Compiled and mixed in 1999 by an incredibly talented and criminally underexposed individual, this 90 minute session of dusty, low slung leisure is well overdue some additional ears. You can listen via the soundcloud player below but I’d recommend using the download arrow to the right of the waveform as you’ll get better sound quality that way…

S003: Donby – Too Much TV by Slide Music

I met John (Donby) in 97 via our Media Studies class at college. Quite quickly we found a couple of things we had in common, a general sense of contempt for the course we’d chosen and a great amount of music of the time. Being a year or so into my vinyl habit by then, I’d accumulated a real variety of records but was just on the cusp of funding my first pair of turntables. John, I believe was in the same situation. As a result, he became the person I would hang out with for long afternoon and evening sessions, sharing records, showing each other various mixes we’d come up with and just generally getting a sense of what was possible with the format. At disturbingly regular intervals over the years that followed he would casually pass me Cassettes, Mini Discs and eventually CDRs that consistently raised the game in terms of ideas and originality.

Musically, a lot had happened in the 90s. So much incredible hip hop, jungle, techno and house music but also so many labels who made it their mission to occupy the spaces between the more established genres of the time. Filtering the catalogues of labels like Warp, Ninja Tune and Mo Wax would reveal countless directions in which to explore a multitude of other independent labels pushing their own thing. My fast expanding record collection was consuming all these areas but for the first couple of years it was largely the jungle and drum and bass with it’s limited tempo range and relatively formulaic structure that was getting a look in on the turntables. These mixtapes my friend was passing me really changed my outlook on what was possible. Like many classic offerings from the likes of Coldcut and DJ Food, they illustrated there was a far less linear way of playing the game. Switching tempos and adding detail with samples and the first incarnation of Korgs Kaos Pad, the end result always highlighted the importance of doing your own thing. A fundamental principle I strive to lead with to this day.

Enough personal nostalgia, if we’re lucky John will allow me to share a few more of these in the future (because there is a lot of them) but for now I’ve dug up one in particular for a couple of reasons. It’s an earlier recording and perhaps in some respects less ambitious than many that followed, but the track selection is sublime and does a nice job of illustrating his ability to explore a certain area of sonic ground, drawing from a variety of sources to build an engaging narrative.

Throughout the years I’ve had the privilege of calling him my friend, John’s been an enormous creative influence and I know of a number of other heads who would say the same. Having typically kept a reasonably low profile he may not immediately be too enamored by the exposure here and as such I don’t want to blow up too much in the way of any current activities. The Donby moniker is now retired though I believe and in recent years certain West Country folk have been introduced to a new DJ in their area by the name of Ron Willis. Hopefully that’s a subject we can explore further in the not too distant future…

Seven years after his role as co-animator on Katsuhiro Otomo’s 1988 landmark feature ‘Akira’, Studio 4°C founder Kōji Morimoto revisits some familiar visual themes in this colourful music video for Ken Ishii’s ‘Extra’…

Akira appears to be Morimoto’s second time working with Otomo. He was also animator for ‘Construction Cancellation Order‘, a short story written and directed by Otomo for the 1987 anthology film ‘Neo Tokyo’. At just under 20 minutes, it’s good company for some extended coffee break action…

Construction Cancellation Order Part 1
Construction Cancellation Order Part 2

As an online project of it’s time, Miasmah played a significant role in the decision to realise Multilink in a digitally distributed format. It’s something we take for granted now but a decade ago, to see someone embracing the opportunity with such unique character and style was really inspiring…

Coming across Miasmah a few years ago when my world was less internet oriented, was a real insight for me. It showed me just how much potential there was to build yourself a platform online. Not only for exposing your own work but to act as the basis of a network, to communicate with other like minded individuals and lead to so many new friendships and collaborations. Multilink #08 (Dec 06)

I have a handful of personal favourites from this period (more of which will surface here soon) but this compilation in particular is a great example of the high quality content the label managed to deliver for free. A casual listen will likely provide a calming backdrop for whatever you’re occupied with but given your full attention, these 10 carefully sequenced tracks have the potential to be quite sublime. If you can afford to rest for an hour, I highly recommend spending the time getting properly acquainted.

