pitching his voice down to a guttural Phuturistic growl or up to a helium diva squeak, or else politely asking if someone could bring him a glass of water (about 5 people do so in less than a minute). He rinses the 303 - it's beautifully clean, undistorted signature squiggles sending ripples of pleasure through the crowd. Later he gets on a ravey tip with bustling breaks and big bombastic stabs that make me flash on Bizarre Inc., T-99 and early Prodigy, just edging into the '90s. I detect little or no sonic innovation, just sheer exuberant celebration. Lost in music, feel so alive. Dancing With Tears In My Eyes. It's fucking great.

Ed kinda blows it at the end. He decides to sing us a song, in this case 'The Glass Room', one of his old classics. But it's heavily reworked and Ed's gruff, un-vocoder'd voice fails to touch me. Where before he sounded like a clinically depressed Roger Troutman, tonight he just sounds like a karaoke Trent Reznor. But that doesn't stop the crowd baying for an encore, and Ed sees us all right with a tasty cover of "Autobahn" (replete with blippity-blip Casio loops) even though he forgets the lyrics at one point. It was truly a pleasure to witness. Come back soon, mate - you made an old raver very happy.

EDMX LIVE!!

2008-07-04T08:06:00.002+01:00

Info

Q&A with Ed DMX

Gutter: Good to see you're bringing the live show to Bristol. Will you be taking requests? How about '20 Minute Affair' for an encore..?

Ed: Nah, I don't do that kind of stuff anymore. It'll be more electro/techno/acid kinda stuff to dance to. I'm too old to attempt to be a pop singer!

G: I figured that would be the case. One can but dream. But did you ever perform those old songs live in a 'pop' format?

E: Yeah about 4 or 5 times, with a guitarist, live synth etc. The thing is it was quite expensive and you had to be sure it was the right kind of place booking you - you don't want to try and sing a song to a crowd who want to hear banging acid techno.....

G: Yes I guess there's a big difference between performing live in a 'club' environment as opposed to a 'gig' one. So you don't subscribe to the Richard D. James approach of deliberately pissing off your audience then? Or perhaps I should say 'trashing everyone's preconceptions', lol!I guess he can afford to make those suicidal career moves.

E: No my fees are a few orders of magnitude below his so I need to get bookings at least 20 weeks out of the year! Anyway, I think it's a good quality to respect the audience enough to try and make them happy, I mean I won't change what I do to try and second guess the audience, but I try and do something I think is good in the belief that some of them will think it's good as well.

G: What sort of set-up are you bringing along next week anyway? Are you bringing all hardware or what? Its so rare these days to see some decent kit on stage, rather than a bloke with a laptop and maybe a little midi controller. Though I guess transporting a load of synths must be a headache. I always enjoyed the 'spectacle' of groups like Orbital when they were surrounded by all those a-frames full of gear.

E: Yeah unfortunately it's just me so I can't carry loads of gear. There is no budget to even bring a friend to most of my gigs to help carry....and the gear is getting so old and valuable now that it's risky to take it out! So I do it with an MPC and a TB-303 and that's it. Works though and it's more fun than a computer.

G: That sounds good enough for me, Ed - see you down the front!

2008-07-03T20:00:00.001+01:00

Crikey, my man Paul 'Grievous Angel' Meme gets the Pitchfork treatment from Blackdown.

2008-07-02T23:51:00.003+01:00

K-Punk on the dubstep-techno interface over at Fact.

Nice to see some love for the 2562 album at last (my review should be appearing in issue #3 of Woofah quite soon).

In other news, I've been thoroughly enjoying 'Saucy' Jack's latest show on Robotronic Radio.

2008-06-30T15:55:00.001+01:00

Loki @ Glasto.

Kek defiantly not.

Dissension in the ranks, lol!

Personally I'm ambivilant towards the whole thing, but if pushed I have to side wiv tha Kekster on this one.

