Tide's In ..... Dirt's Out.
I started making the playlist for tonight's broadcast during a late spring heatwave here in Devon, hence the opening song."Here's a song about the sunshine, dedicated to the sunshine". Enthusiasm will energise. It's the A Side of the 1980 12" "Health & Efficiency" by This Heat.
No Sides, an independent label based in Chicago, are a new name to me .. although checking their past releases they have put out sounds by Ashtray Navigations, Being and Chandra Shukla, all of which are up my alley so to speak. In April this year they released the CD album "Nine Times Makes Ten" by Frans de Waard's Modelbau. I play a couple of pieces on the broadcast.
Earlier in 2026 Modelbau released a brace of cassettes "Turnaround" and "Roundabout" alongside the self-released 'freebie' CDR album (1hr 17m long) "Lazy", and "Nine Times Makes Ten" progresses on from those albums with shorter concentrated loops and builds, I am really enjoying these releases, and the summer seems to be busy for Modelbau releases too with a CD "Muster" on the magnificent Drone Records label and a lathe-cut 10" / CDR called "Roestig" on Licht-Ung. Modelbau also make a live appearance at Radio FSK in Hamburg on June 10. Modelbau can be contacted via : https://substack.com/@fransdewaard. Frans is also re-issuing past Modelbau releases that weren't available as digital downloads via his bandcamp page. This includes the 7"EP on Haemoccult Recordings that I put out in 2023. The downloads are (I think) 'pay what you can'. You can get them at : https://modelbau.bandcamp.com
The C.M. von Hausswolff and Chandra Shukla piece comes from the CD "Travelogue (Thailand)" on the Touch label. 'The third in an ongoing series of collected international audio diaries; the premise is quite simple; the two meet at a mutually agreed upon destination along with the facilitation of something to record audio of these experiences on. The intent is to capture and augment these sonic soundtracks. This is done by sourcing the culture, environment, persons or events that make their voices available. The result might be pleasantly kind and floating or unpleasantly rough and jarring unveiling a light or dark world. "Travelogue (Thailand)" sees 'Von Hausswolff and Shukla rounding off another whirlwind 9 days in Southeast Asia in the unusual setting of the Lanna Kingdom (Kingdom of a million rice fields) of Northern Thailand. A multifaceted location where Thailand shares borders with Myanmar, Laos and China in what is known as The Golden Triangle, a commercial trade zone between the nations. The frontier region is home to hill tribes, countless Buddhist monasteries, stupas, The Mekong River, mountains and forests. All of which can be heard on this recording. Always finding themselves in the most untypical of off the beaten tourist destinations and settings. C.M. von Hausswolff and Chandra Shukla use the Northern Thai backdrop for more sonic tapestries and meditational sound weaving. Perhaps not always in the calming of ways but more often in the midst of noise laden cacophony'.
I must admit to being unaware of the previous two collaborations in this series. Both on Touch they are 'Travelogue (Nepal)' 2021 and 'Travelogue (Bali)' 2023. All three albums are available from C.M. at
https://cmvonhausswolffreleases.bandcamp.com or Touch.
https://touch33.net. Parts of Thailand CD brought to mind the piece "Introjection" by Dieter Müh. This was recorded at our second live performance at The Narrowboat in Nottingham, December 1994. We were playing alongside Olympic Shitman and Ramleh. Our whole set was a 40 minute improvised piece where at one point Tim (Bayes) started playing his Travel Diary Tapes that he made whilst journeying around India and Nepal. Unfortunately we never got to record a 'studio version' of "Introjection". The track is from "Mutus Liber", originally compiled as a cassette ( we played our third live set with Soviet France and was asked by a few folk if we had 'any merch?' ... we didn't so produced the cassette and gave it away to anyone who held an interest) in 1995. In 2019 the Belgian label EE Tapes reissued the album on CD.
http://www.eetapes.be/EE_Tapes/news.html.
April 2026 saw the second album release in two months by Alice Kemp. 'A Profound Loss Of Meaning' is available on the Tochnit Aleph label. The album was recorded and mixed between 2013 and 2025. All information on Alice can be found here :
https://alicekemp.net. The site includes some great live footage from Alice's performance in 2025 at the Dead Mind Festival.
