Sophie Cooper.

File this one under curious. I saw the release announcements for Sophie Cooper, an avant-garde sonic / acoustic improv. trombone player from Yorkshire and I must admit to not really being tempted. It is on the Yorkshire label Crow Vs. Crow whose last release by Steff Ketteringham I found verged on the unlistenable. And then a copy arrived through the post (thank you Andy) and I now admit to be pleasantly surprised.
There are a lot of tracks on this tape. Fifteen of them.....sketches I suppose. All of the tracks were recorded at an artist residency at The Curfew Tower in Cushendall, Northern Ireland. Hence the title "The Curfew Tower Recordings". The opening piece is a calming drone piece with treated shruti box (an Indian drone instrument similar in sound to a harmonium) and trombone. It is not what I expected. Closer to David Jackman than George Chisholm. The instruments lull and drift filling the room with melancholic air until a lone voice tunefully mourns along with the drone. This arcs into a great amp noise driven loop of trombone and voice. And then, about seven or eight minutes into side A it all takes a turn.
There are 'interruptions'. "Dial-A-Bone" calls. A telephone service where callers ask for a trombone to be played down the phone. Long or short, high or low notes ... it's kind of comedic in an unfunny kind of way and from the first "Dial-A-Bone" call the whole of side A goes downhill. Raw trombone sounding like an annoying neighbour practicing scales etc.
It did put me off turning the tape over straight away to experience side B. Side B begins with 'Tribute To La Monte Young And Maria Zezeela's Oceans". Again the shruti box, this time to the sound of a rippling tide and a siren's call. A somnambulistic meditative piece. It is beautiful - one of the finest pieces I have heard for a while, broken by another "Dial-A-Bone" interlude.
"Push The Button" has a sonic acoustic feel, very isolated but a lot warmer than the solo trombone pieces / sketches on side A, probably because it is hard to define the sounds as trombone. "Keep It Running" is a prime example. This could be Throbbing Gristle taking sonic looping to the edge. Side B has the more experimentation with sound and effects and it is my preferred listen. There's still the pointless "Dial-A-Bone" interruptions, but (by now) they're palatable.

I see Sophie Cooper has ears. She has released on labels such as Tor Press, Was Its Das?, Blackest Rainbow and Wild Silence. The tape is available via the Crow Vs. Crow bandcamp page, also visit the Sophie Cooper website.

https://crowversuscrow.bandcamp.com/album/the-curfew-tower-recordings

https://sophiecoopermusic.com

I shall be playing some Sophie Cooper on the next MuhMur Radio Broadcast.

MuhMur Radio Broadcast 26 October 2017.

With Samhain approaching and new releases from occult driven artists Michael Idehall, Zos-Kia and Trepaneringsritualen this programme took on a dark magickal and mysterious turn. I also dug out a couple of releases from the Austrian Nekrophile Rekords label from the 1980's. (They seemed apt).
Korpses Katatonik was an early 1980's project from Michael DeWitt. Michael went on to perform as Zero Kama. "Kaltfleisch  Corporor" comes from their only release "Subklinikal Leukotomy Aphrenia Spasmophilik Lyssophobo Asphyxia Sinister Lethal Anorex" on Nekrophile Rekords. The other Nekrophile Rekords release on this programme is "Kundalini" by LAshTAL. LAshTAL were an unknown Italian project, mysterious with members at the time (1986) but the wonder of the internet reveals that former member Maurizio Fasolo was also a member of Pankow. "Kundalini" comes from their only release "Thoum Aesh Neith".
Russian label Infinite Fog Productions have just brought out a compilation of tracks by Zos-Kia. I had to get a copy for the tracks "Be Like Me" and "Muggy The Staff", both tracks were house favourites in the 1980's and two records I have never seen (at a reasonable price) since losing them. "Muggy The Staff" will appear in an upcoming broadcast.
I have been listening to the works of Michael Idehall since his 2014 release "Deep Code" on Belaten. The sound is somewhere between cold wave, beat driven industrial and ritualistic soundscape. "Prophecy Of The Apparatus God" comes from the latest cassette "Machine Spirit Transmission" on Rabbau, and is a great sample of the 'Idehall' sound. The cassette is sold out from the label but take a listen here : https://raubbau.bandcamp.com/album/machine-spirit-transmission
To mark the 30th anniversary of Tesco Organisation I played tracks by two fine Tesco Organisation projects that played the anniversary show in Mannheim on the 26/27th of October. The Trepaneringsritualen track comes from the latest LP "Kainskult", the Contrastate track is taken from their single on Dying Earth Records. Unfortunately I played it at the wrong speed! (© John Peel).
The Dieter Mūh track s the B-Side to the single "We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy", originally called "S.S. Action Song" we first played it live in Stockholm 2001. (It appears on the "Stockholm Monsters" LP). It features three splice rhythms played by natives of the South Seas. We decided to alter the title due to the record being on a German label.
The broadcast finishes with 4 tracks from the Herr Penschuck cassette "Unfälle Im Haushalt / / Domestic Desasters". I know nothing about this artist apart from his collaboration work with Thorsten Soltau. Unfortunately the slider on the mixing desk got a nudge and part of the sound went into the red for a moment. I apologise. More can be found here : http://www.herrpenschuck.eu/en/

