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SIGNALS

Terence Fixmer

Shifting Signals

    Although Terence’s beginnings were in the pre-techno EBM world, he became one of the innovators of techno with his very specific and unique style, and in the following decades his career has evolved to include collaborations with Nitzer Ebb’s Douglas McCarthy. Shifting Signals is Terence’s debut for Mute, and is an advanced experimental techno record with dark and hypnotic shadings.

    TRACK LISTING

    VINYL:
    A1 Reset
    A2 Corne De Brume
    A3 Automaton
    B1 Step To The Edge
    B2 Roar Machines
    B3 The Passage
    C1 No Latitude For Errors
    C2 The Way I See You
    C3 Matière Noire
    D1 Oracle
    D2 Synthetic Mind
    D3 Desertic

    CD:
    1 Matière Noire
    2 Synthetic Mind
    3 Corne De Brume
    4 No Latitude For Errors
    5 Automaton
    6 Reset
    7 Roar Machines
    8 Oracle
    9 The Passage
    10 The Way I See You
    11 Step To The Edge
    12 Desertic

    Marconi Union

    Signals

      Marconi Union are considered one of the leading ambient and electronic-synth acts in the world, continuously topping many lists as the most important contemporary ambient artists around today. The Manchester band often draw comparisons with Brian Eno and Biosphere, perhaps Sigur Ros, but the graceful manner with which their richly melodic compositions unfold and the emotion these evoke sets them apart from their peers.

      Signals is the latest addition to Marconi Union’s highly acclaimed discography. Despite having released twelve albums in the last eighteen years they continue to experiment and push boundaries.

      ‘In some respects Signals is a more traditional songwriting album than anything we’ve done before, but it draws on the same techniques we’ve used on our previous albums’

      After their previous album, the largely beat-less Dead Air, one might think that Marconi Union would be primarily influenced by synth players or guitarists. However, it turns out that Signals was actually informed by the bands’ admiration of a number of different drummers and this played a significant part in helping shape its sound.

      ‘We were quite inspired by various players like Jaki Liebezeit, Clive Deamer and Tony Allen and tried to imagine what our music would sound like with them playing on it.’

      Signals combines synthetic textures with organic sound, and merges the familiar with the unknown, transporting the listener deep into their imagination. The one-word title is both mysterious and evocative, suggesting a multitude of images that range from high-tech electronic messaging to ghostly abandoned radio stations and even that most basic level of human expression, body language.

      It Is both ironic and yet somehow so right, that a group so regularly described as ‘enigmatic’ should make an album that alludes to communication. Although, long-term fans will be relieved to note that Marconi Union decline to enlighten us on what all this means.

      TRACK LISTING

      Side A
      Cycles Repeat
      The Halo

      Side B
      Blowback
      Strata

      Side C
      Citizen’s Dream
      Breaking Point

      Side D
      Looking Through The Ilex

      Visionary “Rap” EP by precocious 18-year-old duo Eric Davis (ELV) and Chuck Prater (Chuk Chu) from 1989. Imagine if Schoolly D had joined Native Tongues and made an early hiphouse EP produced by Larry Heard.

      The story of Me & E took shape in Avalon Park in South Chicago, a vibrant, diverse, and politically active community with a rich musical culture. This was the fertile playground for producer Eric Davis (ELV) and lyricist Chuck Prater (Chuk Chu). The park itself was adjacent to Eric’s backyard and they would hop the fence to listen to music, drink beers, and freestyle, even in the middle of the notoriously cold Chicago winters. Eric’s dad, Arlington Davis Jr., was a jazz drummer who played in the legendary spiritual jazz group The Awakening in the ‘70s. Jazz ran deep in their family with proud connections to Miles Davis. Arlington would host weekly jam sessions at his home, and Chuck & Eric were in regular attendance. On those evenings, Eric and his brothers were able to take turns on the sticks alongside the veteran players, honing their fledgling chops. These experiences gave them the confidence to take music seriously, and start a group. Channeling his drumming skills through an array of synths and drum machines, Eric produced tracks in his bedroom, inspired by artists like The Art Of Noise, Kraftwerk, and New Order. Combining their atmospheric electronic elements with his jazz background, and beat-making skills, he created a distinct sound that still sounds fresh today. Chuck was listening to Hendrix,

      Joplin, Public Enemy, MC Lyte, and Big Daddy Kane and developed a unique and uplifting lyrical flow. They met up after school almost every day to make music, and quickly produced the four songs that make up their Rap EP.