Following on from last years "Glaciers" mini-CD on the Zappak label and the collaboration with Asmus Tietchens "Lichthöfe" on Aug Abwegen is "Furafauna" on the UK Black Rose Recordings label. This album has Thorsten Soltau assisted by Femurl and features collaborations with Max Kuiper (Les Horribles Travailleurs), Quinten Dierick and Ralf Wehowsky (RLW), also a couple of remixes by Troum and Sewicide. "Astafél" (which I think means
half of the day) opens the album. More information on Thorsen can be found here :
https://thorstensoltau.de. "Furafauna" can be grabbed from Black Rose Recordings via contact through Discogs.
It has been a while since I have featured an 'On This Day' section. That's not through choice, it's just that a few of the last broadcasts have been themed. 'No Room' (as Spizz once said). Anyway, a couple of classics here starting with Young Marble Giants and 'Final day' from their 7"EP from 1980 released by Rough Trade Records. I do recommend a listen to their "Colossal Youth" album. There is a triple CD box set released by Domino that (I see) is available on Discogs for around a tenner. Worth getting if you haven't got the vinyl issue. Back at the start of the 1980's I saw Bauhaus live probably more times than is healthy. Bauhaus, Virgin Prunes, Gang of Four and The Psychedelic Furs seemed to play live all the time 1980-1982. (Great days). I think 'Spirit' (1982) was their last decent Bauhaus single .. the last one I bought anyway.
The last hour (or so) of the broadcast is part two of my love of records recorded at Cargo Studios from 1977-1985. A few weeks ago I bought the book "Cargo Recording Studios 1977-1985" by Chris Connelly and played every release I have that is mentioned in the book ... a joyous time, and so ... here are some of those records. The book is essential. It's self published and only available via :
The Past 7 Days were a short lived Sheffield group. 'Raindance' was released by 4AD Records in 1981. The band featured They Must Be Russians member Trevor Dooley. After the release The Past 7 Days signed to DinDisc, then split and never released anything ... there must be long lost tapes somewhere(?). Comsat Angels' Kevin Bacon produced the single. X-O-Dus are another band who only released one single, the 12" 'English Black Boys' on Factory Records in 1980. It was produced by Dennis Bovell (Matumbi/The Pop Group). in 2012 LTM released a CD including the 12" and X-O-Dus tracks from an unreleased LP that was to be on Factory Records. Mysterious Footsteps were a three-piece new wave band from Bradford. They released one 7" on The Yeti Record Corporation in 1980. Visitors fared slightly better releasing three 7" singles before splitting up. 'Electric Heat' is one of my all time favourites. They did sign to 4AD Records for a one-off album release but ... again there must be long lost tapes somewhere (?).
Fast Product used Cargo Recording Studios with a few of their roster including The Flowers, The Blank Students, Basczax and more famously Gang oO Four and Scars. A lot of bands / artists (according to the book) picked Cargo because it was where Joy Division's "Atmosphere" and Gang Of Four's "Damaged Goods" EP were recorded. Defectors were from Hull, formed in 1978 by ex-COUM Transmission member Tony Menzies, they released one 7" EP on their own Louder label before splitting with Tony going on to form My Silent War. As mentioned in last months' ReMuhMuration I saw My Silent War play live at Futurama 3 back in 1981, delving deep into my records I found that I also saw Tony Menzies playing keyboards for Psychic TV when they played the Mardi Gras in Nottingham 1987. This was the last time I saw Psychic TV live, I did see most of their live shows from Manchester Ritz onwards, but the Mardi Gras gig was thee last straw. I do remember buying the Zoskia Meets Sugardog "That's Heavy Baby" off the Temple Records merch' table that night though ... so ... every cloud.