Take a listen here : https://www.mixcloud.com/muhsteve/muhmur-radio-soundart-radio-broadcast-26102017/ (copy & paste).

Playlist:
01: Korpses Katatonik : "Kaltfleisch Corporor" (Nekrophile Rekords) 1983.
02: Zos-Kia : "Be Like Me" (Infinite Fog Productions) 2017.
03: Michael Idehall : "Prophecy Of The Apparatus God" (Rabbau) 2017.
04: Trepaneringsritualen : "An Immaculate Body Of Water" (Tesco Organisation) 2017.
05: Kinit Her : "Needs Of Bath (II)" (Bleak Environment) 2014.
06: Dieter Mūh : "Like It Never Happened" (Poetry & Violence/Darkness Productions) 2003.
07: Contrastate : "I Am A Clown Collecting Moments (And Other Chocolates) (Dying Earth Records) 1993.
08: Sleep Chamber : "Somewhere In Morocco" (Manhood Records) 1995.
09: LAshTAL : "Kundalini" (Nekrophile Rekords) 1986.
10: Throbbing Gristle : "After The Fall" (Mute Records) 2007.
11: Boyd Rice : "There Was Never A Moment When Evil Was Real" (The Product Korps) 1987.
12: Wyrm : "Adam Coils" (Drone Records) 2010.
13: Phantom Plastics : "Chatter Of The Eternal Return" (Firework Edition Records) 2013.
14: Aaron Dilloway : "Crow Bar" (Von) 2012.
15: Herr Penschuck : "Gefūhlsecht (Attenuation Circuit) 2016.
16: Herr Penschuck : "Bedenklich" (Attenuation Circuit) 2016.
17: Herr Penschuck : "Katastrofol" (Attenuation Circuit) 2016.
18: Herr Penschuck : "Tragisch" (Attenuation Circuit) 2016.

Next broadcast will be on November 9 at 20:00 hours GMT.

MuhMur Radio October 12 Broadcast

MuhMur Radio is very proud to present some unreleased material from Angel Simitchiev. Angel is mainly known for his work as MyTrip, but also has the side projects Mother Spit, Dayin and Zev Died Orchestra as well as collaborating with Daniel Donchov and Stoyen Stoyanov in Leaver.
In this broadcast is the piece "Circle Of Loss" by MyTrip. It's an unedited unmastered demo version of a piece that will find release in 2018. The track "Inanimate II" by Mother Spit will soon be released by UK label Aetheric Records on CDR format. Aetheric Records released the debut Mother Spit CDR "Carve" back in 2013. Finally a "work in progress" piece from Dayin. Angel visited the UK last month and performed three dates as MyTrip and set up UK distribution for his vinyl releases. The LP "Filament" and the 7" single "Empty" can be bought via the Stashed Goods website. Please go to :
https://stashedgoods.co.uk
Angel can be contacted via the MyTrip bandcamp page : https://mytrip.bandcamp.com

Recently I have rediscovered the brilliant sound of Revolutionary Army Of The Infant Jesus. They're a band that were first introduced to me back in 1991 by an old friend Simon when he gave me the album "Mirror". Whilst in London last month I managed to pick up the 2015 CD "Beauty Will Save The World" and the album is now a firm MuhMur Radio family favourite. I know very little about the group apart from they are from Liverpool. Simon was 50 on the day before broadcast so I play the RAIJ tracks in honour.
A return of the "On This Day" section and the 1976 classic single by Pere Ubu, the second single by Subway Sect and a track from the compilation LP "Is The War Over?" released by Z Block Records in 1979. This is a compilation of Cardiff groups from the late 1970's. I don't have a copy but pulled the Young Marble Giants track from their "Colossal Youth & Collected Works" triple CD set that Domino Records put out in 2007. I do mistakenly mention that it is a South Wales compilation ... I apologise ... I also call MyTrip "MySpit" at one point ... a slip of the tongue, Angel, I apologise.

