Secondhand Records Shops #16 : Nottingham

There used to be a catchphrase, a slogan, a saying used by the HMV Music Store chain here in the UK in the 1990's, it went something like "HMV, Serious About Music"...sometimes there would be a question mark at the end and I used to think "yes I am actually and that is why I shall never buy owt from your fucking shop"!
Nottingham has always been serious about music. I began buying vinyl (new and secondhand) from little independent record shops situated down small, dark piss smelling alleyways in the late 1970's. Even today the city is littered with small secondhand vinyl emporiums - my time in Nottingham this weekend was being kept busy by others but I did manage to catch some time to explore a couple of old favourites.
Robs Records is situated in an alleyway known as Hurts Yard. Go to the centre of Nottingham aka Market Square and head towards Yates pub. Once there start walking out of the centre and you will discover (on your right) a small alleyway called Hurts Yard. It is easy to miss....if you make it to the Dragon you have gone too far! Rob's shop is a collection of rooms stacked with vinyl. Tens of thousands of records packed in to racks and in to boxes. There is some form of cataloguing - Northern Soul, Reggae, 50's Rock N' Roll, New Wave, Rock etc...but I do recommend digging in the "80's" sections and "New Arrivals".
Robs is always busy. Be prepared for a bit of frottage amongst the ten inchers! Rob also has a lot of unpriced vinyl, so be prepared to barter...always good fun! In the past 20 plus years I don't think I have ever left Robs' shop without some vinyl in my bag. This time it was a couple of Bill Nelson double 7" EP's for 30 bob a piece. (£3 the pair to you youngsters).
Serious about music? Get yourself to Robs!
If you return back on to Market Square and carry on walking out of town...towards the Dragon pub you will see the West End Arcade. There are a few secondhand vinyl / book shops in here. A couple of dance specialists and a 50's/60's records, posters, books type shop...but also in here lies Big Apple Records. Big Apple used to be in the "trendy part" of Nottingham known as Hockley but now is more central...thank goodness. Cheaply priced vinyl and a good selection of punk and new wave - this visit I bought the Lurkers "Fulham Fallout" LP (1st issue) for a great £7.00!

And for this weekend that was it unfortunately. A real sad site to see empty shops where Selectadisc once were. There are secondhand shops on Mansfield Road if you are heading towards the BoHo area of Nottingham. Forest Fields. I have shopped in Anarchy Records before, bought a Portion Control 12" for a pound, but alas (for me) was shut on Sunday. There used to be good secondhand record shops on the Derby Road and Sneinton Market...but I haven't been to those places for a while.

Pictures.
1: Robs Records. Hurts Yard.
2: Big Apple Records. West End Arcade (off Chapel Bar).
3: Anarchy Records. 213 Mansfield Road.

Dieter Muh #46 (#2)

The 46th Dieter Muh gig took place last weekend in Nottingham. I like playing live in Nottingham, great city, great football club (there's only one), and always a great audience. This was Dieter Muh's 4th live appearance in the great city since 1994.
The Rammel Club is situated inside The Chameleon Arts Centre on Market Square. Very central. The Chameleon has that Anarcho Eco (no relation to Umberto) feel about it, a little like how the "1 in 12 Club" in Bradford used to be 20 years ago - but operated by friendly gangsters and not a co-operative.
I was invited to be part of the Rammel Club / Harbinger Sound "weekend festival of blah". A three day event of varying sound. I unfortunately missed the opening evening with Patrik Fitzgerald, Mark Durgan & John Wall, Kogumaza, Design A Wave, Makakarooma and Blood Stereo. I arrived on the Saturday to witness a blistering live set of intricacy and noise from Spoils & Relics. At this point I will mention that the sound quality inside the club is spot-on thanks to a PA mix-meister called Simon.
Sleaford Mods followed. A poet and a guy with a laptop that holds some great bass line lead tunes. Not art, not noise just brutal realism wrapped up couplet and an owd boy drawl. Clever stuff...not funny...not comedy like John Cooper-Clarke or pretty like Peter Um. Hard hitting and 100%. I can believe the Sleaford Mods.
I managed to catch a quick interview with Jason (of the Mods) after the gig on his way to the bar. "Why did you chose Sleaford Mods"? "I wrote my first song in a pub in Grantham, and Grantham Mods sounds shit". If you haven't heard Sleaford Mods yet....do! I don't think it's just a Lincolnshire thing.
Bill Kouligas was on hand to provide a weaving electronic pattern and coat it with texture and effect. Beautiful stuff, not too far from (say) Bruce Gilbert to these ears. I stood transfixed. Storm Bugs. Storm Bugs. The band I wanted to see the most...and they played "Car Situations". Beautiful sound that took a little while to grab (me), getting used to vocal treating and looping took a few minutes but once the set started to move it was an honour to experience.
The organisers had promised Special Guests for the Saturday, and they don't come any more special than The New Blockaders, playing their final live show before Berlin in a couple of weeks. Around 100 folk saw TNB wreck the stage with wood, metal, tools and glass. After they left the stage, in the silence everyone was wearing a smile. Heatsick closed the evening.