Surface Mutants were from Sheffield, a short lived project who recorded their first single 'You Take Me Somewhere' at Western Works before going to Cargo Studios to record 'Anaesthetic'. The band featured future They Must Be Russian Nigel Manning and Cabaret Voltaire / Hula drummer Nort (Paul Black). In 2024 Klanggalerie released a collection of Surface Mutants recordings on CD called 'The Total Institution'. Worth checking out .. The Section 25 track 'After Image' is from the compilation LP "Hicks From The Sticks" released in 1980 on Rockburgh Records. Quite a few tracks on the LP were recorded at Cargo Recording Studios. The Pink Military track 'Do Animals Believe In God?' comes from the album of the same name. Released in 1980 on the Eric's label.
signed copy!
Household Name were a Leeds quartet that released only one single, the 12"EP "Household Name" on their own Household Name label. The 12" features Jacqui Callis from Delta 5. I saw them live at Lincoln Art College in 1982, a shame they didn't put out more recordings. The book features a hefty section, with some great photos, about The Skodas and their time at Cargo Recording Studios. Formed by Jason Diagram (aka Jason Pitchers) when he left Manchester for a life in Bristol in 1980. The Skodas only released one single and only played one live gig, in Chiseldon (Wiltshire). They split in 1982.
John The Postman is legendary.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_the_Postman. The final track of the broadcast was first released on the 12"EP "Puerile" released by Bent Records in 1978. The version played here is from the excellent "John The Postman's Puerile" compilation CD released by Overground Records in 1998. I was fortunate to see John live, in 1984 after Pink Industry had played a Miners Benefit at The Gallery in Manchester, John took over the stage with some others and played a very very long version of 'Louie Louie" ... well at least that is what I remember .. I was incredibly drunk at the time. I could quite easily broadcast a Part Three of sounds recorded at Cargo Recording Studios if anyone's interested? Anyone for some Stockholm Monsters, Vibrant Thigh, Not Sensibles, Scarborough Antelopes and Ada Wilson? Chris did get in touch to tell me that he is starting on a book about Suite 16. When John Brierley sold the studio in 1985 Peter Hook bought it and renamed it Suite 16.
The broadcast can be heard here :
Playlist :
01: This Heat : "Health & Efficiency" (Piano) 1980.
02: Modelbau : "Time Nine" (No Sides) 2026.
03: C.M. Von Hausswolff & Chandra Shukla : "Wai Phra Kao Wat" (Touch) 2026.
04: Dieter Müh : "Introjection (Live)" (EE Tapes) 2019.
05: Alice Kemp : "Mass I-IV" (Tochnit Aleph) 2026.
06: Thorsten Soltau/Femurl : "Astafél" (Black Rose Recordings) 2026.
07: Young Marble Giants : "Final Day" (Rough Trade Records) 1980.
08: Bauhaus : "Spirit" (Beggars Banquet) 1982.
09: Modelbau : "Time Five" (No Sides) 2026.
10: The Past 7 Days : "Raindance" (4AD Records) 1981.
11: X-O-Dus : "English Black Boys" (Factory Records) 1980.
12: Mysterious Footsteps : "White Dread" (The Yeti Record Corporation) 1980.
13: Visitors : "Electric Heat" (Deeps Cuts Records) 1979.
14: Scars : "Horrorshow" (Fast Product) 1979.
15: Gang Of Four : "Love Like Anthrax" (Fast Product) 1978.
16: Defectors : "Target Baby" (Louder) 1980.
17: Surface Mutants : "Anaesthetic" (Clönic Records) 1982.
18: Section 25 : "After-Image" (Rockburgh Records) 1980.
19: Pink Military : "Do Animals Believe In God?" (Eric's) 1980.
20: Household Name : "Lynch Mob Tactics" (Household Name Records-Leeds) 1981.
21: The Skodas : "Everybody Thinks Everybody Else Is Dead Bad" (Heartbeat Records) 1981.
22: John The Postman : "Kawalski Of The Seaview Has The Best Hairstyle I've Ever Seen" (Overground Records) 1998.
Whilst broadcasting Iz and Ed played a table tennis tournament! FREE Table Tennis and dance music and bar is available Friday Nights at SoundArt Radio Studios.
Thanks as ever to Tamsin & Chris. MuhMur Radio is back on July 5. SoundArt Radio 102.5FM (South Hams) or live stream at
https://soundartradio.org.uk.
