Friday 3 February 2023

MuhMur Radio Broadcast February 2 2023.

 


This programme is topped and tailed by The Lonely Bell, the project of sound artist / musician Ali Murray. The Lonely Bell is from the west coast of the (remote) Isle Of Lewis, off the Scottish mainland. The first two pieces are from the release "The Broken Heart Of Man", a 7" square lathe-cut single on the US label Somnimage. The single is limited to 33 copies only. https://somnimage.bandcamp.com for further details. 


The final two pieces in the programme are taken from The Lonely Bell's latest album "Kingdoms Of The Deep". Released last October on the Minnesota based Shady Ridge Records label "'Kingdoms Of The Deep' is a deep sea ambient concept album - a dark underwater journey into a cold watery abyss. In this album, The Lonely Bell experimented with various synths, guitars and organic oceanic sound recordings to create murky underwater sounds / frequencies, which eventually morphed and evolved into an interesting atmosphere and foundation for a cold ambient / drone album. This is the story of a tragedy at sea, and a vast mysterious unexplored world .. but it's also a metaphor for something much more deep and personal to the artist". Discovering the sound of The Lonely Bell / Ali Murray (thanks to David Warmbier) has made this a great start to 2023 and I'm looking forward to hearing what is produced over the coming months. Contact Ali at : https://thelonelybell.bandcamp.com or via Shady Ridge Records at : https://shadyridgerecords.bandcamp.com/artists
The Current 93 track is from the triple LP "I Am Last Of All The Field That Fell (A Channel)/My Name Is Nearly All That's Left" released in 2014 on The Spheres. 
The first Memotone track is the B-Side of the "Kota" 7" single released in 2013. Memotone is William Yates, a sound artist / musician from Bristol (UK). The second piece from Memotone is from the 2020 LP "Invisible Cities". All things Memotone can be found here : https://www.memotone.co.uk.


U.V. Pop were / is John K. White from Sheffield. (U.V. standing for Ultra-Violent). Well ... that's what is says on t'internet, I always thought U.V. Pop were from Doncaster. I met John once, back in May 1982 at a 23 Skidoo gig at The Porterhouse in Retford. We were both at the front awaiting to here the bass line from "The Gospel Comes To New Guinea" come from the speakers ... chatting .. and John mentioned that his band (U.V. Pop) should have been support as they were more compatible than the band that had just played. If I remember right, they were called 'Or Was He Pushed'. John had travelled from Doncaster to see 23 Skidoo. Anyway ... later in the year I bought the first U.V. Pop 7" on Pax Records (the Sheffield label run by there infamous Marcus Featherby) and kind of agreed ... they should have been support! 
Internet searching and I discover that U.V. Pop are still active, recording, releasing and performing all over the world and Or Was He Pushed appeared on the 1981 compilation LP "Owt Fer Nowt". John and U.V. Pop activities can be found here : http://www.uvpop.co.uk
Regular listeners to MuhMur Radio will be no stranger to the sounds of Anla Courtis. I have been 


meaning to play a side of the wonderful "Live In Reykjavik" cassette album that Anticipating Nowhere Records released in March last year. It arrived at MuhMur HQ at a time we were 'off-air' for three months or so, and I've never got around to playing it on the radio .... maybe I should do an 'On This Day' next month? In October last year the Berlin based label I Shall Sing Until My Land Is Free released the split Edward Sol / Anla Courtis CD "Askanian Virgin". I Shall Sing Until My Land Is Free supports Ukranian resistance by donating profits to self-defence and humanitarian foundations. The label is dedicated to all fighters for freedom and independence. The label has releases by Merzbow, Muslimgauze, Ilpo Väisänen and Zavoloka amongst others. Support the label - buy the albums (physical or download) here : 


This broadcast's cover version comes courtesy of C Cat Trance. Their version of the Phil Spector/Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil classic is on the LP "Zouave" released in 1986. I am liking this new 'feature' of cover versions, expect a few more in the next programme.
"Contact" by Column One is from the 5xCD box set "W.Transmission 1-5" released in October last year by the Polish Zoharum label. It appears on the alternative version of "W.Transmission 1". Copies can be bought from Zoharum at : http://zoharum.com. Last month I did a live 'End Of The Year' 4 hour broadcast which included "Variation B" by Cei Hill. This programme I play "Variation A". Cei Hill is the project of Benjamin Hallatt and is the new moniker for his Kay Hill project. Ben is based in Nottingham (UK). Copies can be found here : https://kiksgfrlabel.bandcamp.com/album/variation


"Nādalaya" is the latest release by London based artist Anji Cheung. I hadn't heard any new releases by Anji since the 2018 split cassette with Burial Hex so jumped at the chance of getting a copy of this CD. "Nādalaya is an ataraxic drone soundscape, exploring the movement and quality inner states during pānāyāma". It's a 23 minute CDR available from : https://anjicheung.bandcamp.com/merch. Guido Möbius is a German composer / artist based in Berlin. "A Million Magnets" is Guido's eighth album since 2002's "Klisten" released by Klangkrieg Produktionen. It's released on Guido's own Emphase Records. 


