MuhMur Radio Five Hour Festive Programme : 28/12/2014.

T'was that time of year when SoundArt Radio required folk to produce live programmes to keep the station "going" over the festive period. Last year I produced a four hour programme - this year I filled five hours of festive sounds and strange noises, with only four cans of lager one large bag of peanuts and Chris Booth (SoundArt Head Honcho) for company.
I have archived the programme into two parts on Mixcloud with the programmes splitting at Coil & The Bombay Ducks. Please copy & paste the URL's and have a listen …
http://www.mixcloud.com/muhsteve/muhmur-radio-festive-programme-part-one/
http://www.mixcloud.com/muhsteve/muhmur-radio-festive-programme-part-two/

Playlist:
01: Stereolab+Nurse With Wound : "Simple Headphone Mind" (Duophonic) 1997.
02: Colin Potter : "Melodious Thunk" (The Tapeworm) 2013.
03: Pere Ubu : "30 Seconds Over Tokyo" (Radar Records) 1978.
04: Joy Division : "Atrocity Exhibition" (Factory Records) 1980.
05: Minny Pops : "Glistering" (O Genesis) 2012.
06: Cremation Lily+False Moniker : "Nights Before-Nightlights Of England" (Strange
      Rules) 2014.
07: Kinit Her : "She Of The Whirlwind" (Bleak Environment) 2014.
08: This Heat : "Health & Efficiency" (This Is) 2006.
09: The Thursdays : "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of A Bay" (Fast Product) 1979.
10: The Prats : "Jesus Had A P.A." (Da Da Records) 1980.
11: Stuart Chalmers : "Breaking Chains" (Blood Diamond Music) 2014.
12: The Fall : "No Xmas For John Quays" (Step Forward Records) 1979.
13: Ultra : "Little Girl" (DOM America) 2002.
14: Dr. Mix & The Remix : "No Fun (Single Version)" (Acute Records) 2004.
15: The Leo Bugariloves : "Nãinnãinnãin (Longplay Records) 2011.
16: Six Heads : "Harmonica Solo In Black Bean Sauce/Necrotized Organ Favourites"
      (Readymades Tapes) 2013.
17: The Ceramic Hobs : "Voodoo Party" (Must Die Records) 2013.
18: Astral Social Club : "Hitting Midwinter (1&2)" (Not On Label) 2014.
19: Craig Colorusso : "Grassy Field" (Not On Label) 2011.
20: Tactile : "Ask The Dust" (Else Product) 2005.
21: Coil : "Chaostrophy" (SAF Publishing) 2003.
22: The Bombay Ducks : "The New Remorse" (United Dairies) 1981.
23: The Pop Group : "Don't Call Me Pain" (Radar Records) 1979.
24: X-O-Dus : "See Them A Come" (Factory Records) 1979.
25: Tom Ellard : "Our Work For Love At Home" (Dark Entries) 2014.
26: Dale Cornish : "Of An Evening" (The Tapeworm) 2013.
27: Astral Social Club : "Hitting Midwinter (Part 3)" (Not On Label) 2014.
28: Robert Curgenven : "Scattered To the Wind, The Fortunate" (Recorded Fields) 2014.
29: Robert Curgenven : "Only The Dogs And The Fires On The Horizon" (Recorded Fields)
      2014.
30: Jan Warnke+Michael Esposito : "O Tannenbaum" (GeräuschManufaktur) 2014.
31: Jan Warnke+Michael Esposito : "Frightening Frequencies Encountered Under The
      Christmas Tree" (GeräuschManufaktur) 2014.
32: Craig Colorusso : "Frozen Pond" (Not On Label) 2011.
33: Varropas : "Lentämisestä Ja Mätänemisestä (Jozik Records) 2011.
34: The Stranglers : "Don't Bring Harry" (United Artists Records) 1979.
35: Magazine : "Philadelphia" (Virgin Records) 1980.
36: Sleaford Mods : "Tiswas" (Invada) 2014.
37: Aqua Dentata : "Untitled" (Beartown Records) 2014.
38: Tactile : "Bi-Polar Explorer" (Else Product) 2005.
39: A Certain Ratio : "All Night Party" (Factory Records) 1979.

The next MuhMur Radio programme will be at 21:00 on January 8 and will feature releases from the German label GeräuschManufaktur, with a special mix compiled by label boss Jan Warnke.

Pictures.
01: Playlist
02: Chris Booth at the controls.

MuhMur Radio Festive Five Hour Feast Of Noise …

On December 28 from 16:00 hours I will be broadcasting a MuhMur Radio Festive special. Pop in and listen at SoundArt radio 102.5 FM (n the Totnes / South Hams region of Devon) or listen to the live stream online at www.soundartradio.org.uk

MuhMur Radio : Quasi Pop Special : 11/12/2014.