IT TAKES TWO

2008-06-30T12:56:00.009+01:00

The eighties nostalgia continues unabated at Gutter HQ. So now I've been dusting off the 'Pop Rap' elpees - the kinda records that dropped-off the critical map eons ago, but which, I'm sure, exerted more influence than we care to remember. So who's prepared to stand-up and be counted as fans of early Salt 'N Pepa, Cookie Crew, L'Trimm etc? (I always liked the female rappers best). But then of course there's Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock, who cut possibly my favourite Hip Hop hit "It Takes Two", which is still the definitive example of the JB samplin' "Whoo! Yeh!" vocal loop. The subsequent album is admittedly a bit of a mixed-bag. In fact most of side 1 is a bit dodgy, but side 2 is rockin'. Opening with their other big hit "Get On The Dancefloor", which like Todd Terry's stuff from that period, has that big proto-rave riff running though it. "Keep It Going" feels particularly prescient, revolving around a big dirty Amen break, nagging spooked-out guitar note lifted from the intro to ESG's "UFO", and vocals that gradually slide from standard US rap delivery to Jamaican soundsystem patois, like it's anticipating Shut Up and Dance and Jungle (and let's not forget that SUAD always claimed their music was 'fast hip hop', rather than rave). I hear so many future-echoes in this music...surely it had a subliminal effect on all those British B-Boys turned Ravers..?

BEATS, RAPS, SCRATCHES

2008-06-27T00:12:00.006+01:00

Roxanne Shante with Marley Marl, who also cut some dope shit with MC Shan.

Hard to believe how mind-blowing Cool J was when he first exploded on the scene. He never bettered that debut album, imho.

Schooly D: Just the illist shit known to man.

Basically, when it comes to Hip Hop, I'm an Eighties man. It was great before the fucking rare grooves started appearing. Great before they started adding bloody basslines, melodies etc. Just gimme an 808, some tight scratching and a decent MC and I'm happy. You say I should listen to more Crunk. Yeah probably, but y'know I'm perfectly content with this shit.

Sending this post out to all my home boys, fly girls, etc..

2008-06-23T19:53:00.000+01:00

BFND001...

2008-06-09T18:39:00.000+01:00

...is here.

SUNBURNED @ VENN

2008-06-09T10:18:00.004+01:00

Various commitments in my family and professional life conspired to prevent me from checking most of the fun at this year's Venn Festival, but I did manage to slip out for a Sunday evening session at The Thekla (which, for non-Bristolians, is actually a boat permanently moored at the docks). Unfortunately I'd missed Ice Bird Spiral's set earlier in the afternoon, but it was great to link-up with Kek and Doppelganger for a few drinks and some stimulating conversation out on deck (sitting in the open air on a rare warm summery evening, smoking as many fags as we damn well liked- aah, bliss) followed by another mental blowout below-deck care of premier improv-rockers Sunburned Hand Of The Man, my favourite live band at the moment (actually the only live band I've experienced in recent times, so not much else to compare it to, really!).

Maybe they were slightly more subdued than the last time I saw them, but still it was another fascinating performance, commencing with an all-guns-blazing motorik assault, followed by a meandering exploratory journey through groove-based jamming, wah-wah freakout and beatless freeform electronics. To paraphrase Kek, it's interesting to note how they will sometimes dig themselves into a hole and then have to work out how to claw their way back out again. But it's testament to their seemingly telepathic empathy with each other that, with six people on stage making it up as they go along, the end result seems fairly cohesive and directed. Top gig! Here's a few more of my crappy pics if anyone's interested...

2008-06-04T00:27:00.001+01:00

http://www.robotronicradio.com/

G'warn Jack!

2008-06-02T20:30:00.002+01:00

A minor spate of writing extolling the virtues of the humble cassette tape from Simon and Derek
(and of course the subject is never far away over at Kek's). I haven't read Woebot's Fact piece, cos I still haven't worked out where I can actually pick-up a copy of the damn thing (if it ain't in the racks at my local W.H.Smiths, I'm basically fucked) but can totally relate to Matt's assertion that cassettes have a "sonic superiority--warmer, fuller, stronger" over MP3s. I still play cassettes all the time, mainly in the car. On the odd occasion where Mrs. Gutter decides to jack her iPod Nano into the car's stereo, I have to adjust the EQ - turn-up the bass, lower the treble - in order to achieve a sound that comes barely close to the warm, full-bodied tape sound. Derek's description of tapes changing "like a patchwork quilt as I've dubbed new things next to old" is spot-on too. I'm always over-dubbing new tracks and self-made mixes over older ones, and am often surprised by the things that suddenly pop-up towards the end of a tape, as the new layer is peeled away to reveal earlier recordings (most recent example: deep techno mix giving way to N-Type Rinse FM broadcast circa 2005). Perhaps it's hypocritical of me to favour tape over mp3 when I'm starting a Net-label that thrives on digitising cassette sound, but my excuse is that I'm using the free mp3 download route to do something that would be impossible via other formats, essentially: release the unreleasable. It don't get much more Underground than that.

