Saturday November 22nd I will actually be playing live.
Have not played live since Feb 2024, so very much looking forward to it.
Also on playing live are Bell Prover (Doug E Powell) Burning Trestle and SHIN.
I will be playing a few old tunes and some new ones from the forthcoming release Counting to Ten Then Back Again. Out Feb 2026 on Castles in Space.
if you live out West, do pop along. Doors open at 7pm.
Pattern Recognition
The Plough Arts Centre Barnstable Nov 22nd
When recording the album “Sad Old Tatty Bunting”, I decided it needed a
spoken word track. I wanted to mix this in the style of The Velvet
Underground track, 'The Gift', with the vocals hard panned to the left
and music to the right. I approached singer/songwriter Douglas E Powell
and asked him if he would be interested in writing a short story for
this purpose. Doug came back to me sometime later with a 13/14 minute
tale about ancient giant crabs and a burial at a place called 'Bevill’s
Leam'.
I loved the story, however it was too long, way too long. There was only
about 7 minutes spare for the last track on the album. So Doug went
back to work on it and presented me with a shortened version. The voice
was recorded and mixed, hard panning left and right.
“Sad Old Tatty Bunting” was released on Castles in Space in Feb 2022.
In the Spring of 2022 I started thinking about the full version of
'Bevill’s Leam', and started to think that we should revisit the track
in order to record and release the long version using Doug’s full text
as originally planned.
I told my label, Castles in Space that I wanted to do
the 12” in the style of a DIY white label. We agreed on no cover
artwork and only a white sleeve with an A5 paper insert. Taking
inspiration from Public Image’s “Metal Box” a red typewriter font was
chosen for all the text. Colin Morrison at CiS proposed a red vinyl pressing
because he’s like that.
So, with all the label details worked out, the last remaining problem we
had was that Doug no longer had the original full story! So in double
quick time he set to work and re-wrote and re-recorded the whole thing.
It turned out Longer, darker and better.
Myself and long time friend and producer Jack Packer set to work
remixing the new version of 'Bevill’s Leam'. Some new tracks were laid
down with additional sounds and effects and then Doug’s new extended
vocal (sounding amazing) was sewn into the mix.
This new version of the track is very different from the album version,
having a fuller sound and sharper clarity. Doug’s vocal was perfect, and
the new musical additions created a more balanced and atmospheric feel.
The B side instrumental version was slightly extended, and again some
new sounds and effects added.
So there you have it…the full story of Burial at Bevill’s Leam in glorious hand numbered,
red 12" 45rpm format.
Title: a skip and a song to see us along
Artist: keith seatman
Release Date: 16th August 2024
Cat No: ksa 011
Released by: K.S.Audio
Format: CD, Digi from Bandcamp
a skip and a song to see us
along is
the 8th album by Keith Seatman and his 1st non-Castles in
Space album release since 2017.
Castles in Space will be releasing a new LP
from Keith in Feb 2025 and a
remix 7inch single in late 2024.
In the meantime this release is a collection of 10 new tunes featuring more of
his Odd Electronics, Psych, Radiophonics, Drone, quirky melodies, samples and
random thoughts. Douglas E Powell joins Keith again and supplies Acoustic
Guitar on track 10 jumbled letters.
This 5 song 10inch EP combines the plaintive
English voice of Powell placed amongst Germanic analogue organ, synths and
sequencers creating the type of dark Cold War soundscapes favoured by the
Radiophonic Workshop to the Human League. Floydian incidental music for a late
70s post nuclear meltdown drama.
Shindig Magazine (Jan 2019)
Burial at Bevill’s Leam
Extended and Instrumental Versions
of Seatman and Powell track from
CiS093 - 'Sad Old Tatty Bunting’
Format: 12” Red Vinyl / Download
Released: 27th January, 2023
Catalogue Number CiS137
Available From
https://castlesinspace.bandcamp.com/music
Distributor: state51
When recording the album “Sad Old Tatty Bunting”, I decided it needed a spoken word track. I wanted to mix this in the style of The Velvet Underground track, 'The Gift', with the vocals hard panned to the left and music to the right. I approached singer/songwriter Douglas E Powell and asked him if he would be interested in writing a short story for this purpose. Doug came back to me sometime later with a 13/14 minute tale about ancient giant crabs and a burial at a place called 'Bevill’s Leam'.
