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cassies-closet · 4 years

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Style Q&As from the old SkinsLife website

Hi guys! In my search to find the striped hoodie Cassie wears at the end of her series 1 episode, I found the old SkinsLife website, where Edward Gibbon (the costume designer) did his Q&As before they moved over to the e4 website. Unfortunately, not all of it has been archived, but there’s a lot of good stuff about where the series 2 costumes come from, and a ton of questions about Cassie’s clothes.

Here’s what I could find. I’ll put all of the Cassie questions at the top and then all of the other ones under a cut:

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Hellie Cory: Can you please tell me where they got Cassie's skirt?? I absolutely love it and I've been searching for ages with no luck : (

Edward: Cassie's skirt is from a small Japanese designer in Camden (and well spotted Olivia xx the fabric is from Ikea.)

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TanitaAlethia: Im so happy about this. I have always wanted a nice, not sexy (like in costumes shops, there gross) little sailor outfit. When Cassi had one on, i almost fell of my chair, i love love LOVE it. So i was wondering, where an earth did you fined it? Thankyou =] Tanita-Alethia

Edward: Cassie's sailor top was from New York, but you can always try an Army Surplus store or maybe Camden if you're anywhere near London. Let me know how you get on!

------------------------------- evil_daisys: hey, i wasnt sure where to put this,, but were did you find the dress cassie wore in episode 1 of season one at the party? and episode 2 of season one she wore at michelles? i love the way she dresses its so cute and girly and still slightly different =)

Edward: Both of Cassies dresses were vintage pieces from the 60s and 50s respectively - keep your eye out wherever you are and never turn down an invite to a jumble sale ! -------------------------------

AmyyB: hi edward, can you please tell me where cassies pink chiffon top and grey socks that she wears in chris' episode? thanks sweetheart keep up the good work x

Edward: cassies' chiffon top was from Top Shop and the socks are from H&M.; --------------------------------------

maxine: heya, i was just wondering where cassie's bow t-shirt is from, from the latest advert? ♥x

Edward: cassie's bow t-shirt was from TopShop ------------------------------------------------

Franchesca Allen: Hi im really into weird and unusual style and i love cassie's. I was wondering if you could tell me where you get most of her clothes. And i was wondering in series 2 effy's episode whats she wearing with the leopard skin tights, what top is it? Please reply i've wrote before and got no reply :) Thanks and keep up the amazing brainstorms with the costumes xx

Edward: Cassies clothes are from all over the place ! Her style is a mixture of amazing vintage pieces, charity shop finds, vintage designer stuff and high street sale stuff (normally the things no one else wants ! ) The top you are talking about was a vintage nylon 'teddy'(an all in one , shorts and top underwear item ). This year she has been wearing a lot of underwear as outerwear so keep your eyes peeled in charity shops and don't be afraid to rummage through dead peoples' clothes! ------------------------------------------------

rachey_babey: hi can you please tell me where cassies gold high hees are from that she's wearing when she spills the milk and could you please tell me where the dress / nightdress cassie wore when she was sitting on the couch with chris and watching telly is from? i think it was white with a green or blue rim. ta.

Edward: Cassie's gold shoes are character shoes from a dance shop , customised with gold leaf and cassie's nightdress was a plain cream dress from H&M; which we customised with green lace ------------------------------- sarinda: hello, i really love cassie's style, i love going to jumble sales and charity shops looking for vintage finds so its really great that there is someone like that on tv. i was wondering where you got cassie's red skirt and gold shoes when she is at her exam? and also where her bra if from when she is getting dressed before that. thank you xx =]

Edward: Thanks, Sarinda. Cassie's skirt was Prada, shoes from Bertie and bra from M&S...;

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Lauren Jones: Hey I was hoping you could please tell me where Casie's night dress with the skeleton on it is from?? I have been looking everywhere and cant even find something similar! I would love to know where I could get one from please x

Edward: Cassie's skeleton dress was from TopShop Unique. It's probably not available any more, I'm afraid, but keep looking - you never know! ------------------------------------------------ Leelee: Helloo! My question is regarding the reaons behind Cassie's rapid change in clothing style in episode 9 when she arrives in NYC. At first I simply assumed it was to make her seem more vagrant looking, as though she was wearing simply what she grabbed in the dash. But then in the last scene of the episode, she is running down the street and is in another compltely out of character outfit, and wondered that would she really have all these clothes that she just never wears? Was there any specific reason as to this change? Thanks!

Edward: By the time we see Cassie in NYC she has been on the road for a while and grabbed clothes wherever she finds them , if they don't seem quite like what she normally wears that's because of what she has been through and the clothes she goes running in are Adams - see clothes tell a story as well ! ------------------------------------------------ asdfghjklxx: hii i was just wondering if you could tell me where cassies boots and jeans were from that she was wearing in the last episode when she arrives in new york, also where is the red and white candy striped skirt that she wears with the bow tshirt in her exam from? thanksss xxx

Edward: The jeans are from Uniqlo and then distressed, the boots from a Charity shop and the skirt by Prada

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meli_x: In the latest episode where was cassies t shirt with the bow on from and the socks she was wearing with that outfit (when she was in the exam). also her hairclip with two robins in (i think) and the necklace with the trophy on and her stripy dress from when she met chris' mom thanks :) x

Edward: the t-shirt was from TopShop, socks from Noa Noa and the birds were christmas decorations from a craft shop... ------------------------------------------------

Sara: Hey Edward, any chance you could tell me where Cassie's necklace (the cup/trophy) that she wears throughout ep. 9 is from? Thank you very much, loving your work!

Edward: Cassie's necklace was made from a piece of ribbon and an old badge from a Vintage Fair. It said 'victory' on it, if that helps. ------------------------------------------------

Danni: hey, i was wandering where cassies big blue jacket/coat was from, the one where she first arrives in new york? thankyou :)

Edward: Cassie's jacket was a vintage American College jacket - which was worn by Chris in the last series on the school trip to Russia, adding a nice bit of continuity ! ------------------------------------------------

rachael tallentire: hey 2 thngs i want to know where is cassies skeleton dress/nightie she wears in the last episode and also where is her top she wears for her exam from?

Edward:- both are from TopShop Unique range...

And a few Effy questions as well:

Munchkin: Where is the dress Effy wore to the rave in episode 1 series 2 from? i absolutely love her style, you dress her amazingly, it matches her personality exactly. please show us more of effie she is immense!!

Edward: Effy's rave dress was made by customising 2 dresses: one from Oasis and the other a vintage one from a charity shop...

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Michelle123: I hope this doesn't sound pervy but where is Effy's underwear from when she is in her room with Sid? x

Edward: Effy's underwear was from Primark and M&S; !

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larry the lady: Must, must, must know where Effy's jeans or leggins or what ever are from. i could die happy if i could get a pair. I'm on about the large striped black and white ones. XD oh and where would effy's character typically shop for her rave clothing. Love love love xxx P.s the black and white striped jean things, remember, we want them!! lol

Edward: Effy's jeans were from phunky phish/ Effy loves shopping in unexpected places - other peoples houses / old ladies wardrobes / her gran's charity bag and then she customises with scissors and a blowtorch !

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Other costume questions:

Pascha Rix: I really loved the gorgeous white shorts that Michele was wearing once in a club scene when she was dancing up against two other guys. The shorts were tiny, white and with pink sequins on them and they were absolutely gorgeous! Where do you also tend to look for other clothes she wears? Are there particular shops you goto?

Edward: The skirt's from Top shop but you can make your own if you like: hack off a pair of old jeans as high as you dare and then cover randomly with sequins...

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Kris Jones: I'd just like to know whether ALL the actors' clothes are chosen by stylists, or do some of them get to wear their own stuff? Do you even choose their pants?

Edward: Pretty much everything they wear is chosen by me - especially their pants and socks; they play an important part in defining their characters.....

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Savethesoundsystem: I wanna know where sid's yellow/orange nikes and the headphones t-shirt are from in episode 3! Oh and chris' flags of the world jacket!

Edward: Mike's trainers are retro Waffle by Nike, the headphone t- shirt is by 77 and the Flag Jacket was a rare vintage find.

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Ben Smith: Hi, the trainers maxxie's wearing in ep2 when hes taking off his superman costume.. where are they from? And the luminous yellow stripey tshirt in ep 3? Cheers.

Edward: Ben Smith - Maxxies' trainers are Nike Air Force hi-tops and his T- shirt was from Top Man.

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Stephan: I was just thinking.. i want all of Maxxie's clothing, shoes. lol. I watched a clip from episode 4! And i would like to know where did you get the stuff (shoes, shirt, jacket, everything...) he was wearing when he came to sit on the grass with Anwar and Michelles stepsister?? I got a pic, but isn't clear...

Edward: Hi Stephan, The jacket's Nike, The T-shirt's Etnies and the hat's from River Island.

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Emul 8: Where's Chris' shirt from that says "I love (heart) hate" from the episode 4 series 2 preview from?

Edward: The 'I love Hate' T-shirt is by 77 and Maxxie's orange shoes are from Polo.

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hsto1234: hi! i would really like to know where Chris' t shirt in episode 1 series 2 is from? its white with 'pretty vacant' written on it. thanx

Edward: The 'Pretty Vacant' T-shirt is by by Japanese label KTZ and it's available from Concrete or Koko To Zai.

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James Davidson: i Love the clothes tony wears, where's the best places to look? thanks james :)

Edward: Tony's favourite labels are Farah, Junk De Luxe, Buckler, Penguin and Nike...

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Gloria Good Chris wears a yellow type jacket a lot of the time. He was wearing it on the last episode (Series 2:Episode 3). Really want to know where it is from !

Edward: Chris' yellow jacket is from American Apparel . --------------------------------------------------

Thomas Judes Kaplan: heya, i'd be pleased to know where you guys found chris white tee shirt with wasted brit youth tagged on it with yellow pink and orange, the one we can see in episode 5 thanx and if you need fucked up french fashion tips (maybe for a series 3 french character), i'd be honored to help you :)

Edward: thomas and everyone else - Chris' wasted British Youth is by Unconditional (available from Concrete and Selfridges ) and would love to see some fucked up French Style! put some up in your profile so we can see... ------------------------------------------------

Rhiannon Irving: Hi! Where are Jal's necklace and green dress from Episode 5 from? Many thanks :-) xx

Edward: Jal's dress is by The Prisoners of St. Petersbourg (from Kokon To Zai ) and necklace is by Chateau Roux ------------------------------------------------

ryan keys: Edward i love the top that chris is wearing, the one that looks like a shirt and bow tie. where did you get it?

Edward: Chris shirt and bow tie t-shirt is by Unconditional ------------------------------------------------

charlie lewis: Do you know where i can find tonys burgandy cardigan featured in the first episode of series 2 where can i find this hoody josh is wearing in series 1? Thankx alot

Edward: Tony's cardigan is from Zara and Josh's hoody is a customised cheap white hoody from primark ------------------------------------------------

Jman: Hi, I'd really like to know where Maxxie's necklace from Series 2 Episode 1 is from - the bronze one with the dice. Thanks & great website BTW!

Edward: Maxxie's dice necklace was from River Island ------------------------------------------------

legoac: can you tell me where the following are from?: -maxxie's t-shirt, trousers, and shoes from ep. 1's rooftop dance scene -chris's grey and white long sleeve shirt in careers officer scene -anwar's long sleeve striped yellow and white shirt in club scene (the one under the polo) -chris's green belt in scene where cassie shows him the notice thanks!

