This Fusion is Monster

Turkish-born & Montreal-based Mercan Dede (born Arkın Ilıcalı, 1966, Bursa, Turkey), aka DJ Arkin Allen, is a composer, ney & bendir player, DJ, & producer. He started the Mercan Dede Ensemble in 1998 as the culmination of his extensive musical experiences over the past decade both in Turkey & in North America. His ensemble of Turkish & Canadian musicians subtly fuse the Eastern spiritual traditions of Sufi music with contemporary ambient sounds to create a unique mix of old / new - sacred / secular - East / West.

The music is fully modern yet it clearly has grown out of the otherworldly heart of the sema ritual of the Whirling Dervishes. The inspirational force behind the work of the Ensemble is to carry the message of Rumi up through the centuries & around the world. ‘Dervish’ means threshold, & the ultimate aim for a Sufi is to meet & be met at the point where one space becomes another.

The Ensemble was originally Mercan Dede, Mohammad & Farokh Shams. They were joined later by Toronto-based world-musician Ben Grossman & are accompanied by Isaiah Sala, a young Sufi dervish whirler.

Fusion Monster is a project of Mercan’s alter-identity DJ Arkin Allen. FM leans more toward the electronic end of Mercan’s world-wide spectrum. He still conjures wonderful instrumental performances here, but they are set to big DJ-friendly rhythms. Although subtle & restrained with the energy serenely subdued, with no rush to break the beautifully constructed tension, it is still consistently eastern.

Arkin Allen – Fusion Monster, Numoon Records NM004, 2004.
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Tracklist –

Kıtmir  

Debernuş

Şazenuş

Kefeştetayyuş

Mernuş

Mekseline

Meslina

Yemliha 

Enjoy,

NØ

Way Out on Graffiti Island

It has been said that Dalston dwellers Graffiti Island "seem to have walked straight out of the bar of Twin Peaks' One Eyed Jack's into an episode of Kojack: The Night Stalker via the set of a Jadorowsky film."

Conan Roberts string work on bass & guitar, drummer Cherise Payne’s propulsive rhythmic counterpoints, & lead singer Pete Dee's deadpan, pop-culture soaked delivery offer something wholly original. Dee's dry vocal delivery gets compared to Beat Happening. They seem more engaging & far more unique in a general spookiness not found in the Olympia, WA. Band. GI's musical workings are stark sounding, detached, lo-fi possessed garage. But don’t expect the macabre element to be too much so that's the music becomes depressing or miserable. It's got well-crafted phrasing… & you can tap your toe to it.

Graffiti Island – Untitled EP, self-released, 2008.
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Demonic Cat

Head Hunters

Mountain Man

Pet Snake

Wolf Guy

Bad Potion

Enjoy,

NØ

Such Awe-filled Symmetry

Hototogisu is the Japanese for cuckoo, a bird which apparently in Japanese culture is a symbol of the netherworld - an infernal bird, a spook with wings.

Hototogisu masterfully create a dense sediment of tectonic drone with the thickest layers of guitar, vocals, & electronics. Elaborately arranged, Hototogisu features the obviously seasoned sonic travelers Matthew Bower (Skullflower, Pure, Sunroof!) & Marcia Bassett (Double Leopards). There are points here that the cacophony is so insanely oversaturated that the noise starts to sound as if it's spontaneously giving birth to language: you start audio-hallucinating words & sentences.

Hototogisu – Awful Symmetry, Heavy Blossom HB-03, 2005.
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Untitled I

Untitled II

Untitled III

Untitled IV

Untitled V

Enjoy,

NØ

Memorex or Memory

More cassette music. This time not analog tapes, however. These are Memory Cassettes.

This music has been described as "dreamscape-dance-pop-balearic-chillwave-whatever-you-wanna-peg-it". Memory Cassette is a recording project of New Jersey-based Dayve Hawk, former frontman of Philadelphia’s Hail Social. Hawk has also released tracks & EPs under the names Memory Tapes & Weird Tapes.

Memory Cassette – The Hiss We Miss, 2008.
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Asleep at a Party

Tortoise Pace

50mph

Ghost in the Boombox

Memory Cassette – Rewind While Sleeping, 2008.