I feel like there is so much more to be said about the early years of Miasmah, perhaps at some point I’ll ask Erik if he has time to answer some questions about it for the blog. As I said above, I’ll post some other personal favourites in the near future but in the meantime here’s links to the Lighted Apartment compilation and some previous coverage in the mag…

Download ‘Lighted Apartment’ at Archive.org: Release Page / Direct Download

Erik Skodvin Interview: Multilink #01 (Feb 05)

Miasmah Feature: Multilink #08 (Dec 06)

Was anyone else watching the sequences with the rings and seeing vinyl grooves? If you use the attached microscope on a lathe to inspect a lacquer or dubplate you’re cutting, they look a lot like a couple of these following frames…

Incidentally, if you like the NIN track in the video you can grab it for free as one of the first nine tracks from Ghosts I-IV (track 9 is pretty sublime too).

Source: http://vimeo.com/24410924

“Charting the genre’s growth from obscure origins in south London to global recognition today, the film features in-depth interviews with many of the DJ’s, producers and promoters who have been instrumental in Dubstep’s ongoing evolution.”

“Skream, Benga, Kode9 and Mary Anne Hobbs are just some of the key players who have contributed, reflecting on the movement they’ve helped shape; a movement that has come to define the importance of underground music in the 21st Century.

This highly stylised film travels from Dubstep’s birthplace in Croydon to Europe, Brazil and Japan, demonstrating just how huge an impact this initially indigenous scene has made at an international level.”

Support these guys if you can by grabbing yourself a nicely packaged copy direct from the source.

Subtle and sublime video for Leftfields Swords, one of the highlights from their 1999 LP ‘Rhythm and Stealth’…

It seems like a brave move allowing the audio to shift back and forth behind the dialogue in each scene but the result here is great.

After the huge success of their first album ‘Leftism’ I remember some of the material from this follow up LP being delivered alongside pretty dramatic visuals like the Afrika Shox video by Chris Cunningham and the Guiness advert featuring Phat Planet. I’m not sure this video achieved such a high profile but in my mind it’s the perfect delivery for the track… different people in different places, each getting down with their own vibe.

Now go find yourself a copy without the dialogue and turn it up loud for that break around the 3.30 mark.

Sepalcure – Love Pressure EP [HF025] by Hotflush

I was originally a little disappointed to find ‘Feeling That I Know So Well’ (the original track from the time lapse video) isn’t on this release. Not to worry though, being the gentlemen they are Praveen and Travis have teamed up with XLR8R and made it available as a free download to celebrate the new EP. Good work all round.

Originally released as 100 hand numbered promo’s back in 2008 (I’m not sure who sent me mine but thank you guys), this is well overdue finding it’s way online.

Grab it via the link below and keep your eyes peeled for part two later this year.

http://get-wise.tumblr.com/post/773789655/get-wise-volume-1

Props to Iloobia for the heads up above and big thanks to those of you that are still checking in here from time to time despite the lack of updates.

Posts here may have slowed significantly but there is still a pulse. This game’s not over yet.

As the seasons change I find myself revisiting releases that have been hibernating, unnoticed in my itunes library for a while. Certain musical directions that for one reason or another I’ve come to associate with a particular time of year will stand out again when I’m browsing for a work soundtrack or something to keep me in a groove while I’m cooking dinner. This mix by 40 Winks often reappears around this time each year, maybe it’s the first few days of being outside in a t-shirt without freezing that does it…

S002: 40 Winks – Extended Leisure by slidemusic

As I said last time I’m not going to go in to any depth trying to explain the content of these mixes, you can scan them via the player if you want to get a feel for what’s involved. If you’re not familiar with what 40 Winks do, think along the lines of an adventure in laid back beats and narrative interludes.

You can stream or download the mp3 via the Soundcloud player. Enjoy.

Forthcoming on Hotflush Recordings I believe, Travis (Machinedrum/Tstewart) and Praveen team up as Sepalcure. Accompanied here by time lapse footage of Sougwen doing her thing with pen and paper…

“Sepalcure’s combination of love for bass and 90s house acapellas is the culmination of a cathartic two week collaboration between Machinedrum and Praveen. Their mix of tribal dub, house and two step beats works equally well for both late nights in the club and rainy, introspective nights at home. Detroit techno chords cut through wooden beats, neon synths and dubbed out atmospherics. Future lovestep.”

Looking forward to the full release from these guys soon.

http://www.sepalcure.com

Sougwen is a featured contributor in Capsule 01

From the Serein website…

“‘Retold’ is an apt title for this body of work, at times light and serene, other times dark, brooding and sinister – Nest are expert storytellers. Taking cues from film soundtracks and contemporary classical music, the story is woven using a myriad of instrumentation. Dulcet piano tones are backed by string and horn arrangements, unidentifiable plucked instruments and the sound of the Welsh harp; often heavily processed, Retold is an album that has as much in common with experimental electronic music as it does with modern classical composition.”

