MuhMur Radio Broadcast July 22 2021

 The broadcast begins with a fifteen minute piece from Lausanne based artist Francisco Meirino. "Something Always Remains" follows on from the excellent "A New Instability" album that was released in January this year by Helen Scarsdale Agency. "Something Always Remains" is a C30 cassette put out by UK's Research Laboratories label. Released in an edition of 35 copies only the cassette is now unavailable from the label but a download version is still available via the Francisco Meirino page. https://franciscomeirino.bandcamp.com/album/something-always-remains

One of my first exposures to cassette noise was by Kapotte Muziek. In 1986 I contributed to the 2xC90 compilation "Wolfsangel" released by Peter Zincken's Nihilistic Recordings label. The track that preceded mine (IBF : "Ka (Version)" ... a remixed version from the track on the "Hammers Used As Hearts" cassette) was a slab of untitled noise by Kapotte Muziek. I was hooked from then on. Kapotte Muziek was created in 1984 by Frans de Waard (as regular listeners will know Frans is no stranger to the MuhMur Radio playlist) and Christian Nijs. Christian Left in 1987 and Frans carried on Kapotte Muziek as a solo project collaborating with other artists for live performances and recordings. "Radiation" is from the 1994 CD album "Verder". "Verder" is compiled of four pieces. "Radiation" is using / recycling material from Telepherique. Other artists' noises used are from Merzbow, Agencement and G.X. Jupitter-Larsen. It was released by Nicolas Malevitsis's Harsh Dept. Productions label. Nicoals know operates the excellent Rekem Records label. 

Muckrackers are a three piece Industrial / Experimental Rock band from the Grand Est region of North East France. They have been releasing their own brand of metal percussive industrial noise for the last twenty years, usually on their own Les Forges Alliées imprint. They have just released two pieces on vinyl, the 7" "CDLF" and the 10"EP "AntiFer", both are limited pressings and available from their band camp page : https://muckrackers.bandcamp.com "Au Six Tonnes" is from the 7" single and "AntiFer #3" is from the 10" collaborative EP with Flutwacht, Igor!!M and Justine Ribière. Flutwacht (aka Daniel Simon) is a regular collaborator with the Muckrackers. Justine Ribière is from the French noise project Machinalis Tarantulae. 

A lot was said about Paul Chain and the double album "Paul Chain Is Dead Volume 1" on the last ReMuhMuration post, so I won't go into it here, other than to say that the track "Domino" is from this release. 

Snatch Tapes began in 1979, releasing DIY experimental and electronic music by the likes of Storm Bugs, David Jackman, Alien Brains, Sea Of Wires and Lemon Kittens. The label was created by Philip Sanderson of Storm Bugs. After seven cassette releases in 1981 Snatch tapes went into hibernation, resurfacing again in 2000 with the Philip Sanderson solo CDR ""Lay-By Lullaby". 

Since 2000 Snatch Tapes have released new and old material by Storm Bugs as well as solo recordings by Philip Sanderson under his own name and his Ice Yacht moniker. "Not Even My Closest Friends" carries on from last years "Rumble Of The Ruins". "Idol Ferry" is from this album which Philip describes as "Baroque Pop". The cassette version was a limited run of 25, but download the album here : https://snatchtapes.bandcamp.com/album/not-even-my-closest-friends

Snatch Tapes were one of the pioneers of DIY experimental  / industrial / post-punk / noise cassette labels, alongside Deleted Records,  NB Records, Fuck Off Tapes and Don't Dance - Collide Tapes* (and others). All are mentioned in the new autobiography of NB Records mandarin and member of The Door And The Window; Bendle. 

So for the final minutes of the broadcast I try and give a 'small' soundtrack to the book. I do thoroughly recommend getting hold of the book. 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25771078-permanent-transience

I had a friend with low morals and an Amazon UK account to buy me a copy. Hopefully there are other sellers by now ... same as with the autobiography "The Luxury Of Dreams" by Mark Automaton (aka Mark Lancaster of The Instant Automatons), only available via Amazon. Marks' book is also a great read with the bulk of the story being about his post Automatons life. He says in the book, if you want the in depth and detailed story of DIY cassette culture of the late 1970's then read Bendle's book.  

