MuhMur Radio Broadcast 29 September 2022

 

This is the first in a brace of broadcasts where the playlist is compiled of sounds that have come through the portals of MuhMur HQ over the past three months whilst I have been "off-air". 

"I'm Back, In Full Attack. Never Give In Until They Crack". (999).

The (Jim Jones) People's Temple Choir open the programme giving you a warm welcome. The track is from the 1973 LP "He's Able" that has been recently re-issued on cassette by the Kieh! Kieh! label. Go to : https://kiehkieh.bandcamp.com for more details. 

In April The Anti Group (TAGc) released their tenth album "AMMA". AMMA further explores the TAGc work "Digitaria" inspired and based around the Dogon Cosmological beliefs documented in the book by Marcel Griaule and Germaine Dieterlen, 'Le Renard Pâle' (Paris 1965, Institut d'Ethnologie), utilising unreleased Archival tapes from the TAGc Digitaria recording sessions, ethnological recordings of the Dogon and astrophysical recordings from the star systems in the constellation of Canis Major. "Ogo Le Ranard Pâle" is from this album. Released by ArmComm Europe and Rizosfera, copies are available from : https://rizosfera.org/en/. At the same time Rizosfera also released the first solo album by Adi Newton called "Newtones". It's well worth hunting out. 

"Time Ends - A Tribute To J.G. Ballard's Tetralogy Of Transformation" is a double compilation album featuring Desiderii Martinis, Troum, Martin Bladh & Karolina Urbaniak and Anemone Tube. Each artist has a side to explore, interpret and explain four of Ballard's works. Anemone Tube's "Road Of Suffering I - III" is a take on "The Crystal World" and is part of "Sea Of Trees". "Inspired by the visions of J. G. Ballard 'Sea Of Trees' aims to dissolve the alienated relationship between man and nature. In this vision the forest is a place of pilgrimage, offering a comprehensive healing processor man with the purpose of a repatriation to his actual innate nature". The album is a co-release between Auf Abwegen and The Epicurean (Anemone Tube's own label). I must admit to not knowing much of Ballard's work, I remember reading "Crash" and "The Atrocity Exhibition" (quite thin volumes as I remember) as a teenager in the 1970's, but I can't remember getting much out of them ... but, if there's a compilation album where both Anemone Tube and Troum get a side each .. I am going to have to take a listen. Go to either label's websites for more information. (It's also available as a CD) : http://the-epicurean.transformed.de and / or https://aufabwegen.bandcamp.com. 

Memotone is the alias of experimental electronic artist William Yates. Earlier in the year I got the cassette "The Power Of The Witch" on Industrial Coast, a tape shrouded in mystery about who produced the sounds etc, I discovered it was William Yates so, wanting to hear more I dipped my ears in to the water (so to speak) and bought this Memotone 7" "Koma". I shall continue to get more Memotone sounds. Facit was another project who I found out about by delving into the works of Swedish musician Joakim Karlsson. Joakim is half of Treasury Of Puppies and has worked with Blod and Astrid Øster Mortensen in the past. (All favourites here at MuhMur HQ). Facit is the duo of Mai Nestor and Joakim Karlsson, with albums last year out on Förfall and Discreet Music. "Broschyr" is from the 2013 12"EP "Mat Åt Duvorna" on the New York based Cititrax label. 

Just as I had finished the playlist for the last MuhMur Radio broadcast before the summer recess the 10 album and 2 7" single box set of Nekrophile Rekords history came through the door. A happy summer spent listening to all of Nekrophile's output. I still have a couple of original cassettes, the ones by Korpses Katatonik and LAShTAL, and I was never too keen on the Zos-Kia / Coil "Transparent" tape, but hearing it again after many many years I was pleasantly surprised .. it has its moments. The box set (which also includes a rather magnificent book full of history and memories) also includes the unreleased material by Coming To Now. "Closer To Silence" was recorded in 1984 but never made release. The same story applies to Metgumbnerbone's "For The Raven" album which also appears in the box. Coming To Now were Andy hale and Luther Howard. Their first release (under the pseudonym of Tibet 23) was the 1983 cassette "The Psychick Funcktion". A live recording, this was followed by "The Stifling Air" on the The Will To Power label. Shortly after the release of this cassette Luther left the group. The Coming To Now piece that appears on the Nekrophile compilation "The Archangels Of Sex Rule The Destruction Of The Regime" was a solo piece by Andy Hale. Recently Andy Hale has revived Coming To Now with downloads available on his Bandcamp page. : https://comingtonow.bandcamp.com.