Edward: Maxxies t-shirt was from All Saints, trousers from Jungle or your local Army Surplus. The shoes are Lacoste. Chris' grey and white shirt was by Buckler, Anwar's yellow stripe t- shirt by H & M and Chris' belt from Honor Lulu ( a great 50s shop in Bristol).... ------------------------------------------------

Lewis Jones: can u tell me where maxxies checkered shirt from episode 4 series 2 is from please.

Edward: Maxxie's check shirt is by Junk de Luxe ------------------------------------------------

Evans17: In episode 5. just after swimming, tony was wearin a cardigan an a shirt where are they from??

Edward: Tony's cardigan is by Zara and shirt and tie are by Junk de Luxe. ------------------------------------------------

Pixies: Jal's big gold necklace in episode five. She wears it at the beginning when she is sitting on the bench with chris (where they stick paper on each others foreheads) and at the party when she gets up on stage. its impossible to make out what it says and i NEEEEED it. thanks a bunch :) xx

Edward: Jal's necklace is by Chateau Roux and says Chateau. Hope that helps! ------------------------------------------------

Bex Crawley: Heya, i was just wondering in episode 5, where is Jal's dinosaur jacket from? It is so cool! thanks xx

Edward: Jal's jacket has got chickens on and is from SkunkFunk ------------------------------------------------

And finally, for red polka dot - Chris' red cardigan is from a charity shop and Anwars jacket is by 55DSL

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chook: Hey there, just wanting to know where anwars hoodie jumper is from...he wore it in the last episode. thanks

Edward: Hi chook - Anwar's hoody is by Artful Dodger... ------------------------------------------------

zander: hey edward i was wondering where the pink cardigan maxxie wears in the the adverts to promote skins two, the t-shirt under it and his trousers are from?likein the style thanks!

Edward: Maxxie's cardigan was from Zara, t-shirt from Etnes and trousers from Cos ------------------------------------------------

pinkdreamz: from season one. the dress michelle wears in episode one, the black and white one, where is it from? this might be rude, but what do u guys do with the clothes after the show? Edward: Michelles's grey/black dress was from Oasis. At the end of filming we have a costume sale for cast and crew and anything not sold we hang onto or donate to charity - don;t worry, not a rude question at all!

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Joe Wood: wer did tony get his bed sheets and wear did u get sids hat =) and wear did he get that top which makes sounds in series 1? cheers fella

Edward: Tony's duvet cover was specially made for the show , Sid has many different beanies from H&M; primarily and Mega Dog was a one off creation ! ------------------------------------------------

dannymilhouse: wat r sids favourite makes/designer????? and wat shops cud i get them makes from????????????

Edward: Sid loves Plain Lazy , Nike, jumble sales and skips ! ------------------------------------------------

Foxy: Where would one find the tan belt that tony is adorning his suit with in Episode 6? It looks similiar to paul smith.. i may be wrong.. AlSO the waistcoat toby is wearing? Cheerss

Edward: Tony's yellow belt was a ladies' belt from Gap ! and Toby's waistcoat is a period early 20th. century piece from an antique clothing market (try Blind Lemon's website for similar fairs ) ------------------------------------------------ Bapo: Hi Edward, I am wondering where you found Sid's military jacket that he wears in the Secret Party special episode... Much love from France to all the Skins family!

Edward: Sid's military jacket is an original from a costume hire shop in Bristol - try vintage army surplus clothes stores or markets ------------------------------------------------

Louis: Hey Edward, I absolutely adoore your taste, especially tony's clothes and i was wondering where you got his black polo with white stripes that he wears in episode 6 please...?

Edward: Tony's black/white stripe polo is by Farah , pink/black by Topman ------------------------------------------------

Jowellzz: hey edward, I know this isn't series 2 related but, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Maxxies brown coat and blue-checked hat in Season 1 Episode 6 where they go to Russia. could you tell where they're from? xx

Edward: Maxxie's coat was from H&M; and hat by Etnies ------------------------------------------------ JimBuns: Hi Edward, i hope u guys can help out, do you know where i can i find that grey cardigan with pink and blue circles on it, that chris wears in the club , series 2 on episode 5, ive been lookin for it every where, any help is much appreciated

Edward: Chris' cardigan was from Behave on Lexington Street in London ------------------------------------------------

Pixies: Hey edward thanks for responding! I have my Chateux necklace ordered jal style :D could you please tell me where michelle's flowery necklace is from in last nights episode? thanks x

Edward: Michelle's necklace is vintage plastic 60s from a market -------------------------------------- Rubyred: Hey, would you be able to tell me where the outfit that that girl Tony meets in the club is wearing there is from and also what she's wearing at the university?

Edward: Beth's dress in the club is from Kate Moss for Top Shop , shoes vintage Dolce and Gabbana at the University her vests are from Miss Selfridge and Gap, jeans by Cheap Monday, belt from Urban Outfitters and shoes from Gap. ------------------------------------------------

Abby Fletcher: jal's green shirt and yellow top when she finds out shes pregnant NOW! o.. i mean... it really would be nice of you... :)?

Edward: Jal's green shirt from H&M; , yellow top by People's Market.

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Kim Matthews: hi edward, could you tell me where michelle got her cow print pyjamas from in series 2 episode 7? also where did you get the blue top she was wearing when she went round to chris's looking for jal in the last episode? thanksxx

Edward: Michelle's pjs were from La Senza and her blue top was from Oasis ------------------------------------------------ red polka dots: thanks loads for telling where anwars jcket was from, its great. but could u plz tell me where to get maxxies jeans in this pic. they are so amazing!!!!!! thank u

Edward: Maxxie's jeans were by Replay ------------------------------------------------ tommy the 2nd: hey edward could you please tell me where to get maxxies great hat from episode 1 series 1. its soooo great!!!

Edward: Maxxie's hat was from H&M; ------------------------------------------------ Maciej: Hello Edward. I have trouble with shoes. I was just wondering if you could give me some advice. I like Maxxie's style, but I still don't know what should I pick. The clothes I mostly wear are from American Eagle (ae.com), no ripped jeans though. I don't think ripped jeans look nice. I also don't wear baggy jeans. I'm 6'2" and kind of skinny (pant size: 30x34 or 31x34). My shoe size is 12.5. So I'm big, skinny guy with big feet. I have no sense in how a shoe should match. I was just wondering if you could tell me what would look best on my feet from a brand like Nike, Puma, or one I could easily get in Chicago area. Btw. love watching Skins :-) Thanks.

Edward: the best look for fairly big feet is the plainest styles of trainers - good old Converse are a safe choice, mess it up with some of the great colours they do . Old school trainers like Nike Tennis shoes or their retro Waffle style / addidas gazelle or stan Smiths . Swear is a British label that does great very flat plain trainers with a twist - they have a brilliant new collection in collaboration with Hummel . So basically the plainer and flatter the better, avoid anything with chunky soles and too much detailing . ------------------------------------------------ HaydenWing: hi Edward, could you please tell me where can i get Maxxie's bag in Ep. 8 when he comes into the classroom with James. Thankies!

Edward: Maxxie's bag is by Freitag , who make great bags from recycled materials like tyres ,seat belts and inner tubes ------------------------------------------------ Chris Murray: Hey Edward, cheers for looking :) Could you tell me where Chris' tiger skin pink and black top is from, the one he's wearing in Episode 2? Its the coolest thing I've seen him wear!!

Edward: Chris's tiger t-shirt is from Behave on Lexington Street ------------------------------------------------ windinthewire: please can you say where jal got her giraffe earings from, i love them and reaaaally want a pair!

Edward: Jal's earings were from TopShop ------------------------------------------------ AlexGabriel: Hiya. I'd like to know where Maxxie's grey trousers are from, the ones he wears when he comes into the classroom with James.

Edward: Maxxie's trousers were from Cos ------------------------------------------------ trainstobrasil: could you please tell me what Jal's book bag is in episode 8 this season? the lovely yellow one with the design that she carries around throughout the episode. I loved it! thanks :)

Edward: Jal's bag is by Eastpak ------------------------------------------------

Abby Fletcher: hey, just wondered where jal's yellow dress with the black shirt underneath came from, and the earrings she has in in the audition! thanks much! xx

Edward: Jal's yellow dress was from Monsoon and the brown shirt underneath was Calvin Klein Jeans ------------------------------------------------ Jerry: Hi, I was just wondering what bag Tony wears in season 1, it looks like a Gucci bag but I never get a good look at it. The name of it would be swell!

Edward: Tony's bag was an unbranded one from Camden Market ------------------------------------------------ verity: hey, wondering where michelle's silver vest in tonights episode came from. and her vests in general :) then i just need to wait for some warmer weather..! thanks

Edward: Michelle's silver vest was from Kate Moss for Top Shop - her vests are from all over , American Apparel is great for brilliant coloured basics made in ethical factories ( much better for your conscience and the world than Primark !)

Episode 7

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moppet: Hey Edward, I just want to say I think the overall look of the characters in the show is amazing so whatever you are doing with the wardrobe you are doing it extremely well! I hate to be the 1,000,000,000th person to ask you this but...in Michelle's episode (Series 2, Episode 4) she wears a pair of skirt dungarees or a skirt with braces made of denimn. I would love it if you could tell me where you found it? Or where I could find a similar item? I know several people have already asked you on this about it. I would really appreciate it if you could get back to us about it. It would actually mean a lot! much love, moppet xx

Edward: Really sorry but can't actually remember what label Michelle's dungaree skirt was - it was a TKMaxx find - but try Lees new stuff designed by Jane Birkin for something silmilair ------------------------------------------------ HarrietBABESS: Hi, i was wondering if you could please tell me where michelle's necklace is from in her lost weeks diary, the black bow one, and effy's dress she wears to the club in series 2 episode 7? I would really love to know where to get them. Thanks

Edward: Michelles necklace was from Warehouse and Effy's dress was created from a vintage beaded dress , customised over another dress from Oasis - so sharpen those scissors and start creating ! ------------------------------------------------ geodude: hi i was just wondering if you could tell me wer you get the majority of chris' vest tops from i just think there so good that i have to have one especially this one!! thanks XD

Edward: a lot of Chris' vests are 70s deadstock - original stuff that was never sold - from markets and vintage shops - try some of the retro stalls in Camden or local car boot sales ------------------------------------------------ christian20: Hey I was just wondering if you could tell me where Maxxie's jacket is from that he wore at the skins secret party??? thanx

Edward: Maxxies' rowing blazer was hired from a Bristol Costume Shop and is probably about 100 years old - still looks good doesn't it , just goes to show great style never goes out of fashion . ------------------------------------------------

alex: hi edward, i've been spending my internet millions on some new clothes recently. can i tell everyone about them? (Note: Alex, despite his yuppy question, is not the sugar daddy he claims to be. You've been warned, girls...Ed.)

