Love this poster for the upcoming Phantogram and Tycho tour – more info here.
Four From Food Fridays – a weekly look at four things I’ve been loving in the last seven days. They can be new or old, any style so long as it’s been getting some rotation in the studio. From top left:
Smoove – Main Sourced (Wack Records) 7″ – The ‘Breaking Atoms’ album recreated from the original sample sources to brilliant effect, his ‘Return of the Beats’ 45 from last year is still in the box.
Mongrels – Attack The Megalith (Invisible Spies) Hand sprayed white vinyl LP + insert / patch / badge – Attack The Monolith remix album with the usual high quality packaging by Kid Acne
Remaniacs (Audioboom) podcast – A new, balanced podcast for people who won’t just shut up and accept Brexit. Whether we like it or not, this is happening, be informed about what’s coming and how it will affect you.
Danny Ben-Israel – The Katmandu Sessions (Anazitisi Records) – Reissue of a crazed lost Israeli psych holy grail
Pre-order the new issue of Electronic Sound and get the special bundle with the Orbital cover of Kraftwerk‘s ‘Numbers’ on clear vinyl 7″ – only available from them direct and limited in stock
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…
Twenty five years ago my friend David Vallade and I traveled to Brixton to see The Orb, being poor students we ended up buying last minute tickets from a tout outside. When it came to entering the venue David got in and I didn’t as my ticket wasn’t deemed valid. Gutted, I returned home and David was left to do the all-nighter on his own. Above is the flyer, found online earlier this year, a fly poster version of which I had on my wall for years with its early typography by The Designers Republic that was later changed for the album artwork.
I was just in Leeds and saw some beautiful murals art around town on several buildings 
Four From Food Fridays – a weekly look at four things I’ve been loving in the last seven days. They can be new or old, any style so long as it’s been getting some rotation in the studio. From top left:
Jane Weaver – Modern Kosmology (Fire Records) – Still listening to this excellent record, one of the best of the year so far.
The Heliocentrics – A World Of Masks (Soundway Records) – New album of vocal-led jazz, beats and electronics, yet another step in a new direction.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – King Gizz 360 (YouTube) – Watch the full 360 degree concert playing two sets of brand new and old material and move the camera about in any direction. Can’t wait to see them live in two weeks
Lingua Lustra – Myst (Where Ambient Lives) Three tracks of deep, dark ambience
Seeing as it’s half term this week I thought I’d get my two out of the house and the city so, naturally, I opted to visit a secret nuclear bunker out in the countryside near Brentwood. The Kelvedon Hatch Nuclear Bunker is a spooky place and also soon to play host a second version of Alan Gubby’s play / album / gig, The Delaware Road (for more info on exactly what that is – please go here).
For those lucky enough to see the first incarnation at the Reading Arts Club some 18 months ago I can assure you it won’t be a repeat performance but something else entirely. The line up has swollen to twelve artists, the venue will have several spaces operating simultaneously with performers on rotation on different levels and the audience will very much be entering into something to be explored and experienced rather than the narrative-led musical presentation of old. Think of a Cold War setting channeling the Radiophonics and music concrete of the sixties with added pagan and occult references, it’s going to be like some sort of underground (literally) happening where the DJs use tape instead of turntables.
The story will still be a part of the night with Dolly Dolly‘s turn as ‘Director General of The Corporation, a state controlled media organisation‘ happening in one of the spaces, one he’ll be sharing with Ian Helliwell and myself throughout the night. There will be no headlining act, no support or warm up, every artist will contribute to the whole with the star of the night most likely being the venue itself. It’s spooky enough in the day, heaven knows what it’ll be like at night.
Tickets are selling steadily and are almost gone with at least one of the two double decker buses put on to ferry people up from London directly to the site having long sold out. Get yours here
After checking out the Barbara Brown retrospective upstairs (see previous post) I ventured into the lower ground floor of the Whitworth Gallery to see a selection of Lucienne Day textiles, flowers and plants being the overriding theme – just beautiful.
Just before I played my recent Selected Aphex Works AV set in Manchester recently I got the chance to nip out to the nearby Whitworth Gallery and see the Barbara Brown retrospective. She’s one of my favourite textile designers, embracing Op Art in her work for her 15 year run designing for Heals. The material was presented in huge rolls to stunning effect, it’s free entry and on until December, plus in the basement, there’s an equally beautiful Lucienne Day exhibition too (see other post).
The California: Designing Freedom exhibition at the Design Museum is an odd collection of art, print, tech, media and curios that flimsily hangs on the premise that it all originates from the state of California. From the screen print innovations of Sister Corita Kent to the Family Dog psychedelic posters to David Carson‘s Ray Gun magazine design and the skate board craze, on to a recreation of the iconic Easy Rider chopper bike, real Hell’s Angel jackets and the Buckminster Fuller-inspired dome-building communities of the 70s. The links are tenuous or non-existent but all point to people following their own path, whether working alone or as part of a movement. The future looms large from the earliest Apple computers to videos gaming design and Google‘s place as a part of our everyday lives. A joy to behold are some of Syd Mead‘s original concept paintings for Blade Runner which were much smaller than I imagined but no less powerful. It’s on until October, well worth a look…
The new Jane Weaver album is absolutely blinding, debuting at no. 50 in the UK charts this week too, the highest selling record in independent shops around the UK last week. Available on limited vinyl, regular, CD and digital, it’s an instant contender for album of the year lists. Buy it here
The artwork by Andy Votel is beautiful too, full of detail and tiny design flourishes, the foil printing being beautiful to touch.