It was probably about 2 years ago that I bought a copy of the double cassette compilation "Les Illusions Magnetiques" on Quasi Pop, it was the lure of Cheapmachines and Sudden Infant. It is a wonderful compilation. Shortly afterwards I bought a copy of "Days Arc #2", a cassette compilation on Russian label Full Of Nothing - the track by Edward Sol (:Svitanok:) is simply amazing. This year I fell in love with his "Adult Friend Finder" C10 on Ukrainian label Village Tapes.
Edward Sol is the curator / head honcho of Quasi Pop. Operating out of Kiev in the Ukraine. I asked Edward for an exclusive piece for the radio programme and he kindly recorded "Bad News First" he also posted a large portion of recent Quasi Pop releases. A joy to listen to and present here.
http://www.mixcloud.com/muhsteve/quasi-pop-special/      (copy & paste).
For the record - the S K L S single (the project are a mystery to me but I smell the involvement of Thomas Ekelund) is played slightly "off centre" and the "Picnic" track by Edward Sol is cut short. (Apologies)…..I played some Ultra & Severed Heads at the end because I wanted to play the tracks loud in the studio. Thanks again to Dave Mutch.
The next programme will be a Festive special - details to follow.

Playlist.
01: Brume : "Psychotronic #1" (Quasi Pop) 2013.
02: T.V. Pow : "Ladder Friends Remix" (Quasi Pop) 2008.
03: Volcano The Bear : "That People Don't Know They Are Monsters" (Quasi Pop) 2009.
04: Edward Sol : "Picnic" (Village Tapes) 2014.
05: Edwrad Sol : "Tasma Gang Bang" (-taqueOT) 2011.
06: Edward Sol : "Sunburnt Lux" (Quasi Pop) 2009.
06: Edward Sol : "Svitanok" (Full Of Nothing) 2013.
08: Edward Sol : "Bad News First" (Not On Label) 2014.
     (Recorded exclusively for MuhMuh Radio).
09: White Reeves : "Unreleased 1".
10: White Reeves : "WR With Mike 2"
11: White Reeves : "Lenny Speaks"
12: White Reeves : "Tower Of Mind"
     (All tracks from the cassette "Dog On Fire". Quasi Pop. 2013).
13: Family Underground : "Blood Temperature Pool" (Quasi Pop) 2009.
14: Cheapmachines : "Endless Tape Mix" (Quasi Pop) 2013.
15: S K L S : "Deathtone Reverberation" (Quasi Pop) 2010.
16: Troum : "Farawer" (Quasi Pop) 2008.
17: S K L S : "Brain Ticket" (Quasi Pop) 2010.
18: Edward Sol : "Liudochka" (Village Tapes) 2012.
20: Ultra : "Subway Etiquette" (Dom America) 2014.
21: Severed Heads : "Guests" (Ink Records) 1985.
22: Severed Heads : "We Have Come To Bless The House" (Ink Records) 1985.

MuhMur SoundArt Radio Broadcast : 27/11/2014.

It all seems such a long time ago! Last Thursday night I broadcast this radio programme on SoundArt radio (102.5 FM), and it has been uploaded and archived on MixCloud. The programme features a couple of things I "picked up" whilst attending the Harbinger SoundClash #2 in Kortrijk. Cassettes by BBBlood and Cremation Lily. Also featured is a new piece from B∘Tong. A track from his forthcoming LP on Silken Tofu Records called "Prostration Before Infinity".
Copy & Paste: http://www.mixcloud.com/muhsteve/muhmur-soundart-radio-broadcast-27112014/
Thank you. MuhMur Radio also has a Facebook page, please feel free to comment.

Playlist.
01: Life Garden : "Plutomium Dub" (Drone Records) 1996.
02: BBBlood : "They Never Show Up On Tuesdays" (Kiks/Girlfriend) 2014.
03: Francisco Lopez : "MMOTK" (Geräushmanufaktur Records) 2014.
04: B*Tong : "Bow Shock" (Silken Tofu Records) 2014.
05: 1000Schoen : "Forests At Night (Part Two)" (Nitkie) 2012.
06: Robert Curgenven : "Turner's Tempest" (Recorded Fields Editions) 2014.
07: Cremation Lily & False Moniker : "Mornings After-Nightlfe At Belgium" (Strange Rules)
      2014.
08: Cremation Lily : "Seven Years Old" (Alter) 2014.
09: Cremation Lily : "Fires Frame The Silhouette" (Alter) 2014.
10: Erik Aschan : "Effer Dagans Ingenting" (Hibiskofon) 2014.
11: Rip Rig & Panic : "Bob Hope Takes Risks" (Virgin Records) 1981.
12: In Camera : "Fatal Day" (4AD Records) 1982.
13: My Captains : "History" (4AD Records) 1981.
14: Shaun Robert : "Mythology" (Pumf Records) 2014.

Harbinger Soundclash #2 : De Kreun, Kortrijk. Belgium.