Sunday was different because I was playing, daytime and early evening drinking had to be kept to a minimum and when the day is spent with Idwal Fisher, Phil Taylor, Paul Walsh and Steve Underwood that is a hard task! Also my concentration is on the performance and not so much the bands that played "early on". Surfacing had some promising sounds going on, and SWLLWS sounded like a cross between Dead Can Dance and New Order in parts. Nacht Und Nebel created some dark swirl that forced me to buy a cassette from the merch' table so I can discover in "comfort". These Feathers Have Plumes is the solo project of London based musician Andie Brown. (I think that is how it is spelt). These Feathers Have Plumes (awful name) created a sound of beauty featuring manipulated strings (cello & guitar...I think) and wine glasses filled with varying quantities of water being played with a violin bow. It was a stirring sound - again PA quality was superb - invoking the early work of Organum.
The Muh set was next - hard sound to follow but the audience were "up for it"! I played to the films of Tim Bayes and Simon Kane, around 20 minutes mixing bowed cymbals, Japanese tsunami sounds, the London Underground, German Overground, high heels and Buddha Boxes together to create some picture I had in my head. A couple of weeks ago I went to a "Cats Protection League" coffee morning in St Marychurch (Torquay) Parish Hall, show the kids some cats and browse over some secondhand bric-a-brac where I found a small Dictaphone with tape! It worked too....that find played a large part in the Rammel performance.
I enjoyed the set - I could hear what I was playing crystal through the monitors, and I was making the floorboards shake. For the audience - I thank you and the kind words afterwards chippered me up...I was touched.
Phil Julian followed with his reverse noise set. Most "noise" artists start slow and build to a crashing HNW...not Phil...he attacks the senses from the off and deconstructs (decomposes) his sound leaving the audience stunned and feeling a few inches shorter than they were 20 minutes earlier. Most folk wanted to see John Wiese so I did the "honourable" thing and minded the door and merch' stall for the Rammel Crew - it sounded good from the floor below...lots of ringing bells and smoke alarm noises.

Penultimate act was Con-Dom. A rare UK live performance and treat. I have played a couple of gigs in the past with Mike (Dando, AKA Con-Dom) and it has always been a pleasure. Tonight's performance was an act of brutalism, of struggle and of violence. A lot of vocal treatment used made it hard to understand what Mike was shouting, but the sheer physicality of his live performance was simply stunning.
Bong ended the evening reminding us all why punk was invented.

I shall attempt a similar construction for Stockholm next month. Thank you to the Rammel Club and Steve Underwood of Harbinger Sound for inviting me to play...cheers to Phil Julian, Paul Walsh, Phil Taylor, Mark Wharton, Adrian Smith, Mike Dando, Mark Durgan, Simon French, Michael Gilham, Tim Bayes, Duncan Harrison, Paul Watson, Andie Brown, John Wiese, Johnny Scarr, Phillipe, Bill Kouligas, Peter + Richard, Pizza Hut and the good lady of Forest Fields....it was a weekend I shall never forget. (and Forest beat Millwall 3-1)!!

Pictures.
1: "Sold Out"
2: Storm Bugs live.
3: Phil & Steve (Storm Bugs) at the bar.
4: Petals & Plurals.
5: The New Blockaders live.
6: Bill Kouligas live.
7: Mike Dando, Phil Julian & Michael Gilham.
8: Phil Taylor and DJ Idwal Fisher.
9: Dieter Muh sound check.
10 & 11: Dieter Muh live.
(Dieter Muh photos by Tim Bayes).
12: Phillipe, Tim & Simon chill between performances.
13: Con-Dom live.

