2018 Review

Hello. I was mulling it over the weekend whether I should do an end of year review or not. However it's a tradition that I'm going to stick with regardless of whoever reads this. Here is a brief summary of what 2018 has meant for me.

Recorded

So 2018, A couple eps came out, the 3 way live CDr and the Split with Claus (mentioned previously in this blog). However both were live recordings and also recorded over the last couple years. So yeah quite unproductive on the recorded front. Yeah I did record stuff, quite a lot but none if it is ready for release in my opinion.

Shows

Gigs front, nope, nothing here.

So you may ask, what have you been doing? Good question: Not much, working, travelling, and probably more working.

Which is a bit disapointing since the last end of year review I spoke about renewed energy to do things, however it doesn't always work out like that. And I'm not taking it too much to heart.

Next Up
So do you have anything lined up? Actually yes, I've started to look to new means to record perform and hopefully invest some time into actually getting something released, first new recordings since 2017. And gigs... yes I do, I have a show lined up in April as BBBlood! I'll post more about this when all the details are online.

Best of 2018

Well, to be honest I've not even really listened to much this year either (Yeah you always say that!). But some records I enjoyed (Including the ones I downloaded from other peoples eoy lists and places to find them) are:

Acolytes - bus-final2-tFZqV8QQR34 
Darksmith - Hatred Of Sound LP 
Lolina - The Smoke 
Graham Dunning & Tom White - You Are A New Creature 
Hum of the Druid - A Strange Export
Kevin Drumm - Frozen Pipes
Kevin Drumm - Inexplicable Hours
Apostille - Choose Life 
Chris Goudreau ‎– Brief Sensuality
Blood Stereo - Tape Loop Meditations
Translucent Envelope - A Slight Remove
Slow Listener - Live At Fort Process
Red Brut - S/T

Xi'an Impression
Lisbon
Tough guys in Tokyo - The Nightingale
Visiting Japan
Monk Fest @ Cafe Oto
Budapest
Haringey Borough FC ten game undefeated run and being top of the league at Christmas / Promotion / Beating Heybridge Swifts in the play-off semi final

As per tradition I'll probably review / add to this list when I think of more records. 

Also it's strange that I've finished this post before the end of the year and Christmas, so if you are reading this. Have a great holiday!

Paul

Updates - Recent Reviews, Old News

The long summer has not yielded any new news here, however things are moving at their own pace. I anticipate a new release to come out in the next couple months.

In the meantime here is a review of the recently issued split cassette with Claus Poulsen on Sound Holes.

Many thanks to Andy from TQ Zine, please check his excellent fanzine for a real reflection on what is going on in the UK experimental underground. Recommended.

http://tqzine.blogspot.com/



As always the best way to keep up with my activity is via Twitter, but I also forgot to mention the release of the now sold out live album with Stuart Chalmers and Posset recorded at the Fuse art space in Bradford last year. Which now seems like ages ago!

https://crowversuscrow.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-fuse-art-space-bradford

Also reviewed here...

http://idwalfisher.blogspot.com/2017/06/stuart-chalmers-posset-bbblood-bbblood.html

New Cassette Release - Split with Claus Poulsen

Out now I believe (or soonish) on Sound Holes.

My side is a live recording from February 2016 @ The Montague Arms in London.

Claus' side I believe is new recorded material from 2017.

Cass and Sindre are on tour this February and will no doubt have copies of this cassette.

I have limited copies, so if you want one direct from me please let me know.

2017 Review

2017 was probably the least productive year I've had for some time, yet at the same time probably the most hectic too personally, so this and a barely functioning internet connected laptop has led to a lack of time I've had to commit to recording or playing live.

Rather than dwelling on that fact that I did very little recording/performing, I'm feeling pretty optimistic about 2018 and will be making moves to get more records out there, playing more shows, and just being more active.

Recordings

With regards to recorded output besides the aforementioned split with Stuart Chalmers and Posset on Crow Vs Crow no new recordings have been produced this year. This split CD has sold out now, yet still available as digital download. 

Also a limited run live recording of my set from November 2016 was released on Andy Bolus' (Evil Moisture) Royal Sperm tape label. Ultra Crude, strangely trippy, gloopy, documentation of a good gig. I think copies might still be available, I have none left but check the Royal Sperm website. See BBBlood 'El fin de semana me dejó fatal'. At the time of release I forgot to mention this, a recurring theme of 2017.

Live

Earlier in March I shared the bill with Anla Courtis, Posset, Duncan Harrison & Yoni Silver in London, Cafe Oto Project Space. It was a great night, again looking back I forgot to mention this fact on the blog (oops) but here is the link to the event.

Following this I played a second show on the same line up as Posset, this time in Bradford in support of the three way split CD.

In 2018 a CD release Stuart's, Joe's, and my live sets from this night should be released so stay tuned for more information about that here.

To end the year on Friday 15th of December I did a live collaboration with Sharon Gal for John Macedo's successful Solo, Duo, Trio night #7 at Cafe Oto. This line up also featured the trio of  Áine O'Dwyer, Steve Beresford and Crystabel Riley, and  Leslie Deere playing solo.

Playing this night I felt was really successful and I think has given me the much needed shot of vitamin B12 to see through the forthcoming winter nights and my musical output. Massive thanks to John and Sharon for making this night so. Hopefully the recording of the duo will surface some time over the coming year. As always I'll mention it here (or forget about doing so and then mention it in my 2018 review blog post).

After that nothing else is due for a while, but I'd like to get a brand new full length record out in 2018.

Next Up

Finally a live recording of my set from the Montague Arms on Valentine's Day 2016 coming out as a split cassette with Cass Poulsen on Sound Holes.Again more information here, I'll let you know.

Best of 2017

This year I don't feel I've really listened to many new releases*, some I own I've not even made time to listen to yet. But a nod to all of the following (music / non) as always including the usual suspects...

• Duncan Harrison - Preamble to Nihil
• Sewer Election - Malign
• Aaron Dilloway - Gag File
• Pigs Ear 2017, esp Kees Wee Heavy 9.5%
• The Slowest Lift - S/T
• London - Gibraltar - Madrid celebrations October / November
• Jaap Vink - GRM
• Performing Live With Sharon Gal @ Cafe Oto
• Phil Julian - Relay
• Of Habit - Extended Technique
• Grit - Night Pudding
• Croatian Amor - Love Means Taking Action
• Bomber Jackets - Kudos to the Bomber Jackets
• Harringey Borough lads, esp the 4-1 Bideford Town, FA Cup Qualifying Round, and a nod to 1-1 vs Heybridge Swifts match abandoned
• Cycling to the QEII Bridge and back
• Recovery - May 2017
• Aqua Dentata ‎- One Day, You Will Be A Painter
• Solar Flump - Tape Vomit
• RLW & Dylan Nyoukis - Gukuruguh
• Spoils & Relics - Threadbare Adult Life
• Aaron Dilloway and Genesis P-Orridge @ Cafe Oto
• Lasse Marhaug / John Wiese ‎- Continuous Loop Sheep 1997-2017
• T.Mikawa - Rising Sunset
• D. Glare 4 - Oscillators & 130 Samples At 130 BPM
• Simon Whetham - InTolerance
• Micheal Muennich - Klamm/Heimelig
• Stuart Chalmers - Loop Phantasy No.4
• Stefan Roigk - Sprachmusik
• Chalmers/Campbell - Mazes and Labyrinths

* Something now looking back on this list is not true

Recommended reading the 2017 Zelleby Awards on Radio Free Midwich as always a really in depth account of  what they call the no-audience underground.