Buscar:black so man

After two decades of releasing music on 12" vinyl under multiple pseudonyms the duo from Even Drones have completed their first LP.
The 20 track double vinyl carries the classic "album era" approach of the 60s and 70s into a modern contemporary work.

Each of the 4 sides of "Ethics" feels like the chapter of a story balanced into a synthesis of counterpoints from piece to piece. Twisted arrangements are stringed together with dance-able tracks and are woven into finespun transmutations of sounds. Sometimes peaceful and regulated, sometimes abstract and complemented with tamed feedback, noises, crackling and delightful patterns.

Like a continuous thread through all titles of the album, the multi instrumentalists somehow managed to harmonize a twisted array of methods and structures into a coherent listening experience.
This full feature-length metamorphosis with no boundaries of styles or genres is released just in time for the 10th anniversary of the band on Freund der Familie.

Tape

Did you know that miracles happen every day? We don't always see it that way We look at the state of the world and think, "It'll be a miracle if we make it out alive." But miracles are what humans do. We're Earth's most inventive and unpredictable species, when we're allowed to be. Also the most destructive. Miracle-Level is Deerhoof's mystical manifesto on creativity and trust. It celebrates the infinite small wonders of existence that spontaneously present themselves, when not obstructed by our death-driven masters. Musically, Miracle-Level is vulnerable, brave, and brimming with spicy surprises. Deerhoof's 19th album is also their their first to be recorded and mixed in a recording studio. Production was entrusted to Mike Bridavsky, at No Fun Club in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This is also their first album written entirely in Satomi's native language. Deerhoof once again speak in a secret code that only their fans understand, in which hooks abound, and genre is nonexistent.

There's no denying the power of the drum. It's primal, it cuts across borders and most importantly, it makes you want to move. Ghetto Kumbé don't just understand that_they celebrate it, and it's why the tambor was at the heart of the Bogotá-based trio's 2020 self-titled debut album. Rooted in mysticism and the Afro-Caribbean rhythms they'd grown up with all their lives, the critically acclaimed LP thrillingly updated the traditional Latin template, folding in elements of modern hip-hop, house and bass music while also delivering a transportive Afro-futurist vision. On Clubbing Remixes, that vision has been further amplified, as Ghetto Kumbé_who were already one of Colombia's most prominent alternative acts_have now gone fully global; enlisting an all-star roster of artists from four different continents, they've put together a fresh version of their debut album that's been specifically geared to the world's diverse slate of dancefloors. As the title implies, the new LP is meant for the club, which is why Ghetto Kumbé have turned to Latin music heavyweights like Trooko_a multiple Grammy winner whose resume includes work with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Residente_and Monte (a.k.a. Bomba Estéreo founder Simón Mejía), along with top-shelf DJs like Nickodemus and Uproot Andy, two NYC artists who've spent decades championing Afro-Latin rhythms. True to the LP's global spirit, the record also includes reworks from batida maestro DJ Firmeza, fellow Afro-Portuguese outfit Studio Bros and Parisian house groovers Les Enfants Sauvages, plus genre-blurring remixes from sonically adventurous Colombians Montoya (himself another ZZK artist) and Cero39. Even the artwork on Clubbing Remixes is a remix, as Ghetto Kumbé have tapped Uganda's Denzel Muhumuza to transform the cover of their debut album into a new, explicitly Afro-futuristic illustration. Depicting a strong Black face and glowing neon fauna beneath a sparkling moonlit sky, the fantastical image speaks to both the ritual magic and Afro-indebted heritage of Ghetto Kumbé's music, and thanks to Clubbing Remixes, the group's passionate, drum-fueled sounds will soon be blasting out of sound systems around the globe.

Rootz Lions Band share the love for conscious roots reggae music & are dreadicated to taking the music forward in these times.