Dieter Muh #46 (Video)

http://vimeo.com/38453987

Dieter Muh live at the RAMMEL WEEKENDER http://vimeo.com/38453987 About this video: "Live at the RAMMEL WEEKENDER, The Chameleon Arts Cafe, Nottingham (UK) SUNDAY 11 MARCH 2012 *** About Dieter Muh: Murky sound sculptures that verge on aural surrealism from a project rarely glimpsed in the wild. http://www.muhmur.blogspot.com/ *** About Rammel Weekender: HARBINGER SOUND and RAMMEL CLUB present a weekend of deranged sound blah. Pummeling riffs, abstract sound art, heavy electronics, dancefloor action, late license, punk legends, free jazz and improv we gots it all"

Clew Of Theseus #2

Just spent a pleasant while listening to the latest release from Clew Of Theseus. "Rehearse The Right Life", a C30 cassette on Kentucky based label Husk Records.
Two 15 minute pieces of isolation drones, quite minimalistic and intricate, both tracks (pieces) present an overall picture of sadness. Clever stuff that works at minimum and maximum volume. If there is one little bit of "criticism" here I would say that there is too much use of the varispeed/pitchshift device on "Steep All In Grey"...but it doesn't detract! ... probably shouldn't have mentioned it.

More than likely limited, so get in touch now with Husk Records / Josh Lay at : huskrecords.blogspot.com

Trepaneringsritualen #2

It seems that once in a while a new sound comes from Sweden that makes me prick up my ears, listen and get excited about "music". It can probably be traced back to first hearing The Leather Nun and their "Slow Death" 7" on Industrial Records in 1979, and then White Stains and their releases on TOPYScandanavia. Phauss (and the solo works of C.M. Von Hausmouse), Kent Tankred, Leif Elggren follow on, then to work by composers such as Ingrid Engaras, Henrik Rylander and Carl Abrahamsson. Sweden has produced some great artists over the past thirty five years.
This century I have been listening to Karmanjakan Intonarumori, Survival Unit, The Members Of Tinnitus, Treriksroset, Alfarmania, Proiect Hat, Bestializer and Pestdemon (amongst others)...and now Trepaneringsritualen.

I have mentioned before, it is the name that attracted me - an excellent name that does exactly what it says on the tin! Trepaneringsritualen are dark, menacing, occult and visceral to the senses. Recently the head Trepanner (Thomas Ekelund) has released two limited cassettes on his new label Belaten. "Roi Perdu" (The Lost King) was originally released 2 years ago by Swedish label Ideal Recordings. Then the edition was 23 copies - the reissue is 50 copies.
Side A begins with "De La Mer"; a slow drumming mantra surrounded by insects, leading in to "Le Seul Vrai Roi" a dark piece with a menacing growling underbelly. Side B and "Champ Sacre" plays like a funeral dirge for a dying beast. Again, there is this growling (tre)panning from ear to ear. I don't know whether or not it is a vocal effect technique or a sample but Thomas has got Mahomed's growl off to a tee! The cassette ends on "Decoupage De L'Orme". A barren wasteland where the wind carries the screams of the dying and battle fallen. Cracking stuff and all on a C20 cassette.
The third Belaten release is another C20 cassette limited to 50 copies. "Edifice Of Nine Suavastikas". This release is a split between AEther and Trepaneringsritualen. I have no idea who Aether is/are...but I imagine them/he/her to be Swedish (and probably called Thomas). AEther's edifice is a bass rumble drifting across a frozen tundra. calming and not too far from the work of UK outfit Marzuraan. Trepaneringsritualen's edifice begins with a series of explosions. Chaos is brought upon us with the shaking of cages, a beast awakes. Dark sinister powerful noise. By the end of the tape I am reminded of Finnish group Temple Of Tiermes, they too explored auditory hallucinogenics...excellent stuff - and I would say recommended but I do know that both tapes have sold out at source and have now become collectors items! Thomas has mentioned a re-release already...maybe as (I hope not, but maybe) a digital download. Also this week came the Trepaneringsritualen 10"EP "Deathward, To The Womb" on the Swedish label Release The Bats, but I've only played this record the once...so I'm not going to say much about it here other than (on first listen) it sounds like a classic!

