MuhMur Radio Broadcast July 20 2023

 

This programme is very cassettecentric. Starting off with a new cassette release on Industrial Coast by The Seer. "The Drop" features two thirty minute pieces entitled 'Drop 1' and 'Drop 2'. This is where I claim to know very little about The Seer other than it is the project of Conny Prantera. 

Conny is an Italian performance artist, Illustrator and musician based in South London. Copies of the tape can be found at : https://connyprantera.wixsite.com/themoonseer. It's because there is only one cassette player at the SoundArt Radio studio I play a slice of vinyl so I can exchange the tapes ... first piece is from Drekka. '7' is from the one-sided 12"EP "Verjaardag". The EP is Drekka (Michael Anderson) reworking tracks by Annelies Monseré. Released in 2016, Annalies is a Belgian based vocalist and pianist with releases on Horn Of Plenty <O, More Records and Stroom. Copies of the LP can be found at Bluesanct : http://bluesanct.com. 

As mentioned on the last broadcast, MuhMur Radio received a great package from William A. Davison which included five CDRs and the split cassette by Six Heads and Urban Refuse Group. The cassette was released in 2019 (as William says) "On the occasion of our gig with Seymour Glass, A.K.A. Gland Of External Secretion". All things William A. Davison and Six Heads can be got at : http://www.recordism.com. (When First played the cassette at MuhMur HQ the track seemed to last about 20 minutes or so ... when it came to playing it again and this time timing the track it played out at thirty minutes, so when recording for broadcast I was totally surprised that the track stopped after 20 minutes or so..... apologies to Six Heads as I don't think the full piece is played here ... ) ... still sounds good though!

To The Finland Station were a London based trio who only released the one 7"EP "Domino Theory" on Melodia Records. Melodia Records was a label operated by To The Finland Station and A Popular History Of Signs, and that is about all I know. I heard this track on John Peel back in 1982 and loved it ever since. Some time in the late 1990's an old friend of mine starting corresponding with Finnish musician Mika Vainio. They met through the Bill Nelson Fan Club. Cassettes were exchanged with my friend posting very early Dieter Müh sounds and receiving tapes from Mika and his (then) project called To The Finland Station. Obviously both projects were inspired by the Edmund Wilson book of the same name, we did tell Mika there was already a great band of that name in the UK .... and then there was Ø and Panasonic. I still have the old To The Finland Station cassettes, I must dig them out and give them a play. 

Back to cassettes, and a cover version by Lincolnshire's finest .. The Instant Automatons. "All You Need Is Love' is on their 1980 cassette album "Blues Masters Of The Humber Delta".

Released on their own Deleted Records label, 1980 was a busy year for the Automatons with three tape releases and the excellent "Peter Paints His Fence EP" on 7". At this time The Instant Automatons were Mark Lancaster on guitar and vocals, Mic Woods on guitar and Basso Protag (Martin Neish) on bass. I used to correspond with Mark at the time, it was the time when a pound note or a stamped addressed envelope would get you the latest Deleted Records release. After the demise Protag went on to play with Zounds, Blyth Power and Alternative TV. Mark has written a book about The Instant Automatons and Deleted Records, published by Waterden "The Luxury Of Dreams" is available from Amazon and Waterden (if, like me, you don't want to buy from Amazon). http://www.instant-automatons.com.  The Second Layer track is from their 1979 7"EP "Flesh As Property". Second Layer were Adrian Borland and Graham Bailey who went on to form The Sound. Pre Second Layer Adrian was in The Outsiders who I was fortunate to see live in 1978 at AJ's in Lincoln. They were part of the 'Business Unusual' tour alongside Skunks and UK Subs. 

The latest release by Takahiro Mukai is called "Out Of Place". Takahiro is no stranger to listeners of MuhMur Radio. I try and get hold of his releases and play them on the radio. "Out Of Place" is on the Oklahoma based label Fixed Rhythms. (Yeah, I had to pay US Postage for this one!). Takahiro has a band camp page : https://takmuk.bandcamp.com. 

