I do like seeing animated versions of graphics I’ve designed. This was done by Elliot Seeds from the Ninja Tune office and here’s this week’s guest mix version.
You’re probably sick of reading about these two characters on here – Dan Lish and Rammellzee – a perfect combination, a before and after depiction, a pair of limited, signed colour A4 prints available from Gamma Proforma now.
I’m very chuffed to have an interview with Savage Pencil aka Edwin Pouncey in the new Rough Trade book celebrating 40 years of the shop and associated labels. Just published by Thurston Moore‘s Ecstatic Peace imprint it’s packed with scrapbook-like anecdotes, photos, poems, drawings and interviews by a who’s who of the independent scene.
My piece runs to five pages and covers SavX‘s career from aspiring cartoonist and early employee of the Portobello shop to Blast First cover artist and abstract painter with Battle Of The Eyes. The interview was so long that I had to cut it down by more than half so I’ll publish the full thing here with many illustrations once the book has been out a while.
*Also – there’s a free John Grant one-sided 45 with etched B side if you buy the book from Rough Trade shops
The Hintermass LP arrived yesterday in all its summery glory, just check out that artwork, good enough to eat. As with all things Ghost Box it’s another piece of Julian House wonder, how he does it I do not know, always different but always quintessentially ‘House’. The music is a new collaboration by Jon Brooks (The Advisory Circle etc.) with lyrics on half the tracks by Tim Felton (Seeland / ex-Broadcast). A mixture of folk-tinged songs and ‘Krauty’ electronica, it’s too early to fully comment at the moment but on first listen I’d say it’s worth it for the last track alone. Listen and buy here
Just opened at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park (alongside the current KAWS exhibition) Eduardo Paolozzi collage prints from their collection. I’m booking a train to Wakefield.
The end is nigh, Hellboy’s story is done (for the moment) as far as Mike Mignola is concerned. Read more here
A few weeks ago, when I played the Resonance FM fundraiser at The Book & Record Bar, I gave Zoe ‘Lucky Cat’ Baxter a couple of Ultraman 45s from my collection as a present. I’d picked them up in Japan over 15 years before and had bought them in to an OST show with Jonny Trunk years ago, more to show him the sleeves than to play the music. I met Zoe for the first time there as she has the show before Jonny and she recently reminded me that she was wildly coveting the records back then as she loves East Asian culture.
They’d been sitting in my collection for years, unplayed and unseen, so I thought, ‘why not give them to someone who will appreciate them more than me?’, seeing as we were on the same bill. She’s already put them to good use by including them in an Ultraman special on her radio show and showing off the covers on her Instagram (see above and below). She has a wealth of information on the show and it’s nice to know that they’ve gone to a good home.
Graphic Means (Official Trailer) from Briar Levit on Vimeo.
Graphic Means is a film about graphic design processes through history from hot metal, PMT to the desktop publishing revolution of the 90s and beyond. Funded by a Kickstarter in 2014, director Briar Levit has pulled together 25 interviews with many leading figures in the field and is now in post-production with the aim of an Autumn 2016 release. You can find out more at the Graphic Means website, pre-order the DVD and buy a calendar and badges to help fund the film to the finish line.
The Delaware Road is a psychological thriller & an audio-visual treat for fans of archived electronica, far out jazz & haunted folk grooves. Loosley based on the lives of influential electronic musicians Delia Derbyshire & John Baker from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
Compere: Dolly Dolly
Live perfomers: Howlround, The Dandelion Set, Ian Helliwell, The Rowan Amber Mill, Robin Lee, Loose Capacitor, Tim Hill, The Twelve Hour Foundation, Revbjelde.
Now booking for live shows in 2016. Contact: [email protected]
Also available as a 19 track compilation CD + download via Buried Treasure Records
Thanks very much to Josh from Posthuman for putting me on his excellent radio show, there’s no chat in this one due to studio gremlins and my mix begins about 58m mins in.
The world’s first ever all 45 Acid mix? There’s a 7 day download link in the comments too
You know the deal by now, the latest 9 daily experimental designs from my Instagram – these were made from miscellaneous photos of analogue kit I’ve had kicking about for years: a Russian reel to reel machine, Abbey Road desks, Sarm Studios patch bays and the like. I started with the central image, photos divided up and decreasing in size on themselves and then started putting mirror images together. Sometimes it’s amazing what forms itself when you place to edges together.
Hands up who remembers ROM: The Space Knight? The character has been tied up with rights-holders Hasbro for years to my knowledge but it looks like that’s been sorted now. He’s coming back via IDW for Free Comic Book Day this year:
“Rom the Space Knight #0 will feature an introductory 10-page story of Rom’s arrival on Earth, an incident that sets up an ongoing Rom series launching in July 2016.” Great cover by Zach Howard and Nelson Daniel
Whilst perusing the web for High Rise posters I came across this great one for A Field In England by Jay Shaw
Yes I am biased, as two of my closest friends are part of the group, but, true to the golden rule of this blog – that I don’t post anything that I don’t personally love – this needs to be featured. I was lucky enough to wangle a digital file of the B side, ‘All Hands On Deck’ out of the crew last summer and played it as the last track in a gig in Russia where it finished the night in fine style. An uptempo cut with a triple DJ cut jam between Ollie Teeba, DJ Woody and Mr Thing that should leave scorch marks at any B-Boy jam. You can preview & buy the 45 or DL now from here
I saw this poster – designed by Rich Fox – for the film ‘High Rise’ on the Cube Cinema‘s twitter feed and it led me down a wormhole of other, official posters for the film.
Taken from the Audio Arcana blogspot: this is an incredible find in the discography of Ken Nordine; a 7″ EP of the original Fuller Paint Company adverts that went on to form the basis for his classic album, ‘Colours’. These versions are markedly different from the ones on the Philips LP and a new track, ‘All Colours’ shows up at the end. More info and full download HERE
I found this by the door of a record shop along with all the other piles of free magazines the other day. It’s nice to see something like this in amongst the slickly designed, oh-so-cool others that vie for your attention. Crammed full of alt. / weirdo / mondo / trash / whatever you want to call it culture and proud of it. Goblinko is a store in the States that sells all sorts from badges to posters to T-shirts, records and fanzines. There’s not many left like this
Found the other day in the middle of the West End, was only looking wistfully at one on eBay the other week. Inside the cover, the contents are beautifully preserved with the slotty having never been assembled. The version of Humpty Dumpty on the flexi, by Roger Hyslop, actually breaks into an uptempo funky arrangement halfway through! There are two more slottys in the range but this is by far my favourite.
Ted McKeever fans – he’s been back making comics on his own terms for a while now but Pencil Head might just be the best yet. A thinly disguised McKeever is a main character in a career-referencing look at life as a comic creator working in the industry. He’s pursued by his own personal demon and there’s all sorts of other weirdness going on in a strip peppered with the kind of oddball characters he does best.
Past works get referenced (Transit, Metropol, Eddy Current and more) which make it a joy for the fans to spot the little cameos. It’s only 2 issues in but it’s a lot more fun than his recent angst-ridden output. A one of a kind comic creator making a book about being just this in an industry that wants everyone to fit the same mold.