MuhMur Radio Broadcast #294. June 7 2026.

 

Tide's In ..... Dirt's Out.

I started making the playlist for tonight's broadcast during a late spring heatwave here in Devon, hence the opening song."Here's a song about the sunshine, dedicated to the sunshine". Enthusiasm will energise. It's the A Side of the 1980 12" "Health & Efficiency" by This Heat.

No Sides, an independent label based in Chicago, are a new name to me .. although checking their past releases they have put out sounds by Ashtray Navigations, Being and Chandra Shukla, all of which are up my alley so to speak. In April this year they released the CD album "Nine Times Makes Ten" by Frans de Waard's Modelbau. I play a couple of pieces on the broadcast.

Earlier in 2026 Modelbau released a brace of cassettes "Turnaround" and "Roundabout" alongside the self-released 'freebie' CDR album (1hr 17m long) "Lazy", and "Nine Times Makes Ten" progresses on from those albums with shorter concentrated loops and builds, I am really enjoying these releases, and the summer seems to be busy for Modelbau releases too with a CD "Muster" on the magnificent Drone Records label and a lathe-cut 10" / CDR called "Roestig" on Licht-Ung. Modelbau also make a live appearance at Radio FSK in Hamburg on June 10. Modelbau can be contacted via : https://substack.com/@fransdewaard. Frans is also re-issuing past Modelbau releases that weren't available as digital downloads via his bandcamp page. This includes the 7"EP on Haemoccult Recordings that I put out in 2023. The downloads are (I think) 'pay what you can'. You can get them at : https://modelbau.bandcamp.com

The C.M. von Hausswolff and Chandra Shukla piece comes from the CD "Travelogue (Thailand)" on the Touch label. 'The third in an ongoing series of collected international audio diaries; the premise is quite simple; the two meet at a mutually agreed upon destination along with the facilitation of something to record audio of these experiences on. The intent is to capture and augment these sonic soundtracks. This is done by sourcing the culture, environment, persons or events that make their voices available. The result might be pleasantly kind and floating or unpleasantly rough and jarring unveiling a light or dark world. "Travelogue (Thailand)" sees 'Von Hausswolff and Shukla rounding off another whirlwind 9 days in Southeast Asia in the unusual setting of the Lanna Kingdom (Kingdom of a million rice fields) of Northern Thailand. A multifaceted location where Thailand shares borders with Myanmar, Laos and China in what is known as The Golden Triangle, a commercial trade zone between the nations. The frontier region is home to hill tribes, countless Buddhist monasteries, stupas, The Mekong River, mountains and forests. All of which can be heard on this recording. Always finding themselves in the most untypical of off the beaten tourist destinations and settings. C.M. von Hausswolff and Chandra Shukla use the Northern Thai backdrop for more sonic tapestries and meditational sound weaving. Perhaps not always in the calming of ways but more often in the midst of noise laden cacophony'.

I must admit to being unaware of the previous two collaborations in this series. Both on Touch they are 'Travelogue (Nepal)' 2021 and 'Travelogue (Bali)' 2023. All three albums are available from C.M. at https://cmvonhausswolffreleases.bandcamp.com or Touch. https://touch33.net. Parts of Thailand CD brought to mind the piece "Introjection" by Dieter Müh. This was recorded at our second live performance at The Narrowboat in Nottingham, December 1994. We were playing alongside Olympic Shitman and Ramleh. Our whole set was a 40 minute improvised piece where at one point Tim (Bayes) started playing his Travel Diary Tapes that he made whilst journeying around India and Nepal. Unfortunately we never got to record a 'studio version' of "Introjection". The track is from "Mutus Liber", originally compiled as a cassette ( we played our third live set with Soviet France and was asked by a few folk if we had 'any merch?' ... we didn't so produced the cassette and gave it away to anyone who held an interest) in 1995. In 2019 the Belgian label EE Tapes reissued the album on CD. http://www.eetapes.be/EE_Tapes/news.html.

April 2026 saw the second album release in two months by Alice Kemp. 'A Profound Loss Of Meaning' is available on the Tochnit Aleph label. The album was recorded and mixed between 2013 and 2025. All information on Alice can be found here : https://alicekemp.net. The site includes some great live footage from Alice's performance in 2025 at the Dead Mind Festival. 

Following on from last years "Glaciers" mini-CD on the Zappak label and the collaboration with Asmus Tietchens "Lichthöfe" on Aug Abwegen is "Furafauna" on the UK Black Rose Recordings label. This album has Thorsten Soltau assisted by Femurl and features collaborations with Max Kuiper (Les Horribles Travailleurs), Quinten Dierick and Ralf Wehowsky (RLW), also a couple of remixes by Troum and Sewicide. "Astafél" (which I think means half of the day) opens the album. More information on Thorsen can be found here : https://thorstensoltau.de. "Furafauna" can be grabbed from Black Rose Recordings via contact through Discogs. 

It has been a while since I have featured an 'On This Day' section. That's not through choice, it's just that a few of the last broadcasts have been themed. 'No Room' (as Spizz once said). Anyway, a couple of classics  here starting with Young Marble Giants and 'Final day' from their 7"EP from 1980 released by Rough Trade Records. I do recommend a listen to their "Colossal Youth" album. There is a triple CD box set released by Domino that (I see) is available on Discogs for around a tenner. Worth getting if you haven't got the vinyl issue. Back at the start of the 1980's I saw Bauhaus live probably more times than is healthy. Bauhaus, Virgin Prunes, Gang of Four and The Psychedelic Furs seemed to play live all the time 1980-1982. (Great days). I think 'Spirit' (1982) was their last decent Bauhaus single .. the last one I bought anyway. 

