2023 end of year / December updates / Loose future plans

Hi, so this time round I have done a end of year write up, it's a little shorter than the usual. 

I guess it has been a challenging year for all, it's especially hard to stay positive when what goes on in the fills you with dispair. 

However, musically (is it music) for me I guess it's been an OK year, and feel I'm finishing on a positive with these recent shows. Would like to have got a new release out, but just never made the time.

Thanks to those who made it down to the shows I did this year. Especially to James and Paul who booked me and to the other artists who played. It was great to start playing again, not so great to lug my Peli case around. But cheers for cheap cabs and free drinks, more for 2024! 

I think one thing that stood out to me playing gigs for the first time in a few years was the volume of great new noise/experimental/whatever artists there are now both locally and across the UK has exploded post-pandemic. I feel like maybe 4-5 years ago I knew pretty much most of the artists who made noise in the UK but now I know virtually nothing! And I'll be honest it's really encouraging and hopefully means more gigs, meeting new people, and pushing the boundaries of genre.

I thought this year I'd try to get a EOY list completed as I don't think I did one for last year. 

So this is a "list of records / experiences / reissues that really stood out over the last year, in no order at all..." 

  • Wilderness Years - Kiran Arora (Fantasy Knife)
  • Aphorisms - Graham Lambkin (Blank Forms Editions)
  • Model Of Malehood - Max Julian Eastman (Tribe Tapes)
  • Another (Looped) Sunday - seht (Another Sunday)
  • Distant Dosage - Robert Turman (Dead Mind Records)
  • Three Things - Luciano Maggiore & Louie Rice (Adhuman)
  • Thatch - Daniel Menche (Self-release)
  • Plays / XCIII - Merzbow & Smegma (Helicopter, Troniks)
  • Calisthenics in reverse - Jam Dodge (Historic Masses)
  • At War With Windsor - The False Face Society (Chocolate Monk)
  • Cacophony - John Wall (Self-released)
  • Electronic Music from 1972​-​2022 - Carl Stone (Unseen Worlds)
  • Tapes - Angus MacLise (Art into Life)
  • Sheet Erosion - Mark Vernon (Sonoris)
  • Live - Knurl, Mlehst (@ New River Studios)
  • Château Mordécoly - Mordecoli (Valerio Tricoli & Ecka Mordecai) (Alter)
  • Unbalanced Contraptions & Misc Loops #1- #3 - Michael Ridge (Chocolate Monk)
  • Under the Island: Experimental Music in Ireland 1960 - 1994 - Various (Nyahh Records)
  • Self titled - Jackson​-​Pratt & Shredded Nerve (Total Black)

2024, so what is the plan? I'd like to get the Cycle noise project I started completed plus another full length record that's been off/on in the works done. Maybe some releases from the archive finally seeing light? Gigs, yes I'd like to play some more, some of the ideas I started to work on for the 'Mulch' gig in November need to be explored further. Plus also it's great just to play something incredibly harsh and noisey. 

So to you who are reading this post have a great festive season, here's to 2024.

November show

Thanks to those who came out last week to the Helm / Mlehst show. Was real fun. 

Next event is in November for the Tread into Mulch series.



Updates - New shows

Hey, so I don't really know who reads this blog (shout if you do!) but normally I do a end of year round up, best of the year, and give some reflections. That didn't happen in 2022, it was a mad time and I couldn't make the time to post here.

Anyway, new show announcment in September 2023. I'll be supporting the excellent Helm, Mlehst, and Gutter Carrion at New River Studios. Please see the flyer.

 


After that hoping to announce something very different in November, but more information about that later.

A late 2021 review

Review:

Readers of this blog might (or probably didn't) notice / care that there was no 2021 review, but I did start writing a blog post back 17th December last year. Here it is, I just never hit publish. Since this, no new news, I'm kind of taking a break for now, but never say never...

You'd think, it's got to get easier? But 2021 was personally a challenging year, so that translated for me into a not so productive year. I mean there's not been too many gigs going on here in London until recent, and people are generally I'de like to think more cautious about going out. I didn't play any shows, nor did I get a rush of creativity caused by lockdowns or being indoors. 

I think the one thing I appreciated the most over the last year was the support of friends and family. 

It's not all bad news, I do feel and hope the worst of this is past us, I managed to go abroad for a few weeks, got to see family I wasn't able to in previous years, and I think it meant when I was out I valued the company and occasion more than in the past where sometime I feel it could be taken for granted.

With all that considered, I was able to relase one new BBBlood cassette 'Deaf and Capital' on Fantasy Knife, which is now sold out from me, but I believe should be available directly from the label and various noise distros. Thanks to everyone who purchased a copy it's appreciated. 

What else? I record a lot of music, field recordings, sampled manipulations, noise, cut ups, but I think the challenge is really that focus time to edit and mix down everything into a recording that I'm satisfied with. 

 In 2002 when I first started to record I was wet behind the ears, listening to Merzbow, Masonna, Bastard Noise (all via Relapse) and whatever other noise I could find via mail / early online distros, the bar for quality noise was set really low, and I also had way too much time on my hands. Now fast forward to 2021, with all the noise gear I'd dream of back then, family responsibilities, a global pandemic, information overload, and a wider appreciation for noise music. I feel the need to make sure that anything I release is original, thus putting a lot of pressure onmyself to do something I'm really proud of. As 2022 is the 20 year anniversary of 'Experiment 1' I'm planning on releasing something next year on CD as a celebration! As and when I'll update on Twitter and this blog.

End of year list:

As ever I try to put together a list of records / experiences that really stood out over the last year, in no order at all. This includes gigs, reissues, restaurants, anything I want.

 
Kent Tankred - There Is Nothing To Attain 
A LARGE SHEET OF MUSCLE - I PAINT THE FEET OF MY ENEMIES
農家の日焼け – でんき風呂
Shakeeb Abu Hamdan & Sholto Dobie - It's worse
Territorial Gobbing - Anything on his Bandcamp

Charmaine Lee - KNVF

Emil Beaulieau - Korm 88
Neil Luck - Downturn Fantasies
WCN Podcast - 
Small Cruel Party - è vago fior del tempo
Negative Reaction LP (Reissue)
Mlehst - Her Single Desire Was Sadistic Pleasure But Emotions Always Betrayed Her ‎/ Deep Throat And Felching /   Breathing In Dead Flies / Cock Sucking Lips ‎(Re-Issues)

Probably a few more but I've forgotten now.