Sommet

I couldn't resist making a short stop at Kollaps records in Stockholm this last Saturday on the international Cassette Store Day. I didn't pick up any of the CSD specific releases but went away with two tapes nonetheless. One of them was the tape version of the self titled album by Sommet, that I had been contemplating getting for a while. This concept album focused on Mount Everest consists of seven thematically named instrumental tracks of quite accessible synthesizer music. There's obvious links to the nostalgia soaked tunes of the Ghost Box camp and various incarnations of early eighties library music. It's sometimes quite simplistic in nature, but Sommet manages to make it work beautifully. After a few days listening to this I'm very impressed. The tape edition (of only 50 copies) seems to be sold out at source (though if you're in Stockholm, Kollaps seem to have one copy left) but there is a vinyl edition and a cd edition available from Desire Records. So if you're into Ghost Box, Steve Moore or the more melodic side of kosmische be sure to check this one out.

Maurizio Bianchi on bandcamp

Part of the allure of the slightly eccentric italian noise pioneer known as Maurizio Bianchi or simply M.B is the difficulty in getting hold of his work. Both because his back catalogue, at least the privately released tape part of it, is a bit hard to survey, and the lack of authorized downloads and more commonly available editions on cd, vinyl or cassette. However with the launch of the At War With False Noise bandcamp page recently their 2CD compilation of the Computers S.P.A. and Com.SA tapes is available to stream or buy at a very reasonable price. Both cassettes were partly released on the Vinyl on demand box set Archives in 2006, but are here given a full release in all their glorious 2 hours worth of vintage noise drones. As with many early M.B. releases the tracks seems to be 2 channel recordings panned hard right and left. Some of the early M.B.s stuff is quite contemplative in a dark ambient kind of way, but this one is much more confrontational and well, quite disturbing. If you're after the more murky ambient stuff go hunting for The ACVI tapes box set or the AWWFN 2CD edition of Technology 1&2 on Discogs. But if you're interested in the origins of noise and industrial be sure to check out the stream of Computers S.P.A/Com.SA on bandcamp, and you'll probably find you'll want to order a copy before they run out.

Space Wars Vol. 2

Today I released the second installment in my Space Wars-series of imaginary soundtracks for never made sci fi movies and television series. Space Wars Vol. 2 differs from Vol. 1 (released in November 2012) in that it relies much more heavily on hardware synthesizers and drum machines. Vol. 1 was a bit of an oddity for me these days in that it contained quite a lot of tracks done with mainly software synthesis. Vol. 2 also features more rhythms and drums than Vol. 1 and is probably a bit more melodic too, well I'll let the listener be the judge of that.

Anyway Space Wars Vol. 2 is out there to stream or download for free. So get it now.

Radical Tea Party

I used to be in a synthpop band called Radical Tea Party. That was before that name would lead people to associate to certain American political movements. I thought it was a really clever name when I came up with it sometime in 2001: one quite un-radical thing (drinking tea) mated with the word radical. I'm not quite as fond of it nowadays. When I decided to put our old demos up on Bandcamp I played with the idea of shorten the name to something like RTP to avoid any misconceptions, but eventually decided against it. Radical Tea Party is a part of my musical past, and I feel I have as much right to the name (and interpretation of it) as anybody else. When we retired Radical Tea Party in about 2009, the name issue was very much a part of the decision. By then I had started to get very weird invitations from people on MySpace, urging me to "help take our nation back", people who obviously hadn't listened to a word of our lyrics, read our song titles or even checked which country we resided in.

Radical Tea Party is a part of my past, the type of music we made doesn't really interest me today, but I decided it was time to put up some of our stuff on Bandcamp, if for no other reason than to bring some structures to our back catalogue. So far our second demo album "Frostland Mysteries" has been published. I also aim to present both the first "Radically Yours" demo from 2003 as well as the 2006 "Earl Grey OD" soon, along with some kind of outtakes/archive collection.

John Steed and his white Stylophone

This sequence from an episode of The Avengers (actually think it's from The New Avengers, but haven't really beem able to verify it) almost plays as a commercial for the Dubreq Stylophone. Either product placement was a lot less expensive in those day, or the Stylophone business was really booming in the mid seventies.

Hacker Farm

It's been a while since I posted anything, so I've a bit of catching up to do. One of the acts I have been getting in to and been enjoying immensely during the start of this year is rural industrial sound explorers Hacker Farms two albums "Poundland" and "UHF". Hacker Farm and some affiliated acts (IX-Tab and Kemper Norton) got a well deserved write up in The Wire Magazine this fall. I had been meaning to check out their stuff since then but it wasn't until the DL version of "UHF" turned up on Boomkat that I took the plunge. Well, what can I say, after that it wasn't long before I had ordered the CDr of "Poundland" from Norman Records as well.

Both albums are wonderful examples of everything I wish for in industrial/electronic music. When I first heard "UHF" it was like listening to an album I had hoped to hear for so long. What I particularly like about Hacker Farm is the inherent playfulness in their approach to the genre. Whereas way to many industrial/experimental tale themselves way too seriously. With Hacker Farm there's a true sense of exploration and, dare I say it, fun. By this I don't mean to imply that their work shouldn't be taken seriously, it most definitely should. Well, I feel a bit out of practice here so let's conclude by saying that these two albums are an absolute must if you have the slightest interest in TG, early Cabs or anything of that ilk. Totally contemporary and utterly arcane at the same time.

A year ago I had just started a three month tenure at a children's book publisher in Chichester, and it was with some annoyance that I noted the Hacker Farm/IX-Tab/Kemper Norton-event at the Outer Church a couple of weeks ago. Had it taken place a year ago it would have been easy for me to attend ...


Read full review of UHF - Hacker Farm on Boomkat.com ©

5 unmissable reissues of 2012

A short list of some reissues that have caught my attention during 2012. In no particular order, and as with the other best of 2012 list it only includes stuff I've purchased and have had the time to listen to properly. Looking at these five titles I realize that I own four of them in physical form, compared to the Top 20 list where I've bought the absolute majority only on digital. There's of course a logic to this, in that reissues quite often include a lot more interesting liner noter than more contemporary releases ...
 anyway here goes, five unmissable reissues of 2012:

Laurie Spiegel – The Expanding Universe

Amazing reissue of computer music classic from the early eighties with a full albums worth of extra material from the same sessions as the original. Incredibly fresh sounding compositions that put most of the current neo-kosmishe/pastoral electronic scene to shame.

Read full review of The Expanding Universe (2012 Expanded Edition) - LAURIE SPIEGEL on Boomkat.com ©

F.C. Judd – Electronics Without Tears

Compilation of tracks by less aknowledged pioneer of british early electronics. Way up there with Oram and the rest of the Radiophonic bunch.

Daphne Oram – The Oram Tapes Vol. 1

A more comprehensive collection than the Oramics collection and a huge step in the right direction in order to make Orams legacy available to the public. The exhibition at the Science Museum in London along with this made 2012 a very good Oram year.

Read full review of The Oram Tapes: Volume One - DAPHNE ORAM on Boomkat.com ©

Lego Feet – Skam001

Reissue of the very first Autechre album with double playing time compared to the original. Strictly speaking released on cd in 2011, but the vinyl version came out this summer.

Read full review of Ska001CD - Lego Feet on Boomkat.com ©

Suzanne Ciani – Lixivation

Great compilation of Ciani’s early output. Not a dull moment in it’s arguably quite short running time. One of those albums you wish would be longer, because a listen always leaves you wishing for more. Thankfully there's also the great reissue of Seven Waves that was released this autumn.

Read full review of Lixiviation - Suzanne Ciani on Boomkat.com ©