The Dead Mauriacs piece comes from a recently released CDR that is limited to 12 copies and not for sale. My thanks to Olivier Prieur for providing the sounds.
All can be heard on the MixCloud MuhMur Radio Archive. (Just copy & paste) :

https://www.mixcloud.com/muhsteve/muhmur-radio-soundart-radio-october-12-2017/

Playlist:
01: Leaver : "No Hands" (Amek/Serpent Eve Records) 2016.
02: Revolutionary Army Of The Infant Jesus : "Song Of The Soul" (Occultation Recordings)    2015.
03: Hive Mind : "Elemental Disgrace II" (Spectrum Spools) 2011.
04: The Anti Group : "Synthesis 54 (Burning Water)" (Sweatbox Records) 1987.
05: Phantom Plastics : "Elephant Dead Rat" (Phantom Archives) 2016.
06: Contagious Orgasm : "Silent Heat" (Syntactic) 1998.
07: MyTrip : "Circle Of Loss (Demo)" (Not On Label) 2017.
08: Mother Spit : "Inanimate II" (Aetheric Records) 2017.
09: Dayin : "Untitled (Demo)" (Not On Label) 2017.
10: Pere Ubu : "My Dark Ages" (Hearthan) 1976.
11: Pere Ubu : "Street Waves" (Hearthan) 1976.
12: Subway Sect : "Ambition" (Rough Trade Records) 1978.
13: Young Marble Giants : "Ode To Booker T" (Domino Records) 2007.
14: Modelbau : "Touch-Up" (Dokuro) 2017.
15: The Dead Mauriacs : "Cérémonies Aux Totems Électrifiés (Parts 1-4)" (NPH) 2017.
16: Revolutionary Army Of The Infant Jesus : "Before The Ending Of The Day" (Occultation Recordings) 2015.


Thank you for listening. The next broadcast is on October 26 at 20:00 hours GMT.

Modelbau.

Modelbau is the latest solo project from Frans De Waard. Frans has been creating and releasing his own noises since 1984 with the formation of Kapotte Muziek and the label Korm Plastics. I remember first hearing Kapotte Muziek on the 1986 tape compilation "Wolfsangel" and I've been a keen listener of all things De Waard since. Over the years Frans has been apart of and behind such projects as THU20, Beequeen, Shifts, The Tobacconists, Goes, Freiband and WaSm. (There are many more but these are the ones that come straight to mind .. and are "favourites"). And now and for the past three years ... Modelbau.
Frans began Modelbau to work with lo-fi sound sources such as old tape machines (dictaphones / Walkmans), shortwave radios and small / toy synthesisers. Over the years it has developed in to also utilising laptops and old school sampling devices. The Modelbau "style" is non-aggressive noise, drones and glitches, exploring and stretching frequencies. At times the releases are like sketchbooks as there is very little editing / mastering involved. It is (More or less) presented as is.
There's about a dozen Modelbau tapes and CD's out now, the latest being the C30 cassette "Typewriter" on the Italian Dokuro label.

"Typewriter" is built of four pieces.
"Through Out" is a pleasantly layered static, a grey affair with haunted organ drones and glitches.
"Turn Over" is interfering with interference. An alien transmission. A bass hum adds a sense of melancholia.
"Take-Off" is a lo-fi hum drifting patternless. There's some attempt at rhythm but it never takes off.
"Touch-Up" is a hypnotic soundwave that flowers and bubbles on the peripheries.

Four pieces of well orchestrated space and tones, colours and textures. It has been one of those cassettes that has stayed in the tape machine over the past week or so, getting daily spins. Highly enjoyable. Recommended.

Copies are available vis Dokuro: http://www.dokuro.it