The last hour (or so) of the broadcast is part two of my love of records recorded at Cargo Studios from 1977-1985. A few weeks ago I bought the book "Cargo Recording Studios 1977-1985" by Chris Connelly and played every release I have that is mentioned in the book ... a joyous time, and so ... here are some of those records. The book is essential. It's self published and only available via : 

https://www.cargostudios.co.uk/cargo-the-book/

The Past 7 Days were a short lived Sheffield group. 'Raindance' was released by 4AD Records in 1981. The band featured They Must Be Russians member Trevor Dooley. After the release The Past 7 Days signed to DinDisc, then split and never released anything ... there must be long lost tapes somewhere(?). Comsat Angels' Kevin Bacon produced the single. X-O-Dus are another band who only released one single, the 12" 'English Black Boys' on Factory Records in 1980. It was produced by Dennis Bovell (Matumbi/The Pop Group). in 2012 LTM released a CD including the 12" and X-O-Dus tracks from an unreleased LP that was to be on Factory Records. Mysterious Footsteps were a three-piece new wave band from Bradford. They released one 7" on The Yeti Record Corporation in 1980. Visitors fared slightly better releasing three 7" singles before splitting up. 'Electric Heat' is one of my all time favourites. They did sign to 4AD Records for a one-off album release but ... again there must be long lost tapes somewhere (?). 

Fast Product used Cargo Recording Studios with a few of their roster including The Flowers, The Blank Students, Basczax and more famously Gang oO Four and Scars. A lot of bands / artists (according to the book) picked Cargo because it was where Joy Division's "Atmosphere" and Gang Of Four's "Damaged Goods" EP were recorded. Defectors were from Hull, formed in 1978 by ex-COUM Transmission member Tony Menzies, they released one 7" EP on their own Louder label before splitting with Tony going on to form My Silent War. As mentioned in last months' ReMuhMuration I saw My Silent War play live at Futurama 3 back in 1981, delving deep into my records I found that I also saw Tony Menzies playing keyboards for Psychic TV when they played the Mardi Gras in Nottingham 1987. This was the last time I saw Psychic TV live, I did see most of their live shows from Manchester Ritz onwards, but the Mardi Gras gig was thee last straw. I do remember buying the Zoskia Meets Sugardog "That's Heavy Baby" off the Temple Records merch' table that night though ... so ... every cloud. 

Surface Mutants were from Sheffield, a short lived project who recorded their first single 'You Take Me Somewhere' at Western Works before going to Cargo Studios to record 'Anaesthetic'. The band featured future They Must Be Russian Nigel Manning and Cabaret Voltaire / Hula drummer Nort (Paul Black). In 2024 Klanggalerie released a collection of Surface Mutants recordings on CD called 'The Total Institution'. Worth checking out .. The Section 25 track 'After Image' is from the compilation LP "Hicks From The Sticks" released in 1980 on Rockburgh Records. Quite a few tracks on the LP were recorded at Cargo Recording Studios. The Pink Military track 'Do Animals Believe In God?' comes from the album of the same name. Released in 1980 on the Eric's label. 

                                                                     signed copy!

Household Name were a Leeds quartet that released only one single, the 12"EP "Household Name" on their own Household Name label. The 12" features Jacqui Callis from Delta 5. I saw them live at Lincoln Art College in 1982, a shame they didn't put out more recordings. The book features a hefty section, with some great photos, about The Skodas and their time at Cargo Recording Studios. Formed by Jason Diagram (aka Jason Pitchers) when he left Manchester for a life in Bristol in 1980. The Skodas only released one single and only played one live gig, in Chiseldon (Wiltshire). They split in 1982. 

John The Postman is legendary. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_the_Postman. The final track of the broadcast was first released on the 12"EP "Puerile" released by Bent Records in 1978. The version played here is from the excellent "John The Postman's Puerile" compilation CD released by Overground Records in 1998. I was fortunate to see John live, in 1984 after Pink Industry had played a Miners Benefit at The Gallery in Manchester, John took over the stage with some others and played a very very long version of 'Louie Louie" ... well at least that is what I remember .. I was incredibly drunk at the time. I could quite easily broadcast a Part Three of sounds recorded at Cargo Recording Studios if anyone's interested? Anyone for some Stockholm Monsters, Vibrant Thigh, Not Sensibles, Scarborough Antelopes and Ada Wilson? Chris did get in touch to tell me that he is starting on a book about Suite 16. When John Brierley sold the studio in 1985 Peter Hook bought it and renamed it Suite 16. 

The broadcast can be heard here : 

https://www.mixcloud.com/muhsteve/muhmur-radio-broadcast-7-june-2026/

Playlist :

01: This Heat : "Health & Efficiency" (Piano) 1980.

02: Modelbau : "Time Nine" (No Sides) 2026.

03: C.M. Von Hausswolff & Chandra Shukla : "Wai Phra Kao Wat" (Touch) 2026.

04: Dieter Müh : "Introjection (Live)" (EE Tapes) 2019.

05: Alice Kemp : "Mass I-IV" (Tochnit Aleph) 2026.

06: Thorsten Soltau/Femurl : "Astafél" (Black Rose Recordings) 2026.

07: Young Marble Giants : "Final Day" (Rough Trade Records) 1980.

08: Bauhaus : "Spirit" (Beggars Banquet) 1982.

09: Modelbau : "Time Five" (No Sides) 2026.

10: The Past 7 Days : "Raindance" (4AD Records) 1981.

11: X-O-Dus : "English Black Boys" (Factory Records) 1980.

12: Mysterious Footsteps : "White Dread" (The Yeti Record Corporation) 1980.

13: Visitors : "Electric Heat" (Deeps Cuts Records) 1979.

14: Scars : "Horrorshow" (Fast Product) 1979.

15: Gang Of Four : "Love Like Anthrax" (Fast Product) 1978.

16: Defectors : "Target Baby" (Louder) 1980.

17: Surface Mutants : "Anaesthetic" (Clönic Records) 1982.

18: Section 25 : "After-Image" (Rockburgh Records) 1980.

19: Pink Military : "Do Animals Believe In God?" (Eric's) 1980.

20: Household Name : "Lynch Mob Tactics" (Household Name Records-Leeds) 1981.

21: The Skodas : "Everybody Thinks Everybody Else Is Dead Bad" (Heartbeat Records) 1981.

22: John The Postman : "Kawalski Of The Seaview Has The Best Hairstyle I've Ever Seen" (Overground Records) 1998.

Whilst broadcasting Iz and Ed played a table tennis tournament!  FREE Table Tennis and dance music and bar is available Friday Nights at SoundArt Radio Studios. 

Thanks as ever to Tamsin & Chris. MuhMur Radio is back on July 5. SoundArt Radio 102.5FM (South Hams) or live stream at https://soundartradio.org.uk.

MuhMur Radio Broadcast #293. May 10 2026.

 A broadcast playlist built around two things ... well, maybe three when I come to think about it. Let's stick with three. 