Perhaps the best gig I have been to this century. Harbinger Soundclash #2 took place in the small Belgian town of Kortrijk. Border country. Twelve bands in twelve hours with selected DJ sets thrown in.  The big pull for me was the appearance of The Urinals, the West Coast US punk rockers appearing live in Europe for the first time ever. I know little about them but I really love their "I'm A Bug" single and have done since I first heard it as a spotty teenager back in 1979. They played it live too … along with another familiar "Ack Ack Ack" and played a great instrumental that sounded just like prime Savage Republic. Watching The Urinals made me feel like a teenager again. The Parabelles reduced me to tears with the ūber-friendly disco kitsch. A female duo of Ute Waldhausen and Doreen Kutzke bounced around, waved scarves, hula-hooped and sang songs of love over a thumping disco backbeat..was this performance art? It made me feel immensely joyous and unlike anything I have seen in years, it made me want to dance.
The day was split into two halves, first three hours was open for the more experimental and noise based artists. It was decided (just before the doors were to be opened) that I should be the door man. The chap who zaps the barcoded tickets and puts wrist-tags on the punters…Well, I was there to act as Steve Underwood's glamorous assistant. Luckily the door opened into the performance area so I got to see/hear most of what was going on.
Belgium's own Vortex Campaign opened the proceedings with solid industrial style electronics. Spoils And Relics added more of the same, but this time with more spoken word manipulation amongst the grating and scratching. I was open to Cremation Lily. I have heard a lot of good reports on cassette releases by Cremation Lily in the past year or so. The 7" single on Harbinger Sound is OK perhaps murky in sound and direction, but a vinyl LP on Alter Records and positive words on blogs … Cremation Lily did not disappoint. Grand synth chords, melancholic and polyphonic. Touching Goth almost prog … the sound swamped the venue and swept me off my feet. Beautiful stuff….it did get a bit "shouty shouty" towards the end of the set but that didn't detract. I am now a Creamation Lily convert. Two New Blockaders collaborators were on next. Julian & Durgan and to no surprise the sound was very much … New Blockaders. Loud, multidimensional and studious. The "noisy" part of the soundclash finished with a magnificent set from Treriksrøset. Tommy Carlsson in full offensive (which included the sweatshirt)!

Inbetween acts Joke Lanz and Danny Groflin played punk tunes to drink to. The interval belonged to conceptual artist Alice Kemp. She walked the perimeters of the venue head to toe in soot and mud tapping her stick and spitting teeth. Unsettling.

The evening was the turn of the Roxette. Mark Wynn performing tunes from his last few CDR releases, none of the antagonistic bull he was trying on down the 100 Club a few weeks back. This was "No Fun" for real (no not that one). Mark spent part of his performance on the shoulders of Chris Bress from The Lowest Form - an excellent double act. The Lowest Form were to play along with Junko but due to circumstances they couldn't, so Junko performed solo. It was at this point I was relieved of door duties and like a rescued badger was allowed to go out into the wild and run free. I headed to the fridge with the free beer and food upstairs therefore missing Stormbugs. (I saw their soundcheck).
Sleaford Mods headlined. The best set yet, better than Bristol. This was the first time I have seen Sleaford Mods on foreign soil. The audience listen…and dance. Dance. Not mosh about and push each other and shout the sweary bits back. Sleaford Mods just keep getting better and better - they'll be big one day. Mark my words (whatever happened to Mark Miwurdz)?

I suppose the sheer joy of the event - apart from the performers all giving top performances - was the complete lack of "ego" or "rock-star" attitude. Something that there was a hint of at the 100 Club the other week and was certainly prevalent at the last Harbinger Sound event I worked at … The Broken Flag Festival. There was more of a family atmosphere, no more apparent than at the end of the day - at half past one in the morning when most folk were dancing like twats to DJ Johan Loones and his amazing collection of punk rock sounds. Memories of "dad dancing" with Jase and Durgo to The Cramps (or was it SPK)?? The party went on until 5 in the morning…me…I was like cinderella and in bed by four!
Best gig in years - I haven't laughed so much, danced so much and drank so much in years. It was about half two in the morning and I was at the bar getting the Chimay in when I was told I couldn't have any because we'd drunk the place dry of the stuff. A sense of pride ……

Pictures:
01: Running Order.
02: Arriving in Kortrijk.
03: The Urinals soundcheck.
04: Spoils & Relics soundcheck.
05: Paul Watson texts his agent asking why wasn't he on the bill!
06: Cremation Lily.
07: The Parabelles.
08: Joke Lanz.
09: The Urinals.
10: Mark Wynn.
11: Sleaford Mods.
12: Spoils & Relics discuss dance moves backstage.
13: Harbinger Soundclash poster.
14&15: The morning after….

MuhMur Radio SoundArt Broadcast 13/11/2014.

Some genius, some beauty has plumbed in a working cassette deck to the motherboard at SoundArt Radio studios. I learnt about this a couple of weeks ago so I tentatively put in a couple of "cassette" tracks by Aural Hypnox and Dave Phillips just to see if the machine was quality .. it worked! So, expect more cassette releases being played in the coming weeks.
This programme featured a few artists who will be playing at this weekends "Harbinger Soundclash 2" in Belgium as well as a couple of Psychic TV classics to commemorate the release of "Force The Hand Of Chance" which was released "on this day" in 1982. Eternal thanks to Dave Mutch for engineering duties and eating all the crisps!