'On This Day' in 1977 Eddie & The Hot Rods released their classic single 'Do Anything You Wanna Do'. I was 14 years old when it was released. I remember well my older sister (Julie) bringing the single home from school for me to listen to. This was a habit of Julie. Being a couple of years older than me she would bring home records that her friends brought in to the Upper 5th form common room to listen to and discuss. It is how I came across bands like Ultravox!, The Damned, The Stranglers in 1977 ... I even remember her having a copy of 'Anarchy In The UK' on A&M. 'Do Anything You Wanna Do' spoke to me and still does. It is the only song I like by Eddie & The Hot Rods.

                                                          Takahiro Mukai & Hauras tapes.

The latest release from Hauras is called The Gyre on the Californian based Katukto Collective label (yeah, more US Postage). Hauras is the project of American sound artist Howard Ryan. Here I play the complete side A of the cassette. I first became aware of Hauras through their 2020 cassette "In These Coming Days" on Helen Scarsdale Agency and (like Takahiro Mukai) try and get hold of every release. "The Gyre" does not disappoint. 

Originally released in 1989 on vinyl by Parade Amoureuse and on CD by Staalplaat, "Stoneface" by Nocturnal Emissions has been re-issued on vinyl by French label Ferns Recordings. 

The 1980s were particularly fruitful for The Nocturnal Emissions, later dropping 'the'. Starting in the early second wave of industrial music, they quickly began experimenting with different styles. Electronic pop, for lack of a better or the industrial electro breakbeats of 'Viral Shedding' (a personal favourite of mine) and then, for a somewhat more extended period, coming ambient soundscapes with the residue of industrial cling clang. Around this time, 1986, the group, now effectively a solo project of Nigel Ayers (and in 2023 still going strong), the interest in magick, stone circles, techno–shamanism, neo-paganism, animism and Fortean research (I am quoting Wiki here) was added to the situationist interests. 'Stoneface' is from 1989, when the style was developed at its best, and the Emissions did some of their best work in this direction (along with 'Spiritflesh' and 'Invocation Of The Beast Gods'). However, it's all a bit in the no-longer-distant past. I wish I could say I play all of these records once a year; I don't, although 'Viral Shedding' is on my phone, so those tracks I hear on every random play the thing is on. As I played these nine pieces, I realized that what attracted me at the time and still does is the relatively straightforward approach to technology. I remember seeing Nocturnal Emissions a couple of times in those years. If I'm not mistaken, there were a couple of those early sampling devices, the Casio SK1 or SK5, with a 1,2 (or so) second memory, but when played through a bunch of stomp boxes, you could do a lot with relatively easy sounds. I always suspected Ayers to have altered his machines, but I am unsure. His sound palette includes animal sounds, kitchen utensils, voices, and whatever makes noise. I guess Ayers had access to some decent multi-track machine, and using many tracks gives these lo-fi samples some great depth. There are some great drones, some rusty percussion, some good use of reverb and excellent quality around here. Some phase shifting (play similar loops with minor intervals, so they never overlap in the same way) is used to significant effect here so that most of the time, you have no idea you hear only short loops. Yet, there is always movement, thanks to those very same loops being brief and to the point. An excellent record that has aged quite well and is a fine reminder to play some of the old ones again. Time is what I want, more time! (FdW) ––– Address: https://fernsrecordings.bandcamp.com/ The thoughts of Frans de Waard from 'Vital Weekly' #1393. 

"Dragon Loops" is a cassette on the Deceptions Order Blank label. I think around 50 were made to be sold at the MoogFest in North Carolina in 2019. Copies were also sold at Dilloway & Dalt gigs in New York. Aaron loops Lucrecia - chaos and beauty entwined. 

The broadcast ends with The Dickies and 'Hideous' ... and why not? (ⓒ Arnold Brown) ... 

You can listen to the broadcast here :

Mistakenly posted as "June" ... sorry about that!

https://www.mixcloud.com/tamsin-jane-cammack/muhmur-radio-broadcast-20-june-2023/

Playlist :

01: The Seer : "Drop 1" (Industrial Coast) 2023.