Surfin’

Listen to the Vacuum

Milky Wave Goodbye

Sleep on the Roof

Enjoy,

NØ

Hey, Where's the Beaver?

 

Found this tape in the same box I dug out Son of Sam. There’s a few more treasures on cassette that I'll probably be posting up, or not…short attention span, yeah!

The Hugh Beaumont Experience was a punk rock band from Fort Worth, Texas. The band's original lineup was Brad Stiles on vocals, Tommie Duncan on guitar, Clay Carlisle on bass, & Carter Kolba on drums. HBE was formed in 1980 by friends from Fort Worth Country Day School. They toured throughout Texas in 1981-82, including dates with MDC & The Dead Kennedys.

Their journey was short-lived.  The HBE had broken up by 1983. They released just one 7" called Cone Johnson & this cassette called Virgin Killers. (This material was re-released in 1993 on Existential Vacuum Records as the live side that shared the flipside with a studio recording session with Bob Mould of Hüsker Dü.) By the time this live cassette was recorded at the Bowie Theater in Ft. Worth, Jeff  'King' Coffee (best know as the drummer from the Butthole Surfers) was handling the drums.

Hugh Beaumont ­Experience – Virgin Killers (live) handmade cassette,
Throbbing Cattle Ltd., moo-5, 1982.
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I Don’t Wanna go to Bellevue

Eric’s on Thorazine

Pigs & Frogs

Private Dachau

The Man who Shot the Pope

Police State USA

Masculinity Complex

I Wanna be Used

KGB

In the Name of Industry

I’m Shrinking

End Authority

What Happened to Me

Counting Song

Enjoy,

NØ

This One's On-U

 

A friend of mine who had been MIA for a couple years recently contacted me. It was great to hear from him again. He, like myself, is a big fan of all things On-U Sound.

 

In the past I have posted a good amount of Singers & Players, but like my friend, Vacuum Pumping has been missing in action here. Jonder asked if I would rectify that short-coming & I am only too glad to oblige.

Singers & Players – Vacuum Pumping, On-U Sound On-U LP39, 1988.
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Side A –

Run Them Away

Lighthouse / Dreamworld

Holy Scripture

To Be Fee

Side B –

I Don’t Want AIDS

Boof Um Baff Um

Pneumatic

These Eyes

While I’m at this thing, here are a few other On-U treats for you to enjoy.

In 1982 Adrian & Co. issued the Discoplate series of 10" singles, DP1 – DP6. There are actually only five 10" releases. I don’t know why, but DP5 is a 12" EP of three tunes from Mark Stewart & Maffia. Here we go…

Prince Far I / Singers & Players - DP1.

Side A –

Prince Far I / Singers & Players – Virgin

Side AA –

Singers & Players – Danger

Bim Sherman / Singers & Players - DP2.

Side A –

Revolution

Side AA –

Too Much Work Load

Creation Rebel – DP3.

Side A –

Independent Man

Side AA –

Creation Rebel

London Underground – DP4.

Side A –

Strange Things / Conspiracy

Side AA –

Why Do Fat Men Have Such Skinny Thoughts?

Mark Stewart & Maffia – Jerusalem EP DP5.

Side A –

Jerusalem

High Ideals & Crazy Dreams

Side B –

Welcome to Liberty City

Noah House of Dread – DP6.

Side A –

Murder

Side AA –

Stand Firm

Next I thought I’d offer my friends, visitors, lurkers, & leechers Andy Fairley’s only credited 'solo' album, System Vertigo from 1992. 

 

The late Andy Fairley had probably the most distinctive vocal style of any artist to record for Adrian Sherwood. In the early 1980s, art school dropouts Howard Purse & Doug White landed in Bristol, UK. There they masterminded the creation of the band Fish Food. Joined by local drummer Dan Swan, ex-Cortinas, & poet Andy Fairley, the group began cooking up their fractured slices of surreal beat. Always on the fringe of the Bristol scene, the four rehearsed in their squat, a haunt for the likes of The Pop Group, Pig Bag, & Scream & Dance.

