Dave Phillips #2

Over the last few days (great band) I have been ill. Very ill. No idea what the illness was but it made me shit and vomit a lot - violently, then it made me shiver and shake and come out in strange lumps and rashes, like my upper body was a braille map of the Polynesian Isles. It wasn't pleasant. Trouble is that here in the UK when you are ill and have a hint, a hue, a whisper of diarrhoea and/or vomiting the local GP will not entertain you at the local practice nor will the hospital admit you - can't have a hospital full of sick people for fucks sake...they might spread something! So I've been indoors catching up on some recently arrived sounds, reading the excellent "Inner City Sounds" book by Clinton Walker and catching up on some DVD's. I can recommend "Buried" but leave the new "Inbetweeners" movie alone.

So, through the door at the start of the week came the latest release from Dave Phillips. "Video Action 100901" on the German based Scrotum Records label. (Catalogue No:Hode 156). "Video Action 100901" is a 17 minute 3"CDr packaged in a slimline case with a sleeve art by Muennich.
I have said it before - so I'll say it again, releasing recordings of live performance art is a very hit or miss affair. Sometimes the releases are only relevant to those involved and not really necessary. I mentioned this about the last Dave Phillips LP I heard, the excellent "They Live" on RRRecords. Here the action is short, extremely punchy. Recorded live by Coelacanth member Jim Haynes at The Lab in San Francisco on September 1st, 2010...here we have a collage of sounds made from the human body, from animals from acoustic paraphernalia and electronics. A fascinating picture / pattern evolves in the mind whilst listening (I suggest loud and headphones), I would have loved to have been there. It does remind me of Sudden Infant, but seeing that Dave Phillips is part of the Schimpfluch-Gruppe that can't be helped. The Raionbashi sound is also not too far away.

A great release, a fine document and necessary. Available from Scrotum Records direct for only 5 Euro's...paypal available...you have no excuse!! www.scrotumrecords.de/releases.html