Allan Innman

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 12:03:59 +0100

Allan Innman

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Sat, 02 Mar 2013 10:17:35 +0000

US Vogue F/W 1988

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 19:49:07 +0000

US Vogue F/W 1988

Beverley Road Baths in Hull, England

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 09:00:53 +0000

Beverley Road Baths in Hull, England

Topo - Ba Ba Go Go

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 21:05:17 +0000

Topo - Ba Ba Go Go

Peter Saville

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 18:17:06 +0000

Peter Saville

Photo

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 22:09:20 +0000

Excerpts from ‘Space Patrol’ a sci-fi puppet show...

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 21:53:35 +0000

Excerpts from ‘Space Patrol’ a sci-fi puppet show first broadcast in 1963 on ITV. This is the first on British television to feature a specially composed electronic music soundtrack running throughout the whole series. Fred Judd created the sounds with tape manipulation, loops and tone generators in his home studio in London.

New sounds in progress.

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 18:49:00 +0000

New sounds in progress.

Photo

Sun, 30 Dec 2012 16:20:32 +0000

James Nizam - Drill Holes Through Studio Wall, 2012

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 12:54:54 +0000

James Nizam - Drill Holes Through Studio Wall, 2012

Albums of the year

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 18:38:49 +0000

Just posted my albums of the year over on the Wildlife Analysis blog, but figured any followers here might be interested, so here we are.

Since getting a full time job this year I’ve felt like I’ve had less time to truly get into a record, instead I’ve found myself often getting more into records that give an instant aesthetic and feeling, or pop tunes with hooks and danceability (the existence of my first ever ‘tracks of the year’ list being a refection of this (coming soon)). I’ve also spent more time going backwards this year as there’s been an amazing selection of collections and reissues this year, I’ve even had to limit myself including them in this list so may actually follow up with another post featuring more.

Firstly, honourable mentions:

Scott Walker - ‘Bish Bosch’ (4AD)
I think my lack of time has stopped this one making the top list. It’s something in a previous year would likely be way up high. It certainly gave me the wow factor on a few listens but yet I’ve simply not been in the mood for it most times I stick it on and so just haven’t got into it as I might have in a previous year.

Kevin Drumm - Relief
Noise is one of those weird areas where most releases just go over my head and I’m left blank. Every now and then something drops in that’s just great but I find myself having a hard time explaining why. It also makes it tough to reason when coming up with a top albums list. All I know is that this album engrossed me. The wash of noise was great a sensory experience as the sculpture of the track is fantastic. The way sounds can fall and rise through the layers of noise as it all flows around you really is a wonderful feeling shared with no other album this year.

Grimes - Visions (4AD/Arbutus)
Well, this is actually perhaps one of my most listened albums of the year. Super catchy, super fun, with enough going on to keep my mind buzzing all the way through. It however doesn’t quite make the cut – it’s one of those records that has been a lot of fun this year and been the soundtrack to nights out as well as days in blasting while tidying up. But it’s also a record that I don’t see myself playing much beyond this year, however will be looked back on like a by gone summer. Though I’m sure the fantastic Oblivion will infiltrate my playlists for years to come.

Okay onto business, usually I avoid ordering my choices, this year I’m taking a different tactic. A top 15 releases split into a top 5 (somehow this year it just worked out and I was able to decide) and an unordered bottom 10

#15 - #11 in alphabetical order:

Actress - RIP
Beak> - »
Dean Blunt & Inga Copeland - Black Is Beautiful
Death Grips - The Money Store
eden ahbez - Edens Island (reissue on Moi J’connais)
Francis Bebey - African Electronic Music 1975 - 1982
John Maus - A Collection of Rarities and Previously Unreleased Material
Josephine Foster - Blood Rushing
Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d city
Polysick - Digital Native

Top 5:

5. Goat - World Music (Rocket Recordings)
This one seemed to get mixed reviews and you’ll find me on the positive side of them. Putting aside what is perhaps a misleading, inappropriate, maybe even bad title for the release and what was perhaps a cause for a lot of peoples concerns here, I found this to be a sweet record full of psych rock jams infused with sounds and sensibilities from other cultures. This is where a lot of people seemed to turn off in that it’s not quite world music. As a fan of whole range world music, I don’t care that Goat simply take bits and pieces, often just scripting the surface with the cliches and obvious elements of the genre because what we’re left with is majorly fun, driving jams and in the end that’s what matters to me here. And on a side note, they’re a blast live.

4. Pye Corner Audio - Black Mill Tapes Volumes 1 & 2 (Type Records)
Although Sleep Games was a great album and would have made the list if I hadn’t decided to keep it to one release per artist. This collection of two releases from 2010 and 2011 stands out by far for me. Taking it’s cue from library sounds and public service music, Pye Corner Audio creates a haunted nostalgia for a by gone era that I can get myself lost in time and time again.

3. John Talabot - Fin (Permanent Vacation)
Man, I’ve stuck this on so many times now. A bit like Grimes, it’s soundtracked many great moments this year but where differs is that I can see myself constantly returning to this. Wonderfully danceable, but equally enjoyable for a late night chill out.

2. Various Artists - Tomorrow’s Achievements: Parry Music Library 1976-86 (Public Information)
I’ve mentioned a few times that this year has largely found me looking backwards with some great archive stuff and this for me is the best of the bunch - a collection of library music from the Canadian Parry Music Library. Young label Public Information managed to pick and collect a broad range of music and sound created for educational TV, film and public information broadcasts featuring dark dronescapes to funky jams and atmospheric rhythms. A really great diverse collection.

1. Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe - Timon Irnok Manta (Type Records)
Incredible work from Rob Lowe (Lichens/Om). This record kinda goes against what I described above by being made of two tracks each over 15 minutes long but it’s one record I simply loved this year. Beautiful slow progression of warm analog electronics, building, pulsing and swelling delivered intelligently with just the right pace and feeling.

Richard Rigg

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 15:21:03 +0000

Richard Rigg

art-blag: Nam June PaikMagnet TVTelevision Set and Magnet28 3/4...

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 18:43:40 +0000

art-blag:

Nam June Paik
Magnet TV
Television Set and Magnet
28 3/4 x 19 1/4 x 24 1/2 inches
1965

Molly Smith

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 15:17:35 +0000

Molly Smith

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Sun, 23 Dec 2012 12:40:19 +0000

From the Modern University Buildings stamps, 1971, designed by...

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 20:47:58 +0000

From the Modern University Buildings stamps, 1971, designed by Nicholas Jenkins:

Aberystwyth University College
University of Southampton
University of Leicester
University of Essex

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Thu, 20 Dec 2012 19:12:18 +0000

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Sun, 16 Dec 2012 17:01:00 +0000

Umarmung (Étreinte), 1946 by Heinz Hajek-Halke

Sun, 16 Dec 2012 08:37:00 +0000

Umarmung (Étreinte), 1946 by Heinz Hajek-Halke

Weird Ribs

Allan Innman

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US Vogue F/W 1988

Beverley Road Baths in Hull, England

Topo - Ba Ba Go Go

Peter Saville

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Excerpts from ‘Space Patrol’ a sci-fi puppet show...

New sounds in progress.

Photo

James Nizam - Drill Holes Through Studio Wall, 2012

Albums of the year

Richard Rigg

art-blag: Nam June PaikMagnet TVTelevision Set and Magnet28 3/4...

Molly Smith

Photo

From the Modern University Buildings stamps, 1971, designed by...

Photo

Photo

Umarmung (Étreinte), 1946 by Heinz Hajek-Halke