On this day in 1981 Rough Trade US released the Throbbing Gristle album "Greatest Hits (Entertainment Through Pain)". "Distant Dreams (Part Two)" is not on this album. I think Rough Trade US missed a treat out there, it's one of my favourite TG tracks. Now, as a gentleman of leisure after retiring from what seemed like a lifetime working in the NHS, I find myself with time to read and this year I have been buying a few copies of the magazine "Electronic Sound". (I also pick up the odd "Record Collector" if it has an old punk band listed on the cover). I like the inclusion of the 7" single, in months past they have included pieces on and 7" singles by Thomas Leer & Robert Rental, Chris & Cosey, Cabaret Voltaire and John Foxx to name but a few. April this year the magazine featured Laibach with the 7" "Love Is Still Alive (Surfing Through The Universe)" and the July issue has an extended interview with Stephen Mallinder and the 7" "Contact". The track is from his latest LP on Dais Records called "Tick Tick Tick". It was through reading the interview that I discovered the project Mzylkypop. Mzylkypop is a Sheffield project operated by saxophonist Michael Ward (aka Michael Somerset) who was an ex-member of Clock DVA and Floy Joy. The 12"EP "Mzylkypop Presents Xzyles" features Stephen Mallinder alongside Adi Newton, Peter Hope, Karl D'Silva and Martin Archer amongst others. Sheffield legends to a man! 

                                                               Haemoccult Recordings

September 2022. I always knew I was going to retire in 2022, I didn't know which month but it was always a forgone conclusion. One of my retirement plans was to revive, resurrect, rejuvenate the label Haemoccult Recordings. Haemoccult Recordings was created in 2008 to release the Dieter Müh album "The Call" (HAEM 001). A few months after the release Dave Uden left Dieter Müh and label activities were put on Hiatus. 2015 and I released "Bethlehem Loop" (HAEM 002). This is a 5" lathe cut originally recorded for a Harbinger Sound project back in the early 00's. Steve (of Harbinger Sound) kindly sent me the 23 copies when the project was ceased. This release has never been for sale, I gave copies away to friends and to those who showed an interest. So, when I did finally hang up the NHS lanyard and scrubs in May I started asking folk if they were interested in a Haemoccult Recordings release. On September 24th (it was to be the 13th .. but for reasons I can't go in to right now) I released two 7" singles. Grey Frequency "Empyrean / Ritual" (HAEM 003) and The Dead Mauriacs "Cérémonie (Avec Congo En Flammes)" (HAEM 004). 

There will be as yet untitled 7" single by Tony Whitehead released soon as well as a cassette by Finnish experimentalists Grey Park entitled "Think Space, Act Local (Volume 1)". It's a collection of Grey Park material from 1999 - 2003. (HAEM 005). At the time of writing this I haven't set up an internet presence, so it you want a copy just drop me a line on muhmur.radio@gmail.com and I'll help. 

Degredation are the duo George Rayner-Law and Vinegar Tom. "Brainworm" is from the debut LP "Leadlined" on Brachliegen Tapes. Recently George has been making his radio work available via Bandcamp including the session he did for MuhMur Radio back in March this year. Grab a download here : https://georgeraynerlaw.bandcamp.com/album/pieces-for-muhmur-radio-march-2022. 

2022 has been a busy year for Alice Kemp with live performances at 'Radiophrenia' in Glasgow and at the Supernormal Festival in a field in Oxfordshire. Alice has also provided the soundtrack to the film "I Have Seen Niagara" and provided artwork for the Rudolf Eb.Er + Will Guthrie project "Hilt" (released on Fragment Factory). She also had the misfortune of bumping in to me in a field on Dartmoor recently.

Alice's first release of 2022 is the cassette "To All My Hideous Children" on the Greek Coherent States label. There is a 'deluxe' edition of the release that comes with a crafted object, cards and paper covers and a 7" lathe-cut single. "Hideous Children II" is from the single. The label recommends playing the 7" at 45RPM but I am happiest hearing at 33RPM. This year has also been a busy one for Gavin Morrow (aka) Grey Frequency. Live performances in Lincoln, Leicester and his hometown of Nottingham. Appearing on compilations "Forgotten, Abandoned, Desolated (Volume 5)" on Distorted Void, "The Dystoian World Of J.G. Ballard" on Zero K and "Hauntology In UK" on Eighth Tower Records. Gavin has also broadcast radio programmes on CAMP Radio and re-issued "When Do We Dream" as a limited cassette. Earlier this month Cornish based label Dub Chthonic released the cassette "Leviathan". Again, extremely limited. I think only 23 copies ... but still available as a download from the label at : https://dubcthonic.bandcamp.com/album/leviathan. 

"Ritual" comes from the new 7" release on Haemoccult Recordings (as mentioned earlier). Francesco Covarino has released a cassette (EP) on his own tsss tapes label. Originally from Spain, Francesco is now based in Perugia, Italy. "Nido" (Spanish for 'Nest'), was recorded on a 4-Track cassette recorder in 2018. The two tracks were originally meant to be lullabies for his then 2 year old daughter to fall asleep to. The two pieces do remind me of the work of Blod and Discreet Music releases of recent times. Excellent and recommended. https://tssstapes.bandcamp.com/album/nido. 