02: Drekka : "7" (Bluesanct/Red Frost Industries) 2016.

03: Six Heads : "Sideways" (Disembraining Songs) 2019.

04: To The Finland Station : "Domino Theory" (Melodia Records) 1982.

05: The Instant Automatons : "All You Need Is Love" (Deleted Records) 1980.

06: Second Layer : "Metal Sheet" (Torch Records) 1979.

07: Takahiro Mukai : "Out Of Place #532" (Fixed Rhythms) 2023.

08: Takahiro Mukai : "Out Of Place #533" (Fixed Rhythms) 2023.

09: Eddie & The Hot Rods : "Do Anything You Wanna Do" (Island Records) 1977.

10: Hauras : "I Can't Even" (Katuktu Collective) 2023.

11: Hauras : "Roeg Dreaming" (Katuktu Collective) 2023.

12: Hauras : "Chant For Geraldine" (Katuktu Collective) 2023.

13: Hauras : "On The Telephone" (Katuktu Collective) 2023.

14: Hauras : "Primary" (Katuktu Collective) 2023.

15: Nocturnal Emissions : "Grey Ladies" (Ferns Recordings) 2023.

16: Nocturnal Emissions : "Shivering Mound" (Ferns Recordings) 2023.

17: Aaron Dilloway & Lucretia Dalt : "Dragon Loops 1 - 4)" (Deceptions Order Blank) 2019.

18: The Dickies : "Hideous" (A&M Records) 1978.

It was good to have the family with me whilst pre-recording the programmes, drawing and running about in the Dartington Estate Gardens. 

The next pre-records will be later this month as at the time of broadcast I will be in France (South-West), so if I can provide a blog ..... we shall see ... 

Thanks for listening.

MuhMur Radio Top 20.

 

It is coming up to eleven years of broadcasts for MuhMur Radio. I do (of course I do) keep a file of every track I have played on the radio programmes and thought it would be interesting to see which artists / projects I have played the most over the years. The numbers in the brackets is the number of tracks played.

I guess this'll come as no surprise ..

01 :Throbbing Gristle  (65)

02: Modelbau  (62)

03: Nocturnal Emissions  (51)

04: Current 93  (50)

05: Cabaret Voltaire  (43)

06: The Dead Mauriacs  (42)

07: S.P.K.  (41)

08: Column One  (40)

09: Sudden Infant  (37)

10: Dieter Müh  (31)

11: Arv & Miljö  (28)

       Swell Maps  (28)

12: Aaron Dilloway  (27)

13: Psychic TV (26)

       Soviet France  (26)

14: B˚Tong  (25) 

15: Clock DVA  (24)

15: Bourbonese Qualk  (23)   

        My Trip (23)

        Nurse With Wound  (23)

14:  Circuit Breaker  (22)

         Helm  (22)

15:   John Duncan (21)

         The Fall  (21)

         Genocide Organ  (21)

         MNEM (21)

         Mark Vernon  (21)

16:  Alice Kemp  (20)

        Sleaford Mods  (20)

        Trepaneringsritualen  (20)

        Ultravox!  (20)

        Wire (20)

17: Thorsten Soltau  (19)

18: Contrastate  (18)

        23 Skidoo  (18)

19: Anemone Tube  (17)

        Astral Social Club  (17)

        Stuart Chalmers  (17)

        Dome (17)

        Drekka (17)

        Grey Frequency  (17)

        Pisse (17)

        Edward Sol  (17)

20: Dave Phillips  (16)

        Ditterich Von Euler-Donnersperg  (16)

MuhMur Radio Broadcast July 6 2023.

 

A very varied and eclectic programme which proves the point that MuhMur Radio is just an old man playing his record and tape (and CD) collection and hoping that you like to listen to it too .... Following on from the last broadcast the programme begins with a track from the 2021 album "Hydra" by Greek artist Conjecture. "Cygnus" ends the album. To my ears it has a great 'TG' trumpet / cornet sound. It's a great album available on the Polish Zoharum label. Conjecture has his own Bandcamp page where this album (CD) is available : https://conjecture-project.bandcamp.com. 