I : The programme begins with Modelbau and their 2026 cassette release for the Japanese Neus-318 label entitled 'Roundabout'. Built of two 14 minute(ish) pieces with numerical titles the whole piece brought to mind the introduction to Cupol's 'Kluba Cupol' track from the 1980 12" 'Like This For Ages'. There is also a Modelbu cassette release called 'Turnaround' released around the same time which continues on this 'theme'. Both cassettes were released in issues of 23 and 25 respectively. Visit http://www.neus318.com for further information about 'Roundabout' and Moonside Tapes at https://moonside.space for information on 'Turnaround'. I am certain digital downloads are available. 

                                                             Roundabout & Turnaround.

                                                         Cupol "Like This For Ages" 12".

Cupol were a one-off project for B.C. Gilbert and Graham Lewis. A topping for their collaborative Dome project (maybe). Originally released in 1980 on the 4AD Records label, the 12" has been recently re-issued by the San Francisco based label Dark Entries. B.C. Gilbert and Graham Lewis's ' Hung To Dry Whilst Building An Arch' follows. This is the B-Side to the 1981 7" single 'Ends With The Sea' also on 4AD Records. 

II : Hula are one of my favourite bands and I was very excited to read last January that Sheffield label Safety Pin Magazine were releasing 7" of unreleased Hula material from the 1982 'Black Pop Workout' recording sessions made at Western Works. Chris Watson engineering. 

"This 7" single features two unreleased stereo files found on cassette which were recorded at Western Works studio and represent the early stages of Hula's output. Three other tracks were recorded and mixed during that session for Hula's first release, Black Pop Workout, a 12" EP on Red Rhino Records".

                                                                        Hula 'Spiral' 7".

I can usually remember where and when I bought my records / tapes / CDs etc ... but I can't quite remember where I bought Hula's "Black Pop Workout" 12". Perhaps I heard a track from it on John Peel's show (?), or maybe I was grabbed by the title (?). "Black Pop Workout" was released in 1982, back then I was buying my stuff from Virgin and Selectadisc in Nottingham, Tracks in Lincoln and the odd jaunt to Rough Trade Records in London. From the first hearing I was hooked on Hula. I love the vocals, the lyrics, the sloganeering with heavy beats and funk bass. It reminds me of my time in Sheffield, of Fon, of the Leadmill and Rare & Racey Records. 

I lived in Sheffield for 6 months in 1985, I had friends and acquaintances who lived there from 1983 onwards and used to visit to see gigs at the University and Leadmill, but in a desperate attempt to escape life in Hulme, Manchester I moved to Sheffield, to a house with a garden. Again, I can't remember how but I got to know Simon Crump, probably drinking in the locals of Meersbrook and the Leadmill (?). Simon was a member of Hula, he did the artwork for their sleeves and played saxophone live. 

When I left Sheffield to return to Hulme I lost contact with Simon. A shame, a fascinating chap with a great collection of pre-WWII radios and too many jazz records. I did see Hula live on many occasions, down at the Leadmill mainly supporting bands such as Test Department (1984) and Severed Heads (1985) and playing a few times with fellow Sheffield 'funksters' Chakk. I play some live Hula. Tracks from the 1986 double album "1000 Hours". These tracks were recorded at The Milkweg in Amsterdam 24/02/1985. 

III : This broadcast ends with songs that were all recorded at Cargo Recording Studio between 1977 and 1985. When I started buying 7" singles in the late 1970's I did notice the regularity of studios such as Cargo in Rochdale, WMRS in Leamington Spa (WMRS stood for Woodbine Mobile Recording Studios, run by John A. Rivers and used a lot by Swell Maps and Eyeless In Gaza). Spaceward Studios in Cambridge (Run by Mike Kemp and used a lot by Bauhaus, Modern English and Tubeway Army). In 2010 I stayed a few days in Cambridge. I was there to see the 'Past Present Future Space-Time' festival at the Wysing Arts Centre in a village just outside Cambridge called Bourn. Disinformation, Preslav Literary School, Astral Social Club and Ashtray Navigations were all performing. T'was a great event. The only time I, as a member of the audience, have been heckled by a performer. Peter Um took a dislike to me because of my Aaron Dilloway 'Mask' T-Shirt and wouldn't stop picking on me. Whatever happened to Peter Um? Anyway, whilst in Cambridge I went on a search for Spaceward Studios but couldn't find it. Another studio that popped up a few times on the back of the 7" sleeve was Studio Playground in Wragby (Lincolnshire). Run by Andy Dransfield and Rick Woolgar and used by bands such as Sinking Ships, Wavis O' Shave, Fatal Charm, B Movie and The Cigarettes. I reckon all the Lincoln punk / new wave bands used Studio Playground. I went there with the band Collide to record a 4-track demo. I wasn't a member of the band per se I just went along for support and encouragement. I think the engineer was a guy called 'Tramp' who also worked at Sanctuary Records in Lincoln ... I could be wrong though. 

Anyway, back to Cargo. Chris Connelly has written an excellent book simply called "Cargo - The Book". it includes the history of the studio and its owner John Brierley. The bulk of the book is an A-Z of all the bands and artists that recorded there with recollections from the users and some great pictures. Bands such as The Fall, Gang of Four, Joy Division, Crispy Ambulance, Frantic Elevators, Visitors, A Certain Ratio and Basczak. One of the bands that do appear in the book are The Defectors (from Hull), they recorded their 1980 7"EP 'Target Baby' at Cargo. A little nugget of information that I did not know is that The Defectors were formed by ex- COUM Transmissions member Tony Menzies. Tony plays on Throbbing Gristle album 'Second Annual Report'. I assume it is on the 'Cease To Exist' soundtrack ... Tony left to form the band My Silent War who I saw open the Futurama 3 Festival at Stafford Bingley Hall in 1981. If only I knew then. I do have a track by them that appears on the compilation album "Household Shocks", a gathering of Humberside / Lincolnshire bands from 1980. (The album also includes Sinking Ships, One Gang Logic, Product Of Reason and Fault 151 amongst others). All tracks on this album were recorded at Studio Playground. I shall play The Defectors 7"EP on next month's broadcast. (and probably some other tracks recorded at Studio Playground). I shall also be playing some more bands / artists that recorded at Cargo.