      The music duo never lost touch, and continued to produce throughout the 90’s, forming Rich Boys, another rap group with their crew from Avalon Park. In 1995, Chuk Chu released a solo album, Memoirs of a Blue Light Special, focussing on a more sample based production style. Eric inspired by the house scene in Chicago, produced some ethereal and otherworldly electronic music, which Mixed Signals is compiling for future release. The Rap EP is just an introduction to the ongoing story of Me & E. Mixed

      STAFF COMMENTS

      Patrick says: Another exceptional excavation from Mixed Signals here, who aptly describe this as Schoolly D and Native Tongues rapping over hiphouse produced by Larry Heard. Pinging drum machines, moody basslines and Rakim-inspired verses - MEGA!

      TRACK LISTING

      A1. Whatcha Need
      A2. The Wrath
      B1. Swing On
      B2. Silent Is The E

      Mixed Signals is proud to shed some light on Doctor Wize’s mercurial dance moves from the 90s with the release of this 4-song compilation EP by Corps of Discovery.

      One balmy night in Florida, sometime in the mid 90s, psychologist and electronic iconoclast Doctor Wize (Dennis Weise) and his then wife Czara (Sarah Younger) had a revelation while watching a documentary about the Lewis and Clark expedition of the Pacific Northwest. The name of the exploration party was Corps Of Discovery. The couple were looking for a name for their nascent electronic dance unit, and the idea of setting off on a sonic adventure into uncharted territory fit perfectly.

      Ra (Raul Areallno) and Angel (Peggy Powers) joined Wize and Czara on their trip, rounding out the voyage. The group travelled between psychedelic house, day-glo techno, mutant trance, bent jungle, and out-there electronic mantras. No stranger to outlying musical forms, Wize had already self-released two, now legendary sui generis solo records Valhalla and Consciousness Program. Before that he cut his teeth playing with The Wailers in Jamaica, Gong in Europe, and even played on Herbie Hancock’s Rock-it. The music world is starting to wise up, beginning with the 2018 Finders Keepers retrospective compilation, Wize Music. This new release adds another pin on the map, tracing another region of Wize’s unparalleled aural journey.

      TRACK LISTING

      A1. Net Surfers (DJJB Mix)
      A2. Loving Java Scripts 
      B1. Eye Opener
      B2. The Yogi & The Fish

      Wet Silk was a rare digression into house music by the legendary star-crossed duo of Lamar Thomas and Judy Taylor. For this sonic liaison, Thomas brought along his high school friend, disco impresario Patrick Adams to co-produce, and the resulting “Let Me Do You Baby” is a slow and seductive sunset soirée with champagne and caviare. The track is skillfully arranged with slippery 808 programming, serpentine guitar, and silky pads, all sliding around Thomas and Lamar’s playfully suggestive vocals. For the first 12” release of this hypnotic track, Mixed Signals have paired it with two other delicious Thom/Tay productions, the rare and dubby house mix of Shelly Pearse’s “If You Want My Love”, and the instrumental end-of-the-nighter “I’ll Be Waiting”.

      TRACK LISTING

      1. Wet Silk - Let Me Do You Baby
      2. Shelly Pearse - If You Want My Love (House Mix)
      3. Thomas & Taylor - I'll Be Waiting (instrumental)

      Swell Maps

      Mayday Signals

        An album crammed full of rare and unreleased tracks from the vaults of swell map founder Jowe Head. Swell Maps formed out of various bedrooms in the mid -70s and became the pioneers of DIY punk. 

        Swell Maps founding members were Nikki Sudden, Epic Soundtracks, Jowe Head & Phones Sportsman

        • Includes demo versions of 2 of the bands Singles “Dresden Style” & “Read about Seymour”. 

        • Exclusive artwork originally designed by Epic Soundtracks & Jowe Head in 1977. 

        TRACK LISTING

        SIDE 1: 1976-77
        1/Intro/Sweet And Sour Extract
        2/Almost Grown
        3/City Boys (Dresden Style)
        4/Sahara 5/One Of The Crowd
        6/Wireless
        7/Ripped And Torn
        8/God Save The Queen
        9/Platinum Blind
        10/Harvist
        11/Gramofonica

        Side 2: 1977
        12/Read About Seymour
        13/Shubunkin
        14/Trade Kingdom
        15/Pets’ Corner
        16/Fashion Cult (Opaque)
        17/Plankton
        18/Johnny Seven
        19/Below Number One
        20/Plumbing/Radio Ten/Here’s The Cupboard 21/Organism 22/Sweet And Sour Reprise

        SIDE 3:1978-79
        23/Vertical Slum
        24/Avalanche Prelude
        25/International Rescue
        26/Deliferous Mistail
        27/Armadillo
        28/Avalanche Part 2
        29/Off The Beach

        SIDE FOUR
        30/Drop In The Ocean
        31/Whatever Happens Next (acoustic)
        32/Elegia Pt.2
        33/Bandits 1-5
        34/Secret Choir
        35/Big Cake Over America
        36/Tibetan Bedsprings

        Rich Ruth

        Calming Signals

          Michael Rich Ruth has composed ambient music for a long time. After a break from years touring with different bands, he spent his free time in a small home studio in North Nashville. The blueprints for ‘Calming Signals’ began to emerge through a more dedicated focus on the diverse traditions of ambient, new age, and minimalist music.