“Nest is the collaborative project of Otto Totland and Huw Roberts. The first six tracks on this album were originally released in 2007 on the eponymously titled Nest EP; they are presented here again having been remastered alongside five new pieces composed in 2009. A revised edition of the track ‘Cad Goddeu’ was created especially for this release.”

Huw has been a good friend for a number of years now. Along with a handful of others who populate the contact list of my chat client on a daily basis, he’s the closest thing I have to any real work colleagues right now. Always on hand for discussion and feedback, his consistent high standards and objectivity are a real asset when I’m stuck procrastinating on a project that’s not progressing as I’d like it too.

You may remember seeing my original post on this blog when the Nest EP was released back in 2007. Huw had played me material he’d worked on previously but when it arrived back then the EP really blew me away and became an all time favourite that I’d go back to again and again. It’s one of those rare gems that’s so immediately accessible but also manages to reveal more depth with every listen.

Huw also runs the Serein label and when he explained his plans to make the transition from a back catalogue of digital mp3s to manufacturing and distributing physical product my first thought was how much I wanted a well crafted Nest release and in this regard ‘Retold’ delivers on every level.

An update to something with which you already have a strong relationship is often a cause for concern but the results here are very welcome. The new material sits beautifully alongside remastered tracks from the original EP adding new layers of depth and fidelity. I’m won’t say anything more about the music itself, you have the sample tracks above for that.

I’ve taken a batch from Huw that are available direct from our new online shop and although things may seem a little quiet around here from the outside, I’m working hard to get Multilink moving again at a proper pace. Purchasing products here is a great way you can help speed up the process and support the artists behind each project.

Buy Nest ‘Retold’ from the Multilink online shop (£7.99)

With a well considered mixtape, tracks can be placed in certain contexts and you often end up hearing something familiar in a new light. There’s a lot to be gleaned about the person putting the mix together too, the variety of tracks and moods and the type of transitions between them all say something about that individuals relationship with the ideas they’re using.

So the concept is simple, I’ve got together a pile of mixes from friends and associates and with their permission I’ll be posting them at intervals here on the blog via soundcloud. Over time we should rack up an interesting archive from the past present and future. Enough introductory rambling now, on to the first installment…

I’m starting the series with a mix of my own from 2003 which may seem a little self indulgent though there is a specific reason for it too. Multilink wasn’t originally conceived as a magazine, it basically started life as a desire to get involved with creative people and projects of as wide a variety as possible. We stumbled into the idea of a pdf mag after Steve showed me Bloodwars and it seemed like something that between us we could get moving pretty quickly, so that’s what we did. With no experience of any conventional magazine editorial process, my plan was to approach the first issue as a mixtape only made with people and projects as opposed to 12″s and LPs and that’s basically what I’ve stuck with for all subsequent issues since.

The significance of starting our series with the Disengage mix is that it was planned and recorded during the same period Steve and I put together issue #01 of multilink. So as different as the end formats may be, I’ve always felt they shared a similar process in regards to selection and assembly.

S001: Leisure Management Systems – Disengage by slidemusic

I plan to avoid describing the content of each mix, opting instead for a little background info each time. However, if you do require serving suggestions then this one is probably well suited to long journeys or extended sessions of lazy leisure.

Download the mp3 via the arrow on the Soundcloud player. Larger front/back artwork and track listing can be downloaded here.

This is to some extent a compressed interpretation of Dan Sicko’s book, Techno Rebels which comes highly recommend if you’re into the subject matter (a revised edition of which is apparently in development although the last update on that appears to have been in April).

Techno and it’s early roots in Detroit are the focus here. Unlike Sicko’s book which I remember as relatively reserved in it’s accounts, this initially suffers a little from the barrage of overwhelming ego’s on parade. There’s some pretty bold and potentially quite questionable statements being thrown around regarding certain individuals views on what techno is and who’s ultimately responsible for it, the kind of conclusions I would prefer to draw later for myself as opposed to being fed as an introduction. Don’t let this put you off though as it’s by no means a deal breaker and easily explained as an inevitable consequence of the level of passion involved.

It’s an informative story on a number of levels. A big highlight for me being the inclusion of academic Jerry Herron with his accounts of the city’s social and economic history of the last 50 years and it’s role in shaping the circumstances and environment in which all this could manifest.