Playlist:
01: Closing The Eternity : "Autumn Lights, Cold Decay" (Vegvisir Music) 2014.
02: Aural Hypnox : "Séance II/2014 (March 2014)" (Aural Hypnox) 2014.
03: Phil Julian : "Open Form" (Harbinger Sound) 2014.
04: Yasutoshi Yoshida : "Substance" (Xerxes) 2014.
05: Dave Phillips : "Walk Out" (Aaltra Records) 2014.
06: ZFAMP : "Tri Signan" (Alt. Vinyl) 2014.
07: Moral Holiday : "No Forks" (Smokers Gifts/Memoirs Of An Aesthete) 2013.
08: Blah Blah Blah : "In The Army" (Absurd Records) 1979.
09: Psychic TV : "Themes 1 (Part Two)" (Cold Spring Records) 2011.
10: Psychic TV : "Terminus" (Some Bizarre) 1982.
11: Treriksrøset : "Eating Tarmac" (Segerhuva) 2004.
12: Sleaford Mods : "Double Diamond" (Salon Alter Hammer/Anker) 2014.
13: Mark Wynn : "Tabby Cats Instead" (Not On Label) 2013.
14: Mark Wynn : "She Fancies Me That One In Age Concern" (Not On Label) 2013.

Copy + Paste : http://www.mixcloud.com/muhsteve/muhmur-radio-soundart-broadcast-13112014/

Turbulent Times @ The 100 Club.

The final weekend in October and I was asked to DJ at a gig festering Consumer Electronics, Sudden Infant, Mark Wynn and Sleaford Mods at The 100 Club in London. Quite an honour … it also gave me the chance of meeting up with my eldest (Huw) who I hadn't seen in about six years ..
It was at the gig I was handed a copy of "Turbulent Times #10" by writer in chief John Eden. A hand with a beaming face shortly behind it came out of the 100 Club darkness and gave me a copy, then retreated back towards the "happening" throng. The magazine became a godsend for the long train journey back the next day.
"Turbulent Times" is not an irreverent read but at the same time it is not "The Wire". #10 centres around the words and works of Simon Morris and Theeeeee Ceramic Hobs, a great interview about the production of the "Spirit World Circle Jerk" album and a supplement tract where Simon explains his feelings towards fascism / anti-fascism in subterranean culture (always interested in this subject as i have been labelled a fascist by a few because of my association with Tesco Org), as well as an attempted interview with a man who walks the streets of Stamford Hill with a swastika sandwich board strapped to his torso - I have seen this man walking the streets myself whenever I have stayed in Stamford Hill … on the way to Stoke Newington but never had the balls to engage with him…
The rest of the magazine made the journey fly by with an insight to the works of Peter Um (who I took a great dislike to when I saw him live in a field in Cambridgeshire four years ago) and Adolf Steg. Two Steg postcards are inside …. There are reviews of live events such as the Extreme Rituals Event that took place in 2012 and words on releases by Re:Clip, Small Cruel Party and Ekoplekz amongst others … a great and easy read that makes the unknown and unheard worth investigating.

The DJ slot at the 100 Club was a great pleasure, spinning the likes of Rema Rema, Steel Leg, Public Image Limited, 999, The Cramps, Animals & Men and Il Y A Volkswagens amongst others … there were times when the needle on one of the turntables took a dislike to the vinyl, but a great lock groove was created and used as a bridge … turntable technique! Thanks to all the folks who wanted to shake hands because I was spinning my favourite tunes. I am available for weddings, birthday partys and house removals.
The gig was quite a classic too with Sudden Infant blowing my mind. I was not expecting the full on tight post punk no wave sound of Sudden Infant. Loud, violent, personal and exotic, a sound and approach I haven't experienced since Swans first made it over to the UK in the early 1980's. Mark Wynn was OK, I have a Cdr of his "songs" but tonight Mark took the stage as an angry young man with a mission to annoy rather than entertain. I don't know what has happened to Consumer Electronics over the past ten years. I saw Phil Best perform as CE in Bristol and Nottingham a few years ago and he was on top form, great sounds built of extreme textures and noise in-depth, but now … with his wife  Sarah and Russel Haswell they have entered the world of the cheap noise act. His set at the Broken Flag Festival in 2012 was laughable, tonight I found the answer to the age old question : is a turd polishable. Sleaford Mods were on form, bitter, frenzied and top entertainment …

Pictures:
01: Turbulent Times Cover
02: Turbulent Times Back Cover.
03: Turbulent Times supplement.
04: Steg Postcard.
05: DJing at The 100 Club.
06: Russel Haswell soundchecks.
07: Mark Wynn prowls the stage.
08: Joke Lanz of Sudden Infant.
09: Sleaford Mods.
10: Backstage with Mark & Joke.
11: Huw admires the Graffiti.

