• Voices of Kwahn – [rebirth]

2CD, Max-Bilt, 1993

Nothing particularly “cool” about this post-Orb ambient-trance record, but since it’s rather lovely and features some choice echolallia from the delerious experimental vocalist Anna Homler you may care to explore it for yourself. And if you look veeeerrry carefully at the small print, you’ll realise (as we only just did) that Alex & Thrash turn up on remix duties on one of the best tracks too.

Part of a loose British collective, the Zexos Empire, that also released records under the names Citizen-Z and Konfrontation, Voices of Kwahn were picked up for this record by a short-lived dance spinoff of US traditional ambient/new age label Private. Later records for Swarffinger moved further out into gamelan-esque percussion and general clanging weirdness. Main man Mark Davies, aka the Pylon King, still produces and mixes.

DISC ONE
01. Rebirth pt.1 (3:52)
02. Third Whale Trip (7:23)
03. Re-evolution (9:47)
04. The Enlightenment (8:39)
05. Return Journey (13:04)
06. The Transformation (21:41)

DISC TWO
01. Ya Yae Ya Yo Yo Yo – mix 1 (6:55)
02. Ya Yae Ya Yo Yo Yo – mix 2 (6:20)
03. Return Journey (7:05)
04. Rebirth pt.2 (6:55)

Link | Discogs

• Merzbow & Null – Deus Irae

CD, Nux Organisation, 1993 (rec 1984)

Live at Gallery Komai, Tokyo, on Augst 3rd 1984, this is the recording of a rare five-piece, including KK Null on guitar, voice and metals, ANP-colleague Asami Hayashi on bass, sometime Merzbow chum Reiko Azuma on cymbals … and his lordship Masami Akita on drums and effects.

Remastered for release in 1993 by Null, it’s still a raw, scraping workout. The metal percussion tattoos are vaguely reminiscent of SPK or Test Dept, but the racket on top is from another place entirely.

1. Deus Irae (46:05)

Link | Discogs

• Phillip & His Foetus Vibrations – Tell Me, What is the Bane of Your Life?

7″, Self Immolation, 1980

Yes, friends, it’s everyone’s family favourites, Phillip & His Foetus Vibrations, featuring You’ve Got Foetus On Your Breath with Phillip Toss. OK, it’s a very early JG Thirlwell (aka Clint Ruin) release, with a b-side that reveals an enormous debt to the early work of the Residents. Such a pretty little thing.

A. Tell Me, What is the Bane of Your Life? (7:34)
B. Mother, I’ve Killed the Cat (4:19)

Link | Discogs

• Tresor and Tresor II

Classic pair of compilations from the earliest days of Berlin’s finest, Tresor, collected for NovaMute back in the day. From Juan Atkins to Basic Channel in one tiny transatlantic hop. Delerious. And for more from this fine label, you need only sharpen your web-fu.

Tresor – der Klang der Familie, CD, Mute, 1992

01. 3 Phase – Der Klang der Familie (Original mix) (6:33)
02. System 01 – Drugs Work (4:43)
03. Tanith – Return and Revenge of the Gatorade (Tanith Mix) (8:32)
04. Ingator II – Skyscratch (Mano Mano) (Tresor mix) (5:53)
05. Futurhythm – Phuture 2 (4:52)
06. Microglobe – High on Hope (The Long Hot Summer mix) (7:49)
07. Maurizio – Ploy (Strategic Mix) (5:42)
08. Cosmic Baby – Cosmic Cubes (3:59)
09. Vein Melter – Hypnotized (4:48)
10. Voov – It’s Anything you Want it to be and it’s a Gas (Smoke Machine V2) (4:39)
11. 3 Phase – Open Your Mind (8:26)
12. Mind Gear – Don’t Panic (The Whole Story mix) (9:44)
13. Maurizio – Outerlude (0:47)

Link | Discogs

Tresor II – Berlin & Detroit—a Techno Alliance, CD, Mute, 1993

01. Vainquer – Lyot (Maurizio mix) (7:05)
02. 3 Phase Versus Pulse – Das Rennen (6:24)
03. DJ Hell – Acid Musik (6:15)
04. Maurizio – T. T. / F. F. (7:33)
05. Noxious – E-Zug (4:56)
06. Violet Micro – …I Know (6:45)
07. Underground Resistance – Jupiter Jazz (4:33)
08. X-102 – Mimas (4:50)
09. Jeff Mills – Changes of Life (4:51)
10. Eddie “Flashin” Fowlkes* & 3MB – Illuminisim (Sun Electric edit) (6:25)
11. 3 Phase – Current 1 (7:57)
12. 3MB featuring Juan Atkins – Die Kosmischen Kuriere (5:42)
13. K Hand – Mystery (4:40)

Link | Discogs

• The Magits – Fully Coherent

7″ EP, Outer Himmilayan, 1979

Yeah, with their gloomy bedsit electronic dirges The Magits don’t have all that much in common with Nick Blinko’s next band, the awesome anarcho-punk power trio, Rudimentary Peni. Except maybe short track durations – the whole lot is over in well under four and a half minutes. Rockin’.

