Love this prospective poster by Signalstarr for Blade Runner 2049, if only the actual posters could have this beautiful restraint although I doubt they will. Follow him on Instagram for generous helpings of ‘New Adventures in Retrofutures’
This weekend saw a new trailer for the film which is quite extensive and possibly contains a rapid-fire run through of quite a lot of the film so don’t watch if you want the element of surprise.
Film
As it’s SDCC this weekend there are all sorts of treats popping up online; the second trailer for the new Thor film makes me want to see it even more than the first trailer did, the previous two films of which I was never that bothered about and only saw on DVD. There’s actually a decent poster too.
Tickets just went on sale for this at Kamio in Old Street, possibly the last chance to see this set in London before I retire it. It’s the first of a series of themed AV gigs I’m set to do at the venue and they even let me design the flyer. I’ll shortly be announcing several other special gigs for the autumn months too…
I’ll be talking about and showing some of my 360 degree dome show at approx 4pm this Saturday at the GaiaNova 360 Theatre launch event in London’s docklands. This was made to accompany my album, The Search Engine, in 2012 and was only shown in London three times on January 19th at the launch event at London’s Planetarium in Greenwich. It’s played in Birmingham’s planetarium, the Leicester Space Centre and a few festivals as well as multiple showings at the SAT centre in Montreal but it rarely gets an outing these days.
The event is free and features all sorts of other dome content and demos, it’s at Cody Dock Cafe 11c South Crescent, London, E16 4TL this Saturday between 11am and 8pm, it’s free but you have to RSVP here
Here’s some screen grabs, imagine this wrapped around a dome and animated…
Si Begg‘s (aka Cabbageboy) new album, ‘Blueprints’ (out June 16th via Shitkatapult) has a very interesting story behind it:
“The concept for the album sprang fully formed when Begg came across the notebook, a beautifully preserved leather-bound volume, annotated in his grandfather’s precise hand. The book was filled with meticulous diagrams of compressors and parallel air ducts, graphs recording comparative noise levels at different factories, statistical information detailing the thermal efficiency of power stations, alongside blueprints for futuristic machines yet to be built.”
There are some lovely videos to go with some of the tracks which definitely have a dose of the Ghost Box / Radiophonic about them.
Si Begg – Blueprints (Observation 2 : Isometric Projection) from si begg on Vimeo.
He also did a mix for Darkfloor Sound’s Mantis Radio charting electronics and its evolution from the 1950s to present day, taking in Delia Derbyshire, Mika Vainio, Stockhausen, Daphne Oram, Cluster, Philip Glass, Negativland, Tangerine Dream, John Carpenter and even Hawkwind (it starts after the first hour).
I finally got around to editing the footage from Further last month so you can see how the visuals worked in situ, I’m particularly pleased with how Pete and my projections turned out although the film still can’t convey the vividness of the slide colours. This is the start, we have plenty of plans for more…
Two collab mixed media prints from Jim Mahfood and Mike Huddleston. Limited edition, printed on acid-free, 300gsm, lightly textured fine art rag paper. Signed by both artists with a little original doodle!
Measures 15 x 29 – buy here
Looks gorgeous, sounds decent, a bit too ‘action packed’ in places but I’m assuming that’s the edit for the trailer rather than quite how the film will ultimately play out. I took some screen grabs of favourite scenes. The Atari logo, the new Spinner design, the old Spinner in Deckard‘s home, the epic architecture, deep colour grade, sumptuous neon.
DJ HDD hipped me to this, it’s a couple of years old but I’d never heard of or seen the artist before. A hell of a lot of work there in 15 minutes, elements remind me of Cyriak, People Like Us and more…
Shot last Friday during our stint in support of the Orb – big shouts out to Steve Williams for filming, Martin LeSanto-Smith and Mike Oscar for photos and everyone who knows us.
This was a test, tickets for the first Further proper on May 6th at the Portico Gallery, SE27 are on sale now and nearly gone…
Very pleased to be bringing my Selected Aphex Works AV set to the Splice festival on Friday May 26th at Rich Mix in London. Coldcut and the legendary Emergency Broadcast Network are playing the same evening and there are acts all weekend with workshops, talks and more in the day. Check the line up and buy tickets at www.splicefestival.com
Friday saw myself and Pete Williams as part of the bill for the Orb‘s extravaganza at the Royal Festival Hall on the Southbank, doing a test run for our Further event on May 6th. Upon being asked to play on the 5th floor balcony area by Alex Paterson, we decided to use a load of our equipment to projection all along the roof of the outside area overlooking the Thames. We got in around 1pm and were just about set up by 7pm when Michael from The Book & Record Bar and DJ Dadaist aka George Holt arrived. Teething trouble with getting the lights turned off or down so that we could see the projections were dealt with as were security who suddenly roped off the public space and would only let ticket holders for the gig in the main auditorium in. As the daylight faded and the projections along the balcony pointing across the ceiling appeared, everything clicked into place.