Alex - we need photos of you modelling your new looks maybe with some of your Skins' co-workers ! ------------------------------------------------ AnnaBanana: Hi Edward! First of all, well done on your supreme costume choosing, its impeccible! I was wonder where Chris' fluffy hat from the Skins 2 opening credits is from? Its pretty much the best hat i have ever witnessed :0 Thanks

Edward: Chris' fluffy hat was from the brilliant hip/hop stall in St. Nicholas's Market in Bristol ------------------------------------------------ Bridget Burton: hi i was just wondering if you could tell me where you got Jal's Shirt, shorts and (i think they were Nike) Trainers rom episode 1 series 2, where she and chris go to pick up Tony from Maxxie's. That would be very helpful.x

Edward: Jal's shirt was from H&M;, shorts were from Uniqlo and her trainers were indeed Nike . ------------------------------------------------

mindemo: hey edward...i was wondering where maxxie got that purple and silver nylon jacket in his unseen episode on his myspace...cheers mate...haz...XO

Edward: maxxie's jacket is from Nike ------------------------------------------------ SamR: Could you tell me where the outfit Tony wore to the university came from please? Thanks

Edward: Tony's shirt from Junk de Luxe , tie by American Apparel , jacket by Parkes , trousers from Cos , belt by Gap shoes by Converse ------------------------------------------------ Grantlock: Please could u tell me if theres a peoples market shop in bristol or wher i could get the clothes from fank you!!!:D x

Edward: Not sure if People's Market sell in Bristol - it's available in Number 22 on Carnaby Street and TopMan at Oxford Circus ------------------------------------------------

Kaz: Hi Edward, I didn't get my question answered last time and I really need those socks lol. Was just wondering if you could tell me where they were from? Michelles socks in episode 1 when shes in the club and outside with Sid

Edward: Michelle's socks were from American Apparel ------------------------------------------------

charlie lewis: hi. Do you know where i can find the tank top chris is wearing at the end of the latest episode, the one with horses or something on it. cheers.

Edward: chris' vest was 70s deadstock from Camden Market ------------------------------------------------

john Rainey: hi jakes yellow/orange cardigan from the start of the effy episode? can you tell me where it's from?

Edward: jake's cardigan was an old ladie's from a jumble sale

Episode 9

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Dave Gee: Hi, can you tell me where Tony got his pink underwear and t-shirt from, please? It was the episode where Effy's mad mate came over.

Edward: Pay attention, Dave! Tony's underwear was pink due to Effy's inefficiency in the washing department! ------------------------------------------------

Christina_Marie: Hi, i was just wondering where Michelles green dress comes from in the calander cover photo below theres a photo. And also were do Jal's pink star earing come from which she too wore in the same photo? Thanks xx

Edward: Michelle's dress was by Lux from Urban Outfitters and Jal's earings were from H & M.

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Branwen: Hi edward can somebody PLEASE tell me where jal got her white dress top she wears in episode 8 series 2 when shes at her music audition, ive asked like 8 times lol! Thanks a lot xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Edward: Jal's audition dress was from Oasis - well asked!

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snoogins: This may sound like a stupid question, but i thought you should be the one to ask. I have a big problem buying trousers for myself. I dunno if it's just my frame (I'm 6 foot and pretty thin). But anything outside of blue jeans look awkward on me. I was wondering if you had any tips when look for mens trousers. Oh and everyone always asks where certain characters shop. I was wanting to know whats your own favourite brands of clothing?

Edward: Hi snoogins. Blue jeans are a pretty good basic for any look - take advantage of your height by maybe wearing trousers a bit shorter than you normally would - Farah have a great range of trousers that suit all shapes, so check them out. My favourite labels are Margaret Howell, Vivienne Westwood, Thom Browne and thanks for asking... ------------------------------------------------

skinsfreak: hey edward, was just wondering where Chris's Monkey Man t shirt was from?

Edward: Chris' Monkey Man was specially designed by me.

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beth babe: hi edward:) could you please tell me where michelles gold-like jeans are from that she wears with the silver vest in episode 8? also where is the blue vest top and the orange bra from that she wears? i cant remember which episode she wore them in sorry, thanks so much! the skins style owns:) x

Edward: Michelle's gold jeans were from Morgan , blue vest from Oasis and orange bra from La Senza. ------------------------------------------------

#cassie #cassie ainsworth #skins #skins style #skins fashion #skins uk #skins gen 1 #skins generation 1

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burlveneer-music · 3 years

Audio

The Force Dimension - Feel The Tension - 1989 Belgian EBM “power remastered for 21st Century ears”

Optimo Music Archiv is a new offshoot label by JD Twitch exploring and revisiting favourite and often forgotten releases from the past. First up - Force Dimension. Released in full picture sleeve on marbled vinyl. Sleeve design by Andrew Beltran. This was Belgium. 1989. First wave EBM duo, but also so much more. This first release takes 5 Force Dimension favourites and reconfigures them as an extended EP / mini album. The songs are untouched but have been power remastered for 21st Century ears. “Tension” comes in two versions, one from each version of their debut album. Oddly they put out an original version (Blue), they decided they didn’t like it and re-recorded it. Both versions of Tension rule. 200 FA is an end of the night anthem. A perfect piece of E Music that crossed over into the early 90s Rave era and still much sought after to this day. Aqua 2000 and All Systems Out are two Belgian bombs that still slay dancefloors today.

#The Force Dimension #belgium #ebm #new beat #1989 #reissue #remaster #electronic #industrial #optimo #2021

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thesunlounge · 3 years

Text

Reviews 370: Coyote

I have been mostly absent as of late due to the pressures of completing my PhD studies, but now that the work there is finishing, I am trying to return to regular reviewing. And for months and months now, one of the records I’ve most wanted to discuss has been Coyote’s Buzzard Country, released last year on their home station Is it Balearic? Recordings. In fact, my delay has been so extreme that, not only has Coyote released an accompanying Buzzard Country Remixes 12”—which I will cover here as well—they have also dropped the incredible Return to Life 12”, and even announced a new 2xLP slated for the summer called The Mystery Light. But better late than never, and there is no way I can pass up the chance to at last write in depth about the music of Timm Sure and Ampo. I say “at last” because, despite the fact that I consider Coyote amongst my very favorite recording artists, you would be forgiven for not knowing that by scanning the Sun Lounge archives. Though I’ve had opportunity to discuss their work here and there via remixes (such as on Blank & Jones’ Relax: The Sunset Sessions 2 and Joe Morris’ Cloud Nine 12”), by some strange turn of fate, Coyote has released no vinyl of their own since this blog’s inception...something that only changed very recently. Indeed, prior to 2020, the last time the duo put out solo works on wax was their stunning 2016 run, which included the Song Dogs LP, the Fight the Future 12” on Clandestino, and the seventh EP in their long running self-titled series on Is It Balearic? Which is not to say they weren’t active, and in fact, Timm Sure and Ampo delivered a really great set of digital singles and EPs in collaboration with Music for Dreams, and additionally, they remained active with remix and DJ work. As well, Buzzard Country was due quite a bit earlier than 2020, but was unfortunately plagued by production delays. To at last get to the point, this is all a roundabout way of saying that I am really excited to have plenty of Coyote to write about now and in the future, so that I can finally pay proper tribute to this foundational duo of the modern balearic beat.

As I’ve explored the balearic soundworld, Ampo and Timm Sure have always been beacons of light guiding me on my path, whether through their eclectic productions as Coyote, through the curation of Is It Balearic?, Über, and the Magic Wand edit series, or through their mixes and DJ sets, which are typically loaded with unheard treasures that lean towards the trippier and dubbier ends of the chill out spectrum. And it is this tendency towards the psychoactive that most endears me to Coyote, for the duo have always championed an authentic balearic spirit, one that foregrounds the music’s connections to the hippie hedonist heydays of Ibiza, to the second summer of love, and to a spirit of ecstatic abandon, one that is equally imbued with a magical sense of melancholy…of a feeling of being in paradise, but knowing it can’t last…as if the moments of revelatory magic—of wild nights dancing and sunrise comedowns—are tempered in real-time with senses of longing and regret. Which brings me finally to Buzzard Country, Coyote’s fifth full-length LP and a pitch-perfect encapsulation of their signature mixture of wistful melodic nostalgia and daydream seaside grooving. Across the album, baggy beats morph between downbeat disco, stoner dub, and world exotica while bottom heavy basslines work the body. Echoing vocal samples thread around hand drums tapestries, emotional washes of synthesis flow over radiant piano chords, and at crucial moments, the exotica guitar flourishes of longtime collaborator Saro Tribastone carry the mind away to lands of faraway fantasy. As for the Buzzard Country Remixes 12”, the A-side is given over to the Hardway Brothers, who brilliantly transform the album’s “Sun Culture” into varying landscapes of ultra deep Chain Reaction style dub wizardry. Then on the B-side, Woolfy vs. Projections and Max Essa respectively flip album stand outs “Shimmer Dub” and “Ranura de Marihuana” into their own specific strains of equatorial dancefloor euphoria, with each remix pushing the mind, body, and spirit towards maximal beach boogie mania.

Coyote - Buzzard Country (Is It Balearic? Recordings, 2020) “Soaring” begins with buzzard calls and hovering breaths of synthesis evoking a new dawn. Ripples form in the ether via bubbling squarewave synth leads, and pulsating dub bass sits beneath a blanket of sighing strings. The carrion calls continue streaking through the mix and celestial pianos rain down while echoing playfully across the spectrum. Plucked bass electronics bounce in counterpoint and hesitate woodwind glimmers call to mind flashing laser lights beneath a beautiful sea surface…almost as if a flute has been transmuted into a rapid fire fractal vibration. At times the strings back away, leaving layers of rainbow colored ocean ambiance to flutter and dance, all before ending with white noise delay oscillations that mimic the swell of ocean waves. Then in “Soft Top Saab,” an echo-soaked voice muses on the sunrise, with chills running down the spine as the solar affirmations are increasingly surrounded by space age string synths, and by Sara Tribastone’s mystical guitar filigrees. Reversing melodies enter the spectrum and swell the heart while shakers and tambourines hold a gentle beat. Tribastone’s guitar serenades softly overhead, with plucked textures of synthetic wood and stone dancing in the background. Further delay-laced pianos fade into view, with the track ebbing and flowing…growing and receding…and sometimes backing down into understated back and forth between guitar and piano, wherein harmonious brass layers and swells of spectral space glitter moving at the periphery. The result is a conversational interchange between seaside melancholy and romantic nostalgia, one which is eventually superseded by cosmic flutters, soft six string dances, and the spoken spells of a reggae mystic, who gives thanks to the sun, and its bounty of restorative light.

Dusty acoustic guitars and sunrise vapors introduce “Shimmer Dub,” while dancing dub bass portends the first real taste of a groove. A rocking hypno-rhythm comes into focus and laid back snares guide the infectious glide, while tablas roll overhead and evocative vocal layers thread through the mix. Steel pan synths are seen through the titular shimmer and wavering wavefronts of blurred melody wash over everything, until the mix drops down into a haze of stoned exotica comprised of a minimalist pallet of tabla rhythms, bleary-eyed pads, and thrilling vocal incantations…the effect like awakening on the shores of some faraway ocean paradise, with visages of desert caravan rituals preceding in the distance. The dubbed out groove eventually resurges, with passages given over to extended echo percussion experiments and the fragile songs of tropical idiophones. Feminine vocals glow like some intoxicating gas of multi-hued magic, and springy basslines guide the body while hi-hats and snare work through a psychedelic skank. Smoldering currents of ether move through the stereo field and moments of subtle intensity erupt from the horizontal vibe out…with airy woodwinds shrouded in static, claps cracking, and hand drums creating webs of groove mesmerism. And as the beat starts to vaporize, echo oscillations set the air aflame amidst fantasy orchestrations.