Andy Fairley was a modern-day poet; a shrewd observer of the injustices & insanities of the modern world. His lyrics tackled issues such as the state of politics, privatization, & the plight of the under-classes. His raw vocal delivery perfectly & powerfully complimented the issues he addressed.

During the 1989-1993 period his voice was a familiar feature of Sherwood productions: Gary Clail; Dub Syndicate; & Keith LeBlanc among others. When not reciting his own verse in full, he was often sampled for use in-the-mix, often regaling the sonic qualities of the recording or giving a MC-like shout to the artist, On-U Sound, or Sherwood personally.

Here are a few that anyone familiar with the On-U catalogue have probably heard:

"This sound system comes to you with fuel injection!"
"Your head will become a crazy bulbous punch bag of sound!"
"Targeting your brain with sonic thrust!"
"This is the precinct of system. This is the precinct of sound!"

System Vertigo is a collection of his writings set to solid rhythms built by Adrian Sherwood & the Little Axe alums Skip McDonald & Doug Wimbish with a cast of others.

Fairley left On-U in the mid 1990s & vanished back into the Bristolian aether from which he had emerged. Sadly little else was heard from or about him until news of his death in 1999.

Andy Fairley – System Vertigo, On-U Sound ON-U LP61, 1992.

Side 1 –

I Stopped the Clock

System Vertigo

Ghost

The Election Pt. 1

Side 2 –

You Look at Life

Audio Visual Attack

The Election Pt. 2

A Nation Responds

Fun & Games

The Song of the Phoenix

False Start

Finally, a compilation of various On-U Sound celebrities on On-U Sound Celebration.

Various – On-U Sound Celebration, Trance Records TCCD 9 00662 O, 1988.

Tracklist –

The Deal (intro)

Stopping & Starting – Voice of Authority

Quante Jubila – Prince Far I & Creation Rebel

Dreams are Better – London Underground

Silent Mover – Playgroup

Last Sane Dream – Creation Rebel / New Age Steppers

Make a Joyful Noise – Singers & Players

AllaLa Dreadlocks Soldier – Singers & Players

Love I Can Feel – Creation Rebel

Creative Involvements – Creation Rebel

Deep & Mintyful - Playgroup

The Dice – Judy Nylon

Woodpecker Sound – Jah Woosh

Final Frontier – Creation Rebel / New Age Steppers

Independent Man pts. 1 & 2 – Creation Rebel

Epic Sound Battles – Playgroup

Feeling Wild – Voice of Authority

Knock the House Down – Voice of Authority

Thanks, Jonder, for the nudge,

NØ

.44 Caliber Killer

Bet you never knew that Son of Sam serial killer David Berkowitz had recorded a cassette release. Well, I guess he didn’t. I guess this is another Son of Sam. Don’t know if they got their inspiration from the neighbor’s dog or not, but…to paraphrase Chris M Bishop:

Sometime during 1984, during a period of Orwellian mass unemployment, Chris Bishop moved into a house in Leeds that had a basement filled with the collective equipment of The Cassandra Complex, O Yuki Conjugate, & Tom Fazzini. His pathetic contribution was the first Korg drum machine which nobody used & which was eventually sold to Jez from Utah Saints, who probably didn’t use it either.

The music scene in Leeds at that time was largely devoted to guitar-oriented music, but this houseful of people had an almost universal mistrust of the fretboard. About that time Electro happened. The house got a Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer & Son of Sam was born. Chris first used the moniker when he needed a nasty name to scribble on a cassette. At first, Chris did all the vocal & instrument duty. As time went on, Razor Roobie & Mr. Cheese fleshed out Chris’ meanderings into a ‘real band’. They played a few dates around Europe, brought out some cassettes & vinyl, then logically destroyed themselves when Techno arrived.

I saw on bancamp Son of Sam has a 2014 re-release of The Collapse of Ancient Funk (1984-85 A.D.) that says: “The Collapse of Ancient Funk (Vol.1) is a record which gathers all the vocal songs included in the cassette-album The Collapse Of Ancient Funk (1984-85 A.D.), originally edited by Final Image (UK) in 1985.” That being said, there are only six tunes, one being a "Carnal Knowledge (Jack Plug's Sex Dub)" new mix by Chris Bishop, 2013.