Bassplayer Carlos Silva is the founding member of the band. In 2016 he gathered some of the Dutch reggae scene's most experienced musicians, each of them having previously played with top local and international artists - most recently the band have performed with Army, Prince Jamo, Donovan Kingjay, Black Omolo, Iyiapo Tafari, Chezidek and more.

MLK is a singer from Sierra Leone, based in the Netherlands. He performs regularly live with bands and in 2018 released the acclaimed LP 'The World Is In Trouble' with The Breadwinners on the Bionic Dread label.

King Cooper (AKA King Kooper in the Jazz world) from Amsterdam has a long & fascinating career, playing reggae, jazz, funk & soul with the likes of Doe Maar, Sister Sledge, Coopertest & many, many more... proving himself as one the world's top saxophonists.

Hornsman Coyote from Belgrade, Serbia is one of the leading Trombonists in the modern reggae scene and works regularly with top producers & labels internationally, such as, Lee Perry, House Of Riddim, Rolling Lion, Jah Works, Earth Works, Jerry Lions to name but a few. His career started as the front-man for Belgrade Hard-Rock-reggae crossover band, Eyesburn & is a singer songwriter in his own right with a huge catalogue from over 20 years of continued performance & recording.

Plunder was recorded and mixed at Earth Works Studio, Amsterdam

Recommended If You Like: Boredoms, OOIOO, Blonde Redhead, Guerilla Toss, Rolling Stones, Liars, Marnie Stern, Yoko Ono, Battles. Cover by acclaimed photographer and artist Kunie Sugar White Vinyl / White Cassette available while stocks last. Did you know that miracles happen every day? We don’t always see it that way. We look at the state of the world and think, “It’ll be a miracle if we make it out alive.” But miracles are what humans do. We’re Earth’s most inventive and unpredictable species, when we’re allowed to be. Also the most destructive. Miracle-Level is Deerhoof’s mystical manifesto on creativity and trust. It celebrates the infinite small wonders of existence that spontaneously present themselves, when not obstructed by our death-driven masters. Musically, Miracle-Level is vulnerable, brave, and brimming with spicy surprises. Deerhoof’s 19th album is also their their first to be recorded and mixed in a recording studio. Production was entrusted to Mike Bridavsky, at No Fun Club in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This is also their first album written entirely in Satomi’s native language. Deerhoof once again speak in a secret code that only their fans understand, in which hooks abound, and genre is nonexistent.

LORI finds Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam drawing from the songbook of noted singer-songwriter and multiple Grammy winner Lori McKenna. Recorded at the famed Sam Phillips Studios (Memphis, TN) with producer Matt Ross-Spang, Beam takes on four of his favorite McKenna tracks with help from Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart, known collectively for their work in the indie-art-pop band Finom (formerly known as Ohmme.) Beam came to McKenna’s music a few years ago on the suggestion of a friend. As the lock down dragged on, Beam found himself, like so many, turning to music for comfort. McKenna’s catalog of work was never far from reach. Taken by her heart-on-your-sleeve confessional style storytelling, Beam admits it’s a trait that draws him to McKenna and something not often found in his own songwriting. As a well-known interpreter of other artists’ songs, when the time came for him to shake off the pandemic cobwebs and record, McKenna’s songs were as fresh and familiar to Beam as his own. Traveling to Memphis in March of 2021, Beam invited Cunningham and Stewart to join him in the studio. During the three days of recording, Ross-Spang was a logical choice to take the helm as he had handled Iron & Wine’s 2019 collaboration with Calexico, the twice Grammy nominated Years to Burn, and had also worked on two of McKenna’s own records. Having enjoyed successful solo careers outside of Finom, Cunningham and Stewart bring their own touches to LORI and helped Beam find even further depths to McKenna’s songwriting. Together the trio sonically re-interpreted her plaintive odes into a tapestry of sounds effortlessly blending their signature singing styles and breathing fresh life into the lyrics

Before MF DOOM donned his mask and became one of the most prolific MC-producers of modern Hip-Hop, he was a member of KMD, an early ‘90s rap group whose work still goes criminally under-appreciated to this day.