“Ranura de Marihuana” bathes in echo acoustic guitars that seem beamed in from some distant past…these evocations of classical folk music futurized via layers of fx. An ecstatic scream washes the mix clean, and a four-to-the-floor kick drum emerges to pound in the void, while overhead, Flamenco-indebted guitars spin webs of magic and reverberating vocals call to the spirits of sea and sky….sometimes whispering, other times shrieking wildly into the night. Sub-earthen bass movements are felt more than head, with exotic dub lines moving far beneath the surface. Bongos and congas pop and nervous shaker patterns lead the downbeat disco strut, while guitars work through further Mediterranean hooks and Iberian flourishes. A moment is given over to heavy bass and kaleidoscopic hand percussion–with scatting vocals, reverberating snaps, and lost souls wailing in desperation–and when the groove snaps back, there are touches of tango kissing the preceding, which bring to mind a rose-in-mouth glide across some dark and mysterious dancefloor, wherein spindly psych folk guitar melodies work the mind and airy drum rhythmics entrance the body. The kick climbs back towards dancefloor strength, with desert mystic percussions moving all around the mix and vocals morphing though fever dream echo layers. Elements from across the track refract through oscillating delay machines, and touches of rave haunt the rhythms, especially as subsonic basslines and subdued breakbeats work together.

A single piano note brings light to the darkness in “Sun Culture” and layers of radiance rain down in the form of heart-melting piano chordscapes, with some of that Screamadelica soul bliss suffusing the progressions. Warming pads envelope everything and deep dub pulses walk down white sand beaches, with shakers and lysergic breaths giving shape to the groove. Hi-hats, snare taps, and beachside bongos enter and buzzing guitar notes give off waves of golden light while overhead, liquids drip from the roofs of ocean cliff caverns. The single piano note continues to glow while souflul chords hold the mind in a state of psychedelic rapture, and space age ethers blind all vision as they spread outwards, then recede. Coyote move the track progressively towards a state of horizontal bliss, with almost everything washing away except the summery piano incantations, which are so soaked in reverb as to generate billowing cloudforms with every single note. Hushed rhythms return and hand drums take on a slight sense of urgency while pads generate layers of oceanic warmth, resulting in an audial invitation to greet the rising sun, and a naturalistic tribute to crashing waves and drifting clouds.

Intergalactic pads breath in “Dos Canas,” with tones wispy and suffused with inner light. Palm-muting electric guitars dance like bubbles through the ocean blue, and a touch of kosmische ambiance is soon tempered by bulbous dub basslines and splayed out layers of percussion, wherein the mechanic and organic merge seamlessly. Electroid sketches and seed shakers move in time as a slow and low balearic skank emerges, with glorious tones of brass pulsing overhead before ascending to the heavens on currents of humid tropical air. Hand drums circle the mix as the heavy atmospheres recede, leaving vaporous rhythms and golden synth strands to intertwine. Heartwarming chords give off mirage shimmers as the dub bass works its way back in, bringing with it further layers of world drum delirium. Soft sirens pan before giving way to more of the ascendent brass synthesis, and hisses of white noise add layers of subtle psychotropia. Snares are blasted into bursts of desert sand and all throughout the mix, various strands of melody and harmony are caught within oscillating delay cycles…progressively distorting and roaring into the ether. Shakers and 16th note hi-hats lead the groove while bongos and idiophones dance playfully against the snare and kick, until it all breaks down into an ambient outro of serene static, sighing strings, and layers of phasing rainbow light.

“Feedback Valley” closes the show with synth incantations portending the glow of a glorious sunrise, while shakers generate an infectious shuffle. Tribastone and his acoustic guitar explore Flamenco landscapes and a four-four kick drums hits against the body while layers of synthesis radiate compelling colorations. Babbling voices ride a serpentine synth sequence and touches of acid bass move in support, with cut-off filters opening as the snare drops, creating a head-nodding and body bopping groove that lifts the spirit towards the sky. The sequential electronics are so effective as they bob and weave through the mix, creating an effortless vibe of beach dance perfection…of hands-in-the-air euphoria and the abandonment of all worry or fear. Additional touches of six string sunshine push the mind every towards the shores of Ibiza and during a breakdown into burning delay feedback, synthesizers filter into solar squelch and guitars drift towards psychedelic delirium. A slow yet anthemic snare roll calls to mind big room trance as it brings the groove back into focus, now with 3D synth snaps firing in the left ear as the ever-present sequence reduces to a calming purr. Tribastone continues letting loose threads of sunshine lysergia and points of synthetic light swell into magnificent globes of blinding incandenscence. And towards the end, an echo-shrouded choir of the sea sings beneath a brief guitar fantasia before it all washes away in a scream of oscillation.

Coyote - Buzzard Country Remixes (Is It Balearic? Recordings, 2021) The Hardway Brothers take “Sun Culture” into ultra-deep territory across two versions on the A-side, with the first being the very aptly named “Balearic Channel Remix”…which is of course a reference to the work of Mark Ernestus and Moritz von Oswald. Underground warehouse kick drums pound beneath hissing space fluids, as a low down Chain Reaction-style groove emerges, though with its eyes locked on a melting sunset panorama. Liquiform chords flow into cold industrial caverns and string synths suffuse the reverberating spaces with splashes of sunshine, while sub bass motions vibrate the soul. Shadowy tracers flit across the sky and DMT vibrato waves squiggle at hyperspeed, yet their effect is blunted and muted. Claustrophobic clouds fade in then out while melodic piano chordstrokes reflect in strange ways off of glowing walls of stone, their effect like gemstones glimmering underwater, yet with their luster sanded away by the march of time. Muted dub chords are caught in crackling delay chains and the deep kicks and jacking bass never relent in their heads down, hands-in-the-air stomp. Snares are reduced to a whisper and shaker patterns cause head-bobbing hypnotism as funky chords bring touches of liquid fusion grooving…only as if proceeding in the middle of a dub techno fever dream. Insectoid chitters move in from all corners of the mix, sawing sirens swirl into screams of feedback, and all the while, drum circle flourishes are shattered into a web echoing delirium.

Next comes Sun Culture “(Hardway Brothers Meet Monkton Uptown),” which sees the bass going even deeper somehow, as growling riddims menace the mind and rattle the ribcage. We soon find ourselves in another subaquatic dub techno dopamine dream, wherein kick, snare and hi-hat lock in for maximal hypnotic effect. Sometimes the bass guitar of Duncan Gray seems to take on a post-punk drug chug edge, and at some point, the rhythms pull away, leaving chopped up voices to decay into the void. Bassline and beats return and streaks of feedback sing softly over everything, while fogs of seafoam move at the outer edges of the stereo field. Clouds of solar static are seen from millions of miles away and traces of flamboyant fuzz guitar are submerged into a pooling vortex of deep dub delirium, emerging stretched out and mutated into currents of neon starshine. Gray's melodic basslines serenade through the underground club grooves, those funky chords return to sing their 70s fusion songs within layers of sighing feedback, and increasingly, the mix is overwhelmed by distorted blasts of drug-induced haze. Abstracted voices filter from one ear to the other…their unintelligible spells of esoteric mystery pushing the mind ever further towards astral activation. And towards the ends, the original tracks Primal Scream-style piano chord structures can just be heard amidst feedback fires, delay detritus, and morphing vocal abstractions.

In the Woolfy vs Projections mix of “Shimmer Dub,” the original track’s hand percussions intermingle with gurgling rhythmic fluids…the effect like wandering upon some tribal jungle ceremonial. Big blasts of downer synth bass are soaked in reverb, repetitive synth pulses tickle the mind, and pillowy arpeggios flow into view while those familiar synthetic steel drums shine in the sunlight. Fingers roll across myriad skins as the kick drum drops away, leaving the mind to swim in a world of equatorial energy. Then, as the bass drum resumes–with shakers never relenting–a new bassline emerges, bringing with it a heavy touch of wiggling squiggling Italo boogie. The vibe is hesitant…anxious even…with a persistent refusal to lock in, and as bass bursts grow in intensity, the rest of the mix begins reverberating into a balearic dreamscape. Following a delirious pause, the track explodes into flamboyant disco funk perfection, as sweltering chord hazes melt from the sky and bouncing basslines join an infectious and tropically tinged body groove. Chords scat, virtual marimbas dance, synthetic steel pans shimmer across the spectrum, and swells of white light synthesis overwhelm the mind...the whole thing as massive a groove as there could possibly be. Touches of electro kiss the rhythms and futuristic synth riffs fire as we back down into a swinging breakbeat, with rapid keyboard riffs locking into heady funk cycles and stadium-sized tom tom fills splaying out across the stereo field. Guitar licks are soaked in sunshine as they lead a dubwise swing, and as we explode once more into the block rocking groove, double time shakers and hats push the vibe towards dance party mania…all as coral-colored leads rush through star ocean fx clouds.

Max Essa’s take on “Ranura de Marihuana” sees a four-four kick smacking with infectious disco dance energy and hand percussion flowing all around. A snare crack introduces another groove indebted to Italo boogie, with big bottomed synth basslines accentuating the vibes of beach dance euphoria. Shakers spread into sandy clouds of atmosphere and heatwave pads sweat and squelch as starlight arppegios race across the sky. The vibe of Ibizan melancholia is here perfected, causing body and soul to merge in hedonistic ecstasy, and though the track resembles one of Essa’s characteristic blue ocean dancefloor cruisers, its a little slower and baggier than usual, which fits completely with Coyote’s zoner stoner vibe. Seascape pianos bring a peaktime fee and at certain moments, the groove momentarily recedes, only to rush back in on an infectious snare crack. Ivory melodies are increasingly strange and psychotropic as they flutter across the mix, with decaying vibration tails carried away on an aqueous breeze. The radiant piano chords and vocalizations from the original swim into the stereo field as Essa barrels down into a heavy bassline stomp, with every pulling away aside from smeared out voices and 70s prog rock pads that evoke a string orchestra tuning to the sounds of the stars. Further clap cracks bring back layers of equatorial euphoria and the vocals are used to incredible effect, with echoing snippets repurposed as anthemic hooks. Pianos continue their alien dance over relaxed disco rhythms and snapping funk basslines, and as we move towards the end, claps and basslines fire rapidly as vocals morph through slapback oscillations…all before dropping into one last expanse of seaside dancefloor magic, with dub disco beats, infectious world percussion rolls, and a pleading voices diffusing towards a gorgeous sunset horizon.