And speaking of which, if there's anyone out there who's got some old demo recordings featuring any of these babies, I wanna hear from you!

2008-05-27T01:03:00.001+01:00

Oh fuck, it's Captain Croc...

SEVEN SONGS

2008-05-26T22:05:00.004+01:00

Got passed this latest blog meme t'ing by Paul over at Deeptime...

‘List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your spring. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they’re listening to’.

1) No.1 Astronaut - Soundesign
Delightful little home demo recorded back in 1995 by Bob Bhamra (who now records as one half of Data 70). Over a ramshackle tropicalia loop Bob weaved some beautiful melodies using the same sort of delicately distressed keyboard sounds that Boards Of Canada would become famous for a few years later. Amazingly, to this day Bob still hasn't heard a single thing by BoC, yet this suggests that there were strong points of parallel progress between him and them in the mid-90s. Forthcoming on the album "At Home With No.1 Astronaut" via Bleepfiend.

2) nøvim - Other People's Bees
Another '90s home demo, utilizing very basic drum machine + fx to create an intense rhythmic flow of scuttling percussion and distorted tom-toms, underpinned by a solemn low-pitched melodic drone, like a lo-fi Pan Sonic drum workout crossed with early Autechre. Forthcoming on Bleepfiend.

3) Dusk + Blackdown - Focus
See my album review in previous post. I might well have gone for "Rolling Raj Deep", but as Paul already nominated that one I thought I'd go for this wicked Croydon-meets-Detroit-via-Bristol-inspired piece instead.

4) The Stranger - Inverted Burial
The most bleak and depressing V/Vm alter-ego. This track comes from the appropriately named 'Bleaklow' album and is fairly typical of the thunderous, cavernous atmospheres on offer. The nearest comparison I can make is with the heavier end of the dark-ambient/Isolationist movement that briefly flourished in the mid-90s. It's a bum trip, baby, but the perfect soundtrack to another wet, miserable English Bank Holiday. More info here.

5) The Caretaker - Long Term (Remote)
Another V/Vm side-project. With so much haunted music drawing from childhood memories of the '60s and '70s, The Caretaker steps back even further, seeming to dredge the past of our grandparents youth, with this track being a particular favourite from his latest collection "Persistent Repetition Of Thought". Impossibly ancient-sounding, spectral ballroom music caked in a dense layer of static-noise. Alzhiemer-ambiance...the soundtrack to a dying generation's collective memories. Extremely fucking deep. Further info here.

6) Ice Bird Spiral - 5 Black Yachts For Jean
My man Kek and his partner-in-improv Cloudboy unleash another horribly mangled cacophony full of jagged fretboard abuse and other noxious noises, interwoven with seagulls, passages of unfathomable French dialogue and a dispassionate female intoning about morphine injections...transporting me into some kinda TG-circa-"Heathen Earth" nether-zone. Bloody horrible racket yet strangely compelling. Available via Classwar Karaoke net-label.

7) Hot Gossip - I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper
Well after listening to the last three, you need a bit of light entertainment to keep you from falling into the pit of despair, and what better than this magnificent slice of space-disco nonsense, which I played three times in a row earlier on today. I have no idea where this is available to buy/hear these days...I have it on a K-Tel compilation elpee called "Action Replay" from 1978, which also features, among many others, Cerrone's "Supernature", Boney M's "Rasputin" and, somewhat improbably, "Come Back Jonee" by Devo.

