About this item

A globally renowned DJ and event promoter, Huntleys & Palmers label head and chief curator Andrew Thomspon takes a decidedly leftfield and modernist approach to the age old art of crate digging, conjuring up a compilation of undiscovered gems that have previously remained nestled in the lesser explored crevices of the world wide web, lay dormat on unforthcoming hard drives of friends and acquaintances or, conversely, been previously squandered via free promo CDs and such like.

‘Early Doors documents many of my travels, interactions and celebrates the wonderful connections I've made through music since 2007. From Glasgow to São Paulo and back again, many of the tracks included have been in my life for years at this point and remain obsessions. Musically you’ll find synths, dub, gay electronics, self taught piano compositions, improvised jams and intriguing covers.’

Shunning the fetishization of the past (remember, this is the person responsible for signing Auntie Flo & SOPHIE’s first utterances…), Andrew unveils a beautifully rich and surprisingly novel set, with many tracks unreleased to the public until now. Though personal to its curator; the sentiment, passion and sincerity shine through – making this a much more magical experience than the usual run of digger-styled comps which generally have one or two huge, licensed money shots in amongst a load of ‘rare’ or otherwise unlistenable tripe. He probes at the ideals behind format and value – is a record discovered in a dusty old basement as desirable as an unheard .wav off a producer too shy for social media? After listening to the comp, the resounding argument is ‘YES!’; and even us die-hard vinyl collectors might be reassessing our digging and discovering methodology as we traverse a new digitally-aided soundscape. Let this not detract from our mutual love of the vinyl format however – which Andrew is obviously fond of – why else would he go out of his way to present these stunningly intimate findings onto wax for our own personal listening (and DJing) pleasure!?

From the heart wrenching, piano-stirred emotion of opener: Ismael Pinkler’s “Otros Perfumes”, to the dubbed out leftfield pop of Gorse’s “A Piece Of Salt” and the DIY electronics of Gordon Pohl’s “Modular Tango”, smothered in a child like nativity – it’s at once a captivating and beguiling sonic trip of mystery, intrigue and invigoration; climaxing with the exotic ecstasy of Rico Jorge’s swirling electro-bossa-hypnosis “Esteja Livre Pra Morrer”.

A brilliantly unique concept which has revealed to those long in the tooth that there’s still a ton of breathtaking music being made if you’re prepared to search beyond the usual tried and tested routes; and one that should offer encouragement to other cybernetic explorers that find themselves alone, on bandcamp at 5am in the morning trying desperately to make contact with the author of a particular sound…

TRACK LISTING

A1. Ismael Pinkler - Otros Perfumes (Piano By Nicolas Bacal) 
A2. Piano Rain - Who By Fire (L. Cohen) 
A3. Jackie House Ft. Leo Herrera & Karis Wilde - El Baile 
B1. Oklo Gabon - Rue Du Dragon 
B2. Gorse - A Piece Of Salt 
B3. Synchronicity - Modular Tango 
C1. Rico Jorge - Esteja Livre Pra Morrer 
C2. Ango Ft. GPU Panic - First Time Caller 
C3. Escombro - Hey You 
D1. Hot Chip - Losing My Head (Superpitcher Dub) 
D2. Alisú - No Estamos Solas