Kelpe: 'Microscope Contents' (12"/download, DC Recordings)

Kelpe: 'Microscope Contents' (2009)

Kelpe a.k.a. Kel McKeown will have his new album, Cambio Wechsel (DCR109), out 19 October 2009 on UK's DC Recordings, featuring his IDM-ish excursions. Before the album there will be this single and video.



Artist: Kelpe
Title: Microscope Contents
Format: 12"/digital download
Cat.no.: DCR108
Label: DC Recordings (UK)
Release date: 21 September 2009

Tracklist:

1. Microscope Contents (4:03)
2. The Blankout Agreement [Slugabed remix] (4:51)
3. Dig Up Stupid (5:45)
4. The Blankout Agreement (4:09)

Credits:

Written and produced by Kel McKeown.
Track 2 remixed by Slugabed.
Mastered by Guy Davie at Electric Mastering.

(p) & © DC Recordings. LC7871. Published by Schnozza Music.

Press release notes from DC Recordings:

"Microscope Contents" is the first single to be taken from Kelpe's forthcoming third album for DC Recordings, Cambio Weschel, (which is released on October 12 2009). It begins with the eponymous title track -- an infectious, bass-driven, electro melody which pulses over a constantly evolving percussive groove.

Slugabed 'Dig Up Stupid' is exclusive to this single (it does not appear on the forthcoming album) - a gently grooving electro track replete with warm bass drones that intermittently bubbles with sinister arpeggios that strangely evoke some lost, anxious moment of arcade game tension.

For the fourth and final track Kelpe himself takes album highlight 'The Blankout Agreement' and reworks into a club-weight steppa that rocks its self back and forth from head-nodding groove to floor-smashing anthem, all the while chattering with percussion and subtle melodic inflections...

Kelpe (joined by Chris Walmsley on drums) will be playing selected live dates around Europe to accompany the release of Cambio Weschel. For more info, see http://www.myspace.com/kelpemusic.

Release info @ DC Recordings

Death Before Distemper 4 - Mixed & Re-Edited by Kelpe

The forthcoming release on DC Recordings works both as a great mix record and sampler album of the label's eclectic output, where analogue electronic sounds meet styles as diverse as disco, Krautrock, IDM, electro and abstract hip-hop.



Artist: Various Artists
Title: Death Before Distemper 4 - Mixed & Re-Edited by Kelpe (CD)
Cat.no.: DCR103CD
Record label: DC Recordings (UK)
Date: 7 September 2009

Tracklist:

1. Depth Charge: Hronn's Intro
2. Depth Charge:
(i) Hubba Hubba Hubba (Knife in the Bag)
(ii) Bounty Killer III (Where's the Gold?)
4. Alexander's Dark Band: (i) Bonus (ii) Colour
Kelpe: Skylla
Audible: Minal
4. The Emperor Machine: Fear of Woman
5. The Oscillation: Head Hang Low
Greedy Fingers: Cutting Progress
Padded Cell: Beautiful Gloom
6. Kelpe: Sickly Situation
O.H. Krill: Seven Up Swing (Cherrystones remix)
7. Booze: Insanity Drive
8. Depth Charge: Robotomo
9. Padded Cell: Signal Failure
10. The Emperor Machine: (i) Monkey Overbite (ii) No Sale No I.D. (Simian Mobile Disco version)
The Oscillation: Head Hang Low (Kelpe version)
11. Kelpe: Bread Machine Bred
Vincent Markowski: Dirty Capsules
12. Big Two Hundred: Kog
Depth Charge: Bounty Killer III
Arcadion: Arc
13. Tom Tyler: The Crippled Diode
Big Two Hundred: Drum Spell
14. Kelpe: (i) Shipwreck Glue (Wes Coats remix)
(ii) Shipwreck Glue
15. The Orichalc Phase: Violations (dub)
16. White Light Circus: Rocket Ride (extended version)
Alexanders Dark Band: Dead Metal Dyno Rock
17. Vincent Markowski: False Flag
18. The Oscillation: Visitation (Exit)
Kelpe: Yippee Space Ghost (Sidversion)
Skye: Part One
19. The Emperor Machine: Pro Mars
20. The Octagon Man: Vidd
21. Higamos Hogamos: Infinity Plus One
Padded Cell: Triple X Syndrome (Depth Charge remix)
22. Tom Tyler: Papa FM
23. Deadly Avenger: Malpaso
24. Alexanders Dark Band: (i) Tram Ride (ii) Lord Calrec
25. Depth Charge: Ride
26. Tom Tyler: Carmel Conclusion
Kelpe: Whirlwound (Stormy Version)
Tom Tyler: Undupitably
27. Depth Charge: Desire
28. Higamos Hogamos: The Illuminoids

Press release notes from DC Recordings:

Close on the heels of the Death Before Distemper 3, which saw The Idjut Boys mix up the more discofied elements of the DC catalogue into a succulent melting pot, comes Part 4 in the series -- a crunched-up counterpart to the Idjuts mix that has been assembled by DC's own aquatic beat-monger KELPE.

Given the run of the label's catalogue, but with the emphasis this time on the earlier and more experimental side, Kelpe splices and dices material by DC protagonists old and new to create strange and unlikely hybrids. Moving rapidly through material (forty eight tracks are featured in around forty-six minutes), the results are a beguiling mix that present the sounds of DC Recordings in some startling new ways...

The frenzied beats of Depth Charge's formative work rubs shoulders with the psychotic fury of Booze; the smooth glassy funk of Tom Tyler combines majestically with atmospheric beats of Big Two Hundred; Octagon Man's proto-techno is fused with the cosmic pop of Higamos Hogamos...

