All posts by admin

admin

CyborCosis Trans Lives

After some of the usual and some unusual delays SP 006 is finally released. It was originally intended as a Summer release, something to turn up the volume and hitting the streets even bumpin’ out of your stereo’s in the sunshine. It finally saw the light of early Autumn late September.

CyborCosis are a transgender duo from Kidderminster, Worcestershire, UK producing music together since years and giving it all away freely in the spirit of the early Rave and Techno scene. They’ve been hugely inspired by The KLF and honoured them with a bunch of great reworks they’re most famous for.
For some uplifting leftfield, psytrance, trance tunes of their own check out ‘Trans Lives‘. This is available for free / PWYW at the Klappstuhl bandcamp page.

One track features the Canadian transgender activist, artist and model Brae Carnes, who’s striving for equal rights for all and especially against any opression, find further links on the release page.

bourbonese qualk: re-qualk (Feeding The Hungry Ghosts)

…. a long time ago Bourbonese Qualk where part of the anarcho punk side of industrial / experimental music, living in a Squat, running their own Recloose Organisation as label and umbrella for concerts etc. and touring quite often in eastern european countries behind the iron curtain.
Their moment of fame came with their contribution in the ever important Elephant Table Compilation Album, then a mile and stepping stone for all those independent minded free spirits in the wake of the post-punk, post-TG UK of the early 80’s.

During time the line-up and the group changed, early members left to concentrate on other projects, in 1987 the eponymously titled *Bourbonese Qualk* Album closed the first chapter with Stanza‘s departure to develope a short career in music as The State and later in multi-media projects and art.
Simon Crab was left as the sole core member and started as new with Miles Miles (Guitar, Sax, Trumpet, …) and Owen Rossiter (working as tour drummer for the Stereo MC’s during the same period to make a living) and the New International Recording’s label which lasted only for a few releases into the 90’s.

UNPOP

After 1991’s superb and of course underrated Unpop Album on the brilliant and ambitious Total label. 1993 BoQu turned more into a Solo Project when Simon Crab was influenced by the fledgeling Praxis label’ boss (ex-Vision mainman Christoph Fringeli, then just moved to London), the heavy techno influenced Album and it’s accompanieng 12″ Singles where the last sign (besides a few compilation appeareances and a live collection until 2001’s On Uncertainity which saw them return to group form and the diversity of influences that made Unpop and most of their releases so original accompanied by a limited 7″ on Klanggalerie.

All hopes for further activities died with Miles Miles in October 2002. Simon Crab announced the end of Bourbonese Qualk and set up the archive site where nearly everything issued is available for free download since. Most if not all their releases are out of print since years and there was hardly any intention to make them available again in any other format.

sunseastar

Simon first appeared back with Andy C. Wilson 2007 as sunseastar and this year with his debut as solo artist, on ‘Hello America’ another fine and hardly to categorize Album, which was preceeded by the full length version of ‘Saccade’ via Thisco as free download in May 2013.

bq_compilation_cover_02

This could have been the end of the story but the now Berlin based Mannequin Label digged through the early releases and culled together a new Compilation for a CD/DLP issue which saw the light early this year too; ‘1983-1986’.

This release was supported in March with a remix 12″ of ‘Lies’, also available in digital format. The original short track from ‘Preparing For Power’ treated and extended by the until then to me unknown Ancient Methods does really works surprisingly fine and keeps the original spirit.

But not enough with retrospective Qualk, in June a remastered live concert from the Unpop era surfaced via Tristan Koreya’s netlabel Nostalgie De La Boue.
Live At ‘La Salamandre’, recorded in Strasbourg October 1991. Get this first official live release for free, and enjoy.

live at boquo

For current solo activites and reference visit http://www.simoncrab.com.

Fay Ray Waiting For The Heatwave…

For me this is an classic since I heard it first and with raising temperatures outside it came to mind once again.

Fay Ray came from Bangor, Wales, U.K., evolved out of Hot Water and Dick Dick & the Dicks published one Single ‘Family Affairs’ on Nigel Gray (Most famous for Production and Recording work on eaarly Police stuff) before signing to WEA.
The single and the sole Album Contact You never took off for reasons beyond my understanding. A second fully recorded Album was not even issued by WEA (and remains unreleased) due to the commercial failure.
Well perhaps it would’ve helped if the invested a little more effort in the rather pointless sleeve design. This 1982 Video to their sole Single on WEA was uploaded by Tony Travis, the original bassist.
As a bonus for the curious – Where are they today ? How do they look today ? What happened ? – here is a rare re-union take from an instore gig 2010. ‘Family Affairs’ live at Cob Records, Bangor. Recorded on Saturday 17th April at 1:45pm. The Event was part of Independent Record Store Day.

