Big news announcement! Sit down, hold tight. Sabres Of Paradise, the early 90s dub techno trio of Andrew Weatherall, Jagz Kooner and Gary Burns, released their album Sabresonic thirty years ago (the exact release date is a matter of some debate but we're settling on 11th September 1993).
Over at The Flightpath Estate, the Andrew Weatherall Facebook group we set up nine years ago, the admin team (Martin, Dan, Mark, Baz and me) have had some discussions about things that have seemed ridiculous to us and have then actually started to take shape and happen. One of these is under wraps for the moment but the other is taking place three weeks today. Martin had the idea of holding a Sabresonic 30th birthday listening party at The Golden Lion in Todmorden and of inviting Jagz Kooner to do a Q&A session with him DJing after. We knocked it around a bit, a few calls were made and amazingly the Sabresonic 30th Anniversary party is happening at The Golden Lion on Friday 3rd November. The event is free. Jagz is going to have a chat/ answer a few questions about Sabres of Paradise, the making of the album Sabresonic, working with Andrew, the Sabres remixes from the period and whatever else comes up, we'll listen to the music and open it up to the floor. The Q&A part of the evening is going to be hosted by someone new to the David Frost/ Graham Norton role (that would be me). Fingers crossed eh?
Back in 1994 Sabres remixed James and the results came out as a two track, half hour epic titled Jam J. On Andrew's residency at Kiss FM he played an early version/ remix of what became Jam J. This was never released but has been ripped from that Kiss FM broadcast, a Sabres remix of James' Honest Joe. It contains all sorts of signature Sabres sounds, the Weatherall/ Kooner/ Burns team working their magic with seven minutes of 1993 four- four dub techno, Mr Booth et al bent into all kind of new shapes (with a Kiss FM ident annoyingly appearing in the middle).
November at The Golden Lion looks increasingly like the month of dreams. The night after the Sabresonic 30th party Red Snapper are playing. The following Friday David Holmes is DJing, a launchpad for his forthcoming album Blind On A Galloping Horse. On Sunday 19th November Manchester's Aficionado team of Jason Boardman and Moonboots host at 25th anniversary bash. That's just four of the highlights. David Holmes' recent single Necessary Genius was followed two weeks ago by a remix package, David and Raven Violet's song reworked by Skymas, Phil Keiran, Decius, Robin Wylie and Lovefingers. They've taken some time to worm their way into me but now all the different versions offer up something new and different. Lovefingers slows the song down, sticks a big, reverb heavy piano part into it and samples snippets of the people in David and Raven's list (a bit of Loaded, a brief snippet of Sinead, some Morricone). Decius do their Decius thing, chopping up a bit of vocal, raisng the tempo and making it very intense. Phil Kieran stretches the song out, bringing the synths to the fore and eventually hitting the button marked 'massive I Feel Love sequencer'. Find them all here.
Back in May I saw Eyes Of Others play at The Castle in Manchester, a memorable night in a small venue. Eyes Of Others make (self described) 'post- pub couldn't get in the club' music- synths and drum machines, bits of guitar, sing song vocals, occasional bursts of acid, music that draws on the space of dub, the pioneering electronic sound of early New Order, psychedelic in the way The Beta Band were, with some sideways on lyrics. The self titled album came out in May on Heavenly, one of my favourites from 2023. Since then John has been on tour playing small gigs and festivals throughout the summer. Through a short series of connections John, who is Eyes Of Others, agreed to do an interview, the second Bagging Area interview this year/ ever (after the one with Duncan Gray of Tici Taci earlier this year). Thanks to Dan for being the fixer in this instance.
Bagging Area: You’ve
been on the road recently playing venues across the country (I saw you play at
the Castle in Manchester and really enjoyed it) and some festivals. How’s it
been? How have the gigs gone?
Eyes Of Others: It’s
been a fun trip. We’ve played lots of different types of venue from Churches to
old Legions to record stores over the last few months or so. Had a really good
one with Optimo Espacio just there too. The
best bit has been chatting to folk after the gig, around the bar or at the
merch stand. That’s when you get a good sense of how the tunes are hitting,
what’s working and what’s not.
Bagging Area: Heavenly
Records have a such a strong history and varied back catalogue. It feels like a
good fit for your music and outlook. How does it feel to be on the label?
Eyes Of Others: I’ve
been a fan of Heavenly’s artists since I was a kid so they have always been on
my radar when I started to make my own music. I think I first heard of Heavenly
after hearing they released the Manic’s Motown Junk. So
it feels right to be working with them - good bunch of people. The roster is
pretty diverse in sound at the moment so from my point view I feel kinda free
to make the music I want, as there no box or genre that I’m expected to slot
into. That’s what you want as an artist.