I loved the story, however it was too long, way too long. There was only about 7 minutes spare for the last track on the album. So Doug went back to work on it and presented me with a shortened version. The voice was recorded and mixed, hard panning left and right.
“Sad Old Tatty Bunting” was released on Castles in Space in Feb 2022.
In the Spring of 2022 I started thinking about the full version of 'Bevill’s Leam', and started to think that we should revisit the track in order to record and release the long version using Doug’s full text as originally planned.
I told my label, Castles in Space that I wanted to do the 12” in the style of a DIY white label. We agreed on no cover artwork and only a white sleeve with an A5 paper insert. Taking inspiration from Public Image’s “Metal Box” a red typewriter font was chosen for all the text. Morrison at CiS proposed a red vinyl pressing because he’s like that.
So, with all the label details worked out, the last remaining problem we had was that Doug no longer had the original full story! So in double quick time he set to work and re-wrote and re-recorded the whole thing. It turned out Longer, darker and better.
Myself and long time friend and producer Jack Packer set to work remixing the new version of 'Bevill’s Leam'. Some new tracks were laid down with additional sounds and effects and then Doug’s new extended vocal (sounding amazing) was sewn into the mix.
This new version of the track is very different from the album version, having a fuller sound and sharper clarity. Doug’s vocal was perfect, and the new musical additions created a more balanced and atmospheric feel. The B side instrumental version was slightly extended, and again some new sounds and effects added.
So there you have it…the full story of Burial at Bevill’s Leam in glorious hand numbered, red 12" 45rpm format.
January 2023
A: Burial at Bevill's Leam (Extended)
B: Burial at Bevill's Leam (Instrumental)
12inch Single
Castles in Space CiS 137
Original version of Burial at Bevill’s Leam can be heard on
Keith Seatman’s album Sad Old Tatty Bunting
Castles in Space CiS 093
https://keithseatman-cis.bandcamp.com/
So here we are.....Test Transmission Archive Reel 50. When I started
doing these a very long time ago (about 11 years) really did not expect
to get this far. So to celebrate hitting 50 my guest mix this time round
is from my friend singer song writer and occasional musical
collaborator, contributor to my clunky old music...the mighty Mr Douglas E
Powell who also records as Bellprover https://bellprover.bandcamp.com/.
Doug
has supplied a wonderful mix which starts around 24 mins in. So this
time round from myself and Mr Powell we have music from The Steve Miller
Band, The Residents, Beak, Kool & The Gang, Ladyhawke, The Pop
Group, Lalo Schifrin, Roberto Delgado & His Orchestra, Alessanda and
the Atomic Crocus, Goldbug and a whole lot more. So until Archive reel
51 and maybe another guest, keep safe wrap up warm its gonna be a long
winter.
Sad Old tatty Bunting has been released and is available from
Castles in Space and Rough Trade/Norman Records and many others.
Artwork by Nick Taylor
A darkly unique new transmission from the
incomparable Keith Seatman.
Keith provides the vision and background to the album:
“The
inspiration for Sad Old Tatty Bunting came about very early one morning
in April 2020, during the first UK lockdown. I had taken to going for
long walks between six and seven o’clock in the morning. I would stroll
aimlessly and directionless up and down terraced streets, along the
beach and on the prom.
On these early morning walks, places that were
once very familiar to me seemed to have changed and taken on an
unfamiliar feel. With this change I noticed new things, things which I
had not seen before or maybe had no memory of ever seeing.
“One morning I passed an old pub. Hanging in the beer garden was some very old and quite shabby looking bunting. As I stared at the faded old colours I started to wonder why the bunting was there? Was it put up to mark a long forgotten occasion? Or had it been placed there to just brighten up the garden? As the weeks went by, I started to wander further and every now and then would notice more random old tatty bunting hanging from trees, lamp posts or in windows. On theses walks an idea started to take root. I came up with and really liked the phrase Sad Old Tatty Bunting. I mentioned this to my friend Douglas E Powell who said it sounded like the name of an old scarecrow (Tatty Bunting) it was then that I realised that Sad Old Tatty Bunting could refer to many different concepts/ideas/places/books and things. What, who or even where was Sad Old Tatty Bunting? I honestly had no idea…but it was definitely an idea I was going to pursue…”
I am pleased to say that there is now a limited number of copies of the Seatman & Powell (featuring Belbury Poly) Broken Folk 10inch EP, available from Bandcamp. Previously only available from Ghostbox Records, Belbury Music Shop. A five track EP of collaborations with folk singer Douglas E. Powell /Bellprover selected from my albums, A Rest Before the Walk and all hold hands and off we go. It opens with a remix of
the title track Broken Folk by Ghost Box veterans, Belbury Poly.