This mix precedes Kelpe's brand new studio album Cambio Wechsel, which will be released in October 2009, and forms the continuation of the Death Before Distemper series that began with the original 2006 compilation (DCR76), 2008's Revenge of the Iron Ferret (DCR89) and the aforementioned Idjut Boys mix (DCR95) that was released in spring 2009.

Ian Loveday a.k.a. Eon In Memoriam

Eon: 'The Spice Must Flow' (1991)

Via Blissblog:

Ian Loveday a.k.a. Eon, a legendary British electronic dance music producer, passed away on Wednesday June 17 from complications with pneumonia at the age of 54. Loveday was known for such rave tunes as 'Spice' (1990) and 'Fear The Mind Killer' (1991), and the album Void Dweller (1992). He also recorded under such monikers as Minimal Man, Tan Ru and R. Rash. I interviewed Ian Loveday for pHinnWeb in 2002, through his connection with J Saul Kane's Electron Industries label, for which Eon released such 12"s as 'Wave Angel' (1995) and 'Phaze Test' (1996). Rest in peace.

More:

Eon interview @ pHinnWeb (April 2002)

Partial Eon discography @ pHinnWeb

Eon @ MySpace

Eon @ Discog

Obituary @ The Daily Swarm

Obituary by Louise Gray @ When That Helicopter Comes

The Emperor Machine: "Kananana" Music Video

The Emperor Machine: 'Kananana' (directed by Cassiano Prado, 2009)

Full length version of the video for The Emperor Machine - "Kananana", single (cat.no. DCR96) released on DC Recordings (UK), 25th May 2009. Video directed by Cassiano Prado, featuring La Boca.

The Emperor Machine: 'Kananana' / Arcadion: 'Fly Vision' (DC Recordings)

Artist: The Emperor Machine
Title: Kananana
Label: DC Recordings (UK)
Cat. No: DCR96
Format: 12" / digital download
Release Date: 18 May 2009

Tracklist:

A. Kananana (4:43)
B. Snatch Shot [Extended Version] (7:45)

Press release notes:

Hot on the heels of the majestic double A-side "Black Ken/You Clapper" (DCR93) comes this double-sided slab of divergent disco music from The Emperor Machine that further showcases the forthcoming new album Space Beyond The Egg, which is due out on June 1st.

Title track 'Kananana' is a searing pop oddity replete with murmurous vocals and swinging guitar licks. It ebbs bit by bit into the mind of the listener, gradually imbuing a weird sense of vacant bliss alongside a swelling emotional charge -- this is a new strain of mutated pop genius! With a remarkable video by the esteemed Cassiano Prado and Guilherme Marcondes of Celebro Productions coming very soon, this one is set to perhaps the greatest cosmic utterance from The Emperor Machine
yet.

In contrast to this fuzzy cloud of pure joy is the wholly explicit B-side 'Snatch Shot (Extended Version)', a meditation through music on the transcience of modern copulation. Dark and warm, compelling and confounding by turn, this one will leave you panting and slightly nauseous.

This single will be followed by a new assault from The Emperor Machine Live!

Artist: Arcadion
Title: Fly Vision
Label: DC Recordings (UK)
Cat. No: DCR104
Format: 12" / digital download
Release Date: 25 May 2009

Tracklist:

1. Fly Vision (4:39)
2. Fly Vision Reprise (1:50)
3. Torque (4:51)

Press release notes:

Following in the still massive wake of his debut single "Ghost Feeder" (DCR97) comes this huge bulge of sonic outrage that sees Arcadion, a.k.a. Alan Dobson's P-funk obsession go one step further.

Title track 'Fly Vision' is a monstrous arrangement of funked-up genius that features a super-heavy bassline, a howling vocoder and diverse ensemble of pots and pans. This is P-funk for the new millennia! 'Fly Vision Reprise' takes these pots and pans (and adds a cardboard box) to make a fully percussive two minutes of rhythmic fury -- a perfectly formed DJ weapon to use with or without the original.

Third track 'Torque' is a more stripped-back affair, seismic with bass and frantic with go-go rhythms. This is a truly deviant groove that will cook the party!

These track represent the second installment from Arcadion and will hint at the size of things to come in Arcadion's forthcoming album due later in 2009...

The Emperor Machine: Space Beyond The Egg

Artist: The Emperor Machine
Title: Space Beyond The Egg
Label: DC Recordings (UK)
Cat. No: DCR92
Format: CD/2-LP/digital download
Release date: 1 June 2009

Tracklist:

1. The Frontist (3:45)
2. Kananana (4:45)
3. Lana Laila (4:21)
4. Silvercape (5:39)
5. Hairy Knuckle (6:25)
6. You Clapper (6:11)
7. Space Age Pop (6:58)
8. Wet Seven (1:39)
9. Dave Gent (5:19)
10. What's In The Box? (5:31)
11. Snatch Shot (4:20)
12. What You Want (5:11)
13. Not None (2:24)

Total length: (62:28)

Credits:

Written & produced by Andrew Meecham.
Recorded and mixed at Lipstudio 2 UK.
Mastered by Guy Davie at Electric Mastering.
(p) & © DC Recordings. Published by Schnozza Music. Artwork by La Boca.

Press release notes:

Exquisitely simple, yet enormously complex, the egg is one of nature's marvels. It is one of the most nutrient dense of foods yet one of the most inexpensive food sources of complete protein available on the planet Earth. What then should we expect
from an egg that hasn't come from Earth but from outer space? Science fiction has attempted to fathom this questions in numerous ways over the years, with often absurd and ridiculous results! In truth it has taken a man from Stafford to realize the true nature of the cosmic egg, and indeed, look no further than its perfect mottled surface, into the abyss that we cannot name, but can in fact listen to...