(images from my personal copies)

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transarchivist · 4 years

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do you have any podcasts recs? I want to listen to archive 81 but I need some backup and I've already listened to the more "famous" ones, like all of them I binge podcasts like they pay me for me it ajsjjshfje

!!!! ok i'm sorry it's taken me a hot minute to get to you BUT i think i have a good amount of reccomendations :o

these first few are kinda "famous" but i thought i'd point em out just in case! some of them ended a few years ago and they were more well known back when they were running

wolf 359: gotta point this one out juuuust in case you haven't listened to it! amazing sci fi... would drama be the right word? it's very intense and has some really interesting meditations on morality and the self But it's also so extremely funny. complete, ended in 2017

ars paradoxica: america during the cold war, the red scare, intense government conspiracies.... And Time Travel! complicated but amazing plot and a big cast- i would recommend not pausing and listening to something else, it gets complex! mischa stanton directed it so you Know it has stellar sound design (added bonus: lgbt main characters) complete, ended in 2018

the bright sessions: people with superpowers go to therapy! plus: shadowy capitalistic conspiracies, amazing romances and phenomenal character development! i'm not a fan of romances and i Loved the ones here (it's not heavily romance focused though!) (added bonus: lgbt main characters + main lgbt romance) complete, ended in 2018. i think a spin off series is running rn tho!

the adventure zone: this isn't an audio drama, it's an actual play d&d podcast! the first season (balance) is amazing- hilarious and heart wrenching! (the heart wrenching takes a while to kick in but MAN it's so good) the first season ended in 2017. i haven't finished the second big season (amnesty) but i loved what i did listen to, same with the currently running season (graduation)

sayer: starts off as sinister night vale but with an ai and in space, evolves into a complicated save-the-world plot concerning several ais. it's in second person and it's Amazing! lots of meditations on the self and personhood. currently on hiatus but will be ending when it resumes

alice isn't dead: from the people who did night vale! starts as a trucker trying to find her wife, evolves to include shadowy government conspiracies and the power of regular people banding together. ending made me tear up it's really good! it's Big on the horror (the first ep is the only podcast that's ever truly scared me and it continues to scare the shit out of me to this day) but its Extremely Good Horror. very americana too! complete, ended in 2018.

ok that's the more well known ones out of the way, i think? i'm not too confident about how well known some of them are nowadays ^^' all i can say is that i heard abt them frequently in 2016. now onto the lesser known ones ! the ones that are complete are generally pretty short listens (relatively- they're still a good handful of hours at the least)

zero hours: by the wolf 359 people, it's a short anthology that released all at once last year. to pharaphrase/quote the official blurb: each episode is a take on the end of the world, whether the apocalypse is planetary or personal. each episode is separated by 99 years, starting in the past (1722) reaching the present and then overtaking it. surprisingly hopeful ending, made me <:')

i am in eskew: you've probably heard me holler about this before- it follows the trials and tribulations of david ward, who lives in the nightmarish and otherworldly city of eskew. 30 episodes long and complete, with a phenomenal ending! i can't rave about this enough i could Keep talking but i'll cut myself short. it's horror and it's damn good horror! does deal with extremely heavy topics, please be careful!

janus descending: sci fi horror with what has to be the most interesting formatting i've seen in ages: the two points of view alternate each episode... but one is chronological and one is backwards! amazingly done, keeps you guessing until the end! complete. follows peter and chel as they undertake a survey mission on an alien planet

midnight radio: made by @/theradioghost! big on the idea that "all ghost stories are love stories". a 1950s radio hostess gets letters from a fan. horror, big on the 1950s aesthetics, focus on the relationship between one and one's hometown. lovely ending! it's sapphic too :]

the far meridian: by the same people who did ars paradoxica! follows peri, a bit of a hermit who has extreme social anxiety, who lives in a lighthouse that suddenly begins to teleport. each morning peri wakes up and the lighthouse is in a different place! there are like... some horror elements? kinda? but it's not intense imo. it mainly follows peri learning to cope with her anxiety & helping others, with each episode usually having a one off encounter (usually pretty strange!) often has wholesome vibes. s3 is currently in production and is the final season. plus: lgbt characters, and kinda spoilers but peri uses a cane later on!

old gods of appalachia: honestly it's what it says on the tin! a collection of short stories set in historical appalachia that deal with entities beyond human understanding. they're good about trigger warnings, but it's Horror. produced by actual appalachians! stellar music, a Lot strong female characters, and a good amount of lgbt rep! killer music!! it's currently releasing but the latest short story is finished. (do listen in order though!)

the deep vault: by the archive 81 team! in an "almost-post-apocalyptic" america a group of friends chase a rumor about a secret hidden vault, only to Find it! follows the group as they traverse the deep vault. horror, actively points out capitalism a Lot, definetly has an interesting ending! amazing sound design, which is to be expected from dan powell!

tides: the official blurb is short and sweet: "tides is the story of dr. winnifred eurus, a xenobiologist stuck on an unfamiliar planet with hostile tidal forces". extremely snarky and endearing main character and fascinating worldbuilding! i don't know the status of s2, but s1 was really good!

limetown: follows one lia haddock, a public radio reporter, as she tries to unravel the mystery of what happened at limetown. all she knows is that 10 years prior, over 300 men, women and children vanished. horror, mystery, and some sci fi elements. presented in a found footage kinda way. i really enjoyed it, especially the first season. complete.

mabel: horror (big on the haunted house type specifically), sapphic romance, fun take on the fair folk/fae! follows anna limon, an in home carer who's trying to get in touch with her client's estranged granddaughter. evolves into a big fae-horror-romance-thing! really interesting romance tbh. amazing imagery and prose- lots of prose + almost poetry, but it's really good i promise. currently on a post season hiatus

spines: horror but it evolves past just horror in an interesting way (keeping the horror bits, of course). follows wren, who woke up in an attic surrounded by the remains of a cult ritual without any memories of who she is or what she was doing. she searches for answers, encountering creepy shit along the way. really interesting take on the super-secret-organization-that's-always-been-there trope! really good ending. one of the main characters is nonbinary + there's other lgbt main characters.

mirrors: by the people who did spines. also starts as horror but evolves past just horror (it's also sci fi). follows three women in three different centuries who are all experiencing the same haunting. phenomenal take on ghosts! like i can't articulate how cool this angle on ghosts is! s3 is supposed to start this year :] one of the main characters is sapphic, and her wife is a supporting character.

the six disappearances of ella mccray: also by the people who did spines and mirrors. evolves past just horror but keeps more of the horror elements? follows the 6 povs of the people who witnessed the surreal disappearance of ella mccray. each saw something different and surreal, and as they search for her, surreal things start happening to them. unsure abt the status of s3 but s1 and s2 are really good! lgbt main characters, including a trans lesbian (played by a trans woman!)

the bridge: horror. follows the crew of watchtower 10 on the transcontinental bridge that spans across the atlantic ocean. i listened to it back in like 2016-2017 so my memory is hazy, but i remember really enjoying it! currently on hiatus.

within the wires: sci fi... horror..? i listened to the first season a few years ago and enjoyed it and i've continued to hear really good things. it's by the people who make night vale! my memory isn't great but iirc the first season is a sort of romance that's formatted as a set of relaxation/meditation cassettes. it's a few seasons in and i think each is generally self contained, im unsure if it's currently running or not

the orbiting human circus of the air: also by the night vale people! again i listened to this a few years ago so im hazy. follows julian the janitor who works at a radio station that broadcasts from the top of the eiffel tower! surreal but in a wholesome way, iirc! i remember tearing up with happy tears at the s1 finale ^^' really good music! i think the second(?) season ended recently

stellar firma: i've only listened to a handful of episodes, but i've liked what i've heard. sci fi improv comedy that follows the newly made clone david 7 and the mess that is trexel geistman as they try and design custom planets. i think it's currently running but i dunno

rusty quill gaming: also another one that i've only listened to a few episodes of. actual play pathfinder (basically d&d) podcast set on an alternate earth. alex newall (martin's voice actor) is the dm. i've heard really good things from a lot of people! i think it's currently running but again i don't know for sure

right! that's. that's what i got.

i mentioned @/theradioghost earlier (shes behind midnight radio) but i would absolutely recommend looking at her rec list tag! she has impeccable taste

#ask #anon #podcast recs #cae speaks #mine #long post #<- incase the read more doesnt work

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1albumaday · 4 years

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2020

The Chats - The Clap

Easy-peasy punk rock album

Loving - If I am only my thoughts

Charming sun-dappled folk-pop, clean, gentle melodies

Steve Spacek - Houses

iPhone/iPad recorded, latino and jazz accented dance/house beats

Ghali - DNA

Total Flop and failed expectations. Mishmash of bland and frivolous lyrics and arrangements.

King Krule - Man Alive!

Alienating, violent, romantic, anguishing, doomed, noir / jazz, post-punk, soul, dubstep, electronic, garage rock, hip-hop

Justin Bieber - Changes

Disappointing comeback - boring r&b with zero sex appeal and cheesy lyrics and all-the-same songs

Guided by voices - Surrender your poppy field

Unusual time signatures, song lengths, and baroque-prog structures - mature rock and sometimes pixie / 80s dreamy

Corrections - Simply Activities

80s new wave and post punk nostalgia - cheesy vocals at times - first half more solid than second

Swim Mountain- If

A lovely mix of indie and funktronica, synth pop, r&b

Caribou - Suddenly

Sly and sofishticated sound design flits between uk garage disco and more - some tracks way less strong than others

Grimes - Miss Anthropocene

Mix “Ethereal nu metal”, ambient, dance, electronic, drum’n’bass, country - is violent and dark but sexy, delicate and dreamy

Porridge Radio - Every Bad

A dissonant lush indie rock sometimes dreamy sometimes dark and ironic with mantra-litany dusky lyrics from peaceful to desperate

Four Tet - Sixteen oceans

Wind instruments, synths and drum patterns gradually fade to calming ambient sounds, intense and meditative but also danceable and powerful

Kamaiyah - Got it made

Short, stripped-down, bubbling keyboards and drum-machine handclaps. NO current rap trends. windows-down bass-rattle record of one person’s confidence in her own sound and charisma

Poolside - Low season

Funk percussions, retro synths, pop and disco influences + indie vocals

Morioh Sonder - Is this psychedelia?

Surf pop and psych rock, dreamy post punk influences, danceable and whimsical

KEYAH/BLU - Sorry, I forgot you were coming

Perfect blend of rap, rnb, experimental pop, dark rhythms textured electronics, intimate tales

TOPS - I feel alive

Pop, radiant and 80s romantic with a contemporary experimental palette

The Chats - High risk behaviour

Classic old-school pure punk / cheerily undemanding fun

NIN - Ghosts V: Together

Buzzy ambient, melodic hooks, emotional palette of sounds

NIN - Ghosts VI: Locusts

Together’s opposite, anxiety-inducing, despairing horns, breathing and devouring sounds.

Roger and Brian Eno - Mixing Colours

Feels like a balm for these anxious times

Fiona Apple - Fetch the bolt cutters

Handclaps, chants, makeshift percussion, echoes, whispers, screams, breathing, jokes, dog barks, rattling blues. Contains no conventional pop forms. freeing and powerful.

The Weeknd - After Hours

Satisfying collision of new wave, dream pop, R&B, synth-pop nostalgia

BC Camplight - Shortly After Takeoff

Jazzy eighties rock with some icy funk and electronic pop, painfully personal and uneasy but so self-deprecating it speaks like your best friend

Rone - Room with a view

Deft splicing of beats-based electronics and dance music with classical influences. 21st century baroque chords, snatches of conversations, speeches, children’s voices

Other Lives - For their love

Bluesy acid-rock, dreamy meditation sounds, eerie string-crescendos, music for the afterlife

Lil Uzi Vert - Eternal Atake

Drill-influenced rapping, melodic crooning, trends-aware hip-hop beats, untouchable pop sound production

Squarepusher - Be up a hello

Frantic breakbeats littered with echoes of classic jungle, hardcore, and drum’n’bass, ’90s drill’n’bass, glitchy 8-bit chaos

The Orielles - Disco Volador

Cosmic, playful, funky dreamy indie pop, shuffling organs, woozy guitar, shimmy-shimmy hand percussion

Portico Quartet - We welcome tomorrow

Perfect dreamy sequel of ‘Memory streams’

Charlie XCX - how i’m feeling now

Quarantine creation / 2020 romance manifesto of club-pop, trap, k-pop, video game sounds, fuzzy synths and crackling bass

Holy Fuck - Deleter

Trippy, psychedelic tapestry of euphoric escapism, ‘90s dance, glitchy beats, airy vocals, experimental electronics

Luge - Luge

Energetic and playful avant-garde and quirky math rock, zolo?