Following their 1991 debut album, Mr. Hood, the former trio shed one member leaving only two remaining – Subroc and his brother, Zev Love X (better known today as MF DOOM). Originally scheduled for release in 1994, their sophomore album Black Bastards showed clear progression from their debut. It was a truly amazing record, both sonically and lyrically, full of youthful creativity and tinged with the stresses of growing up as Black men in urban America. Songs like the lead single “What A N*gga Know”, the slippery, bass-driven “Get U Now”, and the album’s title track explore Black consciousness viewed through young-but-experienced eyes. Musically alternating between bouncy and raw – many times both, concurrently – the tracks gave the MC’s the springboard they needed to express themselves clearly.

Sadly, Subroc would face a sudden and untimely death in 1993, just as the duo were finishing the album. Grief-stricken, his brother Zev Love X – now the sole remaining member of the group – was determined to carry the legacy of KMD onward, but Elektra Records unceremoniously shelved the project in the eleventh hour, due to controversy surrounding the album’s provocative cover art. Following the fallout with Elektra, Zev tried for years to release the album on other labels, but he was continually met with dead ends. Struggling through the pain of losing his brother, coupled with the inability to release their final project together, a discouraged Zev Love X quietly withdrew from the scene and began quietly plotting his revenge on an industry that had broken him spiritually. Thus, in order to understand the true origin story of the super-villain, MF DOOM, one must recognize and appreciate the evolution of his former group, KMD, and the backstory of their pivotal album, Black Bastards.

Woke rhythms and high-spirited grooves from the vaults of two seminal Italian jazz labels, between the 70s and 80s. Intensely curated by Khalab.

Hyperituals is a philological investigation that deeply delves into the possibilities of sound, rhythm, remix, and endless sampling. Inspiring listening, interpretation, and reinterpretation.
This volume is dedicated to the catalogue of the Italian Black Saint. Thanks to a constant, cutting-edge, and meticulous commitment, Black Saint & Soul Note established themself as two of the most important imprints for international jazz. They always placed the artists, their visions, and their music at the centre, giving them total freedom of creative expression. By combining jazz tradition with the political vanguard sentiment of the time, the two labels were able to press and produce more than five hundred records, many of which are by some of the brightest names in creative jazz or the ‘avant-garde’ of the era.
Curated by Khalab, the selection - focused on rhythms, grooves, and Afrocentric traditions - blends moments in which the rhythmic aspect is powerfully explicit, with others in which the kinetic aspect dialogues on different levels with African American cultural contexts.

Hey Joyce (BlackCash & Theo Edit) by Lou Courtney b/w Soupy (BlackCash & Theo Edit) by Maggie Thrett | Galaxy Sound Co. — GSC45-36 If you know, you know. & I know many of you have been digging for the very rare donut “Hey Joyce” by Lou Courtney. Even if you first heard it back in the day via #CutChemist & #DJShadow, this gem has long been popular amongst #raregroove dancers & dusty-fingered hip-hop DJs/beat-makers. “Hey Joyce” is a rare 1967 single from soul man Lou Courtney. Featuring a rasping, impassioned lead vocal from Courtney, sweet female backing vocals & the kind of semi-stomping beat that's so beloved by Northern Soul heads. In 1991, Main Source sampled it on their track “He Got So Much Soul (He Don't Need No Music)”. & thanks to the fine folks at @galaxy_sound_company you can cop it all for yourself.

On the flip, we have another lost funk jam, “Soupy” by Maggie Thrett, that has been sampled by #PrincePaul & #DeLaSoul for 1989’s “Jenifa Taught Me (Derwin's Revenge)”. Black Cash & Theo do the track right with a proper edit that'll put smiles on faces all across the dance floor. Like the A-side, “Soupy” is also a fave of Cut Chemist & DJ Shadow, as evidenced by their live sets & sample of it for their 2008 track “Fused Of Course”.
As with all GSC45s, another true must-have treat & 45-crate essential.