The book is self published and only available from Chris at : https://www.cargostudios.co.uk/cargo-the-book/. More information via : https://www.cargostudiosbook.com.

The programme is archived at Mixcloud.

https://www.mixcloud.com/muhsteve/muhmur-radio-broadcast-10-may-2026/

Playlist : 

01: Modelbau : "202507187" (Neus-318) 2026.

02: Cupol : "Kluba Cupol" (4AD Records) 1980.

03: B.C. Gilbert & G. Lewis : "Hung To Dry Whilst Building An Arch" (4AD Records) 1981.

04: Hula : "Spiral" (Safety Pin Magazine) 2026.

05: Hula : "Feeding The Animal" (Red Rhino Records) 1982.

06: Hula : "Ignoring The Famine" (Red Rhino Records) 1982.

07: Hula : "That Other Place" (Safety Pin Magazine) 2026.

08: Hula : "Sacred Serials (Circuits On Full Gush)" (Red Rhino Records) 1982.

09: Hula : "Junshi" (Red Rhino Records) 1982.

10: Hula : "Invisible (Live)" (Red Rhino Records) 1986.

11: Hula : "Ambient ◻︎ 2 (Live)" (Red Rhino Records) 1986.

12: Hula : "Tear-Up (Live)" (Red Rhino Records) 1986.

13: Hula : "The Trouble With Benny (Live)" (Red Rhino Records) 1986.

14: The Fall : "Flat Of Angles" (Step Forward Records) 1979.

15: Blue Orchids : "The Flood" (Rough Trade Records) 1980.

16: Joy Division : "Digital" (Factory Records) 1979.

17: Deutsch-Amerikanische-Freundschaft : "Kebabtraüme" (Mute Records) 1980.

18: Crispy Ambulance : "The Presence" (Factory Benelux) 1981.

19: The Durutti Column : "Thin Ice (Unedited Version)" (Les Disques Du Crépuscule/Factory Benelux) 2021.

20: Eric Random : "DOW Chemical Company" (New Hormones) 1981.

21: A Certain Ratio : "Thin Boys" (Factory Records) 1979.

22: Disease : "Psychobin" (Aardvark) 1980.

                                                4 'classic singles' recorded at Cargo Studios.

MuhMur Radio Broadcast #292 : April 12 2026.

Broadcast #292 kicks off with Saint Abdullah. Circumstances drew me to the double CD "Visions Of Darkness (In Iranian Contemporary Music)" released by Cold Spring Records and Unexplained Sounds Group in 2017. Saint Abdullah are two brothers, Mohammed and Mehdi Mehrabani-Yeganeh. Their sounds are associated with Shia Islam.  

Fourth Dimension Records have re-released "Morality" as a double CD set. Originally released on Broken Flag in 1985 as a C90 cassette, the new release features extra pieces by John Duncan. Extracts from 'The Prostitution Tapes'. Pacific 231 (named after a 1923 symphony by Arthur Honeggar) is the solo project of French sound artist Pierre Jolivet. Pacific 231 were one of those projects that back in the mid 1980s were difficult to find out about. I remember reading about them in magazines like ND but finding their releases was very hard. Still active (which I did not know, and based in Dublin). Other artists on the 'Morality' compilation include ; Un-Kommuniti, Le Syndicat, Croyners, Next, Ankh, Controlled Bleeding and Toll. 

Available from Richo at : https://fourthdimensionrecords.bigcartel.com.

Staying in the world of re-issues from the mid 1980s, I dug out my copy of the "Nekrophile Rekords" box set on Vinyl On Demand released in 2022. 10 albums, 2 seven inch singles and a book. 'There Is No God But Man' is from t he album 'Thoum Aesh Neith' by Italian project LAShTAL. Originally released in 1986. LAShTAL was a mysterious project, I always thought it was Zero Kama related, probably a pseudonym for Michael DeWitt (information didn't come cheaply back then like it does now we're in the internet age). LAShTAL is Andrea Da Costa (aka Freire 23). 

A couple of Muslimgauze pieces on this broadcast. Firstly 'Empty Quarter (Pt 1)' from the 12"EP "Hunting Out With An Aerial Eye" released in 1984 on Muslimgauze's own Limited Editions label. The second piece is an untitled remix of sounds by Panasonic. In 2020 Sähkö released a three track 12"EP with Panasonic remixed by Soviet France and Muslimgauze. All remixes were recorded in 1996. 

Eric Random + The Bedlamites, one of the many projects of Manchester musician Eric Random. Eric played guitar in The Panik whose 1977 7"EP "It Won't Sell!!" is a favourite at MuhMur HQ. Eric is now playing live with the resurrected Cabaret Voltaire. The two pieces here are from the 1984 'Time-Splice' album released on Cabaret Voltaire's own Doublevision label. The Bedlamites on this album included Lynn Walton, Wayne Worm, Dids (Ludus) and Cliff Saffer (Swamp Children). 

April 10 was the opening of a new Brion Gysin exhibition at Le Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris. To celebrate the exhibition French label Wewantsounds released the album "Dreamachine". Available in the UK via Juno and Rough Trade Records. The Dream Machine soundtrack (to) can also be found on the 1993 CD album "Self-Portrait Jumping" on the Belgian label Made To Measure. Extra tracks on the CD feature "Kick", the song made 'famous' by Monte Cazazza on his "Something For Nobody" 7"EP released by Industrial Records in 1980. The version on 'Self-Portrait Jumping' was recorded in Paris in 1983 and features Don Cherry on Trumpet and Backing Vocals. The Gysin exhibition runs until July 12 2026. 

MNEM have released a new album. 'Tropos Of Entropy' on the Satatuhatta label. MNEM are a Finnish two-piece who have been producing / releasing quality experimental sounders / noise since 1997. I first heard their sound on the cassette compilation 'The Members Ov Sonic Cults'. Last December I exclusively played the track "Hydrox Communion", I don't know if the album track is the same version ... "Tropos Of Entropy" is available at https://satatuhatta.bandcamp.com/album/tropos-of-entropy. MNEM have no internet presence ... and indeed why should they ... 