MuhMur Radio SoundArt Broadcast 30:10:2014.

Firstly my apologies in the "slackness" lately over this blog. I have been busy, I have been ill and I have been busy - it has been a hectic fortnight with little chance to listen to sounds other than preparing for the radio programmes and an upcoming live performance in Lille later this month. I am certain all will return to normal in December …
Needless to say, last nights radio programme paid homage to the late great John Peel as it is 10 years ago this week that he passed away. The show features four full Peel sessions as well as a couple of singles I first heard on his show. I have written before (on this blog) on how much an influence John was on shaping my ears and opinion about "music" back in the late 1970's and about the time I met the man at an SPK concert at the ICA thirty years ago … I stopped listening to John Peel in early 1983, he just wasn't playing what i wanted to listen to - my ears had been shaped and varnished by 1983.
I hope you enjoy the broadcast:http://www.mixcloud.com/muhsteve/muhmur-radio-broadcast-301014/
(Please copy & paste).

Playlist:
01: Andrea Borghi : "Omaggio A Yves Klein #2" (SQRT) 2014
02: This Heat : "Horizontal Hold" (This Is) 2008)
03: This Heat :  "Not Waving" (This Is) 2008.
04: This Heat : "The Fall Of saigon" (This Is) 2008.
      (All This Heat tracks from the April 1977 John Peel Session).
05: Sudden Infant : "Girl" (Voodoo Rhythm Records) 2014.
06: Sudden Infant : "Human Fly" (Voodoo Rhythm Records) 2014.
07: Swell Maps : "Vertical Slum" (Rough Trade/Rather Records) 1981.
08: Swell Maps : "Forest Fire" (Rough Trade/Rather Records) 1981.
09: Swell Maps : "Midget Submarines II" (Rough Trade/Rather Records) 1981.
10: Swell Maps: "Armadillo II" (Rough Trade/Rather Records) 1981.
11: Swell Maps : "Bandits One-Five" (Rough Trade/Rather Records) 1981.
     (All Swell Maps tracks from the May 1979 John Peel Session).
12: Psychedelic Furs : "Soap Commercial" (Not On Label) 1980.
13: Psychedelic Furs : "Susan's Strange" (Not On Label) 1980.
14: Psychedelic Furs : "Mac The Knife" (Not On Label) 1980.
     (All Psychedelic Furs tracks from the February 1980 John Peel Session).
15: Nolls : "Losing Game" (Lucked Out Tapes) 2014.
16: The Monochrome Set : "Goodbye Joe/Strange Boutique" (BBC Worldwide Ltd) 2011.
17: The Lines : "Transit (Part Two)" (Red Records) 1981.
18: New Age Steppers : "Fade Away" (On-U Sound) 1981.
19: 23 Skidoo : "Macaw Gunger" (LTM) 2012
20: 23 Skidoo : "View From Here" (LTM) 2012.
21: 23 Skidoo : "Four Note Bass" (LTM) 2012.
22: 23 Skidoo : "Retain Control" (LTM) 2012.
     (All 23 Skidoo tracks from the September 1981 John Peel Session).
23: The Wake : "Uniform" (LTM) 2001.
24: 400 Blows : "Kids" (Concrete Production) 1989.
25: 400 Blows : "For Jackie M" (Concrete Productions) 1989.
26: Appliance : "Personnel Stereo" (RROOPP) 2010.

The next programme is on November 13th…hope to see you there …

MuhMur SoundArt Radio Broadcast : 16/10/2014.

There was a huge electrical storm over Totnes / Dartington whether that had anything to do with the live Internet streaming being "down" I have no idea, but my apologies to those who tuned into listen via the Internet and got nowhere fast. Needless to say, friends who were listening on FM thought it a great show. (Thanks to the Buckfastleigh massive).
The first 75 or so minutes are dedicated to The Epicurean label, the new label operated by Stefan Hanser of Anemone Tube in Berlin. His work and his Epicurean Escapism Events have been documented in this blog before.
Please go to : http://www.mixcloud.com/muhsteve/the-epicurean-and-beyond/ and let me know your thoughts … or visit Stefan at www.transformed.de
Thanks again to Dave Mutch for engineering duties …

Playlist:
01: Jarl : "A Case Of Inbreeding:A Homage To My Doppelgänger" (The Epicurean) 2014.
02: Krank : "NAOS Number One" (The Epicurean) 2014.
03: Human Larvae & Anemone Tube : "Shining With Insignificance/Reviving In Obscurity"
                  (The Epicurean) 2014.
04: Trepaneringsritualen : "End Of Flesh" (The Epicurean) 2013.
05: The Grimsel Path : "Scorched Earth" (The Epicurean) 2014.
06: Last Dominion Lost : "Sektor F" (The Epicurean) 2014.
07: Last Dominion Lost : "S.E.A.T.O." (The Epicurean) 2014.
08: Lustmord : "Dreams Of Dead Names" (Side Effects) 1986.
09: Oublier Et Mourir : "A New Thought Is Born,Another Will Arise" (Silken Tofu) 2012.
10: People-Eaters : "Ankoku-Butoh" (Aetheric Records) 2013.
11: Tactile Vs. Zoviet*France : "Intervention #3" (Rawkus Records) 1996.
12; The Psychedelic Furs : "We Love You" (CBS Records) 1979.
13: Bauhaus : "Kick In The Eye" (Beggars Banquet) 1981.
14: Blancmange : "Living On The Ceiling" (London Records) 1982.
15: Crass : "How Does It Feel?" (Crass Records) 1982.
16: Cupol : "Like This For Ages" (4AD Records) 1980.