I have a feeling I heard The Instant Automatons before The Door And The Window. The Automatons were from 'up the road' in Keelby (North Lincolnshire) and I used to write to them, buy their Deleted Records tapes and the excellent "Peter Paints His Fence" EP. So, it was either through connection with Deleted Records or maybe hearing the "Subculture" single on John Peel's radio programme that I wrote to NB Records and started getting their stuff too. I remember I always got replies from Nag - the other half of The Door And The Window ... and as it turns out the inspiration for the Cabaret Voltaire song "Nag Nag Nag". The book is full of great stories, snapshots of how life was in late 1970's London. The camaraderie that existed, seemingly evolving and revolving around Throbbing Gristle live performances and the London Musician's Collective. Characters like Steve Stapleton, Fritz Catlin, Colin Potter, Mark Perry (who was a member of TDATW for a while), Karl Blake, Dick Wilts and David Toop all weave in and out. It is a truly great read and an unputdownable book. 

Apart from tracks by The Door And The Window and The Instant Automatons I slipped in pieces by 391. 391 was the solo project of Mark Automaton. "Prisoner In The Living Room" comes from the Deleted Records compilation tape "Deleted Funtime" (pardon for the quality .. it is an old cassette). The Mark Perry + Dennis Burns song is akin from the "Music Death" 7" on NB Records. I remember buying this one direct from NB Records and getting a free copy of the Alternative TV LP "Vibing Up The Senile Man (Part One)" with it. The postage was more than what I paid for the 7" alone. The 23 Skidoo track is their debut 7" and has Fritz on bass ...

... and I put in The Fall because it was produced by Grant Showbiz (aka Grant Cunliffe) and he also produced The Door And The Window's LP "Detailed Twang". 

The "Green Blob" is a song about Bendle and Nag's landlord and is from the retrospective album "Dr. Egg" a collection of live recordings from 1983 to 1987. The track has part time TDATW member Tony Clough who in 1979 featured on the first Snatch Tapes compilation tape "Snatch Tapes 1". It's like coming round and completing the circle. 

* 'Don't Dance - Collide Tapes' are not mentioned in the book.

Please take a listen to the broadcast here : 

https://www.mixcloud.com/muhsteve/muhmur-radio-broadcast-22-july-2021/

Playlist :

01: Francisco Meirino : "Something Always Remains" (Research Laboratories) 2021.

02: Kapotte Muziek : "Radiation" (Harsh Dept. Productions) 1994.

03: Muckrackers : "Au Six Tonnes" (LFA) 2021.

04: Muckrackers/Flutwacht/Igor!!M/Justine Ribière : "AntiFer #3" (LFA) 2021.

05: Paul Chain : "Domino" (Horn Of Plenty) 2021.

06: Philip Sanderson : "Idol Ferry" (Snatch Tapes) 2021.

07: The Door And The Window : "Dads" (NB Records) 1980.

08: The Door And The Window : "I Like Sound" (NB Records) 1979.

09: The Instant Automatons : "Laburnum Walk" (Deleted Records) 1980.

10: 391 : "Prisoner Of The Living Room" (Deleted Records) 1980.

11: The Door And The Window : "We Do Scare Each Other" (NB Records) 1980.

12: Mark Perry + Dennis Burns : "You Cry Your Tears" (NB Records) 1980.

13: The Instant Automatons : "People Laugh At Me (Coz I Like Weird Music)" (Deleted Records) 1980.

14: The Instant Automatons : "John's Vacuum Cleaner" (Deleted Records) 1980.

15: The Door And The Window : "Green Blob" (Not On Label) 2003.

16: 23 Skidoo : "Another Babys Face" (Pineapple Products) 1981.

17: The Door And The Window : "Don't Kill Colin" (NB Records) 1979.

18: The Door And The Window : "Wurst Band" (NB Records) 1979.