On the last programme (June 22) I played four pieces from 'Öga För Öga' the latest album by Loopsel. The piece here is from 'The Spiral'. Originally released in 2020 on the (essential) Swedish label Förlag För Fri Musik, 'The Spiral' has been re-issued twice, once on Mammas Mysteriska Jukebox and once on the US label Digital Regress. Digital Regress have also released gems by Mosquitos and Slugfuckers in the past. Also tidying up from the last broadcast. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words is the B-Side to the Ronnie Sundin track I  played. This piece is inspired by Hawkwind's "Born To Go". 

The irregular 'On This Day' feature usually finds me playing records that were released on the day of broadcast. There are a few in this programme but the feature starts with a track by Throbbing Gristle because on July 6 1981 it was declared that the 'Mission Is Terminated' and TG had split. 

A sad day for us all. I was a member of the TG Fan Club, the TG Army back in the late 1970's. We had a salute! (as well as the badges and camouflage uniform). 'See You Are' is from the live cassette 'At The Factory, Manchester' recorded on the evening of May 18, 1979. In memory of July 6 and Throbbing Gristle I also play the single 'Five Knuckle Shuffle', released in 1979 on the Sordide Sentimentale label and re-issued in 1981 on the American Adolescent Records imprint. And, finally 'Damaru Sunrise', a live recording from the June 10 1980 performance at Sheffield University. This track is from the LP 'The Mission Is Terminated'. 

Eric Lunde. Where do you start with Eric Lunde? I was slightly surprised, when cataloguing this programme, that in the 11 years of MuhMur Radio that I have never played Eric Lunde. I became aware of Eric in the 1980s with the split LP with F/I on Ron Lessard's RRRecords imprint. At this time Eric was part of the group Boy Dirt Car. (Note to self .... play more Boy Dirt Car on MuhMur Radio!). Over the past thirty years or so I have been picking up Lunde releases where and when I can. Recently grabbing the cassette 'Neither Lot Nor Sums' on Banned productions (2011) ~ it has a side dedicated to my good friend Chris Sienko, and the Boy Dirt Car cassette on Industrial Coast (2022) entitled 'Old Ways'. 

'The Occulatiomorbit' : "The English language is taken apart and reassembled into 'new' words then made to speak of which the audio is the degenerated into fundamental units, another long ride down the opcay tunnel". Available as a download on Eric's Kanshiketsu! band camp page, it is also available as a box set with a 4" lathe and a lathe cut postcard (both ending in lock grooves) a 15 page booklet and some loose hand printed artwork. https://kanshiketsu.bandcamp.com/music. 

Thomas LaRoche is a regular on MuhMur Radio, his latest work is on the compilation CDR 'Burslem Accomplice Volume 2' on the Burslem Crypt Recordings label. 

The album also features pieces by Karen Constance, Yol and Vile Plumage. Artwork is by Mark (Idwal Fisher) Wharton. https://burselmcryptrecordings.bandcamp.com/music. Whilst shifting some 7" singles around at MuhMur HQ I found a copy of the John Wiese and Bob Marinelli split single on Gameboy Records, so I gave it a spin and thought it worthy of playing on the radio. I know little of Bob or his work apart from a split tape with Government Alpha which was released the same year as this 7" in 2000. 

Back with 'On This Day' and Adam And The Ants "Zerox" 7" released by Do It Records in 1979. This single features the classic line up of Adam Ant, Dave Barbe (drums), Andy Warren (bass) and Matthew Ashman (guitar). 

Comus have had their classic song "Diana" re-released, this time on the UK based Trading Places label. 

Comus were a band I was unaware of until 2009 when we (Dieter Müh) played together at the 'Equinox Festival' held at Conway Hall in London. To complete my ignorance, I was aware of the Current 93 song 'Diana' but was unaware that it was a cover version. I enjoyed the Comus live set and got a copy of their double CD 'Song To Comus (The Complete Collection)' on Castle Music (2005). Comus were originally formed in 1969 by Glenn Goring and Roger Wootton, hanging around with David Bowie being part of the British Progressive Folk Rock scene. They originally split in 1972 before reforming for one album in 1974 before splitting again. The gig at the Conway Hall was their first in the UK for 37 years. Wootton also played with Slapp Happy alongside MuhMur Radio favourite Anthony Moore. Comus news and activity can be found here : https://comusmusic.co.uk. 