A1. Fragmented [0:59]
A2. Disconnected [0:55]
B1. Disjointed [1:30]
B2. Detached [0:51]

Link | Discogs

• Robert John – The Aliens Stalk the Wrecked Planet

7″ (plays same both sides), Robert John, 1980

What the fuck? Almost laughably obscure guitar scraping 7″. Bought this from a small ad in the back of British music weekly Sounds or NME back when it was fist released, something like 59 pence including postage. Can’t remember what the ad said, but it must have been pretty intriguing. Didn’t know what to think when it turned up and we’ve been bemused by it ever since. Could have been released yesterday by some bearded Midwest noise drone freaks… but would probably be on cassette, 31 copies, etc etc. Any further info, people?

1. The Aliens Stalk the Wrecked Planet [2:11]

Link | Discogs

• The Mothmen

When we posted that early On-U Sound compilation, Wild Paarty Sounds, the track that got most attention was by The Mothmen, Manchester’s shadowy purveyors of post-punk dub-funk. It’s well past time, we thought, to revisit them…

Their brief life is a surprisingly fascinating one. They were assembled from various Manc bands, including the Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias, to form the backing for Vini Reilly on his first Durutti Column album. This line-up split and Reilly effectively went solo, and the rest of them formed The Mothmen. After a single on local label Absurd, their album Pay Attention was picked up by On-U Sound for their second release. Despite this, owner Adrian Sherwood played no part in the record, and only remixed one track (for the aforementioned Wild Paarty Sounds) – though drummer Chris Joyce also guested with On-U mainstays The London Underground on some recordings. A couple of singles and a Talking Heads-ish second album for Robin “M” Scott’s Do It! label were followed in early 1982 by the band splitting.

And then – Joyce and guitarist Tony Bowers joined the first line-up of a little band called Simply Red, which in turn led to Adrian Sherwood providing some remixes for that band… and rumours of a whole “SR In Dub” album languishing in the vaults somewhere. Various members have also played with The Suns of Arqa over the years; sure it’s no coincidence that the first track on One Black Dot is called “Wadada”. And tragically, the Happy Mondays song “Cowboy Dave” was inspired by the murder of guitarist Dave Rowbotham in 1991.

Credit where it’s due: The Irene single comes courtesy the mighty Always Searching For Music.

Does It Matter Irene, 7″, Absurd, 1979

A. Does It Matter Irene
B. Please Let Go

Link | Discogs

Pay Attention, LP, On-U Sound, 1980

A1. Afghan Farmer Driving Cattle
A2. Animal Animaux
A3. Not Moving
A4. Factory/Teapoint/Factory
A5. Please Let Go
A6. Tardis (Sweep is Dead, Long Live Sweep)
B1. The Mothman

Link | Discogs

One Black Dot, LP, Do It!, 1982

A1. Wadada
A2. Temptation
A3. One More Weapon
A4. Let’s Talk About It
A5. No Rest
B1. One Black Dot
B2. Weekend
B3. House & Car
B4. Home Sweet Home
B5. Thank You I Like It

Link | Discogs

• New Age Steppers – Fade Away / London Underground – Learn a Language

7″, On-U Sound, 1980

Could have pulled this out for our “first record on…” challenge a month or so back… the first release on the mighty On-U Sound label. Lead track is Ari Up and various ex-Pop Group chums on a Junior Byles classic, and you never heard the ex-Slits singer so sweet before or since. That extraordinary soaring note she hits near the end is sublime. (Great news that the Slits are back together and recording an album, BTW.) On the flip, the loose collective known as London Underground, including Dr Pablo, Martin Frederix from Family Fodder and some Mothmen. Essential, and not just because of its little place in history.

A. New Age Steppers – Fade Away
B. London Underground – Learn a Language

Link | Discogs

• Dean Carter – Psychomuzak / The Exstasie

Every generation seems to rediscover the music or techniques of the past and take them somewhere new. Thus it is, even, with echo guitar. From the mighty Mañuel Göttsching’s Inventions for Electric Guitar to Gunter Schickert’s fabulous Samtvögel and Uberfällig (not forgetting the somewhat less Kraut Steve Hillage and others along the way)… and so on to Dean Carter. Here are a couple of releases of his, an early self-published tape of his echo guitar workouts and a later, more organised set, now credited to Psychomuzak and with assistance from the lovely Steven Wilson. Perhaps it’s just the thrill of discovery adding to its overall liveliness, but the early tape is definitely the better of the two. YMMV. Note the cunning cover art re-use.

Dean Carter – Psychomuzak, cassette, Familiar, 1989

A1. Dr Livingstone, I Presume???
B1. Trooping the Colours

Link | Discogs

Psychomuzak – The Extasie, CD, Delerium, 1994 (rel 2003)

01. The Extasie
02. Diamond Zombie
03. Far In
04. Concentrate (over ‘Concentration’)
05. Concentration (excerpt)

Link | Discogs