Mailcop is Roel Meelkop, Dutch sound & visual artist. In the early / mid 1980s Roel was part of Club Rialto, releasing cassettes on Midas Tapes and Delftsch Wormen Tapes before forming the off shoot project THU20 with Guido Doesborg, Jan Van Bussel, Jos Smolders and Peter Duimelinks. Mailcop was a solo project and name used by Roel up until 1990 when he moved to a more electronic abstract and minimalist sound. He also plays in Goem with Frans de Waard and Peter Duimelinks. It was whilst playing the 'Harsh Ears Now!!' triple cassette compilation I heard "Nyd" - a quiet masterpiece. I think Nyd is Scandinavian for 'Enjoy', so .... 

March issue of the 'Electronic Sound' magazine was dedicated to Cabaret Voltaire, great interview and pictures and a 7" including live recordings from the recent shows in Sheffield and London. Sickly / lurid green vinyl and a terrible sleeve but a great record. My copy came warped ... I didn't know whether to use it as an ashtray or play it and seeing that I don't smoke I decided on the latter and it seems to play OK. I did get an invite to see Cabaret Voltaire at the ICA, but turned the offer down. I saw them live a few times, last time was when they did an impromptu set at The Leadmill in Sheffield (1984). It was a "Support The Miners" event with Test Dept, Chakk and Hula also playing. A great night out. I recently heard a recording of the ICA gig and regret my choice! 

Sutcliffe Jugend are another project that became dormant, restless and re-emerged stronger and more powerful. Originally formed as a solo project by Kevin Tomkins in 1982, Sutcliffe Jugend's first release was a 10xCassette called "We Spit On Their Graves" on the Come Organisation label. (Naturally re-issued on vinyl by Vinyl On Demand in 2023). Kevin then joined Whitehouse, the classic Tomkins / Best / Bennett line-up. Sutcliffe Jugend reformed in 1994 with ex-Bodychoke guitarist Paul Taylor. In May 2016 Sutcliffe Jugged played the third Epicurean Escapism Festival at the Tiefgrund, Berlin (alongside Last Dominion Lost, Alfarmania, Budrūs and Gerechtigkeits Liga amongst others). 'Amuse-Bouche' is from the CD/DVD released by The Epicurean as document to the event. The Epicurean label release can be bought from : https://epicureanescapism.bandcamp.com.

Local hero TQ9. In 2019 Jim Haynes' label Helen Scarsdale Agency released the 10xCassette called "On:Corrosion" featuring Neutral, Relay For Death, Kleistwahr, Pinkcourtesyphone, Francisco Meirino, Fossil Aerosol Mining Project, G*Park, She Spread Sorrow, Himukalt and Alice Kemp. Slowly Jim is re-issuing the material as stand alone vinyl releases, the latest of which is "9 Dreams Of Erotic Mourning" by Alice Kemp. 

Recorded between 2015 and 2019 'Here, we are collected, cleaned, prepared, serenaded, adorned, fucked, adored, devoured, abandoned, and released into the back of beyond'. Alice can be contacted via : https://alicekemp.net. Helen Scarsdale Agency is at : https://www.helenscarsdale.com. Alice will be performing at the 'Colours Out Of Space #9' Festival in Brighton between April 17-19. Go to https://colouroutofspace.org for more details ..... Dilloway is playing too!!!

A few days ago I heard the news that Andrew Perry had passed away. It saddened me as it does when I hear of someone I know ceasing to be, then I discovered it was a completely different Andrew Perry. A journalist for The Daily Telegraph and Select magazine. By this time I had dug out my Andrew Perry collection and given it a spin, and (re) discovered what a great 7" single "The Victory EP" is. A collaboration with Scottish experimentalist Dead Wood (aka Adam Baker). I played a gig with Andrew at The Windmill in Brixton in September 2011. Fascinating chap, we chatted, drank and enjoyed each others company. Great night. Kylie Minoise and Z'ev were also on the bill ... 

The single is on the Dirtydemos label but I don't think the 7" is available anymore. It is a lathe-cut release. 

Contact Dirtydemos at : https://dirtydemos.bandcamp.com/music. If anyone knows what Andrew is doing these days, please get in contact. 

The broadcast ends with an on this day from The Monochrome Set with the B-Side to their "Strange Boutique" 7" single. 

The broadcast can be found on MixCloud :

https://www.mixcloud.com/muhsteve/muhmur-radio-broadcast-292-april-12-2026/

Playlist :

01: Saint Abdullah : "Unforgotten Promises" (Cold Spring Records/Unexplained Sounds Group) 2016.

02: Pacific 231 : "Set & Thot" (Fourth Dimension Records) 2026.

03: LAShTAL : "There Is No God But Man" (Vinyl On Demand) 2022.

04: Muslimgauze : "Empty Quarter (PT 1)" (Limited Editions) 1984.

05: Eric Random & The Bedlamites : "Second Sight" (Doublevision) 1984.

06: Eric Random & The Bedlamites : "No-Man-Trash" (Doublevision) 1984.

07: Brion Gysin : "Kick" (Made To Measure) 1993.

08: The Conet Project : "555 Konec" (Irdial Discs) 2013.

09: Panasonic : "Untitled Muslimgauze Remix II" (Sähkö Recordings) 2020.

10: MNEM : "Tropos Of Entropy" (Satatuhatta) 2026.

11: Mailcop : "Nyd" (Midas Music) 1987.

12: MNEM : "Swamping" (Satatuhatta) 2026.

13: Cabaret Voltaire : "Spies In The Wires (Live)" (Electronic Sound) 2026.

14: Sutcliffe Jügend : "Amuse-Bouche" (The Epicurean/Silken Tofu) 2016.

15: MNEM : "Hydrox Communion" (Satatuhatta) 2026.

16: Alice Kemp : "A Small Act Of Violence" (Helen Scarsdale Agency) 2026.

17: Alice Kemp : "Alles Ist Wie Es Ist" (Helen Scarsdale Agency) 2026.

18: Andrew Perry/Dead Wood : "The Victory EP (A)" (Dirtydemos) 2010.

19: MNEM : "Clausa Caput" (Satatuhatta) 2026.

20: The Monochrome Set : "Surfing S.W.12" (Dindisc) 1980.

Thanks for listening - the broadcast includes a wrong speed episode and forgetting to turn the turntable monitors down .. other than that, I think we got away with it!

Thanks to Chris + Tamsin.

Back on Sunday May 10.

Ritual Fever : SoundArt Studios. Spring Equinox 2026.