Belgian based label Aguirre Records have re-issued a couple of Blod albums from 2017/18. Leendet Från Helvetet ("The Smile From Hell"), was released in 2017 on the Förlag För Fri Musik label, with Zeon Light releasing a cassette version a few weeks later. A few weeks ago I wrote about Blod on this blog and discussed these re-issues. https://remuhmuration.blogspot.com/2022/07/blod.html. The Current 93 song is from the CDEP "Black Ships Ate The Sky Tour Single" or "God Is A Man Eater" depending on which label released it. I have the UK version with the sleeve text written in Coptic. Over the summer I have been listening to a lot of Hauras. I first came aware of the project through their release on the Industrial Coast label. "Adrift" was released earlier this year and this lead me to the split release with Jo Montgomerie (another great artist who I have been discovering over the past few months) and the two cassette releases on the Helen Scarsdale Agency label. "Deleted Scene" ends side B on the "In These Comings Days" a 2020 release. Hauras is the project of Howard Ryan. More information on Hauras and Helen Scarsdale Agency can be found here : https://www.helenscarsdale.com.

The broadcast has been archived on MixCloud and available now : 

https://www.mixcloud.com/tamsin-jane-cammack/muhmur-radio-broadcast-29-september-2022/

Thanks for listening, back again on October 13th at 21:00 on SoundArt Radio 102.5FM and streaming live  here : https://www.soundartradio.org.uk

Playlist :

01: The People's Temple : "Welcome" (Kieh! Kieh!) 2021.

02: The Anti Group : "Ogo Le Renard Pâle" (Armcomm Europe/Rizosfera) 2022.

03: Anemone Tube : "Road Of Suffering (I-III)" (The Epicurean/Auf Abwegen) 2021.

04: Memotone : "Koma" (Black Acre) 2013.

05: Facit : "Broschyr" (Cititrax) 2013.

06: Coming To Now : "The Bullet Made Flesh" (Vinyl On Demand) 2022.

07: Throbbing Gristle : "Distant Dreams (Part Two)" (Industrial Records) 1980.

08: Stephen Mallinder : "Contact" (Electronic Sound) 2022.

09: The Dead Mauriacs : "Cérémonie (Avec Congo En Flammes) (Acte 1)" (Haemoccult Recordings) 2022. 

10: The Dead Mauriacs : "Cérémonie (Avec Congo En Flammes) (Acte 2)" (Haemoccult Recordings) 2022.

11: Degredation : "Brainworm" (Brachliegen Tapes) 2022.

12: Alice Kemp : "Hideous Children II" (Coherent States) 2022.

13: Grey Frequency : "Leviathan Wakes" (Dub Cthonic) 2022.

14: Grey Frequency : "Ritual" (Haemoccult Recordings) 2022.

15: Francesco Covarino : "Nido ii" (tsss tapes) 2022.

16: Blod : "Leendet Från Helvetet" (Aguirre Records) 2022.

17: Blod : "Leendet Från Helvetet - Repris" (Aguirre Records) 2022.

18: Current 93 : "Then Kill Caesar" (Durtro/Jnana Records) 2006.

19: Hauras : "Deleted Scene" (Helen Scarsdale Agency) 2020.

The Dead Mauriacs 7" on Haemoccult Recordings Now Available!

 http://www.thedeadmauriacs.com/2022/09/the-dead-mauriacs-ceremonie-avec-cargo.html

MuhMur Radio - Back On Air!

 

Back in the SoundArt Radio studios to pre-record a couple of broadcasts. The first one goes out at the new time of 21:00 on September 29th, found on 102.5FM if you're hanging around Totnes or catch(up)able on Mixcloud a few hours later. 

The first couple of broadcasts are of sounds that have arrived through the portal of MuhMur Radio HQ since June, lots of sounds from The Anti Group, Memotone, The Dead Mauriacs, Alice Kemp, Grey Frequency, Degredation, Francesco Covarino and Blod (and others) in the first broadcast. It was great to be back, hanging with Chris and Tamsin and the kids. 

A new season begins .... 

