2020 Review

As tradition I use this blog to document each year based on what I achieved. It's normally a fun review of the year passed, and a time to briefly reflect through a pretty limited set of criteria (shows played, favourite reords, gigs etc..).

I don't need to tell you, as you're living through it too but 2020 just wasn't great. I really hope those who are reading this are safe and well. Personally, I have to view it through the frame that I'm healthy, and incredibly grateful it's meant I've spent more time with my family, and that's been priceless.

Putting it aside (if that's possible). For some it's been a very productive year, the volume of new recorded output, online streamed shows, collaborations, and creativity from others has been immense. I'm truely in awe of those who have been able to make the most of a situation. I guess it's one of the only ways to truely keep sane at the moment. Some people I know have chosen to drink through the pandemic, for me the temptation has been there but it does feel like a waste. I guess we do what we do to cope. I'm hoping that 2021 I'll be more productive and organised in my work and noisy output.

Gigs, I did play the one show, the day before the lockdown in England was announced in March, this was a collaboration with Yoni Silver and was later released on Beartown Records. It was great fun and really made me excited about the potential for gigging.. But for now that can wait. In reflection it was a bad idea to play that show, but none of us knew at the time.

Recordings, the previously posted The False Face Society release and releasing a mini album as a digital download was all that was newly released. I also uploaded some older eps to Bandcamp. I did finish off a couple new recordings this year but they are yet to be released. More information here when I have news.

Best of 2020, in comparison to the previous years I've not really consumed as much new music, but here is a list (and I'll probably review it 2-3 times more after posting)

Sewer Election - Blizard Amplification (Also mentions to Dream Bizarre and Unwilling Nature)
Various Artists - Amplify 2020 (various tracks within this enormous compliation,)
Testicle Hazard - Fifty-Sixty
Duncan Harrison / Ian Murphy - Slow Lightning (and
Duncan's Music From Amplified Flexible Discs)
Rust Ruus -
IDEOLOGICAL BLUES APPARATIOUS
Alice Kemp - Songs in the Key of NO
Theo Gowans - Wresteling Spelt Wrong On The Flyer (and the Hiddeous Whining events)
AMK - 250 Years of AMK
Chocolate Monk (Just in general, tons of great output this year, the plague TV etc...)
Dust track - Reculver Towers
Chop Shop - Primer (Reissue of older material as a new release counts!)
Deathroes
- Inhuman Comedy
Phil Maguire & Tim Olive
- Invoer
John Wiese - Magnetic Stensil 1&2 (and Accessible World w/ Skin Graft)
David Gilden - Narcotic (Various Noise Works)
Joe McPhee & Lasse Marhaug - Harmonia Macrocosmica
Marja Ahti - The Current Inside
Vasco Alves -
Gaita Contra Computador

Best wishes for 2021

Paul  

The False Face Society - Running Me Down

Almost missed this.

I contributed sounds for the first track on the latest The False Face Society record "Running Me Down" what was released on CD by Clean Index in Australia.

Running Me Down is a piece of fiction written by Russell Walker in Spring/Summer 2020, based on events in Normandy where his mother lived from the late 1990s. The writing was divided into five different parts and narrated by Walker, then sent to five different collaborators to provide musical accompaniment.

Hailing from Ruislip, West London but presently a resident of Hitchin, North Hertfordshire, Russell Walker’s writing finds home in diverse settings, from art rock units The Bomber Jackets and The Pheromoans, through to novel When New Towns Act Tough (Larching Books, 2016). Running Me Down follows Half Time 1916 (Chocolate Monk, 2018) and sits closest to the predominantly text driven sound work released previously by Walker under his own name, and as a part of Charcoal Owls and The Teleporters. Here variegated impressionistic electronics provide a fitting bed for a faultlessly dry five-part spoken narrative of undesirable company and parochial outlooks.

credits

released November 19, 2020

All text by Russell Walker

All other sounds by

Paul Watson (Part 1)
Design a Wave (Part 2)
Anna Peaker (Part 3)
Tom Scott (Part 4)
R Elizabeth (Part 5)


Digital Age ...