          The ideas became realized pieces when Ruth started to collaborate with friends. These players transformed the material into something much more lush and unpredictable; pairing repetitive, droning synthesizer movements with organic improvisation. Calming signals is a term that refers to the way dogs communicate stress and use certain mechanisms to calm themselves or reset. Ruth relied on the creation of this music to find peace and balance amidst trauma. One summer morning while he was recording the album, Ruth was held up at gunpoint and carjacked by two people outside of his home. The following weeks were spent working on ‘Calming Signals’ with a new layer of angst and emotion. These compositions became a means for him to work through this personal struggle and organize his anxiety into something constructive.

          TRACK LISTING

          1. Calming Down
          2. Carrying It Around
          3. Getting Out
          4. Marina
          5. Haynes Manor
          6. Hazrat Nizamuddin
          7. Teufelsberg
          8. Memento Park
          9. Oudam

          Asuna & Jan Jelinek

          Signals Bulletin

            Faitiche releases a new collaboration between the Japanese sound artist ASUNA and Jan Jelinek: the album Signals Bulletin brings together joint improvisations and compositions made over a period of three years in Berlin, Kyoto and Kanazawa. ASUNA's meandering organ drones merge with Jelinek's pulsating synthesizer and field recording loops to create dense superclusters that span broad harmonic arcs.

            TRACK LISTING

            Side 1
            1. Relief (part 1) (13:10)
            2. Pulsating Primary Structure (10:53)
            Side 2
            1. Fountain (4:05)
            2. How A Spiral Works (6:22)
            3. Blinking Of Countless Lines (14:20)

            Steven Adams & The French Drops

            Virtue Signals

              Anger seldom sounds as enticing as it does on Virtue Signals. Steven Adams’s first with his new group, The French Drops is an album that rails against the iniquities of the world and meshes the personal with the political, without ever smacking the listener around the head. Adams (former songwriter/singer/guitarist with The Broken Family Band and Singing Adams) can’t help but be witty and empathetic even as he rages, and the fury is wrapped inside his characteristically sweet melodies.

              The album’s tone is set from opening track, “Bad Apples”, a song addressing flag-waving, aggressive patriots. The lyrics are alternately playful and oblique, in the spirit of songwriters like John Lennon or Britt Daniel from Spoon. Where Adams aims to remove ambiguity and play with metaphor, as with “Ex Future”, the opacity of his writing means he doesn’t descend into cliche.

              Following a few years of performing and recording solo, Adams says he wanted to put together “a band where everyone was following their noses. I’ve been calling the shots for ages now, and now I can lean on these people, make more noise. It’s fair to say we share a lot of the same thoughts and feelings about the state of the world. But mostly we talk about food.” Laurie Earle (Absentee, Dan Michaelson & The Coastguards, Wet Paint) plays guitar with a loose, intuitive touch; Michael Wood - who had played bass with The Singing Adams - switches to keyboards here, while Daniel Fordham (drums) and David Stewart (bass) from The Drink complete the band.

              Produced by Ben Nicholls (Nadine Shah, Cara Dillon). Mixed by acclaimed producer and engineer (and Hudson Records supremo) Andy Bell. Adams tours the UK through May and the summer.

              For fans of: Field Music, Pavement, Spoon, Grandaddy, Teleman.

              Signals are a band from LA comprised of 3 beautiful boys: Jon Gray, Bill Gray, and Jacob Cooper. The three have played together since 2005, but are most well known for all being former members of the spazz-punk band The Mae Shi.

              The Mae Shi’s debut album, "HLLYH", was released in February 08 to critical acclaim – ‘They’ve mastered the emergent micro-genes of the 21st century, from jerk-pop to bitpop, and twisted them further into out and out sound ventures. Eureka indeed.” (9/10 NME). Two years on, the energy and excitement that was abundant as TMS is now, rather brilliantly, being channelled into the noise of Signals.


              TRACK LISTING

              Silver Fish
              What Dreams


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