Alan Jenkins plays The Velvet Underground & Nico

After years of celebrating Frank Zappa, compiling and playing more or less wired Surf Pop Tunes, adding a bit of Bowie and Stones to the independent surf rock scene while reissuing most of The Deep Freeze Mice‘s output (all on his Cordelia Records label) here’s somewhat not too surprisingly his latest attempt in listenable obscurities : the whole debut Album of VU is out now as an instrumental surf version.
Near perfect to be taken to the beach during this summer’s holiday season alongside your Ray Bans…

‘ThisContinuum’ by the incredible Walt Thisney out now !

klappstuhl 90 logo negativ GREEN

For this new release on Klappstuhl Records, I’ve waded quite some time through Walt’s profilic output which is well documented here. The more exotica, kitschonica and ambient stuff has been collected elsewhere so I concentrated on the neo wave, retro synth pop aspects of his work among it the afore mentioned Simulacra EP.
While he seems to concentrate currently more on easy listening / muzak / exotica stuff he is not completely lost for beat driven synth sounds as the highly recommended and in February via 30th Floor issued Abstrakta EP shows.

walt promo flyer

For everything more you need to know about his current and past activities a great starting place is @ tumblr.

walt question

Oh and b.t.w. – although the majority of the tracks of ThisContinuum are culled from previous releases, all have been listen and re-listened with lots of attention to details to find a perfect enjoyable running order and make this a full blast spring release. Some of them have been available only via youtube or soundcloud but there are also a bunch of exclusives available never before to give some more flavour to this charming Album I’m very proud of;

Shriekback‘s Twisted Returns

After several re-formations and Barry Andrew’s near-solo efforts [Cormorant, Glory Bumbs and Life In The Loading Bay] via Malicious Damage Shriekback evolved once more into a more or less proper group with the ever reliable Martyn Barker and Carl Marsh back on board.
Well expectations hung high here after their last utterly brilliant 2010 Album I dedicated a whole post too on the first (now lost) version of this blog. Just in short : get it while stocks last.

life in the loading bay

For more details concerning their new release (also currently available with bonus disk Shriekback Vs. The Caretakers) “Without Real String Or Fish”

shriekback-wrsof-web

…and plenty of related in-deepth stories see their busy tumblr here and buy at shriekback.com direct from the band.

Here’s another current track in a live in the studio version, these official videos should give you a taste of what to expect. Well sort of…

R.I.P. Steve Strange

steve strange 2014

The face & singer of Visage died February 12th in Egypt, aged 55. He lived a colorful live like few others – from being a Punk in Wales, working with McLaren in London and starting a new futuristic scene with Rusty Egan at the famous Bliz Club. Visage started as a in hindsight post punk supergroup featuring members of Ultravox and Magazine and are still best known for their classic “Fade To Grey”. Steve Strange was never short in trying different outfits and living out his version of fashion which got him more recognizion than any of his musical projects …and overshadowed them in a way. David Bowie early saw the importance of the New Romantics and invited him to appear in his iconic 1980 Video “Ashes To Ashes”, in itself a very New Wave influenced and great Single.

In 1982 Helmut Newton photographed him for the artwork of the 2nd darker and underrated Album “The Anvil” and accompanying singles and it looked like nothing could stop Visage …..

visageanvilad

….but commercial success (and the members of Ultravox Ure & Currie) drifted away with the 3rd and disappointing slick “Beat Boy” – an insightful interview with Steve aobut this era can be found over at Electric Club. The remaining members called it quits soon after and a row of best of collections and Remixes was all to come until the 2000’s.
Steve Strange surfaced 1986 with a more rock-orientated but short-lived outfit Strange Cruise before turning his back on Music Production and returning to Club Business more or less succesfull. In his 2002 published Autobiography “Blitzed!” (Orion, UK) he revealed his struggle with Heroin Addiction and his long way back to a performing artist which he started slowly but surely with different line-up’s of Visage culminating finally in the rightly praised comeback Album “Hearts & Knives” in 2013 and a resurrection of his alliance with Rusty Egan in Blitz Club Records. After touring and releasing different singles from the Album in 2014 the new line-up issued another Album “Visage Orchestral” including a newly recorded take of “Fade To Grey” which now became his last single.

heartsandknivesSIGNEDcd

It is save to say that the 80’s music world would have been different without him – The Human League’s Dare, Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet to name but a few owe him and the Blitz Club a lot. He brought back the colour into the post Punk Pop world – daring, searching and believing into different forms of expression and individuality.