April 2017 Mix

It's my last day off, so a hastily arranged mix, even though I've been intending to do it today for a while. Like an orderly French queue which chaotically evaporates at the first sight of its bus, my best laid plans often come to nothing and spontaneity sets in. Not a bad thing in itself, but I must be more strategic from now on.

Here's what's on it: 

B1 – SW (Sued 015)

People Fix (Huerco S Remix 1) – Olin (Giegling)

A – Cottam 6 (Cottam)

Lost Of Light – Powder (ESP Institute)

Astrolook – Danny Dorado (Adult Contemporary)

Moments In Limbo – Present From A Small Distant World (Aroma Pitch)

In My Head – Gemini (Classic)

Scepsis – Versalife (Trust)

Infinition – Quadrant (Planet E)

Cassandra (Fred P Remix) – Donato Dozzy (Claque Musique)

Rider – 100hz (Modugoove)

Dead Soul (Joey Anderson Remix) – Hunter/Game (Just This)

Nebula – Autre & Xinner (Metrolux)

Femweh – Artefakt (Delsin)

Pulse – JS Zeiter (MCMLXV)

Bassoon – Mark Ambrose (Mosaic)

Gen – Carrying Ghosts (Feel Raw)

Call – Lynx (Bau)

Skyfall (Deniro Aude Mix) – Tracey (Voyage Direct)

Regain Your Soul – Dwayne Jensen (Is Was)

Dystopia – Inge Mauer (Shtum)

0938342-2/26 – Istar (Zeinkali)

Yours – Baaz (Office)

Rotunde – Aera (Hivern Discs)

Bringing Slide Back – Seldom Seen (Frustrated Funk)

A Tape - Helena Hauff (Dark Entries)

Title: A Tape

Artist: Helena Hauff

Label: Dark Entries

Cat Number: DE-149

Genre: Techno/Noise/Abstract

A1: C45p

A2: Hdowed

A3: For I Am Dead

B1: Pps

B2: Tape?

B3: Split Scission

C1: Ff297-3

C2: Btdr1123

C3: I#+ #1

D1: $§"$43

D2: 29acid3

D3: Yyh

Released two years ago on cassette, ‘A Tape’ gets its first outing on vinyl courtesy of Dark Entries. Some tracks stand out, others melt into the background; what unites them however, is a raw, abrasive, primal subtlety which exposes Hauff’s modus operandi in all its splendor. Known more as a DJ than producer, probably because it’s more fun, Hauff created a sound palette with ‘A Tape’, something from which to reference individual sonic inclination as much as stimulation. And, although the blend of the ambient/dissonant with the rhythmic is hardly ground breaking, it feels natural and uncontrived.

Body Hammer

Emblematic Ruin - Verge (Avian)

Title: Emblematic Ruin

Artist: Verge

Label: Avian

Cat Number: AVN029

Genre: Techno

1: Conduit

2: Thorri

3: Effigy

4: Transient

5: Deluge

6: Spleen

7: Hinterland

8: Suspension

The difference between what passes for ambient and noise is, amongst other things, tonal, as well as cerebral. I suppose it all depends what mood the listener is in. The industrialized overtones which cascade out of the speakers in response to this engagement offer little solace to me, however. If I’ve got to the point when I say “if I’ve heard one noise album, I’ve heard them all”, then it’s now. Love the sounds and their various mutations, but there is only so much to be done within this relatively narrow genre, and there’s very little here to broaden it.

Fred P

THE INCREDIBLE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN P: ESCAPISM from Soul People Music on Vimeo.

Ballet Bag - Rubella Ballet (Dark Entries)

Title: Ballet Bag

Artist: Rubella Ballet

Label: Dark Entries

Cat Number: DE-151

Genre: Punk

A1: T

A2: Belfast

A3: A Dream Of Honey

A4: Newz

A5: Slant & Slide

A6: Me

A7: Blues

A8: Exit

B1: Krak Talk

B2: Me (Peel Session)

B3: Ballet Dance (PS)

B4: Belfast (PS)

B5: T (PS)

B6: Slant & Slide (PS)

B7: Exit (PS)

Well this takes me back. I could be in Vinnie’s, or my own, room in the years after having left school. Another world, one when even though faced with similar political questions, with the dire threat of nuclear war hovering over us, (something which I never thought would happen, btw), was in many ways a happier, much more optimistic one. Listening to post punk nowadays is very much a blast from the cold war, and Rubella Ballet, with their classic sounding grunginess, guitars crashing together in some sort of transistor-insprired mayhem, and the flat, but shouty vocals, typified a certain amateurish but charming aspect of it. (Not just "it" but everything, to an extent). Except for opener ‘Emotional Blackmail’, a Siouxsie-influenced stomp and for my money the best thing here, and ‘T’, nothing, clocks in at over four minutes. ‘Newz At Ten’ barely makes it over a sixty seconds, while most tracks come in at between two and three. Small, condensed shots of unrefined energy that serve to define a nostalgia which was, in those days, of an age yet to come.

X Years In London - Braiden (Off Out)

Title: X Years In London OST

Artist: Braiden

Label: Off Out

Cat Number:

Genre: Soundtrack

1: Revenant

2: Spark Gap

3: Sundry

4: Rapid Response

5: Wisteria

6: Substrate-Reprise

I didn’t know what to expect, but was anticipating something all the same. ‘X Years In London OST’ arrived like promos tend to do these days, with no fanfare in my inbox. I was attracted to this release by its concept, as I’m currently onto the third part of the Robinson trilogy, and have just watched St Etienne’s ‘Finisterre’. I’m not sure if Braiden’s OST works, but it has its moments; most of them coming in and amongst ‘Rapid Response’, ‘Wisteria’ and ‘Substrate-Reprise’. A strong finish to a decidedly shaky start then, where atmosphere finally trumps overproduction.