The other week I picked up a copy of the 4x7" box set 'Rare Peel', a bootleg box of old John Peel sessions from 1977 by The Models, The Cortinas, The Drones and The Crabs. The Drones version of 'Be My Baby' is from this box. 

Playing Comus 'Diana' I couldn't resist playing the Current 93 version. I do like a cover version. This track appears on the triple album box set 'Horse / Lex Talionis / Lumbs Sister', an album each by Current 93 / Sol Invictus / Nurse With Wound. 

The Current 93 version of 'Diana' features Dave Tibet, Steve Stapleton, Douglas P, Tony Wakeford and Dik. Back in 1990 I thought the Dik on this album was Dik the guitarist from the Virgin Prunes. There was no internet back in 1990, and if it was it certainly wasn't available in York (where I was living at the time).  I now know Dik is the bassist from the hardcore punk band Toxic who appeared on the Crass Records compilations 'Bullshit Detector'.  

William A. Davison is a multi-talented audio / visual artist based in Toronto. This is from the online 'The International Encyclopaedia of Surrealism' : " (... Hausner has contributed to a wide range of surrealist publications), as have her friends and colleagues William A. Davison (b. 1962) and Sherri Lyn Higgins (b. 1966), two multidisciplinary artists who moved to Toronto from Nova Scotia and who, like many younger contemporary surrealists in Canada, came to surrealism through punk rock or industrial music by groups like Throbbing Gristle and especially, Nurse With Wound. Davison and Higgins have focused on chance and automatic processes in their work, and have been equally drawn to magic as a mode of engagement with the real. In 1984, while still in Nova Scotia - and before coming aware that there were still groups and individuals who identified as surrealist - Davison invented the term 'Recordism' to describe the projects he engaged in, and from 1994 to 2004 he and Higgins maintained the International Bureau Of Recordist Investigation" ... 

"In Toronto, the recordist collective and William A. Davison formed a number of groups or alter egos. They perform in costumes and masks, with homemade instruments and objects with electronics. They are very active in the local experimental music and arts scene and also have a regular collective drawing and collage sessions".

I first met William and Sherri when I went to Toronto in 2008, they acted as my guide(s) to the Toronto underground and the secondhand record stores. In the late 1990's William was part of Canadian industrialists Phycus (as Bill Satan) with Monty Cantsin. Whilst shopping in Toronto William pointed out an album by Gastric Female Reflex he was also involved with. 

Since the turn of the century William has been releasing sounds under a variety of masks and pseudonyms. The Big Prongs, The W bbl r, Wax Infant (with Jim DeJong), Urban Refuse Group Panic Engines and M. Stactor to name a few ... he is a busy man. He operates a radio show and has a You Tube and Vimeo channel. Go to http://www.recordism.com for all the links. A few weeks ago William mailed me a one-off 5xCDR collection of his workings throughout the pandemic. "The Pandemic Years". The two Bandaged Man pieces are from CDR#1. Bandaged Man films / soundtracks are available via his Vimeo channel. Expect to hear more in the upcoming months .. the next programme features the group Six Heads which both William and Sherri are involved with. 

Living in deepest darkest Devon has its advantages ... I know of a record shop in a village that has some 'Record Store Day' releases, and the obscure ones hang around for months, getting cheaper and cheaper. They can't control what they get sent although it's usually the mainstream artists but I have managed to pick up old RSD gems by the likes of Wire and Virgin Prunes recently. On my last visit I did manage to get the Maximum Joy 12"EP 'White & Green Place' on Lantern Records. Maximum Joy were one of the splinter groups (alongside Pigbag, Mark Stewart + Mafia and Rip Rig & Panic) when The Pop Group split in 1980. Formed by guitarist John Waddington, ex-Glaxo Babies and Pop Group bassist Dan Catsis and Glaxo Babies drummer Charlie Llewelin. With Tony Wrafter on saxophone and vocalist Janine Rainforth. This EP has the original single 'Stretch' (reasons for buying the EP) and an 'Extra-Terrestrial Mix' of the 'White & Green Place' single. Lantern Records is an Italian label. https://www.lanterneditions.com. In 2015 Maximum Joy reformed under the banner of MXMJoY.