Dear Friends, it's 2023 and the future of Leftfield Bass, Trap, and Hybrid Grime is here... RATIONAL SOUL's debut EP, "SELF TITLED", is going to define a new era on the dance floor, reimagining 140 beats that typically are stereotyped into narrow catagories. "SELF TITLED" will become the worldwide definition of a style never heard before, sought after and inevitably copycatted by those inspired.

With no surprise, 2023 is set off to a paramount start for the German SATURATE! label, with an EP that “is the future of Leftfield Bass, Trap, and Hybrid Grime” and “it’s going to define a new era on the dance floor, reimagining 140 beats that typically are stereotyped into narrow categories.” The mastermind behind such a project, called SELF TITLED, is RATIONAL SOUL a Virginia-based, veteran electronic music producer. The EP is coming out in full on January 13, digitally and on vinyl, and it features six originals and four remixes. What sounds like a disorienting emptiness at the beginning, makes perfect sense when read as part of the overall narrative of the composition. “One moment you’re living happy-go-lucky, almost like it’s the script of a Disney movie, the next moment you’re questioning why you exist- how is it you’ve become a slave to the 9 to 5? Phone by your side as digital anti-anxiety medication, entertaining yourself with something nostalgic to remind yourself of better times…war against yourself, to reset your identity.” The fight against this subconscious condition was RATIONAL SOUL’s starting point while writing SELF TITLED. The artist’s attempt to light a lighter to ignite a spark in our consciousness and thus reveal the void in which we are immersed. “Wake up” he seems to want to tell us. Don’t be a pawn, be a player of your life. Let’s riot against this status quo and, quoting RATIONAL SOUL himself, “Let’s be gangsta and fuck shit up because we are mad at why our world is falling apart: twerk on a cop car with a fine cigar in your mouth type beat.” He then concludes by spilling one, big truth, “what better genre of music could describe these feelings than bass music?” How could we not agree?

There's more than a hint of ambition on the double LP sophomore effort from Sam Austin Rabede, the producer known as DJ Black Low. Pretoria, South Africa-born and based, the young man makes amapiano with new ways of expressing this local- turned-global style of dance music. In DJ Black Low's musical imagination, the songs manage to smoothly vacillate between dreamy and firmly-grounded. Adorned with vocalists across most of the twelve tracks, there's a new dimension to Black Low's now-signature approach to abstract, angular deconstruction of the rhythmic developments in his songs. The album references influences and ambitions in its song titles and lyrics while the music itself is anthemic in its sonic and structural aspirations. On many of the songs a slow-burning tension transforms into something unexpected until you're somewhere else as the track concludes. There is an emotional and compositional maturity that builds on his earlier work. Vocals and lyrics are in focus. Production collaborators among Black Low's Gauteng Province circle add to the constantly churning array of ideas that populate this consistently surprising release. Despite being a relative newcomer, DJ Black Low is onto something here.

Under The Big Black Sun is the third studio album by American rock band X and was released in 1982. It’s arguably their finest record. All 11 songs are exceptional, from both a performance and compositional point of view.

Before the recording of the album, singer Exene Cervenka’s sister was killed by a drunk driver, and the band decided to work out their grief in the music, which eventually resulted in two of the album’s best tracks: the melodic “Riding With Mary” and the vintage ‘50s sound of “Come Back to Me”.

The record was produced by Ray Manzarek, who is best known as the co-founder of The Doors. The cover art illustration was made by Alfred Harris.

Under The Big Black Sun is available as a limited edition of 750 individually numbered copies on turquoise coloured vinyl and includes an insert.