That man is Andy Meecham, a stalwart of sonic mongering that has travelled a long and deviant road through numerous musical incarnations to get to this point. From the childlike innocence of Bizarre Inc, to the adolescent fury of Chicken Lips, Meecham has passed through these guises and arrived, fully formed at last, as The Emperor Machine. Previous albums Aimee Tallulah Is Hypnotised (2004) and Vertical Tones And Horizontal Noise (2006), as well as more than a dozen singles and countless remixes (from Mark Ronson to Moby, Daft Punk to Franz Ferdinand) have helped refine and smooth his imperial vision, not to mention the numerous live shows all over the world since the inception of the live Emperor Machine last summer. All of this has lead to this moment, his third full-length album, which shall henceforth be known as Space Beyond The Egg.

The Egg itself can be split into many parts. From album opener 'The Frontist' -pregnant with menacing funk, to the droopy and lead-footed disco of 'Hairy Knuckle'; the mantric swing of 'Kananana' with its lethal vocal hook, to the strange amniotic cascades of 'Silvercape', not to mention the lurking deviant that is 'Dave Gent' or the Afro-cosmic reverie of 'You Clapper'. Attempting to describe these tracks in words is, of course, academic and irrelevant when compared with the actual listening experience. Put quite simply, this is music for your insides that will help you turn you inside out. This is the sound of the dream of whatever it of whatever it is that lies inside the egg: its near-perfect conception of the space beyong. Enter that space with the help of The Emperor Machine...

Coming soon from The Emperor Machine:

'Black Ken'/'You Clapper' 12" and download
- released 13th April 2009 (DCR93)

The Emperor Machine remix of Higamos Hogamos' 'Infinity Plus One' 12" and download
- released 27th April 2009 (DCR102)

'Kananana'/'Snatch Shot' (Extended Version) 12" and download
- released 11th May 2009 (DCR96)

Space Beyond The Egg LP/CD/download
- released 1st June 2009 (DCR92)

Following this release will be a special limited edition album of alternate versions: Space Beyond The Egg - The Embryo, which will include remarkable collectable artwork by La Boca.

The Emperor Machine will begin a tour of selected live dates across the globe on 5th June 2009. More details to follow...

The Emperor Machine search results @ YouTube

Higamos Hogamos: 'Infinity Plus One'

Artist: Higamos Hogamos
Title: Infinity Plus One
Format: 12"/digital download
Label: DC Recordings (UK)
Cat.no.: DCR102
Date: 27 April 2009

Tracklist:

1. Infinity Plus One (3:02)
2. The Creepers [Muscleheads Version] (5:50)
3. Infinity Plus One [The Emperor Machine Extended Version] (7:46)
4. Infinity Plus One [The Emperor Machine Dub Instrumental] (3:55)

Press release notes:

Higamos Hogamos' 'Infinity Plus One' is the second single taken from the eponymous debut album and crystalizes the band's warped mission - to fuse shimmering glam with motorik groove. The result is a truly mind-bending concoction of space age pop that gets the remix treatments here from two members of the shadowy DC roster...

The Emperor Machine delivers two remixes for this single. The first is an extended version - a disco-fied throbber that has the making of a dancefloor epic with its layers of arpeggiated melodies and uplifting melodic thrusts. This is heavy, orgiastic material that hints at the powerful new material coming from The Emperor Machine in the spring and summer of 2009. The second Emperor Machine remixes halves the BPM and pours on the delay, allowing this one to soak up enough to slink into dubwise territory.

For the the third remix Muscleheads take album track 'The Creeper' and rework it into a sinister dancefloor creation that recalls their now infamous 'Phosphorescence' (as featured on the Death Before Distemper 2 compilation), bringing a haunted edge to the original's decadent swagger.

The Emperor Machine: 'Black Ken' 12"

New material from The Emperor Machine a.k.a. Andy Meecham, the analogue Kraut-disco master of Staffordshire, UK; with an album coming in summer! (I also like La Boca's artwork for this one.)

Artist: The
Emperor Machine
Title: Black Ken
Format: 12"/digital download
Label: DC Recordings (UK)
Cat.no.: DCR93
Date: 13 April 2009

Tracklist:

A. Black Ken (5:14)
B. You Clapper (6:12)

Credits:

Written & produced by Andrew Meecham.
Recorded and mixed by Lipstudio 2 UK.
Mastered by Guy Davie at Electric Mastering.

Press release notes:

The lights are dim, and so are the senses, yet a wanton energy possesses all listeners with a beguiling depravity that will be familiar to anyone who has previously encountered the drooling, degenerate form that is THE EMPEROR MACHINE.

Returning here with two new tracks that expertly smear themselves across the dancefloor, this is the first single in a new series that will precede The Emperor Machine's third album Space Beyond The Egg, due for release on June 1st 2009.

A-side 'Black Ken' is dominated by an ascending melody of warm synthesised tones that recalls tense moments in a 70s discotheque -- sultry, fraught, pulsing, Technicolor! -- a frantic machine workout that stimulates the pelvis whilst intermittently prodding the hypothalamus.

'You Clapper' is by contrast a free-flowing and carefree affair with a pleasingly sordid feel, an orgiastic counterpart to the pent-up thrust of 'Black Ken' that will gently tenderize the brain in a shower of analogical melodies.

Expect a second single in May 2009, followed by the return of The Emperor Machine LIVE, to coincide with the brand new album!

The Emperor Machine video clips @ YouTube

Depth Charge: 'Mecha Squirrel' (12", DC Recordings)

Artist: Depth Charge
Artist: Mecha Squirrel
Format: 12"/digital download
Cat.no.: DCR80
Record label: DC Recordings (UK)
Date: 23 February 2009

Tracklist:

1. Mecha Squirrel [Part 1] (5:49)
2. Mecha Squirrel [Part 2] (4:17)
3. Shy (6:00)

Credits:

Written & produced by J. Saul Kane.
Recorded at Iron Monkey. Mastered by Mike at The Exchange.