Bagging Area: I
hear some early New Order in your sound and there’s a strong dub feel to the
album, lots of echo and space along with the synths and keys. Is dub a big
influence?
Eyes Of Others: Yeah of course. A lot of the dub influences came through Stuart Evans, who mixed and
co-produced the album. He introduced me to a lot of dub a number of years ago
when we worked together at Green Door Studio in Glasgow. Stu
uses the Roland Space Echo like an instrument, inspired by the likes of King
Tubby or Scratch Perry. I kinda wrote the tracks with his creative flair for
dub in mind. It adds a wildness to everything as he makes the most of the Space
Echo’s predictable unpredictability.
Bagging Area: There
are a lot of animals in your songs- a psychedelic cow on the cover of the
album, a song sung from the perspective of a cow at an abattoir, a photo of you
with an owl on your wrist, single art with sloths, dogs and pigs, lyrics about
filling up your birdfeeder. Where does the strong connection with animals come from?
Eyes Of Others: Hmmm, I grew up on a farm so cows, dogs, birds etc were just part of my everyday. I think we look around at all the bullshit we have created as humans and
then we look at animals and realise something lost. Their lives seem
much simpler. But
who am I to say? We’re kinda lucky in the UK. No poisonous snake is gonna bite
you (yes there’s the adder but come’on) or lion gonna dismember you. So I maybe
have a rose-tinted view of animals because of that. …They’re probably bastards
just like us aren’t they! There was talk of reintroducing wolves to Scotland.
I’m up for that. That would give rambling an edge. Also
I love dogs, really want one as a pet. But it’s weird isn’t it having a pet,
when you start thinking deeply about it. Really weird dynamic; playing fetch,
picking up poo, talking to it as one would a baby.
Anyway,
still want one.
Bagging Area: What’s
your favourite song about an animal?
Eyes Of Others: Tom
Waits - Dog Door
Bagging Area: This
blog is a big fan of Andrew Weatherall. His remix of I See You In The Shrubs
was pretty out there even by his standards, weird, meandering dub. How did the remix come
about? What did you make of it when you first heard it?
Eyes Of Others: My
friend Davie had known Andrew for many years and passed him the track hoping
he’d play it at shows, on NTS etc. Andrew then came back with a question: ‘Weatherall
remix?’. So
that was a bit of a surprise. The deal was in return I’d remix one of his tracks
in the future…so I’m still due him one. When
I first heard it I couldn’t really get my head around. It wasn’t what I was
expecting. But that was Andrew Weatherall, he gave you what you didn’t yet know
you wanted and it was marvellous.
Bagging Area: Is
there anyone else you’d like to remix your songs?
Eyes Of Others: African
Head Charge, Beatfoot, Callum Easter.
Bagging Area: I
love the structure of the album, the ebb and flow, all leading up to Big
Companies, Large Tentacles and the 303 acid squiggle explosion two thirds of
the way through that song. It feels like a proper album and all done in 41
minutes. What’s next for Eyes of Others?
Eyes Of Others: Thanks,
that’s great to hear. I
have a remix EP that has just been released featuring Ana Helder, Decius, The
Orielles and Fantastic Man. I love all that they did. I’m
also writing some new tracks for an EP and will be announcing some shows for
autumn soon.
Bagging Area: Thanks John. An African Head Charge remix would be a treat, looking forward to hearing the new songs.
The remix EP is out now, four new takes on songs from the album. You can get it here. The Ana Helder remix of New Hair New Me adds some hefty kick drum and a synth soundscape to John's original, the bassline breaking through before it takes off in different directions, synths and sequencers bouncing here and there.
Decius, no strangers to fast and hammering beats take Safehouse and do just that to it, piling the thump factor up for a minute or two, then a bleep and a wailing vocal before John's voice fades in near three minutes. In a basement club, in a dark and sweaty room, this could cause pandemonium.
The Orielles remix of Once, Twice, Thrice is in the vein of last year's album, twitchy, experimental and unpredictable, a glitchy reimagining of the song, with John's voice fed through filters and FXed, the synth melodies gradually working through to the fore.
The fourth remix on the EP comes from Fantastic Man, a remix of Big Companies Large Tentacles is aimed at the floor, sleek techno rhythms and Eyes Of Others squiggly acid album closer.