Melancholic and subtly psychedelic, these songs are redolent of
supernatural short stories and winter afternoons out on English
landscapes. In these dark rustic reveries, Seatman builds a dense
collage of electronics, fragmented melody and found sound, around which
Powell weaves his dreamlike lyrics. The 10” is pressed on translucent green vinyl with sleeve art by Belbury
Poly's Jim Jupp. It’s released on Seatman’s own label KS Audio and is
produced in association with Belbury Music.
Broken Folk* (Belbury Poly Mix)
Boxes with Rhythms In
Broken Folk
Mr Metronome
My Morning Ritual
All instruments
Keith Seatman (& Jim Jupp on * ). Vocals Douglas E Powell
Produced by Keith Seatman & Jack Packer.
Except * produced by Jim Jupp
Written by Seatman & Powell.
Except * by Seatman, Powell & Jupp
Mastered by Jim Jupp
Cover design by Jim Jupp
(P) & (C) K S Audio 2018
Belbury Music
Broken Folk 10inch EP available now on Bandcamp
Way back in Feb 2020 myself and Jim Jupp were invited to play a DJ set at The Sonik Youth Club in Braunton North Devon. Unfortunatly we all went into lockdown, and with no chance of us playing this set live we were asked by Doug to do a mix for The Sonik Youth Club on Mixcloud. Hopefully when all this is over a swift journey to Braunton might just happen...but until then put your feet up and enjoy all the The Sonik Youth Club mixes here
And now some words from and about The Sonik Youth Club.
The Sonik Youth Clubis a collection of DJ's and music enthusiasts coming together to play live DJ sets in amazing spaces. No genres, only interesting and diverse music performed by and for free thinking people. The first Sonik Youth Club was a live event at Saunton Road Studios, Braunton, Devon, 29th Feb 2020 and featured 3 live DJ sets from Doug Powell, Buko and Si Gracia. Saunton Road Studios is a great little venue, it’s not only a recording studio but it doubles up as a live venue and bar with great local beer, ideal for a small gathering of 50 or so. Perfect for the Sonik Youth Club. I’ve always wanted to put on a night were anyone could come and play anything they wanted to, not necessarily DJ’s and not a typical dance night and not even in a club setting, just a cool place where folks could listen to music that they are not usually exposed to. The first night was a great success with the promise of something a bit different from the usual night out at local pub. Buko opened the evening with a set of Psych, 60’s garage and Experimental Electronica. Doug Powell’s set was a wide-ranging mix of 60’s French Pop, Psych, Folk and Electronica. Si Gracia ending the evening with his trademark set of Jazz, Funk and House. Soon after we all went into lockdown, so Doug had to move the Sonik Youth Club online to Mixcloud. It was a shame not to able to carry on with the live events. Doug told us, but this opened up an opportunity for us to be heard worldwide and to get submissions for DJ sets and mixtapes from across the globe. We are currently up to 9 mixes and have loads more waiting in the wings to be posted.
Mixes still currently available;
Sonik Youth Club 1, Doug Powell DJ Mix
Sonik Youth Club 2, Doug Powell DJ Mix
Sonik Youth Club 3, Lee Ackland DJ Mix
Sonik Youth Club 4, Jay’s Chaos Indie Classics Mix Tape
Sonik Youth Club 5, Russ Never Sleeps Mix Tape
Sonik Youth Club 6, Alan Cook DJ Mix
Sonik Youth Club 7, Stribbs DJ Mix
Sonik Youth Club 8, Jez Stevens DJ Mix
Sonik Youth Club 9, Keith Seatman & Jim Jupp DJ Mix