19: The Fall : "New Face In Hell" (Rough Trade Records) 1980.

20: The Door And The Window : "Part Time Punks" (NB Records) 1980.

Thank you for listening.

Any questions / comments please feel free to contact me at muhmur.radio@gmail.com

MuhMur Radio Broadcast July 8 2021.

 

The broadcast begins with Side A of the new cassette album from Modelbau. The sound is a slight departure from Modelbau's usual textured drones, ambient fields and noise releases. Here Frans de Waard creates a soundscape by layering and cutting, cross-fading and shuffling sounds from shortwave radio broadcasts. The cassette is released by Cologne based label Superpolar Taïps in a limited edition of 40 and available here : https://superpolar.bandcamp.com/album/aether-aleatorica

Leda is the solo project of Neutral guitar / synth player Sofie Herner. (Sofie is also part of the Gothenburg supergroup Enhet För Fri Musik). I first heard Leda about seven years ago with the excellent "City / Clear" 7" single on I Dischi Del Barone, this was followed a couple of years later by another classic 7" "Japanese Key" still on IDDB. The two tracks here are from the LP "Våren" a new re-issue on the US Grapefruit Records label. It's a vinyl re-issue of the eponymous 2014 cassette put out (and impossible to find) by Ingen Våg. Grapefruit records, operated by singer / songwriter Simon Joyner, seem to have tapped in to the Gothenburg underground sound with earlier releases / re-issues by Neutral and Blod. Long may it continue! I get my Grapefruit Records releases via the European distributor Discreet Music. Contactable here : https://discreetmusic.se Interested Americans can contact Simon and Grapefruit Records here : https://grapefruit1.bandcamp.com

A couple of weeks ago I celebrated the release of Dome's first album "Dome One". This made me dig out all my Dome Records releases but I couldn't find space for "Drop" a 7" by AC Maria AC. (A.C. = Angela Conway). Released in 1981 and played very very often here at Hartop Towers, please excuse the snap, crackle and pop. 

Any release by Brighton based agent provocateur Duncan Harrison is worth an ear. Last year he put out "Slow Lightning", a split LP with Ian Murphy and it's a strong (very strong) contender for album of the year. Since leaving Plurals (in or around) 2013 Duncan has released a plethora of experimental soundscapes / Soundart and Musique Concret on labels such as Chocolate Monk, Sound Holes, Beartown Records, Sham Repro,  Index Clean and Research Laboratories to name but a few. The new album is called "Fires.Serif" on Regional Bears. The piece "15" is from this tape. It's available direct from the label here : https://regionalbears.bandcamp.com/album/fires-serif

Hands up. Who has heard of Paul Chain before? "Paul Chain Is Dead Volume 1" came to me via the label Horn Of Plenty. Horn Of Plenty is a London based label run by Nick Hamilton. Nick used to run a label called Vittelli (who released "Nocturnes" a great LP by Matthew P. Hopkins) and have a show on Resonance FM. Horn Of Plenty have been releasing quality since 2018 and also run a small (and reasonably priced) mail order distribution. It's worth a look. https://www.horn-of-plenty.org . But back to Paul Chain ... Paul Chain is Italian musician / composer Paolo Catena. In 1977 Paolo formed the Doom Metal group 'Death S.S.'. Death S.S. is an abridgement of 'In Death Of Steve Sylvester'. 

In 1979 Paul disbanded Death S.S. to concentrate on his solo work working under the banner of Paul Chain Group and Paul Chain Violet Theatre. In 1983 Paul started performing and recording as (simply) Paul Chain. "Paul Chain Is Dead Volume 1" contains tracks recorded between 1983 and 2003, some are unreleased pieces some being tracks not re-issued in thirty years. I have really 'gotten in to' this double LP over the past few weeks. Progressive Psychedelic Experimentalism as I call it.PPE, and that's something we can't get enough of these days. And to quote the promo blurb that came with the release:

"Paul Chain's story is one of spiritual and musical (mis)adventure, self-sabotage, and unwanted cult-status.All of this led Paolo to disown the Paul Chain catalogue when he announced the artistic death of Paul Chain in 2003"