Press release notes:

The creation of 'Mecha Squirrel' has been a long and arduous struggle between the various machinations that inhabit J. Saul Kane's mind. In the lengthy hiatus since his last release under the Depth Charge moniker (2004's 'Hi Voltage Man') his musings have taken many points of focus: the homeless cats of North-West London, the aesthetic charms of Japanese bubblegum machine cards, but always in the background has loomed the ferrous monstrosity of Mecha Squirrel.

Drawing on arcane lore, 'Mecha Squirrel' transports you to a new sonic galaxy that is emergent in Kane's mind although very much keeping with his own tradition of powerful rhythmic electro, razor-sharp breaks and bizarre sonic ruptures. Augmented by the spoken word mythologizing of an unknown narrator -- Part 1 -- and then rendered at its most percussive and dancefloor-focused -- Part 2 -- 'Mecha Squirrel' evokes the dual dimensions of Kane's deviant imagination at its most promiscuous.

B-side 'Shy' sees this imagination's more sordid dimension giving vent to the funk of potent pent-up creative forces. Polyrhythmic percussion lines drive a P-Funk swagger around staccato melodies and off-kilter electro bass, whilst demented voices evoke unknown orgiastic pleasures. The genesis of these we can but guess at, but the heightened activity at Kane's Iron Monkey studio promises more to come...

Higamos Hogamos (DC Recordings)

Artist: Higamos Hogamos
Title: Major Blitzkrieg
Format: 12"/digital download
Cat.no.: DCR98
Record label: DC Recordings (UK)
Date: 23 February 2009

Tracklist:

1. Major Blitzkrieg (2:36)
2. Major Blitzkrieg [Mickey Moonlight remix] (4:01)
3. Major Blitzkrieg [Depth Charge Buzzer remix] (5:56)

Credits:

Written by Steve Webster & Toby Jenkins.
Produced by Steve Webster.

Press release notes:

Higamos Hogamos is the new project of Steve Webster (Black Neon, Fort Lauderdale) and Toby Jenkins (Zan Pan, The Squire of Somerton, Fort Lauderdale) and 'Major Blitzkrieg' is their debut single for DC Recordings, an explosive swagger of anthemic fury that perfectly sets out their sonic manifesto: to fuse together their fetishism for analogue synthesizers with the sexual exuberance of 70s rock n' roll!

As will be apparent on the forthcoming eponymous album (due 16th March 2009) 'Major Blitzkrieg' displays but one dimension of this formidable duo's repertoire (to follow) will be another single featuring the space age pop of 'Infinity Plus One') yet its electro-fied quality immediately caught the attention of DC overlord J. Saul Kane, whose re-emergence in the guise of Depth Charge is manifest here in his schizoid "Buzzer" remix. Augmenting the original sonic textures with a ferocious electronic bass line and numerous divergent rhythms and unidentifiable noises, this is an audacious concoction that will shake the bravest dancefloors.

Mickey Moonlight, fresh from the stunning rework of Sun Ra's 'Interplanetary' (Ed Banger Records) also remixes the original, introducing tongue-drum melodies and high-life guitars; congotronic percussion going head to head with pulses of Higamos' original to make a dancefloor remix of sultry tropical charm.

Watch out for Higamos Hogamos live dates in early 2009 and the forth-coming self-titled album release in March.

Artist: Higamos Hogamos
Title: Higamos Hogamos
Format: CD, LP and digital download
Cat.no.: DCR99
Record label: DC Recordings (UK)
Date: 23 March 2009

Tracklist:

1. Infinity Plus One (2:57)
2. Black Forest Gateaux (3:54)
3. The Future Hides Its Face (3:04)
4. Major Blitzkrieg (2:37)
5. B'aby (2:54)
6. The Creeper (3:22)
7. Little Switch (2:32)
8. Moto Neurono (7:19)
9. Something's Got A Hold On Me (2:11)
10. The Illuminoids (5:05)

Credits:

Written & played by Steve Webster & Toby Jenkins.
Lyrics for 1. are adapted from the poem 'Infinity Plus One' written by Michelle McLeod.
Produced & mixed by Steve Webster at Clifden Road, except:

1. Additional mix, production & drums by J. Saul Kane.
3., 5., 6., 7. & 9. mixed by Steve Webster & J. Saul Kane.

Stipo Androvic plays bass on 1. & 8.

Press release notes:

DC Recordings proudly present HIGAMOS HOGAMOS, the eponymous debut album from Steve Webster and Toby Jenkins, already infamous for their former incarnations as Black Neon, Squire of Somerton and Fort Lauderdale, but bringing together here the first fruits of their latest project - the unfathomable sound of Higamos Hogamos.

The album begins with the uplifting space age pop of 'Infinity Plus One' (to be released as a single with remixes by The Emperor Machine and more in April 2009), an anthemic opener that gives way to the warm tones of 'Black Forest Gateaux' - rich with strains of Can and Harmonia and classic 70s Kosmische sounds. If Krautrock is one touchstone for the Higamos sound, then Bolan-esque swagger is another, as evidenced by the shimmering future glam of 'The Future Hides Its Face'.

The psychedelic romp of 'Major Blitzkrieg' brings yet another flavour to the Higamos brew. This track has been reworked for a single released 16th February by Depth Charge and Mickey Moonlight. Track like 'Moto Neurono' display remarkable mutating musicianship. 'Little Switch' strays into wacked-out territories, somewhere between the wyrd canon of British psychedelia and lo-fi garage rock, whilst 'The Illuminoids' concludes the album by steering off into motorik infinity.

Somehow Higamos Hogamos integrate the discerning musical influences with an energy and humour that has resulted in an ineffably futuristic sound and a hugely beguiling debut album. Higamos Hogamos will be supporting the release of their album by playing selected live dates from January 2009 onwards.

The Genius of The Octagon Man...