If you’re not a fan of techno I would still suggest you give this a go. You may be pleasantly surprised and if it leads you onto the book, there’s a whole other level of in-depth and worthwhile material to be explored there in regards to creative drive and progression in general.

From Plexifilm…

“HIGH TECH SOUL is the first documentary to tackle the deep roots of techno music alongside the cultural history of Detroit, its birthplace. From the race riots of 1967 to the underground party scene of the late 1980s, Detroit’s economic downturn didn’t stop the invention of a new kind of music that brought international attention to its producers and their hometown.

Featuring in-depth interviews with many of the world’s best exponents of the artform, High Tech Soul focuses on the creators of the genre — Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson — and looks at the relationships and personal struggles behind the music. Artists like Richie Hawtin, Jeff Mills, Carl Craig, Eddie Fowlkes and a host of others explain why techno, with its abrasive tones and resonating basslines, could not have come from anywhere but Detroit.”

Then a few months back Graham came through again, this time on his Unique Uncut label with Klics debut release Karaoke / High Tech Soul, a two track digital release with the same depth and restraint that had me hooked on the mix above. I’ve been harassing G about how this needs a vinyl release and with a bit of luck we’ll see some wax turn up in the future but in the meantime if you’re into the mix, you can do a good thing by supporting these guys and picking up a copy online here.

As if that’s not enough to get involved with, how about this slick edit of Esbjörn Svensson Trio?

Use the arrow in the right hand panel of each player to download mp3s of both the mix and the E.S.T edit. Respect to Ned for letting me share this stuff with the rest of you and big thanks to Greymatter too for putting me in the loop.

Under the Strictly Kev pseudonym, Foakes was part of the original DJ Food line up alongside Patrick Carpenter (PC) and Coldcut’s Matt Black and Jonathan More. A friend of mine picked up Refried Food sometime in 97 and it was following up on the remixers there that led me to the likes of Autechre, Fila Brazillia, Luke Vibert and Mathew Herbert. Shortly after, I discovered the Blech II mix that he and PC had put together, which for me still stands as one of the best examples of what you can make of a mixtape (look at that tracklist!).

Alongside the music and DJing, Foakes has delivered some seriously tasteful artwork as graphic designer at Ninja Tune. Over the years, he’s created a visual profile that only long term realtionships like this or The Designers Republic & Warp seem to yield.

I recommend you spend some time exploring the history of projects on his site. If you’re into digging for good stuff you may have missed, the connections to be found there are certainly worthy of investigation.

www.djfood.org

If you were into that, you’re going to like his tracks too I reckon. Obvious points of reference being Prefuse 73, Flying Lotus and Dabrye’s 2001 debut ‘One/Three’. Check the following lifted from his myspace page and then we’ll get onto some releases…

“could let you all know bit more bout me i thought … i had some yamaha keyboard when i was about 7 – had this “snow flakes” sound on it .. and i regret not knowing what it sounds like anymore, but i was able to trip out on just hitting the C-3-Note .. also had this fisher-price tape recorder, with a built in microphone – got some pretty crazy stuff on tape because of that .. sometimes just these really long recordings of me and my family eating at the dinner-table .. i wish i could say i recorded that out of interest – but i pretty much just forgot pressing the stop button … also played piano when little .. stoped playing the piano when i got older .. started playing the super-nintendo though .. recently even sampled “claymates” again cause it got some nice arpeggio synth lines in it .. crazy game … youre a clay-ball that can transform into animals … anyways .. now i spend lotsa time wasting it .. and making music …”

First thing I picked up was his 4 track ‘Beat Tape’ on TrebleO for a very reasonable £1.99. While you’re there you should also listen to ‘Thank Capital Letters’ which is his track on the ‘Here Comes Treble’ compilation, an absolute killer and available as a single track if you’re not feeling the rest of the comp. If the sound clips aren’t enough to persuade you, TrebleO is giving away a short taster track too.

Next up is a new 12 inch on it’s way via Affine Records which you can listen to on their site.

If you’re after more free stuff, download his 2006 release ‘Seek When Is Her’ (EAR022) from Earstroke Records. I had problems with the .zip but you can grab each track individually if needs be.

Right then, if you’ve been checking out previous issues you should already be familiar with these guys via a mini interview back in issue #06 of the magazine. They’ve kept up an admirable pace since then and this week Ross was kind enough to pass me a preview copy of their new album ‘Meanwhile…’.