If you ever find yourself in the car park hell of Asda in Stockport, a car park split over two multi- storey sites linked by bridges and with different walkways to enter the supermarket, take some comfort from the fact that even in these unpromising conditions a moment of joy can still arrive- someone painted this little devil on the wall in a corner. This has nothing to do with the post that will follow, it's just a disconnected intro.
As is traditional here is my end of year list, twenty two musical artefacts 2022 in list form, a list combining singles, albums and EPs into one countdown- you'll notice I've cheated, there are many more than twenty two releases contained within. In a year shot through with all kinds of personal difficulties caused by grief and bereavement following Isaac's death at the end of last year, music has been an area of solace and distraction for me and I have listened to and enjoyed a huge amount of new music this year. I know as well there are albums I haven't heard and should have- Working Men's Club and Fontaines DC come to mind- and hopefully I'll get to them eventually. So, with no further ado...
Number Twenty Two
Some albums that have made the year tick, in no particular order:
Coyote: Everything Moves Nothing Rests
Sheer Taft: And Then There Were Four
Société Étrange: Chance
Gabe Gurnsey: Diablo
Timothy J. Fairplay: Free Andromeda
Half Man Half Biscuit: The Voltarol Years
Rich Ruth: I Survived, It's Over
Wet Leg: Wet Leg
Red Snapper: Everybody Is Somebody
Tigerbalm: International Love Affair
Panda Bear and Sonic Boom: Reset
The Order Of The 12: Lore Of The Land
Spiritualized: Everything Was Beautiful
Warrington- Runcorn New Town Development Plan: Districts, Roads, Open Space
Jon Hopkins: Music For Psychedelic Therapy
Number Twenty One
Some singles and EPs that have been on rotation at the Bagging Area this year, again, in no particular order:
Justin Robertson's Deadstock 33s and Brix Smith: Brix Goes Tubular
Sault: 10
Phil Kieran and Green Velvet: Enjoy The Day Hardway Bros Meets Monkton
BTCOP: Just A Disco especially the Lights On A Hill Mix
Matt Gunn: Disko Drohne EP and the massive remix package
The Vendetta Stone remixes 12"
Peak High: Was That All It Was Hardway Bros remixes
Perry Granville: Lumux and Cleveland Sundays
Confidence Man: Feels Like A Different Thing (Daniel Avery remix)
Cantoma: Alive Remixes EP
Unknown Genre: Elevator Ride
Dirt Bogarde: Triumphe De Liebe and So Far Away
Curses: Gina Lollobrigida
Orbital and Sleaford Mods: Dirty Rat
Hifi Sean and David McAlmont: All In The World (and just wait for the album that gets a full release next year, a stunning record- the title track alone is one of next year's best songs)
Number Twenty
Various albums by Various Artists
There have been a slew of great compilation albums this year, multi- artist releases containing umpteen gems and treasure- The Chill Out Tent Volume 1, a compilation from Warm titled Home complete with animal and bird sounds between the tracks, Spun Out's Oompty Boompty Music compilation, the Shelter Me compilation from Leeds based Paisley Dark label and the cream of this crop, Higher Love Volume 2 (from the Brighton label of the same name).
Number Nineteen
Fontan: Iriz
A 7" single released on Hoga Nord at the start of the year, a gorgeous spaced out, instrumental warm bath with slowly building drums.
Number Eighteen
Boxheater Jackson: We Are One
Exeter's Mighty Force label has had quite a year. Boxheater Jackson's ten track album We Are One is a sublime set of chugging, optimistic, cosmic acid house. Also worth checking out on Mighty Force are Golden Donna's The Truth About Love, lovely washes of ambient techno, and the funky acid house/ indie- dance crossover Pro- Oxidant by Long Range Desert Group.
Number Seventeen
Mark Peters with Dot Allison: Sundowning/ Richard Norris ambient remix
Mark's latest album, Red Sunset Dreams, is pointing away from Wigan and towards the wide open landscapes of the US. With Dot Allison on vocals Switch On The Sky was a highlight- and then Sundowning came out, shimmering instrumental floaty ambience with a superb pair of Richard Norris remixes. Dot also had a solo EP out with the final remix from Lee 'Scratch' Perry, a lovely dubby version of Love Died In Our Arms.
Number Sixteen
The Orielles: Tableau
Tableau is one of the year's most unexpected treats, a double album spanning spoken word, dream pop, 60s jazz, indie and whatever else the trio decided they could turn their hands to. The recent Eyes Of Others' remix of Darkened Corners was superb spun out psychedelia and The Orielles own remix of Unknown Genre's Elevator Ride an unexpected visit to early 90s ambient techno.