... a.k.a. J. Saul Kane.


The Octagon Man: 'Free-er Than Free' (1989)


The Octagon Man: 'Demented Spirit' (1990) [X-Mix version]


Depeche Mode: 'Dream On' (The Octagon Man Remix) (2001)

Too bad The Octagon Man alias of Kane (also known as Depth Charge) has been quiet for a while. His albums The Exciting World of Octagon Man, Itô Calculus and Magneton, and such 12"s as 'The Rimm/Phonic Maze', '10 Ft. Flowers', 'Vidd' and 'The Toy Boxx' (10") are nothing less than classics of abstract, percussive and abrasive electro sound, a path followed by far too few in a genre often dominated by retro copycats and recent kitsch trends such as electroclash (though I have to admit, to be able to make any proper judgment here, I've been too skint to purchase any new releases to keep up with what's happening in electro these days, or too lazy even to follow related discussion forums, so my own view must be quite retrospective, sigh). Well, I remember some material by Double Dutch for Marguerita Recordings was in a bit similar vein, but that too was years ago...

See also: Electron Industries, a sublabel of DC Recordings.

Vincent Markowski: 'Dirty Capsules' 12"

No rest for DC Recordings, with yet another release in pipeline!

Artist: Vincent Markowski
Title: Dirty Capsules
Label: DC Recordings (UK)
Cat. No: DCR101
Format: 12" / digital download
Release Date: 8 December 2008

Tracklist:
A. Dirty Capsules (5:42)
B. The Number Arkiv (4:59)

Credits:
Written & produced by Tom Tyler.
Mastered by Guy at Electric.

Press release notes from DC Recordings:

More than two years have passed since Vincent Markowski delivered his remarkable musical debut 'The Madness of Moths'. The record itself was an ode to his obsession with butterflies and moths, and it was not out of character for these ways to lead him off into obscurity for a year or two, but little did we know how far this self-professed moth-man would drift this time.

Perhaps inspired by label cohorts The Emperor Machine, The Oscillation et al, Markowski has fixed his gaze firmly on the cosmos. Trading on his reputation as a celebrity lepidopterist he travelled to Russia in search of cosmonautical aid, the relics of the ex-Soviet space programme proving to be well within the grasp of such a famed moth-man. Quickly he was furnished with a vintage rocket and capsule, or "space-chrysalis" as he tells us it is called, and secured a launch from the cosmodrome in Baikonur. It was with great delight in August that we received the first transmission from Markowski as the orbit of his capsule came within range of DC's giant London-based parabolic ear, and with further delight we now present two excerpts from this transmission.

'Dirty Capsules' features shades of 'The Madness of Moths' with its echoing pulse, bass-driven melody, snatches of incomprehensible lyrics and haunting ambient atmospheres. 'The Number Arkiv' is an energic affair that features a rare dose of Markowski's own voice reciting numbers, part of his regime of mental calisthenics to prevent mental deterioration whilst in space. Expect more outbursts very soon as Markowski's capsule increases in velocity.

Arcadion: "Ghost Feeder" (DC Recordings)

And yet another forthcoming DC Recordings release...

Artist: Arcadion
Title: Ghost Feeder
Label: DC Recordings (UK)
Cat. No: DCR97
Format: 12" / digital download
Release Date: 1 December 2008

Press release notes from DC Recordings:

Arcadion is the new incarnation of Alan Dobson, also known as Hungryghost (with releases coming soon on Nightmares On Wax's 'Wax On' imprint) and as an erstwhile member of scratch DJ and production team Def Tex. A resident of Norfolk and more recently London, Dobson's musical journey has taken him from a childhood of dub, blue beat records and Norfolk ditch-jumping via an obsession with computer technology and sampling to arrive at the swaggering electro boogie that you find on this debut release for DC Recordings.

The title track "Ghost Feeder" comes on like a modern take on the go-go music of Trouble Funk or Tilt, following the tradition of dancefloor music fostered by Depth Charge in his formative years and therefore fitting neatly on the DC roster. These are beats aimed squarely at your pelvis with an aim to make the party move, coming to you here in their most refined and pneumatic form.

Second track "Arc" delivers more of the same quality but utilises the motifs of electro boogie -- lilting electronic melodies riding a heavyweight percussive groove, augmented by the sound of vintage synths like the Octave Kitten and the Cheetah MS6, which bring a classic edge to this dancefloor pulse, creating flavours reminiscent of Bambaataa and early New York electro at its most futuristic!

Kelpe: Extraquarium

Kelpe: 'Keep Danger' (live 2008)

More Kelpe video clips @ YouTube

DC Recordings (UK) strikes again! On a quick listening this one features an interesting blend of post-disco, Krautrock rhythms with live drums, some psychedelic sounds and maybe a touch of IDM...

Artist: Kelpe
Title: Extraquarium
Label: DC Recordings
Cat. No: DCR94
Format: 12" / digital download
Release Date: 6 October 2008

Tracklist:

01 Bread Machine Bred (4:38) [Zombie Zombie Remix] *
02 Shipwreck Glue (6:07) [Kelpe Extraversion] *
03 Stop Parching Yourself (4:53) [Fulgeance Booty Call Remix] *
04 Shipwreck Glue (4:49) [Wes Coats Remix] *
05 Whirlwound (5:02) [Kelpe Stormy Version] **
06 Shipwreck Glue (4:53) [Architeq Version] **
07 Colours Don't Leak (4:05) [The Boats Remix] **
08 Cut It Upwards (6:02) [The Oscillation Sub-Aquatic Version] **

* to be released on 12" vinyl & download
** to be released as download only

Credits:

Written & produced by Kel McKeown.