There is a supplementary release of the album, the cassette version is titled "A Million Magnets (And More)". It's a co-release with Superpolar Taips. Guido has a great website : http://www.guidomoebius.com
Well worth a visit. The Schwund tracks are from the excellent ""Dieezer Tübe" cassette which came out in November last year. Schwund are also from Berlin. https://derschwund.bandcamp.com/music for more details. 


'On This Day' in 1978 Stiff Records released "Lucky Number" by Lene Lovich. Back in 1978 Stiff Records were still a label to collect, along with Rough Trade Records, Fast Product, Factory Records and later Mute Records with excellent records by the likes of The Damned, The Adverts, Wreckless Eric, Devo and Ian Dury & The Blockheads. "Lucky Number" originally appeared on Lene's debut single as the B-Side to "I Think We're Alone Now" but months later got re-released as an A-Side and became a chart topping hit all over Europe. About 15 years ago I found myself in Toronto and out record shopping and found the Canadian pressing for Lene's "Stateless" album (which includes the single), it's a treasured possession. 


The Mothmen were a great group from Manchester. In 1979 they released their first 7" single on the Absurd Records label, another one of those labels that ... at the time .. were essential to collect with singles by Bet Lynch's Legs, Gerry & The Holograms, Cairo and Naafi Sandwich to name but a few. They then put out an LP on the emerging On-U Sound label before signing with Do It Records. The Mothmen were formed by ex-Durutti Column guitarist David Rowbotham and ex-Durutti Column bassist Tony Bowers. Keyboardist and ex-Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias member Bob Harding and ex-Pink Military drummer Chris Joyce made up the quartet. Both Bowers and Joyce went on to join Simply Red, Chris Joyce now plays with Suns Of Arqa. David Rowbotham was murdered in 1991. More information on The Mothmen can be found here : http://www.skysaw.org/onu/artists/mothmen.html
Just to prove that MuhMur Radio is (just) me playing my old records and tapes ... and whatever has landed on the doormat at MuhMur Radio HQ in recent weeks, I play one of my favourite singles "Living On The Ceiling" by Blancmange. This is the remastered version that Electronic Sound Magazine released last year. 

Please take a listen here : 

Playlist :

01: The Lonely Bell : "Centuries Of Guilt" (Somnimage) 2022.
02: The Lonely Bell : "The Burden Of Shame" (Somnimage) 2022.
03: Current 93 : "Those Flowers Grew" (The Spheres) 2014.
04: Memotone : "Goldair" (Black Acre) 2013.
05: U.V. Pop : "Just A Game" (Pax Records) 1982.
06: Anla Courtis : "Askanian Virgin Ritual Part Two" (I Shall Sing Until My Land Is Free) 2022.
07: C Cat Trance : "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" (Ink Records) 1986.
08: Column One : "Contact" (Zoharum) 2022.
09: Cei Hill : "Variation (A)" (KIKS/Girlfriend) 2022.
10: Anji Cheung : "Nādalaya" (Oakseer) 2022.
11: Guido Möbius : "Abayanga" (Emphase Records) 2022.
12: Guido Möbius : "Schlucht" (Emphase Records) 2022.
13: Schwund : "Gameboy Freak" (Nachschlag/Flennen) 2022.
14: Schwund : "Interlude" (Nachschlag/Flennen) 2022.
15: Lene Lovich : "Lucky Number" (Stiff Records) 1978.
16: Mothmen : "Wadada" (Do It Records) 1982.
17: Blancmange : "Living On The Ceiling" (Electronic Sound) 2022.
18: Memotone : "Wrapped One Within The Other" (Diskotopia) 2020.
19: The Lonely Bell : "Kingdoms Of The Deep" (Shady Ridge Records) 2022.
20: The Lonely Bell : "The Dancing Seagrass" (Shady Ridge Records) 2022.




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