Number Fifteen
Anatolian Weapons: Selected Acid Tracks
Strong acid from Greece, 808s set to stun, seven tracks of mind bending stuff. Acid Research 63, Acid Research 20 and Desert Track 66 are the picks and so much more than their functional titles suggest.
Number Fourteen
Rude Audio: Big Heat
A five track EP with typically brilliant tracks and remixes. Big Heat is a low slung, throbbing, dub techno groover, straight outta South London.
Number Thirteen
Pye Corner Audio: Let's Emerge
The latest Pye Corner Audio album left the dystopic sounds of last year's Entangled Routes and looked towards the summer, as typified on the glorious Warmth Of The Sun single with Andy Bell adding guitar to the analogue synth ambience. Sonic Boom remixed three tracks from the album, released as an excellent EP, Let's Remerge. A PCA remix of Principles Of Geometry's First I Heard Color is in the same area.
Number Twelve
Rhenizand: Atlantis Atlantis
More brilliant Belgian dance pop/ Balearic pop, an album that lights up any room it's played in. They can do no wrong for me.
Number Eleven
Unloved: Turn Of The Screw/ Turn Of The Screw (Erol Alkan Rework)
The new Unloved album, The Pink Album, found David Holmes, Keefus Ciancia and Jade Vincent and their 60s Now! sound extended over four sides of vinyl, twenty two songs (with Raven Violet, Etienne Daho and Jarvis Cocker along for the ride). On songs like Mother's Been A Bad Girl the woozy, disturbed, reverb drenched sound hit the spot and on Turn Of The Screw they nailed it, a driving, urgent, psychedelic pop song with Raven Violet on vocals and in charge. The remixes were bang on too, Erol Alkan's remix of Turn Of The Screw especially (and it sounded huge when David spun it at the Golden Lion in October). There's' an exhibition of Julian House's sleeve art at The Social in London too if you're in that neck of the woods.
Number Ten
10:40: three EPs
Jesse Fahnestock's 10:40 has one of 2022's ongoing delights, a slew of tracks and remixes from the start of the year to it's recent advent calendar end. Kissed Again, a gorgeous piece of emotional slow motion Balearic dance first came out in 2021 but was released this year by Brighton's Higher Love as an EP with the equally lovely Fin and Coat Check. Thickener (both versions) and The Knack (three versions) were both wonky dancefloor oriented thumpers.
Number Nine
The Summerisle Six: This Is Something/ This Is Something (Rico Conning Remix)
Sean Johnston's Wicker Man/ Todmorden inspired psyche folk/ indie dance side project grew from a trio to a sextet for this release (Andy Bell, Jo Bartlett, Duncan Gray, Kev Sharkey and Mick Somerset Ward all on board) for one of the year's best 12", an indie dance floor filler. Rico Conning's remix, a ten minute blissed out sunset journey, is the remix of the year.
Number Eight
Jazxing: Pearls Of The Baltic Sea
An album of Polish Balearica that appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Start with the sax led Fala and go from there.
Number Seven
Michael Head and The Red Elastic Band: Dear Scott.
Mick Head's latest wonderfully crafted and written set of songs, tales of life lived and lives observed, with typically lovely melodies.
Number Six
Daniel Avery: Chaos Energy
A double vinyl ambient/ industrial/ techno album- emotive and hard hitting human/ machine music.
Number Five
Jezebell: Jezebellearica
A nine minute tribute to DJ Alfredo, the White Isle and an open minded approach to music, Jezebellearica was the song of the summer round here. Jezebell's The Knack, Dancing Not Fighting, Et Moi and Concurrence were all worth mentioning here too.
Number Four
Decius: Vol 1
Decius's album is twelve tracks of heady, sleazy, minimal, techno, inspired by the proto- house of Ron Hardy, with it's tongue firmly in its cheek, single entrendres rubbing up against distorted synths and banging beats. I reviewed it for Ban Ban Ton Ton back in November. In a turn of events I wasn't expecting some of my review has been pulled out for the press release, where my words are directly below a quote from Iggy Pop. As a year end treat Decius have made an end of year mix available, a pay what you want deal, with many of the tracks from the album included in it. You can get it here.
