A Winter Digital Discount

Its coming to the end of the year, so its time for the Winter Digital Discount. In preparation of all sorts of projects/releases and an EP or 2 in 2018. You can now (if the mood takes you) download all 5 of my albums (Digital format) for £13.75p. That should warm you up over the bleak dark winter months.

Focal Point Basic Design

Its that time again..........another Test Transmission Archive Reel. Lots of recent acquisitions on here (things I have received and picked up over the last few months) So this time round what do we have??? We have Bongwater, The Sweet, Tom Waits, Ruth Wall & Jim Williams, Kikagaku, Delia Derbyshire, Princehorn Dance School, Sproatly Smith, The Y'alls FC Judd a couple from Buried Treasure Records (Yuri Morozow and Alan Sutcliffe) Some Ghostbox (Belbury Circle, The Focus Group and ToiToiToi) and something new from the mysterious Bell Prover.
Prob not going to get a chance to do another Test Transmission Archive Reel this year, so until the next one, Thanks for listening and have a fine chilly Winter (If we get one)

Time for some Echopet

Echopet (Jez Stevens/Keith Seatman) formed more as an enthusiasts club for SH101 and Melos analog delays and despite having good intentions the duo lay somewhat dormant until they were pitched in to performing a live sound/foley track to a silent horror fantasy film made in 1929 called The Terrors. Having completed this mission, with no apparent casualties, over a year went by before work as a duo recommenced. Another year later and we have a rare glimpse of the internal workings of Echopet, a project, it seems , largely dedicated to performance only.Spirit of Gravity

Working Hard

At present trying to work on a couple of projects for 2018. Hopefully there will be a CD/Digital EP out and also a 7in Vinyl EP, featuring reworkings of four tracks cowritten with Douglas E Powell taken from the last two albums (All Hold Hands and Off We Go, A Rest Before the Walk).
The Reworks are Boxes with Rhythms in, Broken Folk, My Morning Ritual and Mr Metronome. At present we do not know when the 7inch EP will be released and are currently considering, and looking into any offers that come our way to assist with the release of this single EP. Here are a couple of images secretly taken of the team working hard on projects for 2018.

 

Outward Journeys/Belbury Circle/John Foxx

 The rather superb Synth Pop sounds of The Belbury Circle (Plus John Foxx on 2 tracks) release their 1st album. The last Belbury Circle and John Foxx release was Empty Avenues back in 2013. If you are a fan of 80s synth/library music, then this is going to be right up your street. With Track titles like Transports, Heading Home, Light Industry and Cloudburst Five  (my personal fav at the mo) you really can't go wrong. The Haunting Forgotten Town is classic Quiet Man/John Foxx.

A joyfully re-imagined soundworld that draws heavily on
late 70s and early 80s synth pop and library music. 

 

Last Few CDs and a bit More

There are still a few CD copies left of all hold hands and off we go, for sale on Bandcamp. The copies in the Ghostbox Records Guests shop sold out a while ago. Once these are gone that will be it CD wise for the time being. Of course digital copies of all my albums can be purchased from bandcamp individually or as a super bumper bundle

Thank you to everyone who has played, reviewed and purchased all hold hands and off we go. There are plans for a CD EP in 2018 and also a 7inch vinyl release with Douglas E Powell in 2018 (providing we have the time and the funds)

Black Meadow: Tales from the Black Meadow - The Play - A Look Ba...

Black Meadow: Tales from the Black Meadow - The Play - A Look Ba...: The idea of performing the play in Whitby occurred at the very start. It sounded like a great idea. Some were dubious... After a while, on...

The Quietened Cosmologists – Pre-order Release Dates and Audio Clips

Pre-order available 12th September 2017.
Released 3rd October 2017.

From a Year in the Country Another superb themed compilation. 

The Quietened Cosmologists is a reflection on space exploration projects that have been abandoned and/or that were never realised, of connected lost or imagined futures and dreams, the intrigue and sometimes melancholia of related derelict sites and technological remnants that lie scattered and forgotten.

It takes as its initial starting points the shape of the future’s past via the discarded British space program of the 1950s to 1970s; the sometimes statuesque and startling derelict artifacts and infrastructure from the Soviet Union’s once far reaching space projects; the way in which manned spaceflight beyond Earth’s orbit/to the moon and the associated sense of a coming space age came to be largely put to one side after the 1969 to 1972 US Apollo flights.