• 180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
• INCLUDES INSERT WITH LYRICS
• PRODUCED BY RAY MANZAREK (THE DOORS)
• LIMITED EDITION OF 750
INDIVIDUALLY NUMBERED COPIES ON TURQUOISE COLOURED VINYL

MONO have long drawn equal inspiration from the light and dark of life, spawning more than two decades of musical turbulence and melodic transcendence. Heaven Vol. 1 marks the beginning of a new annual tradition from MONO: A new EP released on Christmas Day each year, leaning into the light at precisely the time when we need it the most - surrounded by loved ones and hopeful for what the turn of the calendar may bring us. Recorded by Takaakira `Taka' Goto at his home studio in Japan (with drums recorded by Amak Golden at Golden Hive Studio in Prague) - and mixed by Rafael Anton Irisarri and Jeremy deVine at Black Knoll Studio in New York - Heaven Vol. 1 finds MONO at their most hopeful and cinematic. Of each of Heaven Vol. 1's three tracks, MONO offers these words: Lucia: "This song was written when our beloved longtime partner Jeremy (the owner of our American label Temporary Residence Ltd.) welcomed his second child. The song is constructed with two parts; the first part celebrates the birth of a new life and the second part heads towards dreams and hope. We wrote this song with the feeling of Santa Claus riding a sleigh through the snowstorm, smiling, jumping into the swirl of pure white light and carrying many dreams." Smile: "We drew upon the snowy scenery of Christmas that we experienced when we were young. Your exhaled breath is white. Your heart is dancing in the endless silvery white world, and when you are about to grab the snow with your hands and turn around, your parents look back at you with a smile. We wrote this song whilst remembering moments like this." Silent Embrace: "Time passed and we became adults. Life is like climbing and descending many steep mountains, but the reason we're still able to continue walking is because of our loved ones, colleagues, friends and family who quietly stand by us and giving us courage and strength. We wanted to express our gratitude with this song." Limited (220 copies ww) Single Colour (Purple Vinyl) Edition!

Liturgy transcends the traditional parameters of what constitutes a rock band. Founded by Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix, Liturgy is a part of a shared discipline of composition, art, and philosophy that thrives on exploring the spaces between. Liturgy"s signature use of rhythmic complexity and repetition are exponentially amplified to maximalist proportions on 93696. Along with guitarist Mario Miron, bassist Tia Vincent-Clark, and drummer Leo Didkovsky, Hunt-Hendrix utilizes Liturgy"s past ruminations on burst beats and circuitous phrases as colors to paint rich murals that overwhelm and invigorate the senses. 93696 is the purest synthesis of the diversity of Liturgy, a sprawling and monumental double album exploring religion, cosmic love, the feminine, and metamorphosis while manifesting the ecstatic with breathtaking grandeur. Liturgy is the project of Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix, whose yearning, energetic "transcendental black metal" exists in the space between metal, art music and sacred ritual. Its current lineup features Mario Miron (guitar), Tia Vincent-Clark (bass) and Leo Didkovsky (drums).

Liturgy transcends the traditional parameters of what constitutes a rock band. Founded by Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix, Liturgy is a part of a shared discipline of composition, art, and philosophy that thrives on exploring the spaces between. Liturgy"s signature use of rhythmic complexity and repetition are exponentially amplified to maximalist proportions on 93696. Along with guitarist Mario Miron, bassist Tia Vincent-Clark, and drummer Leo Didkovsky, Hunt-Hendrix utilizes Liturgy"s past ruminations on burst beats and circuitous phrases as colors to paint rich murals that overwhelm and invigorate the senses. 93696 is the purest synthesis of the diversity of Liturgy, a sprawling and monumental double album exploring religion, cosmic love, the feminine, and metamorphosis while manifesting the ecstatic with breathtaking grandeur. Liturgy is the project of Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix, whose yearning, energetic "transcendental black metal" exists in the space between metal, art music and sacred ritual. Its current lineup features Mario Miron (guitar), Tia Vincent-Clark (bass) and Leo Didkovsky (drums).