March 21 2026, Spring Equinox and Water Is The Sun performed a live ritual at the SoundArt Radio Studios inside the Dartington Hall Estate, Devon. The evening was to promote their new album "Ritual Fever" on Trome Records. 

Over the last 2 MuhMur Radio broadcasts I have been playing tracks from this album, now available from Trome Records at https://tromerecords.bandcamp.com. 

Water Is The Sun is comprised of Mkl Anderson (Drekka/Tremble With Joy) and Adam Parks (Timber Rattle). "Ritual Fever" is available from their Bandcamp page https://wateristhesun.bandcamp.com. A recoding of the live ritual can be found at;

https://www.mixcloud.com/muhsteve/water-is-the-sun-live-at-soundart-studios/.

Support on the evening came from Al Fresco Skronk Squadron. Al Fresco is the project of The Durds vocalist/songwriter Dan Cray. Al Fresco liver performances are usually performed outdoors. I first came across the sound of Al Fresco Skronk Squadron when he was wandering the High Street of Yeovil with a cake trolley filled with amplifiers, effects boxes and electronic devices ... and cupcakes (of course). This was during the Wyrd Wild West Festival of 2023. This performance / ritual featured recordings made around the Dartington Estate using contact mics, hydrophones and field recordings of the Deer Park and steam trains. 

https://alfrescoskronksquadron.bandcamp.com/music for more Al Fresco Skronk Squadron sounds. The evenings performance / ritual can be found at:

https://www.mixcloud.com/muhsteve/al-fresco-skronk-squadron-live-soundart-radio-studio-spring-equinox-2026/

I am (unfortunately) having problems with my computer so I am keeping this 'report' short, but thanks to all that came to see the bands and experience SoundArt Radio, hopefully more MuhMur Radio / SoundArt Radio live collaborations will appear in the coming months .. 

Big thanks to Mkl, Adam, and Dan.

P

 

MuhMur Radio Broadcast #291 15 March 2026

 

To Mom On Mother's Day .... 

'You Think That I'm Strung Out On Smack,

And I Don't Have Underwear, 

You Think I Had A Lawnmower Attack On My Bottecellesque Hair,

I Haven't Got Down In A Month,

I Tried To Get A Job,

I Hadn't Turned A Trick For Days, I Haven't Joined The Mob.

You See I'm Trying Very Hard To Live The Rules You Taught Me,

I'm Sorry Because Of My Heavy Jones,

I Hocked All The Stuff You Bought Me. But, Life Is Hard On The Boulevard, With Rinky Dinks Galore,

It's Money, Guns, And Dope Or Lies, Lesbian Or Whore.

A Bag Of Boy, A Spoon Of Girl, A Nickel For A Blow. 

But I Am Still Your Baby Boy. It's In Your Blood, You Know'.

Welcome to the 291st broadcast of MuhMur Radio. Over the last few days (great band) I have been dipping in and out of the new book "Electronic Cottage" published by Korm Plastics. It is a collection, a compendium of the magazine 'Electronic Cottage' produced / edited by Hal McGee between 1989 to 1991. Six editions all beautifully reproduced and bound in hardback. 

Hal McGee operated the Cause & Effect label (alongside Deborah Jaffe) releasing titles by his own project Dog As Master as well as Controlled Bleeding, If Bwana, The Haters and Viscera amongst others. His magazine celebrated the DIY / Cassette Culture of the late 1980s / early 1990s with writings by Dave Prescott, Chris Phinney, Jeph Jerman, Al Margolis and Daniel Plunkett... amongst others. It was Chris Phinney's overview and interview with Jac Van Bussel of Midas Tapes / Midas Music that made me dig

out my copy of "Harsh Ears Now! !" a triple cassette released in 1987 (I think) featuring Club Rialto, S. Core, Kapotte Muziek, DVA Met DVA Nichts, Odal, Tools You Can Trust and Arvid Tuba amongst many many others. "Remember" by Marcel v.d. Zwet opens the programme and "I Still Haven't Found The Cure" by The Dwarf Farm ends it all. I did ask Frans (de Waard) for information on Marcel but he had none apart from Marcel releasing the cassette "Ten Remedie Tegen Zwakke Zenuwen" on Midas Tapes in 1986. Of course if anyone has a copy they want to offload then please get in contact). The Dwarf Farm was the solo project of THU20 and Club Rialto member Guido Doesborg. He also released a couple of C10 cassettes on Midas Tapes. https://www.kormplastics.nl/electronic-cottage/ to get a copy of the book. 

The past few MuhMur Radio broadcasts seem to feature sounds from books that I am reading at the moment. Like the collection of 'Just Glittering/Idwal Fisher' magazines and the 'Third Annual' the 'Electronic Cottage' book is a great read to dip in and out of ... I am still reading Jerry Kranitz's 'Cassette Culture' .. but a trip to the charity shops of Newton Abbot brought me "Room 100" by Jesse Pollack. It was only a pound! And I am engrossed ... it is subtitled 'The Night Punk Rock Died' which I always thought was the night Marc Riley left the Fall, but this is all about the last few days (great band) of Sid & Nancy. 

The two tracks by Muckrackers are from their 2008 album "[UKANGE_4]" album. I recently managed to find a copy ... and I am always trying to fill the gaps in my Muckrackers library. Great industrial sounds that can be found at https://www.muckrackers.org.

The latest edition of the magazine "Electronic Sound" features a great article on the history of Clock DVA. From their early formative years through to the recording and release of their 1981 album "Thirst". It also comes with a 7" single featuring "4 Hours" from the 'Thirst' album and a 2026 reworking of the track "Sensorium". 

The magazine also features a piece on the 1979-1983 Futurama Festivals. A trip down memory lane for me. The issue is still available from https://www.electronicsound.co.uk. System 01 were a techno project from the late 1980s / early 1990s formed by ex-Clock DVA member Paul Browse and Johnny Klimek. "Paralysed Force" was their first 12" from 1990. 

Whilst planning what to play on tonight's broadcast I read that it was Jaz Coleman's birthday. So, I played a couple of Killing Joke tracks from their eponymous debut album. I also found out about the passing of Scott Foust. 

