Champagne Dub is a collective of selected artists who come together to practice psychedelic dub rituals. The project was conceived by drummer and producer Betamax (the Comet Is Coming, Soccer96) who makes a nod to a range of influences from free-improv, psychedelic, post punk, English folk, performance art and 70s dub. However the band also draws on the teachings of Zen Buddhist philosophy, to create sound without intention, to capture and dub the natural shape of subconscious intuitions.

After several explosive live shows, the group headed into the studio where they found themselves deep in the presence of a 1/4” tape machine. The results of which were soaked in a biochemically enhanced mix of reverb and analogue effects. This was then distilled into a potent psychoacoustic blend of syncopated hallucinations. Once the vision was truly realised and tested on some animals, it was deemed safe for public consumption and was thus released thru Faith and Industry records.

Bass player Ruth Goller (Melt Yourself Down / Acoustic Ladyland) applies her distinctive sonic boom to the low end of the group. Ed Briggs is a sound artist from Brighton who plays homemade synths incorporating mechanical parts from a Herdie Gurdy. He also programs using MaxMSP where he can perform mind melting sound granulation in real time. Mr Noodles, the anonymous performance artist / vocalist cuts a dark figure on stage. Noodles uses many voices, shamanic percussion and unpredictable movement, haunting the band with a plethora of dreamy mantras. Mexican artist Nahum Mantra's day job normally sees him working for the European Space Agency where he works as an artist / magician. Also known as member of Orchestra Elastique, "Drops" also sees him feature on his natural instrument the theremin. Finally, Betamax (The Comet Is Coming / Soccer96 / Superbest Friends Club / Hot Head Show) has been playing drums for ages. However after taking mushrooms he realised that there was a deeper layer of rhythm that remained trapped by his ego. An expression so honest, naked and uncultured that it had been withheld by the subconscious. It was a rhythm that couldn’t be understood - that always shifted, but always spoke the truth. Together, the sum of all these magically parts makes one cohesive and spellbound body of work. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Martin says: Mad psychedelic-dub concept album here from a range of talented muscians who work to create a unique and arresting piece of work.

TRACK LISTING

1. Schmooze Fest Part 1 3:01
2. Gatito Ven 3:44
3. Drops 6:14
4. Ed's Pipe 1:51
5. Nebulous 6:14
6. Schmooze Fest Part 2 1:43
7. Tundra 7:50
8. Tree Worship 5:18
9. Rubbing Poking

Goatherder is the seventh album from underground London producer Kristian Craig Robinson, AKA Capitol K. Along with everything from Chinese pop to the marching band music of the United Arab Emirates in his early musical vocabulary, the influence of rave, new wave, grunge, and noise-core would collide to create a bold new sound. His early studio experiments gave birth to his debut, "Sounds of the Empire" (Planet Mu, 1999) built upon a heady balance of samples and live sources that placed Capitol K at the forefront of the UK's electronic scene. The follow-up, 2002's "Island Row", was released via XL Records, with lead single "Pillow" becoming a daytime Radio 1 crossover. "Nomad Junk" (2005) combined Asian field recordings into a vibrant psychedelic collage, while "Notes From: Life On The Wire With A Wrecking Ball" (2008) paid homage to London’s squats and free anarchistic artistic spaces of which K was a part for many years. "Andean Dub" (2012) was an exploratory South American-influenced album of heavy synth laden cumbia sound system tracks.

This latest work was developed and recorded in his native Malta, where he built a studio in a cave (a former goat stable). K gathered bamboo instruments collected around the world, including an ancient Quecha reeded pipe (his new-found lead instrument), and various resonating vessels and percussive objects including dry fennel storks collected from Punic troglodyte sites, and atonal flutes built from fresh cut farmland reed. Ritualistic improvisations took place over a series of seasonal visits, awakening genetic memory and plant communication. Back in London the tracks were interfaced and expanded with post-industrial machine beat and bass guitar lock down. Homage is paid to New Age synthscapes, while a spirit jazz overtone arrives from K's recent years as the sonic muscle behind a plethora of luminous albums born in his Total Refreshment Studio. Goatherder follows on from the 2016 collaborative incarnation "Loose Meat" and sonically abridges 2012's Capitol K album "Andean Dub". 

TRACK LISTING

1. Goatherder 3:34
2. Landlocked 4:00
3. Building Fire 4:27
4. Swirling Torrents 3:15
5. Fennel Dance 2:45
6. Field Walk 3:04
7. Island Is Ransacked 2:16
8. Sunset 2:29
9. Plant Communication 3:51
10. Collective Farming 4:09
11. Lament 2:09

Having recorded albums for labels such as XL and Planet Mu, Capitol K returns with full length number six, this time on Faith and Industry. The first track unfolds gradually in classic Capitol K style with the beat-poet driven, nostalgic rave of "Diamond Skys", the energy rises with the deconstructed bossa-nova of "Go Go Go", again influenced by the early days of Beat poetry. Things slow down a little for Steve Lamacq ROTW single "Libertania". Next up, "Acid Favela" takes the gigantic baile funk "Rambo" anthem and mixes in some acid lines and shoe-gazing riffage like only Capitol K can. "Freak" is a progressive hyper-funk freak out over a cut up 2-step rhythm. "Impression", is part two of "Freak", reflecting on a love with a sense of stillness and calm, musically revisiting K's penchant for revealing serene melodies from dictaphone tape cut ups.

Debut album from hotly tipped Patrick Wolf on Capitol K's Faith & Industry label. It's a mix of mellow acoustic (made using viola, harmonium, accordion, clarinet and...er...recorder!) - electronic laptop folk symphonies, introverted avant-angst rock and electroclash.