The next programme is on Thursday 30 October at 9pm and will be a "John Peel" special.

MuhMur SoundArt Broadcast : 02/10/2014.

I have just archived last nights broadcast up on to MixCloud (Cut & Paste)  : http://www.mixcloud.com/muhsteve/muhmur-soundart-radio-broadcast-02102014/
The programme features a sneak preview of the forthcoming album from Am Not as well as some choice tracks from their debut cassette "First Morbid Vibrations". Included in the playlist is an unreleased track from the Dieter Müh archives, a collaboration with Finnish electronic masters STROM e.c. The track was to be released as a remix 12"EP back in 2001 but the project never saw the light of day. Thanks for listening and please leave comments…
The next programme is on October 16.

Playlist:
01: Tactile : "Envoi" (Sentrax Corporation) 1996.
02: Nocturnal Emissions : "Metal Frames" (Vinyl On Demand) 2008.
03: People-Eaters : "Streams Of Silver Ash" (Aetheric Records) 2014.
04: Am Not : "Of The Liberties Of England And Of The Liberties Of The Forest"
                      (Unrest Productions) 2012.
05: Michael Nine : "Treatment" (Neural Operations) 2012.
06: Am Not : "Crumbling Horizon (Grotesk)" (Unrest Productions) 2012.
07: Clew Of Theseus : "They Disbelieved In Pestilences III (Believe Mix)"                                            
                      (Impulsy Stetoskopu) 2010.
08: Anenzephalia : "Induratio Penis Plastica" (Tesco Organisation) 1991.
09: Söldnergeist : "Bastards From Hell" (Art Konkret/Pure) 2001.
10: Am Not : "The Black Peril" (Unrest Productions) 2014.
11: Am Not : " Dark Heart Katanga" (Unrest Productions) 2014.
12: Am Not : "The Unpunished" (Unrest Productions) 2014.
13: Anemone Tube/Shift : "Dark Waters 1" (Unrest Productions) 2011.
14: Genocide Organ : "Death To China 1" (Tesco Organisation) 2003.
15: FFH : "Scourge Of The Nation" (Gods Of Tundra) 2007.
16: Am Not : "Duress" (Unrest Productions) 2012.
17: S.P.K. : "Slogun" (Industrial Records) 1980.
18: Eyes Boy Station : "Fragrant Hills Park" (Not On Label) 2013.
19: Trepaneringsritualen : "Papist Pretender" (La Esencia) 2014.
20: Dieter Müh & STROM e.c. : "Hermoston Arkkitehti" (Not On Label) 2001.
22: Death In June : "Black Radio" (Leprosy Discs) 2006.

Dieter Müh #54 (2).

MuhMur SoundArt Radio Broadcast 18:09:2014.

The dark nights are coming closer, the last time I walked to the SoundArt radio station it was blazing sunshine and T-Shirt weather, last night it was misty dusk and long trousers! Still beautiful though. This programme features an exclusive piece by Mutant Beatniks, the solo project of Shaun Robert formerly known as factor X.

Playlist:
01: Amph : "Framtid" (Komplott) 2014.
02: factor X : "Radio DaDa #8" (Not On Label) 1992.
03: Mutant Beatniks : "Phase Punk Interlude Into Repose" (Not On Label) 2014.
04: Le Syndicat : "Legal Slavery" (Licht Und Stahl) 2010.
05: Jouissance : "We Ask You To Join Us" (Minus Habens) 1991.
06: Mutant Beatniks : "Glitch" (Institute For Alien Research) 2008.
07: Aaron Dilloway & Jason Crumer : "Dedicated To the "Boogie Woogie Man" Jimmy Valiant"
      (A Dear Girl Called Wendy) 2014.
08: Whitehouse : "Foreplay" (Susan Lawly) 1994.
09: XX Committee : "National Re-Doubt" (Harbinger Sound) 2014.
10: Mutant Beatniks : "Untitled" (Not On Label) 2014.
      (Exclusive piece for MuhMur Radio).
11: W>A>S>P>S : "OBST #1" (Blood Mountain Music) 2014.
12: Kave : "Hidden Fields I" (Scrape Tapes) 2008.
13: The Truth Club : "Sleight" (Le Rey Records) 1980.
14: Robert Haigh : "Piano With Generative Tones" (Siren Records) 2011.
15: Sema : "Song Of Solomon" (Vinyl On Demand) 2012.
16: People-Eaters : "Haunted Mirror" (Aetheric Records) 2014.