01: Remixed by Zombie Zombie. Zombie Zombie is Etienne Jaumet & Cosmic Neman.
02: Remixed by Kelpe. Original drums played by Kel McKeown, recorded by Jimmy Robertson at Schloss Gramophone.
Fulgeance (courtesy of Musique Large).
04: Remixed by Scotty Coats and Wes The Mes aka Wes Coats, additional guitar by Dale Hauskins.
05: Remixed by Kelpe. Original drums played and recorded by Kel McKeown at Schloss Gramophone. Guitar by Adam Richens.
06: Remixed by Architeq.
07: Remixed by The Boats.
08: Remixed by The Oscillation.

Press release notes:

The release of Kelpe's Ex-Aquarium album back in February 2008 was met with a swathe of critical acclaim and followed by a series of incendiary live shows, all of which have unquestionably informed this wondrous cast of artists and producers, who have turned their hand to remixing various album tracks with wildly different results...

Gallic synth fetishists Zombie Zombie (Versatile) take time out from their on-going live rampage to deliver their first ever remix -- a complete remake of 'Bread Machine Bred' into a brooding and endlessly building epic. Fulgeance (Musique Large) brings the sub-bass to 'Stop Parching Yourself', creating a booty-fied, dancefloor romper that slips and slides like a frogman in the shallows.

'Shipwreck Glue' gets strung out and dosed up on Californian sunshine courtesy of Wes Coats (Rong), Balearic disco energy reminiscent of Studio or Mountain Of One washing over the ping-pong staccatos of the Kelpe original. Fellow beat mongerer Architeq (Tirk) takes on the same track, adding extra crunch and swagger to this manphibian anthem.

Kelpe himself remakes 'Shipwreck Glue' and 'Whirlwound', the latter rolling and swelling with added percussive energy, the former moving into loftier tempos from the original to make a dancefloor bomb of frenzied arrhythmia.

The Boats (Moteer) bring a mellow side to proceedings, taking the lambent tones of 'Colours Don't Leak' and swaddling them in delicate cello chords and an ebbing 303. Lastly DC label mates The Oscillation divert their gaze away from the cosmos and towards the deep, adding extra weights to the already heavy 'Cut It Upwards' and taking it to deeper depths!

Watch out for Kelpe playing live dates across Europe soon! For more information check www.dcrecordings.com or http://myspace.com/kelpemusic.

The Emperor Machine: "What's In The Box?"

J. Saul Kane's DC Recordings announces a forthcoming release from The Emperor Machine a.k.a. Andy Meecham, known for his excellent analogue-Kraut-disco-funk sound, and announces more live gigs by The Emperor. You can also check some Emperor Machine live videos @ YouTube.

Artist: The Emperor Machine
Title: What's In The Box?
Label: DC Recordings (UK)
Cat. No: DCR91
Format: 12" / digital download
Release Date: 1 September 2008

Tracklist:

1. What's In The Box (5:26)
2. Box Dub (6:42)
3. Non-Functioning Apeman (5:31)
4. Functioning Apewoman (6:20)

Written & produced by Andrew Meecham.
Recorded and mixed at Lipstudio 2 UK.
Mastered by Mike at The Exchange.

Press release notes:

The recent appearance of The Emperor Machine Live across the UK and Western Europe has created alarm and intense interest in this previously obscure and highly degenerate entity. What has previously existed as a mere audio recording is now a fully realised live experience that appears to be spreading virally across the continent -- already reported in the UK, France and Belgium and predicted to reach Ireland, Spain, Italy, Germany and even Russia by the year-end.

All attempts to contain The Live Emperor Machine have so far proved futile so here at the DC lab we felt it opportune to issue a cursory sample -- "What's In The Box?" This track forms part of The Emperor Machine's Live show and so will allow listeners to prepare for an outbreak in their area. The second supplementary track "Box Dub" features variant strains of echo, delay and reverb that have currently been observed in live field tests.

Third and fourth supplementary tracks on this disc are "Non-Functioning Apeman" and "Functioning Apewoman", titles that allude to the phenomenon observed during live performances of simian characteristics amongst dance floor specimens. As is suggested by the titles of these tracks, it has been noted that the female displays a greater tolerance to The Emperor Machine at this time, maintaining basic functionality through pelvic movements, whilst the male exudes a tendency towards random vocal outbursts, uncontrolled drooling and, extreme cases, a hitherto unseen form of disco-fied torpor.

We recommend detailed studies of these samples and appropriate public notification in all available forms of broadcast and printed media. We thank you for your cooperation on this.

---

The Emperor Machine Live: July 26th London - Cargo; Aug 8th Zurich - Lethargy Festival: Aug 9th London - Field Day; Sept 19th - London - Fabric; October 3rd - Dublin - Venue TBC; October 25th - Barcelona - Nitsa; November 28th - Brussels - Recyclart; November 29th Antwerp - Petrol. More dates TBC...

White Light Circus: 'Break The Circuit'

And yet another release from J. Saul Kane's DC Recordings...

Artist: White Light Circus
Title: Break The Circuit
Label: DC Recordings (UK)
Cat. No: DCR87
Format: 12" / digital download
Release Date: 11 August 2008

Tracklist:

A. Break The Circuit (5:00)
B. Up To Rot (5:47)

Credits:

Written & produced by Dean Meredith.
Vocals on 'Break The Circuit' by Jonny Spencer.
Recorded & mixed at Rogue Cat Sound.
Mastered by Mike at The Exchange.

Press release notes:

'Break The Circuit' is another burst of blinding light from White Light Circus, the astronomical nom de plume of Dean Meredith, also known as half of Chicken Lips alongside Andy Meecham (a.k.a. The Emperor Machine) and Goat Dance.

We aren't sure what has occurred in the control room of Meredith's White Light Circus since the last burst of discoid energy -- 2007's 'Interrupted Time' (DCR79) -- but things seem to be increasingly crazed up there.