Tag you're it:

Kid Shirt

Pop Life

Spen 78

Farmer Glitch

A Personal Miscellany

An Idiot's Guide To Dreaming

West Norwood Cassette Library

MARGINS MUSIC

2008-05-25T22:21:00.008+01:00

Perhaps the most genuinely fascinating long-play experience in recent times, Dusk + Blackdown's "Margin's Music" is a concept album of sorts. As a music journalist, Blackdown (aka Martin Clark), has almost single-handedly mapped the evolution of London's Grime & Dubstep scene(s) via his blog and regular Pitchfork column with a rigourously analytical eye, so its no surprise that, as an artist/producer he and his partner Dusk have come up with such a complex, detailed concept piece. The basic premise of "Margins Music" is to create a kind of audio journey that "meanders around the Capitol's edges", documenting the beats and atmospheres that emanate from the nocturnal avenues.

Beginning in East London's Limehouse district, the first couple of tracks are, beat-wise, in a pretty recognisable zone, with very dry halfstep beats of the kind we've been hearing since around 2005, but still brimming with viscous layers of textural atmosphere. A good scene-setting intro. Then comes the familiar opening bars of "Lata"...but then the track drops down to the vocal before suddenly ramping up the energy with a new 'V.I.P.' riddim. We're now in the thick of London's Asian community, from Green Street through to Wembley, and for me this is the absolute highlight of the whole album, with both "Kuri Pataka (The Firecracker Girl)" and “Rolling Raj Deep" brilliantly merging elements of Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu vocals, Bollywood soundtrack strings and rippling tabla percussion over throbbing sub-bassic beats and swooping synths. Shockingly great stuff!

"Concrete Streets" introduces a very direct grime element care of Durrty Goodz, providing guest vocals with a splintery Bollywood sample chasing his tail as we move into the grimey heartlands of Bow, Hackney, etc. The track works well, very authentically produced, and I guess it had be in there to represent that side of Blackdown's world, but still I can't help feeling that the MC element works better when used as an ambient sound source in it's own right; as ominous background chatter and looped phrases as displayed earlier on. It sounds just like a Grime track, rather than a fleeting snatch heard from a car stereo or whatever. I guess I'd rather keep that feeling of 'audio tourism' (similar to what David Holmes achieved on "Let's Get Killed" - though of course that really was tourism, rather than documenting his own surroundings). But then Trim takes a turn on the mic on "The Bits", which is the half-way point of the album that kinda plods a bit for me. Maybe it's Trim's resolutely 'London T'ing' attitude - all that talk of "I didn't grow up with you, we didn't go to the same nursery, I ain't got no love for you, you weren't there when I was thirteen" is just alienating and off-putting to me, but this is their world and I can totally understand why Blackdown takes the tour down this route. He wants us to take a real hard close look at the psychological make-up of this scene, even if some of us aren't really in the mood to deal with it.

The tone is temporarily lifted by "dis/East" - a superb melange of glassy, gloopy texture over taught, staggered beats, that feels like gliding through pristine cosmopolitan enclaves, before descending into the hellish nether-world of the Turkish/Kurdish areas on "This Is London", a low-slung, dirt-ravaged quagmire where furtive, shady characters loom from the shadows to impart a few harsh realities.

From there we begin to move south towards Norwood, Purley and, inevitably, Croydon, for the final leg of the journey, with the music getting noticeably more 'tracky' whilst introducing African and Japanese sonic elements. Both "Iqbal’s Groove" and "The Drumz of Nagano" are further brilliantly realised instrumentals full of textural detail flickering furtively around the central core of molten bass-pressure and reverb-drenched percussion. But then final cut "Focus" is another matter entirely: a chink of light shining through after all the oppressive darkness. Clean, synthetic, full of bubbling synths and 808 rimshots, "Focus" seems to find salvation from inner city life through a kind of Technofied vision of Utopian futurism, similar to the Detroit artists, though in fact the track was inspired by Dusk witnessing a Peverelist dj set at Subloaded in Bristol. Which means that, in a funny sort of way, my own personal journey through this album ends up back home. What could be more perfect than that?

"Margins Music" is released in July.

2008-05-23T15:14:00.003+01:00

So anyway, I was on one of those family outings to the big soulless out-of-town shopping mall. Casting my ultra-critical eye over the dross in the music section at Waterstones bookshop, I came across the updated/expanded edition of Simon Reynold's "Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture ". I'd been meaning to check it out anyway, yet, even though it was reasonably priced, I couldn't help but wonder if it was worth £8.99 to read a few extra chapters covering developments in the ten years since the first edition. Yes, of course I wanted to read them, after all Simon's been inspiring me with his writing for nearly 25 years. But still...I could buy an album with that sort of money.