In the final part of the broadcast there are two more 'On This Day' classics starting with The Psychedelic Furs' 'Love My Way' single. Released in 1982, by this time Duncan Kilburn and Roger Morris had left leaving the Furs as a quartet with Richard Butler, Tim Butler, Vince Ely and John Ashton. In my opinion this is / was the last decent single they ever released. It's produced by former Utopia frontman Todd Rundgren. 

Who are the Mollbury Medical Research Centre? 'The D7 Project' is a new self-released cassette, the follow up to last year's release on Sensory Leakage called 'Zener_41'. Download copies are available from the MMRC bandcamp page : https://mollburymedicalresearchcentre.bandcamp.com/album/the-d7-project. (The first piece reminds me of The Pink Floyd).

The programme ends with an 'On This Day' classic from 1978. Whatever happened to The Leyton Buzzards? .... oh yeah .... Modern Romance!

The archive for this programme can be found here :

https://www.mixcloud.com/tamsin-jane-cammack/muhmur-radio-broadcast-6-july-2023/

Playlist :

01: Conjecture : "Cygnus" (Zoharum) 2021.

02: Loopsel : "Endings" (Digital Regress) 2022.

03: Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words : "Born To Go" (Fang Bomb) 2006.

04: Throbbing Gristle : "See You Are" (Industrial Records) 1979.

05: Eric Lunde : "The Occulatiomorbit (A)" (Kanshiketsu!) 2022.

06: Eric Lunde : "The Occulatiomorbit (Postcard)" (Kanshiketsu!) 2022.

07: Thomas LaRoche : "Avian Keratin Disease" (Burslem Crypt Recordings) 2023.

08: Thomas LaRoche : "In November The Flies Still Want To Lay Eggs" (Burslem Crypt Recordings) 2023.

09: Thomas LaRoche : "Mothers Day LSD Journey To The Stones" (Burslem Crypt Recordings) 2023.

10: Thomas LaRoche : "Pleasure Drive" (Burslem Crypt Recordings) 2023.

11: Thomas LaRoche : "Britney, Club Foot Organ" (Burslem Crypt Recordings) 2023.

12: Bob Marinelli : "Electric Love" (Gameboy Records) 2000.

13: Throbbing Gristle : "Five Knuckle Shuffle" (Adolescent Records) 1981.

14: Neil Campbell : "Big Dog Daze" (Not On Label) 2023.

15: Adam & The Ants : "Zerox" (Do It Records) 1979.

16: Comus : "Diana" (Trading Places) 2023.

17: The Drones : "Be My Baby" (Not On Label) 2010.

18: Current 93 : "Diana" (Cerne) 1990.

19: Bandaged Man : "No Remote" (Not On Label) 2023.

20: Bandaged Man : "Shadows (With Incidental Sounds)" (Not On Label) 2023.

21: Throbbing Gristle : "Damaru Sunrise" (Nice Label) 1983.

22: Maximum Joy : "White & Green Place (Extra Terrestrial Mix)" (Lantern Records) 2023.

23: The Psychedelic Furs : "Love My Way" (CBS Records) 1982.

24: Mollbury Medical Research Centre : "D7 Sunrise Technology" (Not On Label) 2023.

25: Mollbury Medical Research Centre : "Standard Precautions" (Not On Label) 2023.

26: Mollbury Medical Research Centre : "Extensive Neurological Testing" (Not On Label) 2023.

27: William A. Davison : "Guitar 191018" (Not On Label) 2023.

28: The Leyton Buzzards : "19 & Mad" (Small Wonder Records) 1978.