Well, I have the original cassette which contains eleven songs that, as I will attest, offers a great deal more than what you find on bandcamp. Well, you can listen for free there or buy the physical 12” EP for 15,00 €, or you can check out the original & decide for yourself here.

If you like what you hear & want the vinyl, contact Domestica Records at www.domesticaorder.com. They state that it was: “digitally transferred from the original tape - The Collapse Of Ancient Funk (1984-85 A.D.). Remastered 2014 by Yves Roussel. I simply ripped the cassette to my computer & didn’t really manipulate the sound at all. Again, decide for yourself.

On The Collapse of Ancient Funk. Son of Sam are: Chris Bishop - mouth, machinery, & thrash; Andy Rodgers - throttle; Liz Hemmings – dogsax;, Razor Robbie – feet & fingers; Rob Stickes – bass twang;  Sal Smmit – voice. Recorded at the War Room, Leeds, except A2 which was made at The Lion, Leeds. Tracks A1, A4, A5, & B5 are new mixes of The Golden Age Of Disco  EP demixed by Spaceman (…Shoes…Hothouse!; Charmaigne; Not a Second Wasted; & Nature’s Made a Mistake).

Son of Sam – The Collapse of Ancient Funk (1984-85 A.D.) cassette,
Final Image D/FIC 8, 1985.
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Side A –

Hothouse (Xtra)

Funland (Long version)

Carnal Knowledge

Shah Main

Second Wasted Second

Side B –

Come Here, Handsome

Playground

The Liquid Cosh

Mistah Yumyum

Nature’s Made a Mistake

Untitled

Enjoy,

NØ

Return to the Dark Star

 

A few years ago I featured Dark Star, a project from the German musician Wolfgang Reffert. Dark Star is post-industrial rock with a psychedelic twist. Last year I updated the post & added another release. Well, here are three more earlier cassette-only releases.

Dark Star - Arrival of the Masters of Confusion cassette, Failsafe Productions, 1989.

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Dark Star - States of Mind cassette, Failsafe Productions, 1990.

Dark Star - No Sign of Intelligent Life cassette, Failsafe Productions, 1991.

Enjoy,

NØ

Life's a Bitch

 

Neva was a great cold wave band before there was cold wave, truly ahead of their time. The band was the brainchild of Jacquy Bitch. They formed in the fall of 1983 in Saint Quentin, France. The band was originally Jacquy Bitch - vocals, bass, & guitar, Joël ‘Bob’ Bomy & Eric Meunier - synthesizers, & Renee - drums. After a few years, Renee departed & Eric programmed the drum beats as well as manning the synth.

Jacquy was very influenced by bands like Virgin Prunes & Christian Death. Neva’s shows were characterized by a kind of theatrical atmosphere with themes revolving around childhood & death. The mystery of life & its origin were their main sources of inspiration, delving into the unconscious & the attraction of dreams. Another unique feature of Neva’s shows & music was the use of Jacquy’s 'substitute language', a kind of metaphysical compilation served by the invention of a dialect of phonetic sounds combining French , German, English , & Spanish. In my opinion, they were one of the most important bands of the French independent scene of the time. 

 

 

Neva disbanded in 1990. Eric had become more interested with techno music. Both Eric & Joël had veered away from rock & had become quite opposed to electric guitar & bass. By that time Jacquy was playing both guitar & bass parts while the others had become entirely invested in synthesizers . 

 

 

Since then Jacquy has created a solid body of work, releasing six slabs of terse, tense batcave music (The Batcave was a nightclub in London, at Meard Street, Soho, considered by many to be the birthplace of the English Goth subculture. The term batcave is used to refer to Goth music with a prominent post-punk sound & spooky atmospherics) beginning with Frustration, released in 1990, followed by Les Mains du Mal, Coram, Haine, Stories from the Old Years, & his latest, 2012s When Walls Cry that continues his artistic journey with its surrealist language & apocalyptic imagery. Over the more than two decades since Neva he has massively influenced this genre. He deserves to take his place at the top of the European Alternative Music scene.

Here’s the track ''Hérésie'' from that release.

