MuhMur Radio Broadcast #268. This programme centres around releases and projects / artists from the Touch label. I have been in correspondence with one of the the labels operators Mike Harding for a few months now .. I first met Mike in Stockholm, a cold and wet November night at The Pelikan Bar (now sadly deceased). 2001 and the night before Dieter Müh played live at the Fylkingen. Mike came to that gig too and brought his pal Chris Watson along. Chris had an exhibition in Stockholm at the same time.
I started following / collecting the release of Touch around 1983. At the time they were putting out great cassette compilations, all beautifully packaged in an A5 wallet, usually with a small tract or booklet with artwork by Garry Mouat. Later the artwork was created / directed by label founder Jon Wozencroft. In 1982 there came "Feature Mist" featuring New Order, Robert Wyatt, Eric Random, Simple Minds, Flesh and TuxedoMoon amongst others. Followed in 1983 by "Meridians" featuring John Foxx, Test Department, Andrew McKenzie, S/Z, 400 Blows, Nocturnal Emissions, Pure and Bruce Gilbert (a.o). "Ritual : Lands:End" (1985) and "Magnetic North" (1986) followed featuring Renaldo & The Loaf, Camberwell Now, Nocturnal Emissions, Gilbert & George, Cabaret Voltaire, Soviet France, Suns Of Arqa, Lol Coxhill and Sudden Sway (a.o). I guess audio/visual magazines is the best way of describing them. There were other cassette compilations released around this time by Touch including "Touch Travel", "Touch 33" and "Islands In-Between", but I must admit to never having seen or heard these. Mid to late 1980's and Touch were quite prolific and essential. In 1986 they released the seminal Nocturnal Emissions album "Drowning In A Sea Of Bliss" and Last Few Days "Too Much Is Not Enough" perhaps the greatest 12" ever released ... Top 5 anyway.
In the early 1990's and my interest picked up again with Touch and their releases of The Hafler Trio and Touch's subsidiary label Ash International. In 2005 Touch Radio began with monthly broadcasts by Mike Harding and fellow Touch artists.
https://touchradio.org.uk. Mike is also part of the project Dr∅ne along side Mark Van Hoen. Three pieces by Dr∅ne appear in this broadcast. Other artists / projects that are included in this broadcast have all released on Touch (and its' subsiduary labels) apart from Fletina, Column One and Diurnal Burdens & Opt Out but in my ears ... they could have. (If that makes sense)?
Touch can be contacted at :
https://touch33.net. And of course the obligatory Bandcamp page :
https://touch333.bandcamp.com. The Column One piece is from the CD album "Dream Time". The Fletina track is from the cassette "The Given Moment". This cassette was released in December last year and I recieved it just as SoundArt Radio were closing down and moving studio. It's a great ambient / drone release which I've been hoping to play for months .. Physical & Download copies are still available at :
https://fortevilfruit.bandcamp.com/album/the-given-moment. Diurnal Burdens & Opt Out is Ross Scott-Buccleuch who operates the Steep Gloss label and James Wilson of Singapore Police Background. The track is from the cassette album "False Deceptions". It's on Kringloop Kassettes, a new label from Frans de Waard in Holland. All Kringloop Kassettes are on recycled tapes ... think Hyster, think Vacancy Records ... hell! think RRRon and his 'Recycled' series. So far Frans has released six cassettes in the series alongside Diurnal Burdens & Opt Out there is Roel Meelkop, Sick Days, Modelbau, Howard Stelzer & Modelbau and RNPno2.
https://kringloopkassettes.bandcamp.com.
It was great fun compiling / playlisting this broadcast.
The programme has been archived in to two seperate parts for easy aural digestion ...
Playlist:
Part One:
01: Touch 33 : "Departing Platform 3" (Touch) 1988.
02: S/Z : "Greater Faith Cathedral" (Touch) 1985.
03: Soviet France : "Ram" (Touch) 1985.
04: Panni Charrington : "Silent Tongues" (Touch) 1985.
05: Nocturnal Emissions : "Metal Frames" (Touch) 1985.
06: Dr∅ne : "The Long Song (1)" (Touch) 2023.
07: Pinkcourtesyphone : "She Who Controls" (Helen Scarsdale Agency) 2022.
08: The Hafler Trio : "Fuck (Parts One & Two)" (Touch) 1992.
09: Last Few Days : "Too Much Is Not Enough" (Touch) 1986.
10: BJ Nilsen : "Smoothe Operator Final" (Edizioni Passarotto) 2015.
11: Colin Potter : "Melodius Thunk" (The Tapeworm) 2013.
12: Fennesz : "Fa" (Creation Books) 2009.
Part Two:
13: Column One : "Fat Finger" (Dossier/90% Wasser) 2005.
14: Dale Cornish + Phil Julian : "Laughing Out" (The Wormhole) 2016.
15: Dale Cornish : "My Geography" (The Death Of Rave) 2022.
16: Dr∅ne : "The Perfect Blind" (Pomperipossa Records) 2017.
17: C.M. Von Hausswolff : "Reset The Motor" (Disques La Carotte) 1997.
18: Fletina : "Obfuscate" (Fort Evil Fruit) 2023.
19: Chris Watson : "Oceanus Pacificus 10m" (Touch) 2007.
20: Diurnal Burdens & Opt Out : "False Deceptions (Psrt One)" (Kringloop Kassettes) 2024.
21: Dr∅ne : "The Long Song (2)" (Touch) 2023.
22: Philip Jeck & Chris Watson : "Oxmardyke" (Touch) 2023.
23: Philip Jeck & Chris Watson : Barn" (Touch) 2023.
24: The Hafler Trio : "Alternation, Perception & Resistance (B)" (L.A.Y.L.A.H. Anti-Record) 1985.
25: Touch Ritual : "Radio Cut-Up" (Touch) 1988.
I hope you enjoy listening.
I always thought that S/Z were Soviet France, especially as now they are known as Zoviet*France. Even when Horizon 222, a side project featuring Ben Ponton and Andy Eardley from Soviet France, used the "I was Jim Jones attorney" sample on the 12"EP 'Spirit Level' but since the days of t'internet I discover that S/Z were a trio from London.
Thanks again to Mike, to Chris at SoundArt and to Tamsin. The next broadcast will be on Sunday June 23rd. As always 18:00 gmt kick-off ...
The view from the studio ...... (Honest)!
Great show this one! Thanks for flying the flag Steve
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