MuhMur Radio Broadcast 23 November 2023

 

The cassette 'Memories' is my first introduction to the Japanese sound artist Kyohei Hayashi. 'Memories' has been released, in an edition of 23, by Neus-318. Neus-318 is the label operated by Osaka based musician Kazuya Ishigami. Kazuya has been releasing output on Neus-318 since the last 1990's.  Always fascinating sounds. The Kazuya Ishigami piece played later in the broadcast is from a split cassette, again limited to 23 copies, with the American nomad (noismad?) Praying For Oblivion. From Kyohei's soundcloud page "Born in 1984 in Fukui, Japan. Kyohei Hayashi is a sound artist, cartoonist and thinker". https://soundcloud.com/hayashikyohei. More information about the releases on Neus-318 can be found via Kazuya's bandcamp page. https://neus318.bandcamp.com/merch. Don't ask me why but the groove and texture of 'Violence Police Galaxy' reminds me Cabaret Voltaire's 1983 classic 'Gut Level'. 

Over the past few months there seems to have been quite a few re-issues and releases by Marien Van Oers Het Zweet project. Staalplaat, Klanggalerie and the Greek label Modal Analysis amongst the labels. All good quality releases and now add EE Tapes to the list. They have just put out the CD '2xLive88'. A recording from the 1988 concert in Elsloo, Holland and a live radio 'concert' for Dutch radio. The Elsloo concert was supporting Bourbonese Qualk and I have a feeling that Simon and Steve both assisted Marien on the evening. It's a great document of a great project. https://eetapes.bandcamp.com. 

On This Day in 1979 Simple Minds released their second, and in my opinion finest, album "Reel To Real' on Zoom Records. The two tracks in this broadcast are from this album. 

The other week I was chatting with Nigel Ayers and the name Philip Sanderson and Storm Bugs came up. I can't remember why, but Nigel said that he's played with Philip recently at a Klanggalerie Festival in Vienna. I knew nothing about this and then Philip posts the CD album 'Underneath The Underneath : A Vienna Souvenir' on the Klanggalerie label. The album contains rehearsals for and pieces from the 'Klang30' performance.

I am uncertain whether or not Storm Bugs are still active but Philip has been releasing solo work under his own name and Ice Yacht moniker quite prolifically over the past couple of years. More information on these can be got at : https://snatchtapes.bandcamp.com/music.

A future release on the American 'Love Earth Music' label is the first Modelbau vinyl album 'Inlets'. I did question Frans about the claim of first vinyl album after the 2018 LP "Xerox" on Des Astres d'Or but apparently that doesn't count as it was a lathe-cut and limited to only 25 copies. Copies of Modelbau's first (and at this point only) 7" vinyl EP can be bought via me. https://haemoccultrecordings.bandcamp.com. 

Local hero Soloman Tump appears on the Weston-Super-Mare based label Human Geography Recordings with the cassingle 'Bun Rights'. A C-15 limited to 15 copies only. 'Bun Barrow' is from this cassingle. 

https://human-geography-recordings.bandcamp.com/merch to grab a copy. 

Mort Aux Vaches was an interesting offshoot label of Staalplaat. It started in the mid 1990s and ended in the mid-noughties. (I do hate the phrase "noughties"). I have a feeling that Staalplaat started re-issuing some releases as downloads a couple of years back, but anyway, as far as I am concerned the project is over .... I don't have many of the releases, all on CD by the way, but I enjoy what I have ... Maeror Tri, Contrastate, Kapotte Muziek and John Duncan. All recordings were live recordings for the Dutch national radio station VPRO, although it has now been reported that some of the 'live' recordings were pre-recorded. Information thanks to the Internet. 'Mort Aux Vaches' translates in to English as 'Death To Pigs', an anti-police chant of the French. The John Duncan piece is from the 1997 CD 'Seen', part off the Mort Aux Vaches series. 

I first came across Andy Ortmann in 2008 and his LP "Provocative Electronics" on the excellent Pan label. The label run by Bill Kouligas (of Family Battle Snake fame). Pan have put out great records in the past 25 years or so, albums by Helm, Mark Durgan, Dilloway & Lescalleet and Sewer Election spring to mind. 'Provocative Electronics' is on Andy's own Nihilist label and is a TRIPLE ALBUM! Majestic. It was recorded and constructed between 2019 and 2023. 'Paranormal Underground' first appeared on Michael Esposito's Spectral Electronic label in 2020 and includes EVP recordings made by Michael. The version here has been drastically reworked. https://nihilistrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/psychoacoustic-electronics for more information and availability. 

Another release that was made for radio is Elen Huynh & Mark Vernon's new release "Mal De Débarquement". A cassette on the French Choses Contraires label. 

The programme ends with a '78 classic single by Scottish group Zones. Zones began on Zoom Records, the same as Simple Minds. I was tempted to play their "No Angels" track from their first 7" but opted for a favourite Zones track of mine ... 'Sign Of The Times'.

It's their first single for Arista and was followed by the album "Under Influence", although the single doesn't appear on the album. The first &' off the album was "Mourning Star". I saw Zones in 1979 at Lincoln AJ's, I had their poster on my wall. Zones were (basically) Slik without Midge Ure. The bassist Russell Webb joined the Skids and drummer Kenny Hyslop was in Simple Minds. The singer / guitarist Willie Gardner was a cousin of Alex Harvey and went on to be in Endgames. It's only information! 

Thanks for listening. The broadcast has been posted on Mixcloud here:

https://www.mixcloud.com/muhsteve/muhmur-radio-broadcast-23-november-2023/

Playlist :

01: Kyohei Hayashi : "Violence Police Galaxy" (Neus-318) 2023.

02: Cabaret Voltaire : "Gut Level" (Les Disques Du Crepusculé) 1983.

03: Hew Zweet : "Tribal Running (A Lot Of Sweat Mix)" (EE Tapes) 2023.

04: Simple Minds : "Veldt" (Zoom Records) 1979.

05: Philip Sanderson : "Line D" (Klanggalerie) 2023.

06: Kazuya Ishigami : "Anecdotes Of Parallel Realities, Another Version" (Neus-318) 2023.

07: Modelbau : "Inlets (Side B)" (Earth Love Music) 2023.

08: Soloman Tump : "Bun Barrow" (Human Geography Recordings) 2023.

09: John Duncan : "Untitled" (Mort Aux Vaches) 1997.

10: Andy Ortmann : "Paranormal Underground" (Nihilist) 2023.

11: Elen Huynh & Mark Vernon : "Au Ciel Sans Fin" (Choses Contraires) 2023.

12: Simple Minds : "Reel To Real" (Zoom Records) 1979.

13: Zones : "Sign Of The Times" (Arista) 1978.

                                             Tamsin & Edgar grooving in the SoundArt studio.