Machine Speak

Great interview with Tara Busch over on arcana.fm where she is talking about our Zombies1985 album

..Interview archived below..

Memetune Album Roundup

Its been such a busy and productive year so far here at Meme-central. Here is a roundup (in chronological order) of album releases that have been co-written-and-or-produced by me here at the Memetune Analog/Digital Music Complex so far this year. And the best news is you can buy them ALL on real plastic things that spin round at 33 RPM

First Up - John Foxx & The Maths - The Machine

This is the album of the soundtrack we made for the stage play version of the E.M.Forster book The Machine Stops. 'Dystopian sci-fi lullabies; icy, minimalist sound paintings; dreamy, woozy, sparkly beauty. (Uncut magazine). 'Glacial compositions suggesting the impressionist side of debut solo album, Metamatic' Mojo magazine. Reviews and interviews here and here. Get it here



Fader - First Light

Next - new project! FADER is my collaboration with Neil Arthur and First Light is our debut album, which came out on 23rd June this year. Reviews here and here and here. Buy it here



Lone Taxidermist - Trifle

Another debut album out this time on our very own Memetune label, this is the long awaited LP by Natalie Sharp, Phil Winter and Will Kwerk. Recorded at memetune over various years and in various settings (we started it in the Hoxton studio, finished recording it when the studio was in limbo in my front room, and mixed it in the new studio). ITS ALBUM OF THE MONTH RIGHT NOW OVER ON THE QUIETUS! Reviews here and here and you can buy it here and here



I Speak Machine - Zombies 1985

This is my collaboration with Tara Busch under her project name I Speak Machine, which is a vehicle for her and Maf Lewis to make short films and electronic soundtracks. If you recall I mixed their previous album The Silence, see here. The Zombies album started out as simply the soundtrack to the short film Maf made, but it evolved like a crazed demonic squirming monster into a fully fledged album with new songs and ideas based on the sound of 1985. Every instrument and sound effect was period correct! Reviews and interviews here and here and Taras blog post on the album is here. Buy it here



Blancmange - Unfurnished Rooms

Its been a total honour to be working with Neil Arthur again, this time on the new Blancmange album - "WHAT!?!? THATS AMAZING!!!" "YES I KNOW!!!!" and whats more its also getting fantastic reviews - AND ITS ALSO ALBUM OF THE MONTH in a different magazine (Classic Pop mag). Reviews and interviews here and here

Zombified

At last the album I made with Tara Busch / I Speak Machine is coming out, on Lex Records. WOOOO! Here is a promo track called Shame:

The Sound Of..

My vinyl copy of Tara's new album arrived today - sounds loverly me dear (I mixed it so it damn well should!)

Zombie Player

Here is Tara Busch working out a theme for the short film we just shot here. ZOMBIE-TASTIC! See here for more from Tara

Flying Visit

Tara and Maf popped round the other day, and brought along Beth Jeans Haughton (I mixed her first EP here a while ago) and her friend Dick O'Dell who were both on very good form. What a lovely evening. Pics by Maf

University Challenge

Last week I went to Norfolk for the day and I popped in to the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts to have a look round. Its a very impressive art/artefact collection which used to be in Mr Sainsbury's bedroom (according to one of the museum's staff I spoke to). He liked Frances Bacon a lot. The building is an early Norman Foster, and it is in the grounds of the University of East Anglia. It really is an amazing campus and well worth a visit if you want to see a fantastic 1960s example of British futuristic utopia. The halls of residence are the crowning glory - crazy ziggurats designed by Denys Lasdun who also designed the National Theatre in London. What a beautiful place to spend as a student, sleeping all day long (thanks to Lyn for that joke)

I vaguely recalled that the UEA had a very important electronic music studio in the 1970s and wondered if it was still going. To my great horror I discovered that it has just closed down and the current students are the last ones to attend! It was set up in the early 1970s by Tristram Carey who purchased one of the first EMS Synthi 100s for the students to use. That machine eventually ended up in the collection of Mute records founder Daniel Miller, here he is being interviewed about it by Tara Busch:

On doing some google research on the history of the UEA studio I came across this very interesting thesis by Nicola Candlish on UK electronic music studios and the pioneering people behind them:

Nicola Candlish PhD 2012.pdf by Zack Dagoba

Speechless

Tara and Maff this looks / sounds amazing - wish I could be there to see the premiere! Damn!