Copy & Paste : http://www.mixcloud.com/muhsteve/muhmur-soundart-radio-broadcast-18092014/

Thanks for listening. The next broadcast will be on October 2 and feature a sneak preview of the upcoming album by Am Not.

Pictures:
01: I am a DJ!
02: Mutant Beatniks CDR.
03: Engineer & Studio Producer Dave.

Andrea Borghi

A couple of years ago I managed to get hold of a copy of the split release cassette by VipCranco & Andrea Borghi on Cipher Productions and thus my love affair with all things VipCranco and Lisca Records began.
Andrea Borghi is a member of VipCranco and founder of Lisca Records. He is a sound artist from Marina Di Pietrasanta in Italy.
SQRT are a new label to me. A Polish label who seem to be (Discogs Research used here … a little bit like quoting Wikipedia, but never mind) releasing a series of 3" CD's of mainly electro-acoustic / field recordings and live improvisational work.
Andrea Borghi brings us "Glyphe". Sleeve notes tell us that all tracks were generated in real time using personal Entropic Max patch, effects, microphones and analog audio frequency. The piece "Omaggio A Yves Klein" was composed using treated glass on a modified turntable.
Twenty minutes of high end electro-acoustic compositions throwing some beautiful textures and capturing a noise that is never too abstract. A sound is found / created and developed (albeit in a short space of time), minutae tweaks, stretching, crashing, tumbling and crumbling. Non of the sounds are too abrasive either. Tempered and controlled.
File alongside Phil Julian & Mark Durgan.
An excellent release. SQRT is a label that now needs to be discovered.

http://www.sqrt-label.org/eng/glyphe/index.html

Æther

Æther have released one of the finest cassette albums of 2014. "Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring" is two one hour drone pieces on one C120. Simple looped electronic patterns slowly shifting and oscillating through the atmosphere spreading contemplative calm. Almost as if the cassette cover should contain a sticker stating; This cassette can open portals to a new dimension. It has the sound of a buddha box playing in the corner of the room. Concentrate on the sounds and slowly drift away. Side A and "Straddling two Kingdoms" is ideal music for dream-machines. I used to use Nurse With Wounds "Soliloquy For Lilith", but whole heartedly recommend Æther.
I know little (infact nothing) of this project. There was a split cassette on Belaten with Trepaneringsritualen a couple of years ago so I am guessing that t(he)y are Scandanavian. This cassette is on the Mandragorae label and limited to 50. No contact details are given - which is a shame as I would love them to do a session for "MuhMur Radio".
Ah well.

Pictures.
1: Cassette "jacket".
2. Cassette Sleeve.
3: Me in a dream-machine state of mind (1989).

A Treasured Tape #9

A few days ago a package of cassettes came through from Thomas at Belaten. Included in the package was a "mystery" cassette, a hidden release. No information apart from the labels logo and web address. A search of the Belaten website left me non the wiser. What was I listening to? A short missive to Thomas to ask the usual questions … but Thomas is not telling … I was to listen (and enjoy) without prejudice.
Earlier this year I was invited by Rafal Kochan of "Catcher In The Noise" blog and Impulsy Stetoskopu label to take part in his "Blind Date" series where he mailed me half a dozen tracks without telling me who they were by and I gave my thoughts. It was an interesting experiment where I totally dismissed the works of Bruce Gilbert & Merzbow as amateur and called Sol Invictus a new age rock group and gave kind words to Roland Kayn and Irr.App.(ext). http://thecatcherinnoise.wordpress.com
Giving this cassette its' first listen felt very similar.
Side A seems to be the soundtrack to a documentary on the Eastern Lands. Sounds of India, Pakistan, Morrocco, Thailand are all included and interspersed with commentary / dialogue in a European tongue. The sound quality is interesting. There are moments when the levels bounce into the red, there is an ever-present hum, like the tape is a fourth generation rip off a VHS cassette recorded direct from the TV. Lurid. I am immediately reminded of my copy of the Clock DVA "Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Alternative Soundtrack)" cassette, which itself is a third or fourth generation copy, but the sections where the sounds are lifted directly from the film - with the hum of an old VHS tape - are exactly the same. Sometimes the hum slips and slides giving it all a 1970's feel. Another similarity that came to mind whilst listening was of cassettes that used to be mailed to me by a friend who made frequent trips to India in the 1980's / 1990's. He would record sounds off an AM/FM Radio as well as make recordings on a tiny tinny walkman, stick them on a dirt cheap C60 cassette and mail to me for sampling with. He also used to mail me lightbulbs with swastika elements and bidi cigarettes. Unfortunately his Indian trips ended in the early 1990's. All these thoughts remain whilst playing. It is obvious that i am not listening to an artist / project per se - the cassette is more conceptual. Hanson Records and those Nath Family "Snake Charmer" albums also invoked here.
Side B plays like Brion Gysin's i-Pod. Indian rhythms, African rhythms, chanting, whistling, drones, village songs. Messages from the Aghori. Sometimes the singing sounds Yiddish. Only last week I was listening to a group called Fisherman's Friend, a collective from Cornwall who sing sea shanties, parts of this tape reminded me of this - the rhythms and intensities. At some point the tape seems to get interspersed with "Western" sounds with glistening percussion and trumpets mixing with Tibetan bells and finger cymbals.
Side B ends with Gamelan Music and Tuvan throat singing and sounds slightly familiar.