Title track 'Break The Circuit' features a slow-paced swagger of disordered analogical funk accompanied by a delirious monologue from Jonny Spencer, whose breathy invocations and deranged thrills echo the dysfunctional bleeps and chatter of the out of control machines in the background.

B-side 'Up To Rot' is by comparison a less volatile cosmic phenomenon. With no human voice in sight, the machines seem synchronous once again; their misfiring circuits strangely harmonized allowing the listener to drift into a familiar state of analogical dementia, tinged with sci-fi-psych-osis.

This new cosmic event is the fourth in the White Light Circus constellation, following on from the nebular 'Interrupted Time' (DCR79), 'Rocket Ride' (DCR71) and 'Marching Orders' (DCR62).

Padded Cell: 'Word of Mouth' (DC Recordings)

Padded Cell: 'Word of Mouth' (feat. Chloé Battant) (directed by Julian Hand, 2008)



And even more from the ever-productive DC Recordings of England's J. Saul Kane...

Artist: Padded Cell
Title: Word of Mouth
Label: DC Recordings (UK)
Cat. No: DCR90
Format: 12" / digital download
Release Date: 16 June 2008

Tracklist:

01. Word of Mouth - Glimmers Disko Drunkards Dub (5:46)
02. Word of Mouth [feat. Chloé Battant] - Extended Version (5:22)
03. Word of Mouth [feat. Chloé Battant] - Binary Chaffinch Rework (4:29)

Press release notes:

"Word of Mouth" is the second single to be taken from Padded Cell's debut album Night Must Fall (DCR72). A dark slab of pop-noir that pulses with punk-funk energy, this is a cautionary tale of urban decay and spoiled love, as told by the beguiling voice of Chloé Raunet (of London band Battant -- Kill The DJ Records). Recalling the Au Pairs or Bush Tetras as much as the sound of early 80s New York, "Word of Mouth" follows the incendiary single "Savage Skulls" (DCR88) and features two wildly different remixes:

The Glimmers' remix ups the tempo and emphasises the punk-funk swagger, leaving Chloé's vocals out in preference to the sordid drunken parley of an unidentified clochard. Aimed squarely at the dancefloor, this electro-fied devil's dub will have the late night crowds quivering with deranged happiness!

The second remix comes courtesy of Binary Chaffinch, a shadowy figure who is usually seen beneath a cloak of silver playing drums for cosmic disco doom band Chrome Hoof. This factor is most apparent in the uncommon percussive approach that has rendered the original track unrecognisable except for the vocals, and virtually incomparable with any other musical style except in terms of its genius.

The cover art depicts the fruits of Padded Cell's unsavoury collaboration with La Boca: an act of visual necromancy that has been brought to life further in the forthcoming video directed by Julian Hand. The video will introduce this triangular cyclopean personage to the world as more than a 2-dimensional image, instead an actual creature, who although without arms of even a brow, will be seen casting her eye over the masses as part of Padded Cell's immanent live performances. Most notably of these live shows will be a special DC Recordings event in London on June 21st that will feature legendary percussionist Dennis Young (Liquid Liquid) playing live with Padded Cell. For more details, go to www.dcrecordings.com.

"All Is Lost In Bright Confusion..."

The Oscillation: 'Head Hang Low' (2007)

The Oscillation's (a.k.a. Demian Castellanos, DC Recordings, UK) cover version of a Julian Cope song. (The original can be found from Cope's 1984 album World Shut Your Mouth.)

YouTube also features a video of the "Bright Confusion Mix". And more from The Oscillation @ YouTube.

The Oscillation @ MySpace

Padded Cell: Night Must Fall (DC Recordings, UK)

Before the humungous compilation Death Before Distemper 2 comes out early June, UK's DC Recordings hits with the latest album from Padded Cell and their brand of atmospheric analogue-Kraut-electro-disco-punk-funk:

artist: Padded Cell
title: Night Must Fall
format: 2-LP/CD/digital download
cat.no.: DCR72
label: DC Recordings (UK)
date: 12 May 2008

tracklist:

1. Moon Menace Part II (2:10)
2. Savage Skulls (4:35)
3. Faces of the Forest [edit] (4:21)
4. Word of the Mouth [feat. Chloe Battant] (3:44)
5. My Children Sleep Next to the Echo Chamber (5:33)
6. Night Must Fall (1:37)
7. City of Lies (3:18)
8. Triple X Syndrome (5:13)
9. Konkorde Lafayette [edit] (5:05)
10. Far Beneath London (5:25)
11. Beautiful Gloom (4:29)
12. Are You Anywhere [edit] (5:52)

Press release notes from DC Recordings:

Richard Sen and Neil Beatnik's Padded Cell has been the focus of growing speculation of late. After achieving individual notoriety as a Bronx Dog (Heavenly) and a Dirty Beatnik (Wall of Sound) respectively, their triptych of 12" releases for DC Recordings -- 2005's "Signal Failure" (DCR64), 2006's "Are You Anywhere" (DCR67), and 2007's "Moon Menace" (DCR76) -- has left nocturnal creatures everywhere drooling with desire for a full-length glimpse into the shodowy depths of the Padded Cell. Finally it is here!

Drawing inspiration from bands as diverse as Goblin, The Velvet Underground, Arthur Russell, Material, Bush Tetras and Carl Craig, this duo's analogue fetishism is tinged with creeping psychosis but makes for a sound that is a soulful and emotional as it is dark and narcotic. The making of Night Must Fall has involved a list of collaborators that hints at this rich diversity: Dennis Young (Liquid Liquid) plays percussion, Chloe Battant from London punk-funk band Battant (Kill The DJ) delivers vocals; guitars and synths come from sonic necromancer Giallos Flame (Analogue Screams / DC Recordings) and Italian producers The Diaphanoids (Bearfunk) deliver strings, synths and vocals.

