The Sonik Youth Club, Braunton, Devon

 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

Hare and the Moon/Grey Malken Reviews all hold hands hands

A Review for all hold hands and off we go by
Grey Malken/Hare and the Moon (Active Listener 2017)

 

Hampshire artist Keith Seatman beckons us to return to his spooked, analogue world with his fifth album 'All Hold Hands And Off We Go', the follow up to 2015's masterful folk flecked slice of electronic pastoralism 'A Rest Before A Walk'. With a back catalogue of haunted gems as well as being the architect behind the highly recommended Test Transmission mixes, Seatman is quietly cementing a reputation as one of the foremost and most influential of electronic explorers in the inhabited by fellow travelers Belbury Poly, The Advisory Circle and Concretism. 'All Hold Hands And Off We Go' more than cements this; this is possibly Seatman's finest yet and an album which seems to unveil more depth, detail and riches upon each successive encounter.

The brief ominous hum and distant chatter of voice that opens 'A Lighthouse Might Look Long' provides a startling and pleasingly disorientating beginning to proceedings before the driven and urgent synth stomp of 'All Hold Hands And Off We Go' accelerates the listener into a metallic and neon filled dream. Electronic drumbeats propel the whirling strings and twisted carnivalesque keys and chimes; both exhilarating and disconcerting this ably sets out Seatman's stall and leaves some other 'hauntology' or electronica acts seem tame and plodding in comparison. 'Skipping Rope' goes even further down the rabbit hole, a descending synth motif merges with a children’s' song, music boxes and clattering percussion to create a truly spectral and ghost filled vision that begs repeat listening; nightmares have rarely sounded quiet so delicious. Next, 'Mr Metronome' eases the pace to a stately, dystopian glacial grandeur, strings framing vocalist Douglas E Powell's breathtaking performance; fans of John Foxx, should immediately seek this out. Should an alternative soundtrack to Ben Wheatley's 'High Rise' be needed then he need look no further; this is both chilling and addictive. 'Left behind, Lost Or Dropped' screams into view, propelled by insistent keys and increasingly frantic drumbeats, it's melody (as Seatman's seem to) getting under the listener’s skin and into the imagination; this music conjures visuals like almost no other. Next, 'Four Steps At A Time' shrouds its glistening melodies in a cosmic wind, echoes from a past within the present ricocheting and returning around the steady electric beat. Haunting and curiously uplifting, this track exemplifies the layers and careful construction involve din Seatman's mini symphonies, there is so much going on here that repeated listens are ably rewarded. 'Odd In A Nightcap and Cup' posits backwards effects amidst synthetic voices and analogue bleeps and whirrs before an organ harmony plucked straight from some decaying old Hollywood film hovers into view; this music is filled with ghosts. 'Tap Tap' is a foreboding slice of future sock; rasping keyboards and a colossal sounding drums give an indication perhaps of what Black Sabbath might have sounded like in alternate universe had they formed with a battery of Korg synths rather than conventional instruments. 'Boxes With Rhythms In' returns Douglas E Powell to the helm for an album highlight, a shimmering jewel of a song, banks of strings and keys creating a processional march of no small power. The album concludes with 'Of salt And candy', a children’s' nursery rhyme resonating against electronic howls and gusts; an ending befitting the otherworldly nature of what has come before.

This is a masterclass in atmosphere and mood but also in melody and song craft; Seatman has composed an album that lingers long after it has finished, it leaves its own ghosts behind and delightfully so. This is essential listening but don't stop here; seek out Seatman's earlier albums for more treasures. Available now from KS Audio on CD and as a download from Bandcamp
Grey Malken (Hare and the Moon 2017)