Duet Emmo

 August, and MuhMur Radio HQ has become Wire central. A couple of weeks ago I was out and about in a nearby Devonshire town (I am keeping the location a secret ... for obvious reasons), and came across a record shop selling new charty stuff and "pre-loved' vinyl. There was also a bin of unsold 'Record Store Day' releases. I managed to pick up the Wire release "PF456 Deluxe", a book containing two 10"EPs and a 7" single. It was going for a song as Arthur Negus once said. This compilation was available on last year's Record Store Day. I also grabbed a copy of Wire's 2018 Record Store Day offering "Nine Sevens", a box of Wire's first 9 singles, including the EP that came with "154" LP and the unreleased "2nd Length (Our Swimmer)" single that Charisma Records rejected. The Harvest years of Wire are my favourite, I remember buying the "Mannequin" EP from Sanctuary Records in Lincoln when it was first released. 1977. I followed them right through to "154" and beyond - their solo projects etc. I wasn't too keen on the reformation in 1985. I went to the Bloomsbury Theatre gig in July that year. So I never really kept tabs on their releases and/or activities from then on. That was until I moved down here to Devon and my brother-in-law's band supported Wire on a European tour and came back with some goodies for me, signed CDs, set lists and a can of Belgian lager (Maes) that Graham Lewis had given him. The can (still unopened) is on display at MuhMur Radio HQ! He even introduced me to the band when they played Exeter a few years ago. 

                                                          Chatting with Colin Newman.

Also back in the month of August I bought a copy of the CD "Not About To Die", an album of studio demos from 1977 and 1978 with some amazing versions of tracks from the "Chairs Missing" and "154" albums.

So, whilst the summer has been swimming to the tunes of Wire's back catalogue I received a notification from Juno Records about the re-issue of Duet Emmo's 1983 album "Or So It Seems". Duet Emmo was the title given to the project for the collaboration between Daniel Miller (Mute) and Bruce Gilbert & Graham Lewis (Dome), the name being an amalgamated anagram of both parties. I must admit to being a little surprised by this re-issue / repackage as I thought Mute Records never deleted their back catalogue (something I probably read in the 1980's before they sold themselves to multi-nationals and then sold themselves again) and I thought an original copy of "Or So It Seems" can only be going for £15 - £20 or so. But No! Looking on the internet I could only find secondhand ("pre-loved") copies going for £40+ and quality was quite often VG+. A timely re-issue. 

I think the single from the album, also entitled "Or So It Seems", came out in 1982. Crisp and spacious sequencial synth patterns intertwining with Graham Lewis' flowing multi-tracked voices. A sound that would not have seemed out of place on a Yazoo album. 

A few years ago, I wouldn't like to put a date on it but probably about 2015 I found myself at 'Back To Mono' Record shop in Lincoln. back then it was in a compact and bijou indoor shopping complex called "The Mini-Market", but that has long been demolished. 

Waffle Warning! : "Back To Mono" has been in Lincoln since the early 1990s. It's still going strong and now situated in Guildhall Street, just down from The Stonebow. "Back To Mono" follows a long tradition of great secondhand record shops in Lincoln going back to the mid 1980s with 'Mary's" on Broadgate. Downstairs vinyl, upstairs Adult Magazines and two doors down, The Jolly Brewer pub. Andy Dobbs had a great shop on Tentercroft Street before moving to the Cornhill Market and Vince Ramsey ran 'Planet Of Sound', firstly on Hungate and later on the High Street. But now Lincoln just has "Back To Mono", well worth visiting if you're in the area. Every time I went back to Lincoln I always used to pop in and browse the racks and always found a bargain. The shop is run by a guy called Jim, lovely chap and a couple of years ago whilst at a 'family do' I found out that I was related to him ... briefly. He married into the family on my Mothers side, but the marriage didn't last. The family on my Mother's side is large (something I didn't discover until her death). Jim was the DJ when Sleaford Mods played a gig at The Basement in Lincoln (2015), we were probably related then. Ha!

http://muhmur.blogspot.com/2015/03/sleaford-mods-crap-towns-shitholes-1.html

On this occasion I managed to find a copy of "Or So It Seems", the sleeve is heavily water damaged but the vinyl condition is excellent. NM as they say on Discogs. I bought a couple of other records - Virgin Prunes "Faculty Of A Broken Heart" 12" single was one of them ... Colin Newman connection there .. and Jim let me have the lot for a tenner. 

"Or So It Seems" is still a great album, I hadn't played it for a few years and the other day it still sounded fresh and relevant as it did in 1983. There are two classic electro-pop tracks, the title track and a piece called "The First Person", this track is an updated and 'popified' version of the song "Linasixup" from the first Dome album. The album kicks off with the very Domesque "Hill Of Men". Side two of the album fits in the 'experimental electronics' draw with small electronic pieces surrounding the extensive rumblings of "Long Sledge", again a piece that wouldn't be amiss on any early 1980's Gilbert & Lewis album. 

So, is the re-issue worth buying for the one 'extra' track? "Heart Of Hearts (Or So It Seems)" was the B-Side of the 1982 single, a remix of the A-Side, a thing that was very popular in the 1980's. I have the single. My copy is a 7" French pressing where "Or So It Seems" is split in to two parts. 

I guess this is a worthy re-issue although I will stick with my originals (for now). I guess copies are available from Juno and Norman in the UK or direct from Mute Records (although I do find Mute Records mail order arm very slow) ...