Scott was the mainman behind Idea Fire Company and the label Swill Radio. As a small and inconsequential tribute to his genius I play a few of his tracks from lesser known projects he was involved with. XX Committee were formed in 1980 by Scott and Chris Scarpino. 'Damarc' is from the album "Network" released in 1983 on the Thermidor label. UK label Harbinger Sound re-issued the album in 2014. In 2012 Scott and Chris got together to record for Frans de Waard's My Own Little Label as Y-Front. The Tobacconists were Scott and Frans. 

'The Dark Secrets Of Doctor Perati" is a 7" from 2009 and 'Polarization Techniques' is from the 1997 "Futurismo EP" released by the great Betley Welcomes Careful Drivers label. The New Peculiars were Scott and former Idea Fire Company founder Karla Borecky. Frans wrote quite a moving piece about his memories of working with and friendship with Scott. https://substack.com/home/post/p-188873255.

On the 21st of March, Water Is The Sun will perform a live ritual at SoundArt Radio Studios. All are welcome. Live music, DJs and a bar .... all for 10 pounds ... https://www.totnespulse.co.uk/event2/ for more information. 

Psychic TV (featuring Monte Cazazza + John Gosling) and Inade pieces keep in with the ritual music theme .... 

I always get Blackhumour and Blackhouse mixed up. Back in the mid 1980s I was living in Hulme, Manchester and my main record shopping was always done at The Record Peddler (Opposite The Band On The Wall), Piccadilly Records or Virgin (at the bottom of the Arndale). It was around 1986 / 1987 that a lad from Bolton called Martin started a record stall on the top floor of Affleck's Palace stocking industrial records and tapes. He used to get in great imports from America, stuff like Negativland, Dry Lungs compilations on Placebo, Cause & Effect releases ... and Blackhumour and Blackhouse releases. Their sounds are completely different  but for some reason I always get the two mixed up. I remember getting the Blackhouse LP "Pro-Life" from Martin. Blackhouse were a faux Born Again Christian Industrial outfit formed by Brian Ladd of Psyclones fame. Blackhumour was the project of sound artist Frazer Hall. Martin (btw) went on to create 'The Legendary' Hit Squad and 808 State and his top floor at Affleck's stall moved downstairs to become quite hip and trendy. (Hit Squad parties w/ MC Tunes in the basement of Affleck's Palace are a great memory).

'The Beautiful Accident' is from the 1990 Blackhumour album "Romance" on Frans de Waard's Korm Plastics label. 

Thanks for listening. See you Saturday if you're coming to the Water Is The Sun live performance, if not .. the next MuhMur Radio Broadcast will be on April 12th. 18:00 hours GMT. 

Take a listen here : 

https://www.mixcloud.com/muhsteve/muhmur-radio-broadcast-15-march-2026/

 

Playlist :

01: Marcel v.d. Zwet : "Remember" (Midas Tapes) 1987.

02: Monte Cazazza : "To Mom On Mother's Day" (Industrial Records) 1979.

03: Muckwrackers : "Konkasser" (LFA) 2008.

04: Muckwrackers : "Mono_Industrial_Mechanism" (LFA) 2008.

05: Clock DVA : "Sensorium (DVAtion Rework 2026)" (Electronic Sound) 2026.

06: System 01 : "Paralysed Force (Mix II)" (Interfisch Records) 1990.

07: Killing Joke : "Requiem" (Editions EG/Malicious Damage) 1980.

08: Killing Joke : "Wardance" (Editions EG/Malicious Damage) 1980.

09: XX Committee : "Damarc" (Harbinger Sound) 2014.

10: The Tobacconists : "Hidden" (Minor) 2016.

11: The Tobacconists : "The Dark Secrets Of Doctor Perati" (Swill Radio/Plinkity Plonk Records) 2009.

12: The New Peculiars : "Polarization Techniques" (Betley Welcomes Careful Drivers) 1997.

13: Psychic TV : "Culture" (Cold Spring Records) 2011.

14: Water Is The Sun : "Jhonn Ghoul" (Trome Records) 2026.

15: Water Is The Sun : "Landscape Is Body, Is Light" (Trome Records) 2026.

16: Water Is The Sun : "Tremors Of A Miracle" (Trome Records) 2026.

17: Water Is The Sun : "Night Claims" (Trome Records) 2026.

18: Water Is The Sun : "A Place The Water Can Be Cold" (Trome Records) 2026.

19: Inade : ":Kwa-Non-Seh:" (LOKI Foundation) 2003.

20: Psychic TV : "Themes 3 Live (Excerpt)" (Cold Spring Records) 2011.

21: Marcel v.d. Zwet : "Blanks" (Midas Tapes) 1987.

20: Blackhumour : "The Beautiful Accident" (Korm Plastics) 1990.

21: The Dwarf Farm : "I Still Haven't Found The Cure" (Midas Tapes) 1987.

                                                         Last Few Days (great band).

                                                       The Night Punk Rock Died (allegedly).

MuhMur Radio Broadcast #290 15 February 2026.

 

The best laid plans of mice and moles. 

Broadcast #290 is dedicated to the book "Cassette Culture : Homemade Music And The Creative Spirit In The Pre-Internet Age" by Jerry Kranitz. Originally published by Vinyl On Demand back in 2020, I have just managed to grab a copy of the second edition on Monger Publications. (I'm in the UK so grabbed a copy from Waterstones. It's the best place to buy books on the Internet. Avoid Amazon!). The book is divided into 3 chapters : I. The Cassette Recorder : YOU Too Can Be An Audio Artist. II. The Global Network Emerges .. And Flourishes. III: Cassette 'Culture'? I am at the moment finding it a fascinating read. So, this broadcast is from tracks pulled from cassette releases old and new ... 

The Nails Ov Christ tracks are from the 1986 release 'Dark Night Of The Soul". Released in the US on the Sound Of Pig label and in Europe on Disabuse Transmissions. Trev Ward (aka Nails Ov Christ) also put it out on his Zeal SS imprint. Earlier this year Disabuse Transmissions reissued the cassette as a   downloadable file https://disabusetransmissions.bandcamp.com/album/dark-night-of-the-soul. It is a 'pay what you feel' download. 

Two Daughters were a mysterious duo based in London in the early 1980s. "Kiss The Cloth/Gloria" was originally released on their own Anthony & Paul label. United Dairies reissued the cassette in 1987. This the cassette I have but here I play the reissued vinyl version that Vinyl On Demand put out in 2019. It's a lot clearer and my cassette has been played quite a few times over the years. 