Thomas Ekelund's project before Trepaneringsritualen was the atrociously named Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words. To me it sounds like the title of an Agatha Christie short story, or one of those "airport novel" thrillers, not a name to go out and discover. But with Trepaneringsritualen sounding so bloody damn good I decided to dip my ear in to the sound of....
On the recommendation of my Swedish friend Morten I bought the CD album "Lost In Reflections", released by the US label Killer Pimp. Awful band name, awful label name, what was there to lose? I had seen this album on the Unrest Productions distro list a couple of years back, but the name just put me off.
"Lost In Reflections" is one of the most surprising sounds I have heard for a long time. To quote Crispy Ambulance "Not What I Expected".
I read a little piece of blurb about the album and it seems to be Thomas's response to being diagnosed with a personality disorder. The album is made of six tracks. Five sketches and one 20 minute masterpiece. The sketches are built around prepared and played guitar, bells, chimes and synthesizers. Although the sound is isolatory and moribund - incredibly inward - it is also incredibly pleasurable. Being of an age I was reminded of work by Nurse With Wound, Soviet France, Nocturnal Emissions and Durutti Column.
The final track "Himmelschreibenden Herzen" (A heart written in the sky) is a piece of programme music...a neo-classical masterpiece. Stirring stuff.
I fear that I have chanced upon this project too late as (like Trepaneringsritualen) releases are ultra limited and now long gone. I picked up this CD from Amazon for a tenner...it was their last copy. I am in Sweden next month.....I'm going to be hunting out the record shops!!!

Pictures.
1: "Deathward, To The Womb" 10"
2: Belaten tapes.
3: Dead Letters Spell Dead Words CD Cover.
4: Thomas Ekelund in performance.

Nuit Et Brouillard (The Catalogue)

Today I was hunting for an old magazine and chanced upon an old Nuit Et Brouillard catalogue. This stopped me in my tracks and I closed the lid of the suitcase I was looking through and settled down to read the pages....Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words on the stereo. Lovely.
I did used to have a collection of Nuit Et Brouillard catalogues, where they have all gone is a mystery...
Back in the days before online shopping the way to buy "decent" stuff was through catalogues such as Nuit Et Brouillard. There was also RRRecords, Cheeses International and Tesco Org. Distribution - they too provided lovely catalogues two or three times a year. Although basically the catalogue is just a list of releases with a description, with N&B I felt that I wasn't being given the "hard sell", their descriptions were honest and it was obvious that they had listened to the release and given thought in to words...not just reprinted some promo blurb. The catalogues were superbly laid out - Record labels listed alphabetically by country. So simple.
I used to love the way that after a description of the sound N&B would add...."to discover". Brilliant...and discover I did.
The first time I saw a Nuit Et Brouillard catalogue was in the house of Mick McDaid (he of Outsider Records) in Lincoln. Then on a rainy night in Northern Belgium in 1998 I found myself at a gig where there was a N&B stall. I bought and signed up to their mailing list.

The onset of the digital age and the worldwide web has seen the printed catalogue disappear. A great shame, as the catalogues were (in their own way) great works of literature / graphic design. I used to spend (enjoyable) evenings with the N&B catalogue making lists of what I would love to buy and/or hear. Back in those days I didn't used to have a television set (or a wife)!
Just over a couple of years ago I was lucky enough to spend a few days at the house of Nuit Et Brouillard in Lille (France), guests of Stephane & Sylvie, and I saw their stock! They are still a great distribution outlet and live promotion outfit.
I have just spent the last couple of hours lost in their 2001 (update) catalogue. It's a fascinating read.

Visit www.nuitetbrouillard.com/

Pictures.
1: Nuit Et Brouillard 2001 Catalogue.
2: Sylvie of N&B with Oscar Cammack reading comics in a Lille bar. 2009.

(State Of Play):Dieter Muh March 2012

Dieter Muh update for March 2012.
This month will see Dieter Muh perform in Nottingham, the first time since 2006. Later (hopefully in Springtime) there will be a new (vinyl) LP released by the German label Verlautbarung. Provisionally entitled "Heterodoxie" the album features studio recordings from 2009 - 2012 AD. (After Dave). The LP features contributions from Tim Bayes, Phil Julian, Simon Kane and Michael Parker. More information can be found by contacting Verlautbarung / Bruno Ebers at verlautbarung@gmail.com - also soon is the cassette release "Hanging A Blind Dog" on Hanson Records. This is a cassette of live recordings made in Paris and London during 2010, reports of which are littered about this blog site.
In April Dieter Muh return to The Fylkingen in Stockholm to play live alongside Dusa + Contrastate.
Imminent is a Dieter Muh interview in Lithuanian Magazine "Terror" (issue #2), www.terror.lt - it was an interview I did throughout 2010/11, also "Special Interests" magazine #7 features my essential Top 10 albums. "Special Interests" is available through all the major underground electronics distributors.

Pictures:
1: Verlautbarung Logo.
2: Not the sleeve for the Hanson Records cassette, but a cassette sleeve!