Good With Parents, Triple Stephens - Comments & Reflection

Playful indietronica synth pop + classical instruments

Wishing - None of this was your fault

Lo-fi indie, ambient, slowcore w/ fragile lyrics

Bibio - Sleep on the wing

Indie folk treated like ambient / a gorgeous soundscape of strings, guitars and flutes, feelings of loss, hope and escape. Perfect picture of tranquil countryside memories

Piotr Kurek - A Sacrifice Shall Be Made / All The Wicked Scenes

Electroacoustic experimental, meditative-ritualistic atmospheric music / conceived for theatrical performances

Military Genius - Deep Web

Meditative ambient, retro-futurist soundscapes / hypnagogic pop, dark, abstract and mysterious / early ‘70s folk interjecting jazz-brass sections

Jockstrap - Wicked City

Melancholy waltz and winsome ballads, fluttering strings, soft piano glissandi mixed with gnarly and distorted hip-hop beats, buzzing guitars and synths / cherubic vocals, pcmusic-style manipulated at times

Georgia - String Token

Experimental ambient electronic, minimal, melodic, futuristic, hypnotic and grim

EVOL - Madball Manners

Lingering experimental rave electronic, hardcore, techno

Upsammy - Zoom

Playful, sampling, abstract IDM, ambient techno, melodic and rhythmic, surreal, futuristic, sparkling synths and billowing pads

Tomasz Kunicki - Muzyka dla Świątyń

Playful and abstract IDM, glittering synths, obscure pads, glitchy and bleepy

Tomasz Kunicki - The sound is gone, where did it go, I have no idea

Very bassy and very dubby IDM, atmospheric ambient and loopy electronics

Kate NV - Room for the moon

80s new wave, progressive electronic, synth pop, cornucopia of melodies and genres. Wriggling synths, chirping flutes, warm baselines, jazzy sax, woodwinds, marimba. Russian girly vocals cartoon theme-song-like.

Khruangbin - Mordechai

Psychedelic / funk rock with some soul, dub, lounge, poolside disco - exotic and atmospheric

Dalai Lama - Inner world

Chanted mantras rhythmically woven into wafting new-age flutes, chimes, strings and free-form guitar picking.

K-Lone - Cape Cira

Tropical ambient house, warm, lush, soft. Zen yet bouncy rhythms. Digital and analogue recordings, at times feels like you’re underwater.

Arca - KiCk i

Experimental industrial club rhythms with reggaeton and folk influences

The Beths - Jump Rope Gazers

Sleek and personal indie rock, romantic ballads, more sentimental and slow than the previous album

J Lloyd - Kosmos

Tasteful soul and funk pop in 25 tiny tracks, charming low-key, rich textures, good vibes

Julek Polsk - Tesco

Dissonant, ominous, dense, post industrial ambient, noise, sound collage, deconstructed club music

Taylor Swift - folklore

Folk/chamber pop, indie folk, bittersweet, mellow, melancholic ballads

Bill Callahan - Gold Record

Contemporary folk, warm and deep vocals, pastoral, peaceful and melancholic

Mura Masa - R.Y.C.

Indietronica, post-punk revival, catchy indie/synth pop, early 2000 EMO, lots of hip collabs

Fontaines D.C. - A Hero's Death

Post-punk, indie rock, art punk, gothic rock, raw deadpan male vocals, darkish and melodic

RAMzi - cocon

Tribal House, ambient dub, balearic beats, downtempo, hypnotic and tropical

Auguste - Indust

Experimental ambient electronic + field recordings, glistening and splintered sounds

Paul Blackford - Betamax

Dreamy and hypnotic trip hop, downtempo, synth wave

A.G.Cook - 7G

49-track archival collection of sketches, cover versions, volatile lab experiments, divided into 7 discs. a glimpse at the whirring cogs beneath hyperpop’s pristine casing.

Clap clap - Liquid Portraits

Experimental musical tapestry and collage / high-energy concoction of unpredictable and wavy rhythms, exotic vocals and heavy, relentless bass and drums / UK Bass, ambient dub, footwork + far-flung field recordings

E.M.M.A. - Indigo Dream

Progressive electronic, ambient house / 80s melodic atmospheres, goosebump-inducing synths, whimsical melodies and classical leanings

Leif - Music for screen tests

Performed live @ Barbican as a 54min session ambient / drone film soundtrack (Andy Warhol's Screen Tests)

Crack Cloud - Pain Olympics

Post/art/dance punk, experimental rock - energetic, anxious, apocalyptic, dark, male vocals

Document - A Camera Wanders All Night

Post-punk, noise rock, past-hardcore, distorted and raw male vocals

Keisuke Matsuda - Clumsily Back Up

Experimental electronic with playful hummed vocals, lo-fi beats, melodic, youthful, dreamlike

Coi Leray - Now or Never

Gen-Z superstar, melodic flows, bouncy trap, energetic killer lyrics

The Ophelias - For Luck

Artful, string-laden indie-pop EP, grungy dream-pop, a quarantine remake and a Joni Mitchell cover

Romare - Home

Deep house, UK Bass, groovy and detailed sonic palette + soul and funk influences - dancefloor highs and after party wind-downs

Mulatu Astatke, Black Jesus Experience - To Know Without Knowing

Ethio-Jazz, Cuban, funk, reggae workout + rapid-fire rap or Afrobeat drums

Good Doom - Spider Temple Valley

Experimental psych-wave, gentle and peaceful lo-fi, dreamy and oozy with flute, sax and field recordings

Ralph Kinsella - Abstraction

Dark ambient experimental / instrumental electronic

IDLES - Ultra Mono

Post-punk, garage punk, hardcore, noise rock, raw male vocals, dense, energetic, angry, political

Mild Orange - Mild Orange

Alternative, Indie rock, dream pop,

Skinshape - Umoja

Experimental psychedelic rock - afro beats - afroswinig - funky - world music

Vulfpeck - The Joy of Music, The Job of Real Estate

Mixed bag of funk, jazz, soul, self-indulgent? classical reworks, progressive electronic, melodic and uplifting, groovy drums and bass lines

OPN - Magic OPN

Manipulated and sequenced archive radio and sounds collages as interludes, uncanny processed voices, poppish trope ballads, art pop, sentimental and surreal, dense, progressive hypnagogic electronic and more

Pa Salieu - Send them to coventry

Combined dancehall, Afrobeats, hip-hop and grime. Scattered drums, stop-start energy, handpicked words and rhymes. skips from trap trills to baile breakdowns.

Mama Ode - Tales & Patterns of the Maroons

Classic hip-hop album with jazz, funk, blues and reggae influences. Creole Sega Rap Roots music, afro-drum patterns and grooves

Tony Allen, Hugh Masekela - Rejoice

Live sessions of unique fusion of afrobeat and swing-jazz with lyrics in English, Yoruba and Zulu

Miley Cyrus - Plastic Hearts

Pop rock, 80s synth-rock, grit and freewheeling sense of fun, rough-hewn panache of vocal performance, bittersweet eclectic and sentimental / collabs with rock idols

2019

LCD Soundsystem - Electric lady sessions

Live recording with some new wavy covers

Harry Styles - Fine line

Not catchy / mediocre pop

Boothe - 8 or 9 Walled Room

10 minutes of playful electronic and soft vocals

Good with parents - Good with parents

Clever indietronica synth pop, fun + ironic + millennial + sax

Taylor Skye - Kode fine & sons

Synth, beats and pop vocals

Famous - England

Wonky pop punk mixed to electronic sounds and raw spoken vocals

Orville Peck - Pony

Simple pop rock Johnny Cash style ballads and 80s

Sassy 009 - Kill Sassy 009

Distorted electro pop with strong vocals + post-punk notes

J-Walk - Mediterranean Winds

Jazzy electronica with glassy synth pads cheesy and chilled out

Mattiel - Satis Factory

Punky garage rock strong female vocals

Ross Backenkeller - Come Around

Country dreamy and melancholy guitar and vocals

Legss - Writing Comedy

Art rock and a dark underbelly of post-punk + topnotch spoken track and electronic sounds

BEA1991 - The Lost Demo EP

Trip-hop with Bjork-style vocals

BEA1991 - Brand New Adult

Chamber folk and yacht rock meld with R&B and trip-hop

Matt Maltese - Krystal

Lo-fi flowy bedroom pop breakup album

Faye Webster - Atlanta Millionaires Club

Folk-pop, mellow and melancholy soul with an r&b tinge

Infinite Bisous- Period

Soothing and warm bedroom night album

Achille Lauro - 1969

Trap changed into rock with romanticised lyrics

Jerkcurb - Air Con Eden

Indie-psych and retro Americana, atmospheric, sensitive, wobbly

Octo Octa - Resonant Body

Breakbeats and house bangers

ALASKALASKA - The Dots

Jazz fusion, disco rhythms and high-gloss art rock

Orphan - Yijoda

Glitchy and sharp electronics + ambient-atmospheric sounds

Honeymoan - Body

Avant-garde pop tapestry of beats and synths with playful vocal

U-Bahn - U-Bahn

Traditional new wave DEVO-moulded, Hypnagogic pop, art-punk, some vaporwave synth sounds

Hail Conjurer - Erotic Hell

Obscure and raw Finnish black metal

Ride for revenge - Chapter of alchemy

Quality black metal with long and short tracks pretty smooth

Boys Age - Neverchanging, Neverending

Lo-fi, slow-tempo, soul, r&b, mellow tracks with sad very low vocals

MorMor - Some place else

Indie-pop with sweet synths and delicate vocals

Felicita - hej!

Overproduced pop dance hits broken down into harsh and jarring staccato melodies, hissing ambient and screams

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Ghosteen

Endlessly giving and complex meditation on mortality and our collective grief, scored by synths, pianos, and electronics

Portico Quartet - Memory Streams

Ethereal keyboards, hypnotic grooves, layered post-rock textures mixed with electronic, ambient and magnetic jazz build-ups

Charles Rumback + Ryley Walker - Little common twist

Mellow and pastoral folksy guitar melodies and soft drums + ambient tones, drone electronic

Shadowax - Nikolai Reptile

Effervescent techno and mutant bass jams

The Rhythm Method - How do you know I was lonely?