In 2009 to ex Smell & Quim members (although I don't think they were ever in the group at the same time) joined brains to become Early Hominids. The project lasted until 2017 and now four years after their demise Paul Walsh and Neil Campbell have (self) released a CDR called "Circular Dredge / Plexus Vulgar". Available here : https://theneilcampbell.bandcamp.com/album/circular-dredge-plexus-vulgar

Two ex members of THU20, Frans de Waard and Joseph Smolders make up the project WaSm. "Twee Seven" is from their latest CD release "Twee". Released on the German Attenuation Circuit label copies are available here : https://emerge.bandcamp.com/album/twee . The Michael Esposito piece is from the 2013 release "L'enveloppe" a book by Guillaume Belhomme / "In The Silence Of A Watery Grave" a 3" CD by M. Esposito. It's part of the ongoing Lenka Lente series of books with accompanying sounds (soundtracks?) which has included artists such as Nurse With Wound, Andrew Lilles, Daniel Menche, Lee Renaldo and Vomir amongst others. The piece is subtitled EVP Case file 'PAW068', and this is what Michael says about it : 

"The recording was captured on the fourth of July 2013 in Dyer (Indiana) during the last, fleeting trails of fireworks disappearing into the night. The voices that were accidentally picked up are not from this world and seem to angrily remind us that all celebrations must end and they have to be let go so they can be reborn in the next year".

Cold Spring Records have released recordings by William S. Burroughs and Brian Gysin on 12" vinyl. Originally released in 2012 on CD by the British Library, that album contains recordings and readings from 1963 through to 1982. 

There is no digital version of this album and is available direct from Cold Spring Records. Click here for information. : https://coldspring.bandcamp.com/album/william-s-burroughs-brion-gysin-csr293lp

On July 8 1980 Talking Heads related the single "Cities" from the LP "Fear Of Music". 

Playlist :

01: Modelbau : "Aether Aleatorica (Side A)" (Superpolar Taïps) 2021. *

02: Leda : "Fascistmusik" (Grapefruit Records) 2021.

03: A.C. Marias A.C. : "Drop" (Dome Records) 1981.

04: Leda : "Förskriveise" (Grapefruit Records) 2021.

05: Duncan Harrison : "15" (Regional Bears) 2021.

06: Paul Chain : "Tetri Teschi In Luce Viola" (Horn Of Plenty) 2021.

07: Paul Walsh + Neil Campbell : "Plexus Vulgar" (Not On Label) 2021.

08: WaSm : "Twee Zeven" (Attenuation Circuit) 2021.

09: Michael Esposito : "In The Silence Of A Watery Grave" (Lenka Lente) 2013.

10: Brion Gysin : "Kick That Habit Man" (Cold Spring Records) 2021.

11: Brion Gysin : "I Am That I Am" (Cold Spring Records) 2021.

12: Talking Heads : "Cities" (Sire Records) 1980.

Please take a listen to the programme here : 

https://www.mixcloud.com/muhsteve/muhmur-radio-broadcast-july-8-2021/

* the Modelbau track is composed of eleven pieces : "Jammer Firedrake / Cruise Email / Sound Of Hope / Adventist Weird Radio / Pendulum / Humpty Doo / Ash Cabat Aero / Asfaltstelegrafen / Carilon Wellbeing Radio / Laser Hot Hits / Amica Venetia". 

The next broadcast is on July 22 at 20:00 GMT. Available on SoundArt Radio 102.5 FM if your in shouting distance of Dartington in Devon. ("Devon is a place ... a place where nothing .. nothing ever happens" to misquote Talking Heads) it will feature sounds from Francisco Meirino, Paul Chain, Muckrackers, Philip Sanderson, The Door And The Window and 391 amongst others. Or alternatively listen to it live via the SoundArt Radio streaming service at : https://www.soundartradio.org.uk Many thanks to Chris Booth at SoundArt Radio for letting this happen. 

                                                       Chris Booth has left the building ....