Eine rohe Manifestation des Black Metal und eine wahre Hingabe an die okkulten Riten der schamanischen Praktiken ist das, was Xalpen am besten beschreibt. Hinter Xalpen stecken die beiden chilenischen Dämonen Juan Pablo Núñez (Gitarre & Vocals) und Alvaro Lillo (Bass & Vocals). Mit 'The Curse Of Kwányep' präsentiert die Band ihren zweiten Longplayer! Klingt wie Sargeist, Behexen, Katharsis, Arkanum, Ascension, Funeral Mist, Acherontas, Celestial Bloodshed, Dissection oder Watain!

- Col. LP: (Transparent Orange Vinyl)

High Roller Records, black vinyl, ltd 250, 4 page insert, A5 photo card, All audio restored and mastered from vinyl and tape sources by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in October 2021. In den frühen achtziger Jahren war das Londoner East End eine der wichtigsten Keimzellen der glorreichen New Wave Of British Heavy Metal – man denke nur an Acts wie Iron Maiden oder Angel Witch. Das Ruskin Arms spielte für die Evolution der Bewegung eine nicht unwesentliche Rolle, waren es doch die legendären Probeauftritte jeden Donnerstagabend, die den hoffnungsvollsten Bands eine regelmäßige Anstellung im Ruskin sichern konnten. Teil dieser Szene waren auch Dragonfly, eine Gruppe von jungen Musikern, ohne Geld und ohne selbst auferlegte Grenzen, dafür aber mit unbändigem Enthusiasmus. Es dauerte nicht lange, bis die Band anfing, eigene Stücke zu schreiben und sich weit übers Ruskin hinaus einen Namen zu erspielen. Die Frage nach einem eigenen Vinyl wurde in der Folge immer dringlicher. Dieses wurde dann in Form der »Dragonfly E.P.« umgesetzt, eine Auswahl eigener Kompositionen, aufgenommen im Keller einer Zoohandlung ganz in der Nähe des Ruskin Arms. Die in Eigenregie gefertigte EP wurde in einer Auflage von 500 Stück gepresst, die Cover eigenhändig gefaltet sowie zusammengeklebt, und erschien im Jahre 1980. Die Qualität des Materials und das spielerische Können der Musiker machte die »Dragonfly E.P.« zu einer der substanzielleren Veröffentlichungen der NWOBHM, später wiederzuerkennen bei Bands wie Sapphire, Trilogy oder Terraplane. Das wieder erwachte Interesse an der NWOBHM trieb den Preis einer originalen Ausgabe der »Dragonfly E.P.« fortan in schwindelerregende Regionen und fachte zugleich das Interesse nach unveröffentlichtem Material des ausnahmslos in Originalbesetzung agierenden Quartetts an. Das vorliegende Album präsentiert alternative (ältere) Aufnahmen des Songmaterials der »Dragonfly E.P.« und sorgt dafür, dass Dragonfly endlich das breitere Publikum bekommen, das sie von Anfang an verdient gehabt hätten. Cleveres Songwriting, melodische Vocals und messerscharfe Gitarren sind die Schlüsselelemente ihres Sounds.