Featuring audiological explorations by: Field Lines Cartographer Pulselovers Magpahi Howlround Vic Mars Unit One (Dom Cooper of Circle/Temple and The Straw Bear Band in collaboration with Al Hill) A Year In The Country Keith Seatman Grey Frequency Time Attendant Listening Center Polypores David Colohan

Available from  

A Year in the Country Shop 

Bandcamp 
Preview audio clips can be heard at
A Year in the Country Soundcloud Page

A couple of new tunes

A couple of new tunes. These are the first tunes that I have produced since the last album came out back in April. Not sure if these will end up on a new album? or might try to release an Ep (Vinyl) Also maybe plans if possible to release an EP with Douglas E Powell (see previous post) of course all of this depends on time and finances, so who knows?
 

A bit of Pop/Punk/Psychobilly is good for you.

I have always had a soft spot for The Cramps. This should come as no surprise to anyone that knows me, but does seem to confuse some people I have met who seem to think that I sit around all day listening to strange and obscure Electronic/Avent-garde music Reading MR James, Robert Aickman and discussing Public info Films (ok sometimes I might)
So with that in mind here are a few albums that have been with me since teenage years and are played on a regular basis in the house whilst Hoovering and washing up and pottering around. There are other albums I could include here (Swell Maps Marineville a superb pop/noise/punk psych classic) but all three of these albums in my opinion are true singalong foot tapping greats. 1st up is The Cramps Off the Bone.

What more could you ask for here??? A Cramps compilation of obscure 50s Rock'n'Roll/Rockerbilly cover versions plus a healthy number of Cramps originals, all in a 3D cover (I still have the glasses) covering the Iillegal Records years 79 to 83. Garbage Man is a major foot tapper, and Some New Kind of Kick still reminds me of The Fall (Replace Lux's voice with Mark E Smith impersonation and you'll see what I mean)

The Ramones Its Alive has got to be one of the best live albums of all time. Recorded at The Rainbow Theatre London New Years Eve 1977 and was released in 1979. The album is an absolute cracker and contains most tracks from the 1st three Ramones albums (Ramones, Leave Home and Rocket to Russia) I remember when I first got this album I played it to death. Some years later I finally got to see The Ramones Live and was not disappointed. of course the ups and downs and inner conflicts within the band are now well documented, Johnny's Political views (Right), Joey's views (Left), Tommy leaving, Marky Drinking, Dee Dee's Rap album see End of the Century Documentry), Joey not speaking to Johnny for years. But all of that can never take away how exciting and bloody awesome this album and the band truly were.

Next up has to be the Undertones 1st album. I know its probably a cliche, but from the moment I heard Teenage Kicks on John Peel I was hooked, then seeing the band on TOTP shortly later just confirmed it all for me (Their Old Grey Whistle Test appearance is fantastic) As soon as the album came out in May 1979 I got a copy. The Undertones were in fact signed to Sire Records, the same label as the Ramones. I was also fortunate enough to see them on tour in March and Sept 79 and managed to meet the band on both occasions after the shows (I was still at School and got home late on both occasions) All members of the band were fantastic and very sociable and shared their drinks and cigarettes with all of us. As for the album it is a pop classic. Jump Boys, Billys Third, I Know a Girl, Male Model. All superb and very catchy sing along tracks. It really is a perfect pop album.

Found Objects: An Edwardian Railway and the Ghosts of Punks Past

Found Objects: An Edwardian Railway and the Ghosts of Punks Past: In June 1903 The Meon Valley Railway was opened and operated with passengers until 1955. Goods traffic remained on sections of the line u...

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)

We are Cult Review

Short extract from the We are Cult Review of all hold hands and off we go

Sometimes it’s very pretty. Sometimes it makes you glance out of the window to make sure that there aren’t people wearing Badger Masks stood menacingly at the end of your drive. Sometimes it’s both of those things. It’s intriguing, inventive stuff, quite bouncy in places, and the propulsive title track motors along with infectious energy like a sort of 70s children’s TV version of Can. We Are Cult highly recommend all hold hands and off we go. Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s some men with Badger Masks outside and I’m looking for a broom.

Martin Ruddock  (We are Cult July 2017)

For full review and many many other interesting things click on link to

We Are Cult

What Next????? There is a Plan (Maybe)

A while back I had the idea to maybe rework (polish and tidy up) four of the tracks that have appeared on the last two albums (all hold hands and off we go, A Rest Before the Walk) which feature the vocals and lyrics of Douglas E Powell. I trekked down to North Devon to have a bit of a summit meeting with Doug and to discuss this idea and maybe release four tracks on a 7inch EP. Doug liked the idea, so in July this year, after a long old slog in Doug's studio we finally finished the music side of this project. There are still some vocals to re-record, but getting there. The Tracks are Boxes with Rhythms in, My Morning Ritual, Broken Folk and Mr Metronome.