I’m not keen on trying to tell people what’s good and what’s not (that’s your call right?). However, the last week has been pretty grim here on the work front and this album has gone a long way towards bringing me back to the surface. I’m going to avoid trying to explain what it sounds like as you can drop by their myspace page and see if it’s your thing. If you do just that and like what you find, make sure you give the podcast a go too. It’s the only one I listen to on a regular basis and just like their album, it always straightens out my mood and leaves me somewhere nice.

The album is out September 1st on Wah Wah 45s. Go find one.

Part Time Heroes on myspace

PTH Podcast

Wah Wah 45s

There can’t be many people out there producing electronic music that aren’t already familiar with the Amen Break to some extent. It’s quite possibly the most reused piece of audio since the introduction of sampling.

A few months ago, Nathaniel pointed me in the direction of this tidy and concise 18 minute youtube clip doing an admirable job of explaining the enormous significance of this 6 second drum loop and it’s influence on anything breakbeat related since. I never got around to posting it here and eventually it slipped my mind completely but after it was pointed out to me again this week by someone else (thanks qiU!) I thought I better share before it gets lost again among the mess of other ideas swirling about my mindtank.

There’s a great interview with Theo Parrish over at Resident Advisor. The guy’s very opinionated but makes some interesting and solid points. I suggest checking out the links in the first paragraph before you get stuck in, especially the BBC interview.

Theo Parrish interview at resident Advisor

Short 5 minute documentary behind the scenes of Wax Poetics Magazine. Hat’s off to these guys, nice to see anything with this much integrity continue to grow.

I took the afternoon off today for some much required down time, work being pretty hectic as usual. The weather’s surprisingly nice and I couldn’t have asked for a better sofa soundtrack than this as the sun poured in.

Le Sac De Sonido (or ‘The Bag Of Sound’) is the work of Desmond Hollins, you can download the entire release for free at Portuguese net-label Test Tube. This is finding it’s place in my mind somewhere between titles like Gramm’s Personal Rock and Dan Abrams various releases as Shuttle358. If you’re looking to power down for a while and do a little mental housekeeping, this may well sort you out.

Hollins continues to impress. With his three S&S collections of hip hop makeovers (as Katrah Quey) alongside a handful of other releases including the Ceptual project debuted by Miasmah in 2006, this guy is definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Appreciation goes out to Orville for passing me the link, thank you sir.

Pump Up The Volume is a three part history on the development of electronic dance music. Part one looks in detail at Chicago and the early roots of house as it grows out of disco’s remains. The second and third parts take you through Detroit techno, acid house, Manchesters legendary Hacienda club and the UKs widespread rave scene of the early 90s that gave birth to so many new styles and directions over the following decade.

I say this about stuff a lot but you should consider checking this out even if you think it’s not your area. Anyone who’s into the idea of subculture and watching something develop should get a lot out of these. Although at 3 hours in total you may want to drop a bookmark to come back for parts two and three…

Pump Up The Volume: Part One (58mins)

Pump Up The Volume: Part Two (49mins)

Pump Up The Volume: Part Three (58mins)

Hard Format is a design blog that catalogues interesting examples of music packaging…

“It seems like everybody’s talking about the end of physical music media. Who knows whether they’re right or not, but Hard Format is a little place we’ve set up to celebrate our love of brilliant music-related design. That means we’re going to focus on records, CDs, cassettes and their like. However, Hard Format isn’t intended to become a dusty museum devoted exclusively to past glories, though there’ll certainly be some of that, we also want to highlight the brilliant new design work being produced right now.”

Great inspirational resource, especially if you work in this area.

2007 rework of the Depeche Mode original. This track has seen it’s fair share of cover versions including efforts from Johnny Cash and Marilyn Manson. This version appears on ‘My Favourite Kind Of Irrelevance 1997-2007‘ on Hydrogen Dukebox, a kind of ‘best of’ collection that draws together choice cuts by Lee Norris under his various aliases. Highly recommended.

I’m not sure this got the credit it deserved when it was released back in March. Nest is a collaboration between Huw Roberts who runs Serein and Otto Totland. You might recognise Otto’s name as one half of Norwegian duo Deaf Center who’s 2005 album ‘Pale Ravine‘ makes for a close point of reference here. Perfect stuff for the cold winter evenings that are closing in here and my vote for net-release of 2007.

Download the whole EP (accompanied by some gorgeous artwork) free at http://www.archive.org