It is a lovely cassette to have and one that sits on top of the "treasured tape" pile, it has been a good tape to slip in the machine and wander through the daily duties. I can live with this one.

Pietro Riparbelli & Alessio Ballerini

German label Geräuschmanufaktur have just released the C40 cassette "Becoming Sound" by Pietro Riparbelli and Alessio Ballerini. I first became interested in the work of Pietro Riparbelli after seeing him live at The Equinox Event at the Conway Hall in London 2008. He was performing as K11, and promoting the "Voices From Thelema" CD on Aurora Borealis. A great gig. Alessio Ballerini is a new name to me. He is part of the project; El Cijo.
Riparbelli + Ballerini operated a workshop inside Nub Project Art Space in Prato, Italy. Then using the sounds recorded there and from churches in and around Prato performed live later the same day. (April 27. 2014). I have been playing the tape on a daily basis this week, fascinating stuff - hearing different sounds on each play. Side one (I think) is mainly "workshop" derived material with shuffling and voices giving it all a very "E.V.P feel". Ambiosonics as Adi Newton would claim. The mixing and mixture of acoustics giving the piece a unique texture. Side two is a heavier affair and probably (largely) culled from the live performance. There's a lovely guitar sound and electronic drone and a fluctuating thumping beat bringing the sound of Maeror Tri to mind and then about halfway through it transforms into this new-age rave type music with polyphonic key chords and Hillage guitar … none too pleasant. Luckily before the side ends the sounds transform back into the workshop sounds of side one.
I have a similar record in my collection. "Collected Spaces (First Listen)" by Ultra Red/Art Angel/Tin Roof on Public Records. On this LP there is a collection of workshop recordings taken from spaces around Dundee then taken and used in a public performance.

"Becoming Sound" is number three in a series of "Live" recordings. The Dead Mauriacs and Fantom Auditory Operations preceding this tape. Geräuschmanufaktur have an interesting catalogue with the likes of Vomir, Francisco López, Michael Esposito and C.M. Von Hauswolff on the books. Worth exploring: www.gerauschmanufaktur.bandcamp.com

Alfarmania / Proiekt Hat

Have just spent a pleasant while listening to the latest cassette release from Alfarmania & Proiekt Hat. A collaborative recording called "Astral Slaktmask". The cassette is released by Chefsideologens Boleg.
Alfarmania are the Sundsval based project of Kristian Olsson, and Proiect Hat being  … mysterious. I did once meet the man behind Proiect Hat / Hatband whilst in Stockholm a couple of years back, we had a very drunk and engaging conversation and I don't think he told me his name then.
Quite recently there have been releases on bijou labels coming out of Sweden that contain a sound that is building on (progressing with) the old "industrial" sound of the late 1970's / early 1980's. The sound of S.P.K., of Non and of Nocturnal Emissions. Recent releases by White, Sewer Election, Treriksröset and Trepaneringsritualen spring to mind and now add "Astral Slaktmask" to the list. I think equipment has a lot to play here, no computers are used, tape loops of machinery, analogue synthesizers and old fashioned 4/8 track tape recorders are the means and method.
The cassette is a C43.
Side A starts with "Unending Nothingness", built as the kraken awakes. A Lovecraftian vision realised with its' wailing synthesisers and dripping piano. "Sondmatad Med Blyragel" is an industrious cacophony of sonic drilling. "Cut Feeling" is a great hark back to the "Befhelsnotstand" sound. The reverbed drone, the dark abyss of distorted drills and wailing sirens. Beautiful stuff, and amongst it all is the sound of death throe screaming. The title track ends side A like a transmission from a broken device left buried in the post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Sde B kicks in with "Full Tank" and "Forgerat Livsal". Both pieces sound as if they were recorded live  in an abattoir with the swinging chains and machinery churning through the big metal doors, whilst all around and beneath are the voices from the dead. "Eldergangelsen Apositiar" fits in more with the old school of power electronics. (Kristian did used to be part of the wonderful Survival Unit back at the turn of the century). The piece has a driving force with its' looped rhythm and crunching, crashing, colliding electronics and distant deranged distorted vocals. There's even some calls from the thigh bone to end the piece. "Venom Of Ages" is in a similar vein. A sonic wall is constructed before the album ends with "Cut Feeling II", and extension of the piece on side A.
All in all and excellent tape release. Research tells me there is an Alfarmania / Proiekt Hat vinyl LP, if anyone is selling then please let me know.
I am uncertain about the availability of the tape although the best place to try would be the Chefsideologens Bolag website.