Number Three: EP |Of The Year
Andy Bell: Untitled Film Stills and I Am A Strange Loop
Andy Bell's Flicker came out at the start of the year, a beautiful and fully realised solo album with songs spanning the range of his influences- backwards tracks, guitar songs reprising the chord sequences from the earliest Ride records, cosmic instrumentals and straight ahead guitar pop. During the course of the year cover versions and remixes appeared, compiled in the autumn onto two four track 10" vinyl EPs (with a third of acoustic versions) and extras available digitally. Untitled Film Stills is a beautiful way to spend twenty minutes, his covers of Pentangle's Light Fight, Yoko Ono's Listen, The Snow Is Falling and The Kinks' The Way Love Used To Be all right up there and the small hours, quiet devastation of his cover of Arthur Russell's Our Last Night Together capable of bringing tears. The remixes EP is superb too with David Holmes Radical Mycology Remix of The Sky Without You and Richard Norris' lovely slowed down, string laden version of Something Like Love the standouts.
Number Two: Album Of The Year
A Mountain Of One: Stars Planets Dust Me
Existential Balearica, yacht rock, symphonic dark pop- however I slice it this album has been the one I'v enjoyed and played more than any other in 2022. Bubbling synth basslines, FXed vocals, acoustic guitars, piano, tom tom drums, cosmic hippy questions with no answers, spaced out and widescreen sun baked music with Rolo from The Woodentops on board for good measure. The remixes of Star in the summer stretched things further still, the Glok remix linking this with Andy Bell (at number three).
It's Over, If We Run Out Of Love was released on Valentine's Day and has been there throughout the year for me, played daily at times. David's tribute to the youth movements of our youths- the mods, rockers, rastas, punks, soul boys, teds, ravers and clubbers- sung by Raven Violet is a triumph, its two note keyboard blast and boom- tish drums capable of lifting the spirits on the lowest of days and the lyrics- 'I remember back when we were young/ They said the people's day would surely come/ It's over now if we run out of love'- don't really need picking through. It's the best single/ song I've heard this year and hopefully at some point will, along with last year's Hope Is The Last Thing To Die, form the centrepieces of an album. But if not, on its own, it's more than enough.
There was a remix a little while later, the song being toughened up and stretched out for late night revelry- Darren Emerson's Huffa Remix and the Hardway Bros one were the pick of the bunch for me. Holmes has had quite a year, his DJ gigs in small venues have been on fire- the Golden Lion in Todmorden was particularly memorable not least because I was on the turntables that evening and handed over to him, a chain of events a younger me would struggle to comprehend. Friends who went to his gig at the Social in London in February raved about it as did friends who saw him in Glasgow more recently. A few months ago David released a 7" on Hoga Nord, the motorik/ Joy Division glide of No One Is Smarter Than History another highlight of 2022 and his remix of The Vendetta Suite's Purple Haze, Yellow Sunrise is another 2022 peak as is his remix of Orbital's Belfast, thirty years after the original. You'll notice David appears elsewhere in this list as Unloved and with a remix of Andy Bell too. When you're on a roll, just keep on rolling.
I've been writing reviews this year for Dr. Rob's standard setting, all- things- Balearic blog Ban Ban Ton Ton. Most recently I reviewed the new album by Decius, a group made up of members of Fat White Family, Paranoid London and Trashmouth Records. Decius have pulled together a bunch of tracks recorded and released as 12" singles into Decius Vol. 1, a riot of electronic dance music sounds, the thump of house with the sleaze of disco, and with Fat White Family singer Lias Saoudi on vocals, a romp through gay nightlife, bars, clubs and bathhouses, emerging blinking into the city streets at dawn having had the night of one's life. It is both ridiculously tongue in cheek and completely serious- song titles such as Masculine Encounter, Look Like A Man, Quick Reliefs, Bitch Tracker and Roberto's Tumescence might give you an idea what to expect. The review is here. The album can be bought here.
Decius was a Roman emperor, ruling from the year 249 to 251, a distinguished senator who was proclaimed emperor by his troops after defeating a rebellion. He had a thing about persecuting Christians and had Pope Fabian put to death. Decius died in June 251 at the Battle of Arbritus, killed by Goths. We can only hope the band Decius avoid such a fate.
If you're after high quality dance music with an edge you could also do worse than have a look at the three EPs New York label Throne Of Blood have released this year, a celebration of their sixteenth birthday. I reviewed all three EPs for Ban Ban Ton Ton. There are twelve tracks across the three releases, every single one a banger- EP 1 has Chloe, Liona, Justin Cudmore and Joakim and Max Pask. EP 2 features an outstanding Hardway Bros track plus Hapa, Curses and Split Sec. EP 3 has tracks by Pleasure Planet, Danse Alice, Man Power and Teleseen. My review of EPs 1 and 2 is here and the one of EP 3 is here and you can listen to/ buy EP 1 here, EP 2 here and EP 3 here.
