Following up one of the most truly obscure, cult electronica offerings to date, BYO-JO finally get round to dropping release no. 2, twenty four years later!! Somewhat of a golden treasure around these parts, BY01 - the "Space Disco EP" by Slow Rota and various artists fetches upwards of £80 if and when it surfaces 2nd hand. I think there MAY be a copy in Vinyl Exchange at the moment if you're lucky! Unheard through online platforms, googling the release's titles ain't gonna get you very far either... there's very few records left with so much mystery surrounding them!

Anyway, label owner and contributor, Andrew has been kind enough to bring forth the latest offering. Artist going under the name Caution! Horses. The vibe sees cushion soft electronics toying with cerebral drones and organic chimes. Recalling the childlike brilliance of fellow North West experimentalist, Solar Power Buddha whilst paying respect to industrial pioneers Chris & Cossy and their Throbbing Gristle moniker. There's more than a nod to Detroit techno and its futuristic slant; yet there's a primitive and simple beauty to the tracks displayed, shunning them from a particular chronology. Crowning glory for me is "Moment Is The Message", which sees hardwired, DIY electronix merged with splurging analogue phlegm and a Kraut-informed drum palette. "K-Balcony" is a shimmering, content and sublime number, unpacking your woes and strains on a white sandy beach as the waves lap around your ankles. Caution! Horses' skilled piano work rubs you up and down as a highly musical piece is rolled out effortlessly; bliss is the air and vigor on the horizon! "Every Cloud" concludes the breathtaking long player in a suitably otherworldly way; recalling the best bits of B12 and Model 500 as eerie atmospheres wash over rigid, mechanized beats. It's another stone cold epic addition into the annals of UK electronica and in particular the freeform and creative sprit of the North West. Stupendously limited and most recommended - get those skates on folks!

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: A wonderful & completely under-the-radar offering of DIY electronix, forward-leaning techno and industralized utopia from local legend Andrew Odia. First release is one highly coveted and sought-after piece!

TRACK LISTING

1. Blue Mood (additional Production By Danny Webb)
2. Charlton Place
3. Jokers' Playtime
4. Occasional Tracks #1
5. Movement Is The Message
6. K-Balcony
7. Every Cloud

There's a story behind all the releases I've put out in recent years.
I usually try not to bore people with the details, but this one is about my own mental health crisis back in the mid noughties.
The upshot was, I ended up trying to do the ultimate unthinkable. Luckily, I failed in my attempt, and ended up seeing a psychologist for a number of sessions.

Music has always been around for me, when I'm high or when things aren't so good, and I wrote these tracks roundabout that period.
I see them as a reflection of my experiences of the journey through clinical therapy. And in addition, the act of writing them was probably my own therapy for myself, letting things out in the form of music, though I most likely didn't see it at the time.

The tracks chart my progress from initial complete alienation at the start of therapy, through to the light at the end of the tunnel at the end of the session programme.
The original track was written and completed in 2004, and the other versions would have been started roughly at the same time, with additional production to complete them taking place this year (2019).
To my ears, they're as ever my own take on Techno - Detroit's in the mix, but also Sheffield, and of course current hometown Manchester. The Soundcloud algorithm heard disco, but also synthpop, electronic rock and chiptune.
So we can probably agree on influences such as Cabaret Voltaire, UR and Robert Gordon.

100 COPIES IN VINTAGE BATIK SLEEVE WITH NUMBERED INFO INSERT...

TRACK LISTING

1. Pod People
2. Pod People (version 1)
3. Pod People (version 2)
4. Pod People (version 3)