I was hoping to play this Contagious Orgasm cassette on the last broadcast, but unfortunately the Royal Mail let me down. "Abandoned Prayer Place" is from "The Chaotic March Of Pagans" album released in the first week of this year. https://sssm.bandcamp.com. It was whilst playing this cassette I noticed that the sound was slipping / dropping ... only for a split second but still enough to disrupt the listening and for this I apologise and was where the playlist was altered. Apologies also to Kazuya Ishigami and Mattias Gustafsson whose pieces I had lined up to play ... 

The "Cassette Culture" book features a piece on the cut-up works of Brion Gysin and William S. Burroughs. 

'What we did on our own was to play around with the very limited technology and wattage we had in the old Beat Hotel. 40-Watts a room was all we were allowed. There is something to be said for poverty, it makes you more inventive, it's more fun and you get more mileage of what you've got plus your own ingenuity. When you handle the stuff yourself, you get the feel for it" (Brion Gysin).

William S. Burroughs "Inching" comes from the 1981 LP "Nothing Here Now But The Recordings" on Industrial Records. The album has been re-released a few times over the years but strangely enough never on cassette. 

                           

History's Bunkum.

I was 'involved', if not involved then 'part of' the cassette culture. In 1980 I created the label "Don't Dance ... Collide Tapes". I was making noises with my friend Dave (Uden) under the banner of So Commercial. (Yeah, I know it's a shite name but there were reasons) and I was buying cassettes from the likes of Industrial Records, Deleted Records, Fuck Off Records amongst others so I thought. .. why not? Don't Dance ... Collide Tapes released one cassette. A compilation. A C60 featuring 15 minutes of punk c/o The Exitz, 15 minutes of abstract noise c/o ESP Disk-rd (the new and not so shite name for So Commercial) and 30 minutes of Agitprop Punk trio Collide. I did put on an evening of Don't Dance ... Collide sounds at a school hall in North Hykeham (hometown), but none of the bands on the cassette played. By this time both The Exitz and Collide had split and ESP Disk-rd just weren't ready. The gig did feature Collide's PA, but Sinking Ships, The Void and The Cigarettes played through it! The cassette sold well. Advertised through the music weekly and Zig-Zag magazine, and a mention in the 'International Discography Of New Wave : Volume Two - 1982-83' by B. George & Martha Defoe. By the start of 1982 ESP Disk-rd also gave up, so no more releases. 

Jumping ahead five years and a couple of friends visited from Manchester and told me that they were starting a label called "Carnifex Organisation". The idea was to release cassettes, tracts, posters and (live) events. They wanted to put out cassettes of my then active project (along with Tim Bayes) <<I.B.F.>> . A year later and I was living back in Manchester (Hulme) and giving my full energies towards Carnifex Organisation. In 1987 and after a few cassette releases and live events we planned to release a Carnifex Organisation sampler (on cassette, a C90). For one reason or another, this never happened but years later Tim did manage to put some of the contributions onto a CDR. The Muhviertel tracks and Schuster piece are from this (unreleased) CDR. 

Small Cruel Party are prolific when it comes to cassette releases. In the late 1980s Small Cruel Party released a handful of cassettes on their own Retching Wrecks label. Small Cruel Party (aka Key Ransone) appeared on a host of compilation cassettes at the start of the 1990s. The two tracks here are from "Methods Of Achieving Satisfaction In A Goal-Orientated Society" (Apraxia 1992) and Nature Morte 2" E'ostrate 1992). Both pieces appear on the Harbinger Sound 3xCD collection of Small Cruel Party's work "An Accident In Substance" released in 2012. 

And this is where the gods were smiling upon us ... 

Chris brought a CDR copy of the upcoming album by Water Is The Sun. Water Is The Sun is the new project from Mkl Anderson (Drekka) and Adam Parks (Timber Rattle). The album will be 'launched' at a live performance of Water Is The Sun at SoundArt Radio Studios, Dartington Hall Estate on March 21. It will be available on vinyl via Trome Records and on cassette via the Italian label Trocco Magico. All are very welcome. Support will be from Al Fresco Skronk Squadron and I might even be spinning a few discs! Water Is The Sun will also be playing UK dates in Sheffield, Norwich, Wellington (Somerset) and London (New River Studios). I will be providing more information about the live event later, or find out now at : https://soundartradio.org.uk/events/water-is-the-sun-al-fresco-skronk-squadron/. 

One of the first cassettes I bought (in the new wave era) was the 1980 album "The Graveyard And The Ballroom" on Factory Records, 'Do The Du' ends the broadcast.

The programme is archived on MixCloud. Please take a listen here :

https://www.mixcloud.com/muhsteve/muhmur-radio-broadcast-15-february-2026/

Playlist :

01: Nails Ov Christ : "Dark Night Of The Soul (VIII)" (Disabuse Transmissions) 2025.

02: Two Daughters : "Gloria (I - V)" (Vinyl On Demand) 2019.

03: Contagious Orgasm : "Abandoned Prayer Place" (SSSM) 2026.

04: William S. Burroughs : "Inching" (Industrial Records) 1981.

05: Muhviertel : "Kugel Aktion (Studio Version)" (Carnifex Organisation) 1987.

06: Small Cruel Party : "Even The Lives Of Our Grandfathers" (Harbinger Sound) 2012.

07: Small Cruel Party : "Some Movements" (Harbinger Sound) 2012.

08: Water Is The Sun : "Inward She Turns Her Feathered Hand" (Tocco Magico) 2026.

09: Water Is The Sun : "Western Grave" (Tocco Magico) 2026.

10: Water Is The Sun : "Peace, My Constant Prayer" (Tocco Magico) 2026.

11: Water Is The Sun : "Charmed Of Lesser Beasts" (Tocco Magico) 2026.

12: Nails Ov Christ : "Dark Night Of The Soul (V)" (Disabuse Transmissions) 2025.

13: Muhviertel : "Muhswaan" (Carnifex Organisation) 1987.

14: Schuster : "The Cat's Algebra (Edit)" (Carnifex Organisation) 1987.

15: A Certain Ratio : "Do The Du" (Factory Records) 1980.

Thanks as ever to Chris and Tamsin for taking me there, being there, and bringing me back again.

                                             I made it on the SoundArt Radio DJ 'wall of fame'!

Murmur Radio returns on March 15. 18:00 GMT.