Ostensibly witty and warm pop songs from hip hop to indie and electronic about romance and millennial youth

Martin Dupont - Accident of Stars

80s kinda goth new wave full of electronics, guitars synths and clarinets

Raime - Planted

Latin American and Chicago footwork influences merged with alien sounds, half-heard voices, dark and rhythmic bass and percussions

Sunn 0))) - Pyroclasts

Sunn 0))) - Life Metal

Slow-motion drone feels like a religious ritual / pipe organ and cello, guitars webbing together the space between notes

Special Request - Vortex

Breakbeat barnstormers and house epics, with room for bleep, electro and gabber

Caterina Barbieri - Ecstatic Computation

Oscillating sequencers, rhythmic pulsations, cascades of synthesiser melodies echoing dance music/new age

Battles - Juice B Crypts

Playful electronic wizardry, dense array of beats, bleeps and squelches, loopy keyboards and guitars, ecstatic vocals

Haruomi Hosono - HOCHONO HOUSE

Home-recorded aesthetic, funk shaped into minimalist space-age lounge music

Florist - Emily Alone

Thoughtful, calming and melancholic, full of hushed, enveloping guitar sounds and gentle vocals

Spencer Radcliffe - Hot Spring

Alt-country, indie falk americana, very relaxed,pastoral and wry poetics

Ciamkam - Play-doh Dog

Noise ambient / screeching, dissonant, surreal, ominous

Equiknoxx - Eternal Children

UK soundsystem style, reggae groundings, earthy dancehall with a vast range of puzzling vocalists

Eh hahah - Fissure

Experimental deconstructed electronic, sound collage, glitches and post-club music

Upsammy - Wild Chamber

Lucid shades of IDM, bleep techno, perky synths and frazzling hi-hats, polyrhythmic drum patterns

Otik - Blasphemy

Fresh, vibrant, dark experimental club music, techno + dance + electronic

Shanti Celeste - Tangerine

Tech / ambient / deep house, breakbeat, rhythmic and mechanical yet dreamy

Bez - Banki Mydlane

Dream pop, shoegaze, noise pop, space rock, reverberated female vocals + spoken word

Yu Su - Roll with the punches

Ambient dub, downtempo, tribal ambient, sampling, mellow, atmospheric with female vocals

Drive45 - Dried up

Bitpop, Artpop, indietronica, quirky and playful, androgynous vocals

Lala &ce - Le son d’apres

French hip hop, trap, cloud rap, alternative b&b, dancehall / sparse dark and ominous, warm female vocals

Leif - Loom Dream

Tribal ambient / ambient techno + field recordings / pastoral, ethereal, atmospheric

deathcrash - Sundown (a collection of home recordings)

Slowcore, drone ambient, post-punk, fragile male vocals

FEET - What’s inside is more than just ham

Post-punk, indie-rock, dance-punk, sarcastic, playful, technical, male vocals

Coi Leray - EC2

Trap, hyphy, pop rap

Ariwo- Quasi

Dub techno, afro-cuban jazz, ambient techno, chants, programmed beats, pulsating relentless rhythms and percussions, loud sax

Floating Points - Crush

Strikingly melodic and elegant, cinematic, frantic and distorted rhythms, shuddered synths, vibrant breakbeats, sampling, UK garage nodding

Jacques Greene - Dawn Chorus

Bittersweet, sad but triumphant, mix of experimental electronic and lightweight techno + field recordings, hazy sampled textures, distorted drones + disco house + percussions + spoken word

Men I Trust - Oncle Jazz

Indie electronic, minimal, chillout downtempo, dreamy female vocals, jazzy

Raveena - Lucid

R&B, soul, experimental, pop, groovy, jazzy and dreamy, with some field and spoken words recordings

2018

Shit and Shine - Very high

Lazy hippie funk with slowed rnb vocals

Saloli - The deep end

New Age-inspired delicate only-synth music

Adrianne Lenker - abysskis

Guitar and sweet and warm vocals

Ever ending kicks - Ideas relayed

Sweet lo-fi similar to the previous two

Negative Gemini - Bad Baby

Solid synth pop with dreamy intimate vocals

Okay Kaya - Both

melancholy bedroom-pop sarcastic and harsh lyrics

Trust Fund - Bringing the Backline

Witty yet melancholy self-aware pop-rock

Jockstrap - Love is the key to the city

A fusion of Bossa Nova, 1930s Disney-esque orchestra, and coarse electronica

Noah Cyrus - Good Cry

Pop and rnb debut album with a bit of gospel and melancholy

Carla dal Forno - Top of the pops

Alternative indie electronic, subtle instrumental backdrops with plaintive vocals

Lala Lala - The lamb

Alternative/Indie rock with grunge tones and personal and warm vocals

Diamond Thug - Apastron

Progressive but dreamy pop, graceful vocals

Denh Izen - Storage Solutions

Dark and charming sounds with warm and distorted vocals, desperate but calm

Imperial Triumphant - Vile Luxury

New York Jazz mixed with top-notch black metal great for a sci-fi dystopian movie - especially Cosmopolis

Oliver Coates - Shelley’s on Zenn-La

Beat-oriented electronic music, sublime cello and synths

Dylan Carlson - Conquistador

drone-metal imaginary Western mostly solo electric guitar

Project Pablo - Come to Canada you will like it

Dozy laid back deep house with jazzy chords and subtly swinging drums

Ryley Walker - The Lillywhite Sessions

Dave Matthews Band tribute with proggy folk, primitive guitar, free improv, Chicago jazz-rock on darker tones

Grouper - Grid of Points

Empty room, piano and voice slip through your fingers like water

Kali malone - Cast of Mind

Glacial synth tones mapped to acoustic woodwind and brass

Likes - New Pedal

Short tracks of fun glitch / hypnagogic pop

Jake Tobin - Fifth Thought

Fun and whimsical take on classical sax sounds and guitars

Jake Tobin - 135

Avant-prog / jazz fusion / romanticism / off-kilter melodies / psychedelic chords with the emotion and aesthetic of bedroom pop

Twig Twig - Darkworld Gleaming

Experimental pop, whimsical instrumentation, lo-fi uplift, beats and loops

George Clanton - Slide

Cult 2020s electronic born from vaporware influences mixed with whispery chillwave and downtempo R&B, feels like a 90s rave in an open field, no irony

Good Doom - Mood Life

Unique, very chill, dreamy sound, incorporates world music, trip hop beats, lo fi bedroom pop, krautrock and noise

Ex:Re - Ex:Re

Husky and mellow ambient pop, dream pop? Lethargic and melancholic

Zaumne - Emo Dub

Minimalistic ominous and repetitive ambient house with ASMR-like spoken words

Ehh hahah - And the weather so breezy, man, why can’t life always be this easy?

Progressive experimental electronic, deconstructed club music, EDM, bubblegum bass, playful yet dark

Kate NV - для FOR

Progressive electronic, ambient, new age, minimalist, surreal, otherworldly and playful. wet, fleshy bleeps; bubbly, liquid noise

Leon Chang - re:treat

Mellow lo-fi hip hop, downtempo, electronic, future bass, sampling

Coi Leray - Everythingcoz

Pop rap, trap, hyphy tunes, powerful + well produced

Domenique Dumont - Miniatures de auto rhythm

Sophist-pop, balearic beat, chillwave, dreampopish, soft female vocals, lush, summery and rhythmic

Big Joanie - Sistahs

Pretty standard textbook indie-rock, post-punk with female vocals

Darto - Fundamental Slime

Haunting and spacious, deep male vocals, intriguing eerie melodies, dream state lullabies + sax and spoken word bit

Old Maybe - Piggity Pink

Chaotic post-punk, unusual time signatures, strong shouted female vocals

Brad Mehldau Trio - Seymour Reads the Constitution!

Elegant and melodic modal jazz - post-bop album, fragmented but coherent, ever changing time signature and tempo

2017

Ross Backenkeller - Bardo

Folk indie guitar melodies with honest and gentle vocals

Maruego - Tra Zenith e Nadir

Italian trap with disillusioned and ironic lyrics + cool collabs

Nervous Condition - Untitled

Forceful drums, wails of sax and commanding vocals - mix of experimental rock, post-punk, no wave, jazz

Powerplant - Dogs Sees Ghosts

Synth punk, garage punk fast and fun

Wool & The Pants - Wool & The Pants

Experimental r&b / soul / hiphop vibez pretty smooth and lo-fi

TOPS - Sugar at the gate

Soft rock tunes, vintage atmosphere, fuzzy, honey-dipped songs

Slothrust - Show me how you want it to be

Covers album with grungy sounds and good arrangements

Rone - Mirapolis

Misty synths and heavy bass lines, dreary and melancholic industrial electronics, packed with doomed vocals of all sorts of guests.

Ada Babar & Kasra Kurt - Nino Tomorrow

Weird pop and experimental DIY with MIDI keyboards and guitar, playful lyrics, video game menu music

Good Doom - New Shapes for you

Evocative, dreamy and atmospheric melodies, warm at times, chilly, spooky, grungy, dark at others, synth buzzes, glitchy drums

Phoebe Bridgers - Stranger in the alps

Atmospheric ballads for sad times, deeply personal stories of heartbreak and loss

Florist - If Blue Could Be Happiness

Indie folk, soft and atmospheric, pure gentle quiet and soft female vocals about understanding light and darkness. Swooping guitar, dots of piano notes, gentle beats that recall Simon and Garfunkel

Wishing - Heat Death

Ambient pop, lo-fi indie beats w/ soft vocals that make you feel things you haven’t felt in a while

Martyn Heyne - Electric Intervals

Ambient in the broadest sense, calm instrumental downtempo guitar-centric with electronic flourishes

Equiknoxx - Colón Man

Vivid and tactile masterful sound design, syncopated loops, wonky and scintillating rhythms

American Pleasure Club - I blew a dandelion and the whole world disappeared

Lo-fi acoustic guitar with raw male vocals

Andrea Laszlo De Simone - Uomo Donna

Progressive pop, baroque/psychedelic pop + field recordings / bittersweet and pastoral

Drive45 - Have you seen me?

Bitpop indietronic, glitch pop, sequencer, dance pop

Drive45 - System Format

Bitpop indietronic, playful video game sounds

Leon Chang - bird world

Bitpop electronic, sequencer, videogame music, future bass / uplifting mellow and playful

dynastic - SPACE/SUMMER

Glitch hop, electronic bubblegum, kawaii future bass, mellow and uptempo, cheesy sax, chaotic sounds + dance floor dnb

Darto - Human Giving

Spacey experimental electronic mixed with post-punk, warm tones, 80s synths, soft melodic vocals + spoken bits

Pregnant - Duct Tape

Indie/art/soft rock, electronic, brilliant pop tunes, dreamy yet rhythmic

2016

Ever Ending Kicks - Music World

DIY colourful dreamy hazy songs

Mild Eye Club - Skiptracing

Low-key folk dreamy with 60s 70s vintage links

Loving - Loving

Easy and dreamy pop melodies, wavy, warm and mellow

Lala Lala- Sleepyhead

Alternative/Indie rock with grunge tones and personal and warm vocals

Gruff Rhys - Set fire to the stars

Soundtrack to the homonym 2014 film set in the 50s - soft romance rock, jazz-inspired, elegant and familiar

Oliver Coates - Upstepping

Deep house, techno, footwork blended with sharp and experimental classical strings

Garden Center - Garden Center

Erratic pop music, fun and playful electronic sounds, silly vocals

Raime - Tooth

Ominus and gloomy sound of dub, electronic and post-rock / stripped down to the flesh

Amiina - Fantomas

Violin, cello, drums, percussion, metallophone, harp, ukulele and electronics fused in a contemporary classical post-rock gentle melody-focused experimentation

Jake Tobin - Sorta Upset

Short tracks of experimental rock, avant-prog - eclectic and dissonant, technical and manic

Jake Tobin - Accidentally on Purpose

Post-modern experimental pop, jazz influenced sounds, off-kilter saxophone, silly humour

Vanishing Twin - Choose your own adventure

Swathes of percussion, exotic drum beats and funky guitars merge into a cosmic blend of reverberating bleeps with jazz skits / heady voyage across sound influences

Good Doom - Hug

Good Doom - Naps

Both off-beat lo-fi with a rock twists, spacey, fuzzy, grainy sounds

Zeal & Ardor - Devil is fine

Top notch black metal merges African-American spiritual slave music and some electronic beats and sounds

Shield Patterns - Mirror Breathing

Haunting vocals and sensual cello, clarinet and piano, all wrapped up in ethereal synths

Ashley Henry - Ashley Henry’s 5ive

Complex and uplifting post-bop jazz, imaginative flare, delicate and soothing piano

Florist - The Birds Outside Sang

Lo-fi indie, ambient-dream pop,sparse, minimalist keyboard leads bordering on chilly drones + intimate and personal songwriting

CBMC - OOR

Acustic lo-fi bedroom pop with an airy tone and somber feel but still feels fresh and lighthearted

Told Slant - Going By

Slowcore indie pop/folksy emo, ‘intimate spaces in which small town kids write memories of touch, togetherness, loss, love, depersonalisation’

Kate NV - Binasu

Art pop, progressive electronic, sequencer, joyful grooves but also atmospheric and ethereal sounds, eclectic and dense, melodic female vocals

Zaumne - Przezycia

Minimal ambient techno with a couple of spoken word bits

Mauno - Rough Master

Enticingly and eclectic indie rock, smooth vocals, strings and moody guitars, delicate piano, powerful drums

Susso - Keira

Tribal house, tribal ambient, folktronica, Mande music, rhythmic and powerful chants

Phern - Cool Coma

Psychedelic pop, lo-fi, mellow and playful

Hellier Ulysses - Ulysses Hellier

Experimental rock, math rock, jangle pop mixed with post-punk, technical, lo-fi, uncommon time signatures

Brad Mehldau Trio - Blues and Ballads

Deceptively sweet-sounding jazz album, songs are played with variations and every phrase is a cliffhanger - gracefully executed + bonus of my fav song <3

2015

Adeodat Warfield - Pacific, Missouri

Synth pop with electronic beats, vaporware notes

Ross Backenkeller - Rare Please

Folk indie guitar melodies with honest and gentle vocals

Grimes - Art Angels

Immaculate and authentic, synthetic and unreal but also super pop, folk, and dance / POST-art pop?