So then I said to myself: right, if he's mentioned me in the 'Acknowledgments', I'll buy the damn thing.

Suffice to say, I did buy the damn thing, and I recommend you do too, especially if you never bought the first edition.

In the meantime, keep an eye on the Energy Flash blog, which Simon's been updating on a frequent basis recently.

Currently listening to this. Incessantly.

2008-05-21T16:47:00.002+01:00

Still haven't got our 'products' sorted out yet, but the Myspace promotional tour has begun...mainly to try and attract potential contributors, really. C'mon now people, don't be shy...

www.myspace.com/bleepfiend

PENDLE COVEN @ TAPE

2008-05-17T22:57:00.009+01:00

Had a great evening at Tape last night. Me and Doppelganger arrived early when the place was still empty to chill with some deep house vibes from resident Taper Richard Carnage. Then we witnessed Patchwerk Man's first public engagement in over a decade. The old codger gave a good account of himself, with an uncompromising set of driving minimalism that built to a crescendo of droney/noise-based intensity. He brought along some fresh exclusives on cd-r but the management hadn't laid-on any cd decks for him so he just span vinyl, and even managed to entice some of the early arrivals up onto the dancefloor. The young lady who kept blowing him kisses made him very happy. Let's hope he gets a few more opportunities to play out soon, eh?

Then came the main event. I'd been tantalised with rumours of a full-on live hardware set from Pendle Coven but, due to some technicals, they settled for a stripped-down laptop approach with a midi-controller and some kinda Waldorf rack-synth. It was all going well and the set was just starting to get into it's stride when the Coven were beset by further technicals. The laptop decided it wasn't gonna play ball anymore and started glitching the tunes (in a not nice way), so the live set went out the window and Coven's dj Miles (MLZ) hastily broke out the vinyl and proceeded to tear the roof off for the next hour and a half. It really was an exceptionally good selection that mixed-up the best of the current Techno scene with old classics like "Energy Flash" and occasional bits of proto-dubstep (Artwork, Search & Destroy, etc - "the best stuff", according to Miles). At one point some mystery grime MC turned-up with his own microphone, jacked it into the mixer and proceeded to spit a few bars just as Miles went into a particularly intense broken/twisted section. Everyone got a bit over-excited and the levels were all in the red and the soundsystem was screaming in pain and...it was just one of those wicked moments when everything goes a bit weird and unpredictable and might all explode in a mess any second, but just manages to keep the shit together.

Appeblim followed, though I must admit I missed most of his set cos I was outside in the 'smoking garden' (actually a cramped, dingy alleyway at the side of the building) chatting away with Pendle Coven whilst Miles was treating himself to a well-deserved spliff. What a lovely couple of geezers they are. Although they've only come to international attention in the last few years, they've been active on Manchester's underground scene all through the nineties and they're a proper pair of old ruff diamonds, so full of enthusiasm and love for what they do. My kinda people! Watch out for their album coming out on Modern Love in a couple of months...

Richard Carnage On Warm-Up Duties

Patchwerk Man

Pendle Coven's Waldorf Synth

That Mystery MC

Party People (1)

MLZ Handing Over To Appleblim

Party People (2)

Appleblim In Tha Zone

2008-05-15T15:57:00.004+01:00

Extracts from e-mail exchange earlier today...

Me: i'm trying to get a veneer respectibily with this net-label thing by only using music where i have the permission and involvment of the original artists. i've got some wicked cassettes of forgotten stuff, some by people who i used to know but have long since lost contact with, but i won't be using them until i've tracked down their creators and gotten their agreement.

Him: that sounds like a rather difficult task but I suppose you will have to rely on stuff that has been released previously but just no longer available, correct?

Me: I don't want to use anything that's been officially released, only stuff that's private home recordings or very limited cassette demos. pretty crazy idea isn't it lol!! but i've just got a hunch that a few old soldiers will crawl out of the woodwork when it gets rolling....

Him: fantastic idea - so what you're looking for is 1) unreleased material 2) that's really good that's been sitting around for 15-20 years that 3) you also really like.

have you heard of unicorns? Might be more of a realistic hunt :)

Me: yep that pretty much sums it up, lol!