With careers as prolific club deejays and live performers that have spanned almost two decades (not to mention remixing the likes of the Glimmer Twins, Mekon, Sly Mongoose and Big Two Hundred), it follows that these mind-bending elements have been forced through dancefloor-focused channels, creating the nefarious 'devils-disco' brew for which this pair have become notorious. From the 80s New York-style funk of forthcoming single "Savage Skulls" to the John Carpenter-esque soundtrack of "City of Lies" and the new-wave pop-noir of "Word of Mouth", this a journey into dance music's darkest depths that will possess listeners of all persuasions.

A worldwide tour is scheduled for May and June to coincide with this release.

And The Lefthanded (FIN) on DC Recordings' (UK) Forthcoming Compilation

Finland's And The Lefthanded (formerly Larry and the Lefthanded; the members Timo Kaukolampi and Vilunki 3000 are also part of Op:l Bastards) will appear on DC Recordings' forthcoming compilation Death Before Distemper 2 with their magnificent 'Rocket Rock', my favourite track (early Pink Floyd meets Hawkwind meets 60s psychedelic garage rock meets Krautrock meets...?) from their 2004 album In the Kingdom of The Shadows. (You can hear 'Rocket Rock' also at the MySpace page of And The Lefthanded.)

Artist: Various Artists
Title: Death Before Distemper 2 - Revenge of the Iron Ferret
Format: CD/2-LP/digital download
Cat.no.: DCR89
Label: DC Recordings (UK)
Date: 9 June 2008

tracklist:

1. The Emperor Machine: Introduction (0:55)
2. Booze: Insanity Drive (4:28)
3. And The Lefthanded: Rocket Rock (4:29)
4. The Oscillation: Somatone (4:26)
5. Bot'ox: The Crash Theme (6:41)
6. Depth Charge: Castle of Doom (4:49)
7. Kelpe: Shipwreck Glue (5:57)
8. Muscleheads: Phosphorescence (8:32)
9. The 63 Crayons: Heal Us (4:54)
10. The Emperor Machine: Swiss Machine (2:25)
11. Padded Cell: Beautiful Gloom (Dennis Young version) (5:10)
12. Astral Manhole Project: Perfected Love (6:20)
13. The Oscillation: Head Hang Low (Kelpe version) (5:56)

Press release notes from DC Recordings:

Following on from 2006's astounding Death Before Distemper (DCR73) compilation, DC Recordings is proud to present the second installment in the series: Death Before Distemper - Revenge Of The Iron Ferret. The inevitable culmination of years of rodent fetishism, the Distemper that has been gradually affecting the label, manifest in recent DC Recordings events and peculiar art works, has demanded a new survey of our musical landscape from which we are now able to present the following specimens:

Booze is the formidable collision of Milo Smee (Chrome Hoof) and Demian Castellanos (The Oscillation); taking a break from their respective projects to deliver this febrile outburst of gravelly percussive filth -- 'Insanity Drive'. And The
Lefthanded herald from Finland and bring their lunar psych to the roster after years of self-imposed musical exile in their native country. Bot'Ox features the talents of masterful French producer and DJ Cosmo Vitelli, here bringing a touch of the cinematic with the sumptuous disco groove 'The Crash Theme'. Already notorious for their recent DJ set at the "Hairy On The Inside" event in London, Muscleheads are a shadowy duo whose debut track 'Phosphorescence' is a remarkable experience in droning disco-fied Krautrock. The 63 Crayons delivers a mutated motorik classic in the form of the Silver Apples-esque 'Heal Us'. All of these tracks are exclusive to this DC compilation.

Alongside these new characters certain members of the DC familiar are present with fresh new offerings. Depth Charge, the eponymous leader of our creed who some feared lost in musical oblivion -- returns to dispel any such speculation with the truly masterful, Carpenter-esque 'Castle Of Doom'. Meanwhile Padded Cell give us a unique version of 'Beautiful Gloom', a track taken from their new album Night Must Fall (DCR72) but reworked here by Liquid Liquid's Dennis Young. The Oscillation's bucolic 'Somatone' is a glimpse of one of the many new directions that Demian Castellanos is heading in with his forthcoming material. Andy Meecham's Emperor Machine goes into library-esque territories with the bizarre mechanical guile of 'Swiss Machine', whilst Kelpe's 'Shipwreck Glue' is one of the standout tracks from the acclaimed Ex-Aquarium (DCR82) album. Due to repeated demands from the music-consuming masses we have also featured here Kelpe's remarkable remix of The Oscillation's 'Head Hang Low', previously available as download only b-side.

Released just prior to the summer, when DC artists old and new, will present a series of unprecedented live events, Death Before Distemper 2 - Revenge Of The Iron Ferret will provoke fear, rage, uncertainty and rabid delight amongst the musical hordes!

Death Before Distemper 2 Launch Party
@ Corsica Studios, London, 21st June 2008

The Emperor Machine live (First Ever Live Show Ever!!)
Padded Cell live
Kelpe live (feat. All Traps Set on drums)
The Oscillation live - tbc (feat. Live Visuals of JULIAN HAND)
Depth Charge DJ - Clause Four DJ - Muscleheads DJ
More details of this sensational event to follow...

And even before the compilation DC Recordings gives the latest offering from Padded Cell, a.k.a. Richard Sen and Neil Higgins, with an exclusive remix from Depth Charge (a.k.a. J. Saul Kane, the label's boss and a cult artist in his own right):

Artist: Padded Cell
Title: Savage Skulls
Format: 12"/digital download
Cat.no: DCR88
Label: DC Recordings (UK)
Date: 21 April 2008

Tracklist:

A. Savage Skulls (Extended Version) (5:26)
B. Triple X Syndrome (Depth Charge remix) (6:28)

Press release notes

The Exciting World of J. Saul Kane @ pHinnWeb