Four From Food Fridays – a weekly look at four things I’ve been loving in the last seven days. They can be new or old, any style so long as it’s been getting some rotation in the studio. SO much good music about at the moment, from top left:
Jane Weaver – Modern Kosmology (Fire Records) – Fantastic new album, didn’t think she could better The Amber Light but this is already up there
Jon Brooks – Autres Directions (Clay Pipe Music) – Recorded on location in France, beautiful ambient soundscapes from Jon Brooks aka The Advisory Circle
Danny Scrilla – Ancient Musical Box (Cosmic Bridge) Cassette/DL – A surprise from Om Unit’s Cosmic Bridge label, in the form of an album on cassette and DL full of short ambient synth pieces with not a beat in sight.
Jean-Jacques Perry – Et son Ondioline (Forgotten Futures) LP – New reissue label unearthing unreleased early JJP recordings direct from his archive, beautifully packaged too.
Four From Food Fridays – a weekly look at four things that have been doing it for me. They can be new or old, any style so long as it’s been getting some rotation in the studio. A package arrived from the excellent Castles In Space label from Brighton late last week, from top left:
Kl(aus) – Kl(aus) (Castles In Space) LP – Perfect synthscapes evoking everything from 70s electronica to 80s library to 90s ambience, on green vinyl.
CHXFX – Transcranial Targets (Castles In Space) LP – Incredible experimental electronic album that’s as crazed as its sleeve artwork, on orange splatter vinyl too.
Two Ragged Soldiers – Asulya / Water (Castles In Space) 7″ – Beautiful red and black splatter 45
Akiha Den Den – untitled LP (Castles In Space) .wav – Bit of a cheat as it’s still in production, but I was lucky enough to hear the finished album soundtrack of the radio play of the same name and it very good.
Whilst combing the web for something else entirely I stumbled across the work of the late David Klein. I’ve always been envious of artists who can seemingly use every colour in the palette and not make the result look like a dog’s dinner and there are some wonderful combinations here. His travel posters are lushous examples of a bygone era that occasionally resurfaces when illustrating period pieces like Mad Men. His psychedelic version of Alice In Wonderland is one of the best I’ve seen and there’s an oddity of what looks like six unused prelims for The Exorcist in there too. Visit his website to find out and see more…
On Friday night I finally made the pilgrimage to South Norwood, SE25 – not an area of London I’m familiar with – to the little beacon of sound and colour that is Gamma/Sector 25. Run by Rob Swain of the Gamma Proforma label, it’s a bar and gallery representing the music and artists he’s collected around him over the last 15 years and the next step in the evolution of the project. His influence in the area is immediately felt with street pieces in evidence around the location of the bar from artists like She One, Phil Ashcroft and Epod.
Each month he hosts a new display of work entitled ‘Milestones’ where the gallery shows work from an artist he’s worked with and this month was the turn of Will Barras with original paintings from the Divine Styler album Def Mask, his Rammellzee portrait and the upcoming Juice Aleem album among others. Gamma also recently published a book of Will’s work that is well worth getting if you like what you see here. The bar is situated at 14 Portland Road, London, SE25 4PF, nearest train station is Norwood Junction, and is generally open from 7am-5pm, later at weekends.
Below: Details from ‘the coolest toilet in South London’
Below: Details from the art for Juice Aleem‘s new album, ‘Voodoostarchild’
Below: Details from a recent commission, definitely channeling some Syd Mead on the car there.
Below: Details from the art for Divine Styler‘s last album, ‘Def Mask’
Four From Food Fridays – a weekly look at four things that have been doing it for me. They can be new or old, any style so long as it’s been getting some rotation in the studio. From top left:
Markey Funk has been busy of late, releasing several 45s on his Delights label and he’s about to go on tour in Europe too, catch him near you soon.
Kunst – Kunst (Clone) LP – D’n’B producer dgoHn meets Jodey Kendrick which results in an incredible 4th World / post punk / drum n bass / gamelan hybrid.
Daisy Clan – Love Needs Love (Golden 12) 7″ – The guitar line from the Theme to Peter Gunn underpins this heavy, early 70s pop number from Germany.
David Vorhaus – The Vorhaus Sound Experiments (KPM) LP – post White Noise, early 80s electronica from Vorhaus on the KPM 1000 Series.
Pete Williams and I opened and closed our first Further at the Portico Gallery on Saturday. We’d spent the past six months or more preparing for this, creating over 350 hand painted slides, video loops, chaining projectors together to automate them remotely and working out the best way to transform the gallery into a canvas for our work. During my set I looked around and finally relaxed, feeling dwarfed by the encompassing visuals, most of which I’d been painting under a microscope only a few weeks earlier. This is just the beginning, we have plenty more to show and do…
I’ve been posting photos of each of the acts every day here and we’ve set up a new Facebook page for the venture where you can get a peek at all the photos right now, please ‘like’ our page if you do that sort of thing whilst you’re there. Martin LeSanto-Smith took the photos and without him we wouldn’t have been able to physically set the thing up. John Price from the Portico Gallery let us make it happen and was supportive all the way – massive thanks to both of them and also for Hannah Saunders from Big Fish Little Fish who gave advice, loaned projectors, helped on the door and bar and was generally a hero on the night.
Local tape loop heroes Howlround aka Robin The Fog and Chris Weaver performed the score to Steven McInerney’s film, ‘A Creak in Time’ for the first time at Further on May 6th. Tapes were tangled, tweaked and stretched with an audience member even acting as a loop holder at one point. I’ll be posting photos of each of the acts each day here and we’ve set up a new Facebook page for the venture where you can get an early peek at the photos right now, please ‘like’ our page if you do that sort of thing whilst you’re there.
Martin LeSanto-Smith took the photos.