We are not sure when the EP will be released...........at first we were optimistic that it was going to get released by another label, but that has fallen through now, so unless we get interest and someone else picks this up, we will probably release the EP ourselves sometime in 2018. I have now also started to record new tracks myself. Not sure what I will do with these??? again might end up on an album or I might do another EP myself??? Who knows???

This Friday Deleware Road

Friday 28th July Kelvedon Hatch Nuclear Bunker

Tickets and Info

Still Some CDs left here, but not there

There are still some CDs left and available from Bandcamp for all hold hands and off we go.
CDs now sold out in the Ghost Box Records Guests shop.

Press/Reveiws
It's music of a lost Albion, a windswept land of steel skies and old ways, of dark, satanic mills built upon psilocybin drenched earth fertilised by the endlessly copulating ghosts of generations of cunning folk. Through it's hands runs a stream of British outsider music from Coil to Bowie at his most enigmatic and it feels like it's redefining the boundaries of what constitutes a truly British music.
Ian Holloway (Wyrd Britain June 2017)  

Surreal retro analogue visions slide in and out of haunted fever dreams in this woozy, uniquely psychedelic, Radiophonic-flavored concoction that's suffused with ambivalent subconscious.
Carl Griffin Electronic Sound Magazine 28 (April 2017)
 
Odd In A Nightcap And Cup’ and ‘Please, Is It You’ very much recall Broadcast, ‘Tap Tap’ could be The Human League Mark One doing incidental music for Blake’s Seven and once again, Devon-based folky Douglas E Powell contributes some Syd-esque vocals on the haunting ‘Mr Metronome.
Jon Mojo Mills Shindig Issue 67 (May 2017)
 
Unsettling pastoral electronica on this 5th CD album from Keith Seatman.
He’s joined on two tracks by vocalist Douglas Powell.
Jim Jupp (Ghost Box Records May 2017)
 
The mixing and seamlessly combining and bringing together of atmospheres that you would not normally connect with one another is probably one of the defining aspects of the album; this is an unsettling, playful, warm, comforting, distant, familiar, experimental work with an intriguing pop edge.
A Year in the Country (April 2017) 

Strange exotica, repeated samples and a sense of quiet adventure are found on Keith Seatman‘s all hold hands and off we go.
A Closer Listen (April 2017)

An album length sonic journey into the surreal, the strange and the sinister, a psychedelic pseance populated by waking dreams, nocturnal nightmares and supernatural forbearance, a melodic map of discovered Barrett-esque continents and hitherto beyond the eye magick lands. Trippy stuff.
The Sunday Experience (Jan 2017) 

Its a TV and Film OST Only bumper bonanza mix.

Here we are at mix number 30. This time round its a Film and TV Soundtrack selection. Some of the themes/music have been on previous TT Archive Reels. When I first started to put this one together I did not anticipate how long the final mix would be. This version comes in at 1hr 44 mins, which is way shorter than the original mix. I had to drop a lot of music, so might do another at a later date. I have no idea when the next mix will be here. I have managed 30 TT Archive Reels which I never really thought I would get to, so maybe time for a short intermission (or maybe not) so for now sit back and enjoy music from Louis & Babe Baron, Georges Delerue, Schifrin/Holmes, John Carpenter, Yann Tiersen, Neal Hefti, Tangerine Dream, Wil Malone, Denton & Cook, Wendy Carlos, Rita Tushingham & Lyn Redgrave, E Arel & Petit and loads more.

Its a Stop-Motion Happening

Julian House aka The Focus Group twists the kaleidoscope to reveal a fractious mosaic of some 25 vignette-like parts in just over 37 minutes with Stop-Motion Happening, the ‘Groop’’s - as it’s spelt on the cover - most delirious and mid-summery dosage to date.
(Boomcat July 2017) Full Review Here
A nice surprise dropped through the letterbox the other day.....the new album by the Focus Group, Stop-Motion Happening. This is the 5th album of audio cut ups, loops, strange disjointed Psych and electronics by Julian House/Focus Group. Is it any good? I hear you all say.............Yes indeed it is, its a captivating audio mash up that at times does not make for easy listening, which is not a bad thing at all. Whilst at other times some of the loops/cut ups have a very playful feel that will get your feet tapping and have you wondering where they originated from. The Artwork as expected is superb (with quotes from Marshall McLuhan's The Medium is the Massage) and is a perfect companion to the music. Stop-Motion Happening truly wonderful audio experience and a treat for the ears. Stop-Motion Happening is out on July 14th  

Pre-Orders Here

Hear excerpts of the album here

A Bit of Kurt Rowland

A Bit of Kurt Rowland, what more do you need? Still missing a few of these.
But amazing what you pick up on your travels.