Some new ish old ish stuff

First up some unused tracks were reprocessed by prolific French experimental artist I, Eternal.

   

And here some old and new material has been reprocessed by American noise musician Gene Symptoms

 

   

That's all for now.

Cryptic Video

Just a quick post, This video was recorded over ten years ago but the sound quality poor as it is sounds amazing.


 

So whats going on? Recording, keeping safe, planning. Hopefully should be able to share some news with you all soon. 

The recent split tape is sold out, but the digital is "pay what you want"

Missed shows, collaborations, new releases,

So some updates here. I hope this finds you well.

Live

On the 13th March I played probably the only gig I will be playing this year, a collaboration with Yoni Silver @ 5 Miles.

Here's the poster. . .


Was a great night. Here's a couple of photos



It turned out it was the last show before lock down. In retrospect maybe it shouldn't have gone ahead. But it's been that kind of year.

The recording of the set has been released by Beartown Records



Whilst you are there check out Karen Constance's new tape and the Lasse 10". Great releases! Send the Bears my love.

New Releases

Also I finished and put out the long overdue split c10 with Kindvriendelijk. It's a loud one, enjoy with a Belgian beer at any time.




I'm down to 5 tapes. Once they're gone, they're gone.

Untitled looped recordings.

Yesterday I also released a new online only release. This comprises of 16 tracks I composed from the contents of an old SD card which lived within my old looping pedal. So a lot of the material here is what I would have used and buried within my live set up for the last 6 years.

I set myself the restriction to get everything done in one evening and I delivered. Normally I would labour over artwork or track titles etc... but keep it simple it's just untitled looped recordings.



Cycle Ride Optimism

Another thing I've not shared here is that I've done a series of Cycle ride noise videos over the last few months what have appeared on several Lock Down era live broadcasts.

Please watch the whole thing and subscribe to their channels!

Colour Out of Space Present Plague Time Television 2


I feature from roughly the 1hr mark

Channel9319062 




Approx. 1hr 12 min




Roughly 1hr 50 min Mark

I also did a video for Heinous Whining #10 but it looks like the archive is not kept

However, I've uploaded a home recording to YouTube


On that note did I ever share this video here?



Next plans?

No gigging, but hopefully some new releases coming soon.


2019 Review

2019 Summary

I can quickly sum up my output for 2019, 2 gigs in a month, appreance on the radio, and one digital release that was recorded in 2013. All of the below are documented on this blog!

I also lost a hard drive of old material and digital copies of some masters what was quite annoying, but it happens!

All releases on Bandcamp are pay whatever you like, so go for it.

Favourite Events/Records/Other from 2019:

It's been a really good year however I don't think I've really listened to as much new stuff as I'd liked to have to. However from this year all the following stood out.

The Gerogerigegege - Uguisudani Apocalypse
Michael Speers - xtr'ctn (probably my favourite of this year - recommended!)
Small Cruel Party - La Chrestomathie Du Désespoir
Wojciech Rusin - The Funnel 
Darksmith - Poverty of Will 
Blood Stereo ‎- Two Paths To Outer Edge
Skin Crime - Traveller On The Road 
SÄHKÖ-030  - No Title
Pavement wipe - Down ballot
Purpura & Lacrima - New World In A Peaceful Death / Dust Sculptures
Bloomer - Battle's Sign  
Howard Stelzer ‎– Anathematization Of The World Is Not An Adequate Response To The World
Possett - The Golden Handshake That Almost Broke My Wrist
Reynols - Minecxio Emanations 1993-2018 
Painjerk - Mission Invisible Kill The Poor
Joe Colley - Solo For Chair And Feedback Circuit

Belgium Cycle Trip to Ghent, Antwerp, and Brussels
The Kernel and Mills
The arrival of M.F.W. 18/12/2019

2020 Plans

There's loads of unreleased material dating back over ten years. I'll probably revisit a lot of this with fresh ears, new ways of mixing the material. It's good to get the ideas coming. I just think I need to work on knowing when something is good to go. Gigging, yeah I might have a show in March, but nothing is confirmed at the moment. I can't see myself doing to many shows in 2020.

Regardless, looking to 2020 with a lot of optimism. Happy New Year!