Collector 83 cassette might leave you scratching your  head at first, but the more that you listen, the more you’ll find yourself embracing this amalgamation of weird sounding yet strangely appealing vocals, gorgeous synth layers, & the intense yet sparse drive provided by Jacquy's lone distorted bass. The songs are built around sudden tempo & tonal shifts with Jacquy’s vocals veering from a semi-maniacal speaking style, punctuated by somewhat creepy laughter, into slower, helium-fueled singing. Songs like ''Outlive'' highlight what is so great about this band, with synthesizer & guitar working in glorious tandem while Jacquy juxtaposes his high-pitched frenzy with the song's wonderful stuttered chorus. This cassette isn't flawless, but it sets the bar terrifically high.

 

Neva - Collector 83 cassette, self-released,1987
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Face A –

Psykodrame
Outlive
Killing
Amnésie
Erreur de suicide
Sacrilège
Tam Tam

Face B –

Rêve
Survivre
Cités perdues
Frenezie
Hallucination(single version)
Frenezie(single version)

Enjoy,

NØ

Refinding Frances & so Much More

At some point in the past someone borrowed my The Mars Volta Frances the Mute CD.  I have a burned copy & the tracks archived on my external, but not the real deal. This previous Thursday I was perusing music & literature at a local thrift store as is often my wont & I found a nearly pristine copy for $2. That got me listening to all their material, as anyone who’s been around here enough will know, I’m a crazy TMV fan-man (no longer a boy).

The depth of their catalogue & progression of their story has for me made each release a jewel. I listen to the Tremulant EP & am still in awe. Don’t get me wrong here, I was a huge fan of ATDI before TMV, loving the punk-prog things that they did. I was saddened at their demise. But I was enthralled by the leap TMV made coming out of the gate. Then Deloused, which until Frances, was my favorite. With each successive offering, my appreciation grew. With each new release I would go back & listen to all the previous outings & still feel the same or greater love for their artistry & musicality.

When Cedric announced last year that he was no longer a part of TMV & that the band was no more, I was saddened but understanding. So much great music from the band. Everything is transmutable. When I saw Bosnian Rainbow later last year I felt the certainty close in even more.

After refinding Frances the Mute, after listening through their history, the power of Scabdates, the unified quartet that is Amputechture, Bedlam, Octahedron, & Noctourniquet, I couldn’t resist the overpowering urge to post up some Mars Volta here.

The Mars Volta – dEMOS 2001 – 2003.
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Tracklist –

Roulette Dares (The Haunt of) [2001 demo]

Inertiatic ESP [2002 demo]

Roulette Dares (The Haunt of) [2002 demo]

Drunkship of Lanterns [2002 demo]

Eriatarka [2002 demo]

Cicatriz ESP [2002 demo]

This Apparatus Must be Unearthed [2002 demo]

Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt [2002 demo]

Eunuch Provocateur [2002 demo]

Televators [2003 demo]

Concertina [2003 demo]

The Mars Volta – New Year’s Eve 2007 Live Acoustic, Bill Graham Auditorium, S.F.

Tracklist –

Intro

Televators

CedTalk 1

The Widow

Ced Talk 2

Miranda, That Ghost Just Isn’t Holy

CedTalk 3

Asilos Magdalena

CedTalk 4

Vermicide

CedTalk 5

New Song

The Mars Volta – Live at Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, April 20, 2008.

Tracklist –

A Fistful of Dollars

Roulette Dares (The Haunt of)

Viscera Eyes

Wax Simulacra

Goliath

Ouroborous

Pre-Tetragrammaton

Tetragrammaton

Pre-Agadez

Agadez

Cygnus Intro

Cygnus

Pre-Aberinkula

Aberinkula

Drunkship of Lanterns

 

The Mars Volta – The Bedlam in Goliath bonus tracks

Tracklist –

Pulled to Bits (Siouxie & the Banshees cover)

Things Behind the Sun (Nick Drake cover)

Back up Against the Wall (Circle Jerks cover)

Memories (The Soft Machine cover)

Birthday (Sugarcubes cover)

Candy & a Currant Bun (Pink Floyd cover)

Mr. Muggs (Vinyl edition)

Goliath (El-P remix)

Enjoy,

NØ