Tons of friends turned up and we managed to get a lot of great photos and footage before the 11.30pm curfew. I even managed to see a bit of The Orb with Youth painting a huge canvas live onstage, walking in just as one of my favourite tracks, O.O.B.E. was playing. Strip down of the equipment took two hours by the time we were loaded out, then driving back to unload and retiring to our beds saw that it was 3am by the time I hit the sack. All worth it though, a very memorable night and a success in terms of what we wanted to achieve.
(Many thanks for the photos above: Martin Le Santo-Smith, and below: Mike Oscar)
I’m sure it’s been noted all over the net as fanboy analysis videos pick apart ever inch of this trailer but it seems to mirror parts of the first Force Awakens trailer with the sudden ‘jolt’ appearance of an out of breath main character at the start, Vader‘s melted helmet replaced by Kylo Ren‘s and the flying craft skimming the surface shot. There may be more but those were the ones that stuck out to me. Not a lot to get excited about here at the moment for me, those new ships look a bit like B-Wings, is that Carrie Fisher from behind? Glad to see Phasma back, I hope they’ll actually use her this time. Nice nod to the original Star Wars poster in this teaser too.
Loving the Jack Kirby-esque background and costume designs in the trailer for the new Thor film
Bristol’s The Allergies – featuring a certain DJ Moneyshot who I collaborated with on The Paul’s Boutique 3-Way Mix with DJ Cheeba – have a new single out and it’s a surefire summer festival electro pop earworm. There’s a great video (below) with a 45 on Jalapeno Records plus an album finished and due the summer.
You can get it here
Here’s a trailer for what to expect at Further on May 6th at the Portico Gallery
DJ Food & Pete Williams present a new, irregular evening by creating an audio visual space to enjoy. Films, slides, oil projections, food, drink and plenty of seating form the environment to soak up the sights and sounds.
Programme:
7.30 – 8.30: Doors, there will be a record stall with stock picked to compliment the evening by Micheal from the nearby Book & Record Bar and delicious food from local café Pinterdera served alongside the fully licensed Portico bar with beers & ales
8.30 – 10.00: Ghost Box Records in the form of Jim Jupp (Belbury Poly) and Julian House (The Focus Group) will be playing an audio visual DJ set.
10.00 – 10.3: Howlround will perform a live score to ‘A Creak in Time’, a film by Steve McInerney (Psyche´-Tropes), via tape loops and reel to reel machines.
10.30 – 12.00: DJ Food & Pete Williams will open and close the evening with their multi-projection Light & Sound Designs.
Location: Portico Gallery, 23B Knight’s Hill, London, SE27 0HS, UK
Tickets here: (limited cheaper early bird price nearly gone)
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/further-at-the-portico-gallery-tickets-32880361045
Travel:
Train: West Norwood overground station (1 min walk)
Buses: 2, 68, 196, 315, 322, 432, 468, 690
Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral is to host ‘The Liverpool Mass’ (Messe de Liverpool) by Pierre Henry on May 13th.
Developed by one of the godfather’s of musique concréte for the Cathedral’s inaugural mass in 1967, it wasn’t completed it in time and another work was substituted. Now, 50 years on, in a unique collaboration between Henry and Bluecoat, the piece will be staged in full at the Cathedral, in an immersive experience. With a sound design created especially for the space using 40 speakers arranged around its circumference, The Liverpool Mass will be presented as a live mix by Henry’s collaborator Thierry Balasse.
Consisting of six movements – Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei and Communion – the work interprets the traditional mass through recitation of its texts, accompanied by musical instruments ‘treated’ by Henry to produce a composition fitting for the ceremonial and celebratory occasion of the Cathedral’s inauguration.
This will be the first time The Liverpool Mass has been presented with Henry’s cooperation and a new sound design in the setting for which it was originally intended: a mid-20th century modernist structure with distinctive ‘brutalist’ architecture of concrete and stained glass. Henry’s electronic score was intended to complement this daring new building, as the sound would resonate in the magnificent, cavernous, light-filled circular interior. Watch this fascinating short film about how the stained glass was made for the top tower.
The evening programme will begin at 7.30pm with a set by Vincent Epplay and Samon Takahashi, made in response to Henry’s music in the Cathederal setting. Tickets cost £10 or groups of ten or more get a discount of £7 per head – on sale here.
Now that’s a poster!
I think a projected record of this title (based around John Tottenham‘s writing) was in the works when I first met Matt Johnson back in 2003, but finally, he and director Johanna St. Michaels have put together a documentary of ‘The Inertia Variations’. In the intervening years it has morphed into a film about Matt, not a musician with a copious output during the last 15 years (although by no means dormant, he just quietly ‘left’ the music business without telling anyone) and his struggle to write new songs. It follows him in the run up to his 12 hr Radio Cineola broadcast from his ‘War Room’ that culminated in a set of reinterpreted classics and the debut of a new song.
The premiere is happening next week in Copenhagen at the CPH:DOX festival with Matt and Johanna attending a Q&A on the 23rd at Cinemateket and on the 25th at Kunsthal Charlottenborg. Hopefully there will be a UK showing soon