High Roller Records, black vinyl, ltd 250, 4 page insert, A5 photo card, All audio restored and mastered from vinyl and tape sources by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in October 2021. In den frühen achtziger Jahren war das Londoner East End eine der wichtigsten Keimzellen der glorreichen New Wave Of British Heavy Metal – man denke nur an Acts wie Iron Maiden oder Angel Witch. Das Ruskin Arms spielte für die Evolution der Bewegung eine nicht unwesentliche Rolle, waren es doch die legendären Probeauftritte jeden Donnerstagabend, die den hoffnungsvollsten Bands eine regelmäßige Anstellung im Ruskin sichern konnten. Teil dieser Szene waren auch Dragonfly, eine Gruppe von jungen Musikern, ohne Geld und ohne selbst auferlegte Grenzen, dafür aber mit unbändigem Enthusiasmus. Es dauerte nicht lange, bis die Band anfing, eigene Stücke zu schreiben und sich weit übers Ruskin hinaus einen Namen zu erspielen. Die Frage nach einem eigenen Vinyl wurde in der Folge immer dringlicher. Dieses wurde dann in Form der »Dragonfly E.P.« umgesetzt, eine Auswahl eigener Kompositionen, aufgenommen im Keller einer Zoohandlung ganz in der Nähe des Ruskin Arms. Die in Eigenregie gefertigte EP wurde in einer Auflage von 500 Stück gepresst, die Cover eigenhändig gefaltet sowie zusammengeklebt, und erschien im Jahre 1980. Die Qualität des Materials und das spielerische Können der Musiker machte die »Dragonfly E.P.« zu einer der substanzielleren Veröffentlichungen der NWOBHM, später wiederzuerkennen bei Bands wie Sapphire, Trilogy oder Terraplane. Das wieder erwachte Interesse an der NWOBHM trieb den Preis einer originalen Ausgabe der »Dragonfly E.P.« fortan in schwindelerregende Regionen und fachte zugleich das Interesse nach unveröffentlichtem Material des ausnahmslos in Originalbesetzung agierenden Quartetts an. Das vorliegende Album präsentiert alternative (ältere) Aufnahmen des Songmaterials der »Dragonfly E.P.« und sorgt dafür, dass Dragonfly endlich das breitere Publikum bekommen, das sie von Anfang an verdient gehabt hätten. Cleveres Songwriting, melodische Vocals und messerscharfe Gitarren sind die Schlüsselelemente ihres Sounds.

Third Pressing of Gilroy Mere's Adlestrop on blue vinyl with a blue cover.

Adlestrop is inspired by the remains of the rural railway stations, that were closed in the wake of the 1963 Beeching Report.

“This record started with Edward Thomas’s poem Adlestrop and a chance visit to the village that it takes its title from. I wanted to see the station, but found it was no longer there, all that remains is the old platform sign Adlestrop, now part of a local bus shelter. However as I walked around the village I was struck that; “all the birds of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire” were still singing away - like ghosts from Thomas’ verse.

Visiting Adlestrop spurred me to get hold of a copy of the Beeching Report which, in Appendix 2, lists all the services and stations recommended for closure in the 1960s. The names read like an epic British poem, from halts to branch-line stops and stations and singular terminals for public schools, mines, ferries and even an asylum. There’s Ravenscar where a resort was planned but got no further in its construction than the station, and a hotel - the grid marked out for the roads never laid. Bethesda, a short branch line from Bangor up towards Snowdonia, was used for slate and passengers and is now just a quiet green valley, Christ’s Hospital on the old Cranleigh Line, opened with seven platforms to cope with the daily flood of pupils attending the famous school nearby which never came as it was a boarding school. Many of the stations have vanished, with just fields and car parks left in their place, some are repurposed as houses, or shops, or abandoned as artefacts of a lone-gone industrial past.

Armed with a digital recorder, and with a copy of Beechings Report as my guidebook I made notes and recordings on my travels around the country, and used them as the starting point for a set of pieces that try to capture the fading layers of history, in the areas where the stations had once stood making sure each track retains something of the real place within them. Back in my studio I reacted, improvised, and crafted musical responses to each station, trying to capture the ghosts and former lives of the stations and their imprint on the present.”

Gilroy Mere is Oliver Cherer who trading as Dollboy, Rhododendron, and Australian Testing Labs as well as his own name has meandered his way through the backwaters of left of centre English folk, ambient and electronic music, issuing numerous albums of original music to much critical acclaim via highly regarded boutique labels such as Static Caravan, Second Language, Deep Distance, Polytechnic Youth, and Awkward Formats.

Black 2 LP mit 18 Hits
Diese legendäre Greatest Hits-Sammlung wird zum ersten Mal auf Vinyl veröffentlicht. Sie enthält 18 Klassiker wie "I Want You To Want Me", "Surrender", "The Flame" und viele mehr. Plus Track-by-Track Liner Notes von der Band