Jake Tobin - Third and Fourth Thoughts

Short tracks of weird avant-prog where the vocals follow the melodies all the time

Florist - Holdly

Vocals move slowly and sweetly through gentle meditation sound and soft guitars

Starry Cat - Starry Cat

Indie pop, lo-fi indie, wavy and shaky, bitter-sweet and personal male vocals

CBMC - FOOTWEAR

Acustic lo-fi bedroom pop with a somber feel but still feels fresh and lighthearted nearly asmr-like vocals

Wishing - To Forget

Lo-fi indie slowcore, fuzzy synths + acoustic sounds mixed with short electronic tracks / lyrics are whispered and very intimate

Oren Ambarchi - Live Knots

Two very long live recorded tracks of propulsive drumming full of tensions and releases + droning notes, plucked strings and mournful guitar

Juxta Phona - we will not be silence

Ambient, electronic, minimal melodies over crisp, tactile beats

Khruangbin - The Universe Smiles Upon You

Psychedelic / Funk rock, rhythmic and jazzy, tropical warm and peaceful

Red Sea - In The Salon

Indie experimental rock, psychedelic pop, math rock, melodic yet uncommon time signatures

Eyeliner - Buy Now

Synth-pop/funk - vaporwave / instrumental, melodic, uplifting, lush, futuristic / great bass lines!

2014

Ricky Eat Acid - Three love songs

First half found sounds, experimental electronics, fuzzy piano loops. Second half IDM beats and keys, choir-like vocals / “might be the sound of music having a dream within a dream about music”

Jake Tobin - Torment

Jake Tobin - Life as a Clerical Error

Weird dissonant mix of avant-prog, art punk and jazz fusion but in an amazing way

Richard Dawson - Nothing Important

Brittle, crudely amplified nylon-string acoustic guitar, experimental drones, folk sketches, imitation field cries, and free jazz diversions

2013

Ever Ending Kicks - Weird priorities

Sentimental chill instrumental and colourful with gentle vocals

Gruff Rhys - American Interior

John Evans-themes concept album - witty folk oriented retro-futurist music

Michael Andrews - Spilling a rainbow

Well-crafted pop tunes, nostalgic and lighthearted memories of folk rock with a dash of avant-garde electronic haze

Pill Friends - Blessed Suffering

Lo-fi indie/emo noisy and raw with existential and stark male vocals

2012

Told Slant - Still Water

Lo-fi/bedroom-punk with folksy guitars and delicate vocals as if they could break down in tears at any moment

2010

Hype Williams - Find out what happens when people stop being polite and start gettin reel

Ypnagogic vortex of incredibly canny hard to pinpoint music with distorted spoken vocals

Zach Hill - FACE TAT

Constant restless drumming, squiggly melodic instrumental hooks, mosaics of disconnected noises, fuzzy sounds and vocals

2008

Amplifier Machine - her mouth is an outlaw

Half-improvised ambient - drone - experimental - electronic - post-rock

E. Bandel, Victory & Good Hunting - s/t

Classical, piano, folk, melancholic, haunting

2007

Seabear - The ghost that carried us away

Indie/folk multi-instrumental dynamic floating sound, warm melodies, calm and gentle vocals

HEALTH - HEALTH

A masterful noise/experimental rock with elements of post-punk, drone and electronic - disorienting rhythms, tempo-shifting, noisy outbursts

2005

The Darkness - One way ticket to hell

Hard / glam rock ballads and pop tunes

2004

The Emperor Machine - Aimee Tallulah is hypnotised

Mix of electro euro disco, post-punk, krautrock, sci-fi scores, jazz-funk. Thick dance rhythms and mind-altering synths

2002

ESG - Step Off

Sweet soul with a punk attitude, jazzy sassy vocals

Hella - Hold your horse is

Non-stop, indie-audio assault / Nintendo music / midi and electronic beats / head-spinning leading drums, very fast guitars

1998

Eels - Electro-Shock Blues

elegantly sad grief and death themed album, deeply personal, yet brilliant pop tunes, post-grunge, jazzy arrangement, archive sounds, electronics

Duster - Stratosphere

Bashful slowcore lo-fi experimental space/indie rock

1975

Bobbi Humphrey- Fancy Dancer

Funky jazz with forms of world music, soul, club music and pop

1973

Kevin Ayers - Bananamour

Progressive pop, art rock with mix of soul, r&b, reggae - choirs and country type ballads

1972

Kevin Ayers - Whatevershebringswesing

Experimental new age prog rock, semisweet tunes, lighthearted, skewed sounds

1970

Kevin Ayers - Shooting at the moon

Experimental, progressive, avant-garde, rock with jazz influences, sound recordings, excellent songwriting

6 notes · View notes

vvanite · 3 years

Note

archive 81 is vv good :-}

yee I have seen you rave over it I’ll definitely check it out! seeing it has just 35 eps ooo yes perfect duration for me ohh shit I can binge this :0

#tryagainart

1 note · View note

gumnut-logic · 4 years

Note

Hi! I love reading your stories. I wonder if we will be able to read more Warm Rain in the future. I love your Virgil and Kayo stories. All your stories are great, hope you keep writing :)

Oooooh, you’ve had me trawling through my archives to check out the status of Warm Rain.

Okay...this is from a WIP list I posted almost a year ago ::headdesk::

A Little Chaos - nearly finished, but not happy with last few scenes, so will probably rewrite. First Date - also here, here and here. Status same. Prompt received to further explore Alan’s reaction to Virgil and Kayo getting together.

The Visitor - here and here. Now changed slightly due to ‘To Hurt Us’.

Warm Rain Halloween - here and here

Give & Take - third big fic in the Warm Rain Universe now has working title. Also has two scenes - Sooty Green Dragons & two - plus a deleted scene written. Needs me to sit down and write properly. Have more of an idea of what I need to do with this, including a chapter outline and theme song :D

The bachelor/hens night.

Wedding fic - has been added to the list as much plotwork was discussed.

Since then I think I’ve started/written a few bits and pieces, but the above is the core of the universe that needs to be written. Basically they need to have a wedding and all the lead up to that and then something nasty happens (because this is me and I’m horrible to my boi).

If you’re looking for the entire Warm Rain list of fics in order, you can find it here - https://nutty.gumnut.net/rain-series/

Now I have an admission to make. Prior to writing the tome that is Warm Rain and Gentle Rain, I had never written romance. I’m traditionally a hurt/comfort writer with a little action/adventure thrown in. The first few fics of Warm Rain were written as a challenge for the wonderful @vegetacide @the-lady-razorsharp and I think @kylorr81 and @weirdburketeer were also in on the coercion :D

Having said that, I promptly fell in love with Virgil and Kayo and along the way, Em was created and wow, I wrote me a novel.

But ship is very much a niche in this fandom and for a while there, all I was writing was Warm Rain. I got the impression that readers thought that that was all I wrote...and it isn’t. So I forced myself away from Virg and Kay (it was hard, trust me, it still is...I’m writing the end of We’ll Be Home For Christmas and umming and ahhing as to whether they will get together or not, and if they do whether it will affect what peeps think of the fic) and started writing more varied stuff.

July is Nutty Fandomversary - those that were here last year will know what that means, those that weren’t will find out in a couple of weeks. Fandomversary actually forced me to write outside my Virgil comfort zone. I wrote other brothers and characters, stretched my writing muscles. That followed on from my first ever episode tags as the new eps aired and suddenly I was writing all sorts of things. I’m currently hip deep in a WIP mess I created over Christmas and have been trying to dig myself out of it ever since.

So will I write more Warm Rain? I want to. I’ve had some great feedback about Gentle Rain ::loves this fandom to bits:: I think I would love to fall back into that comfortable world where Virgil is oh so happy, Kay has found some peace (until I screw it up for her) and Scott has Em - there is so much to explore there.

My writing style has changed. I feel it has grown a little. My reader base has changed. My day job is in promotions and the theory is never far from my brain as to how to provide for an audience and I’m aware that ship is not everyone’s thing. And, of course, that is fine. I guess if peeps want more, I can write more.

Once I dig myself out of my WIP mess and finish We’ll Be Home For Christmas (preferably before next Christmas), When the World Goes Boom and The Hero. I’ve invested too much into all three to not finish them.

Ack! I just want to do everything at once! I needs more muse and more time.

But anyway, the answer to your question is yes, I want to write more. Whether or not I’ve got the energy to write what I had planned....I dunno. Give and Take is a big story and a traumatic one. There are always shorts :D There are also a pile of things planned that I want to reveal. I’ve had most of them under my hat for well over a year and a half. My muse is unpredictable.

And I’m raving at 5am. Sorry :D

Thank you so much for your ask ::hugs you:: And thank you for reading my stories. I am so glad you enjoyed them.

Nutty

(off the edge, but learning to fly)

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rightside-left · 4 years

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Excuse me but I must yell because I’m into a lot of podcasts which have small fandoms or characters that no one talks about and just SCREEEEE. I wanna foam at the fucking mouth with someone. And tumblr is right here so

Let’s GOOOOOO

Shattered Sky: Holy shit, this is only 9 ep long before corona forced them to stop and I really really hope they come back again soon because I love every moment of these stupid characters. YES I have wrote fanfiction about the main cast. Because in just that many episode, the main cast became my favourite poly relationship. You can’t tell me that they aren’t all together. I’m sorry, they are. At the very least, Pretty Baby, the Professor, and Vee were dating then Pashmina crashed into their lives.

Wait sorry, I’m not done. So in the 1st ep we learn that Vee has animalistic features like sharp teeth and stuff. We also know that they run a clinic for the people in their community at no cost. WELL later on, it’s revealed that those features are caused by a plague that, if survived, partially turns you into a spirit creature. And Vee survived it as a child so they always jump in to help when someone catches the plague.

Dark Dice: Okay, I’ll admit this one is more popular but hey let me rave over my special boy, Iaus Innskeep, who would absolutely murder me if he was real and heard me say that. He is just a beautiful tragic character and just wants his life to stop being so traumatic so he can raise his adopted kids in peace. Like? Best dad? Wish that were me?

EOS10: WATCH OUT WATCH OUT HERE COMES THE STEEL CHAIR Just end me with this one. I started listening to it in high school around the time my uncle died and it was one of my only sources of solace from my life. Then it disappeared for 3 years. BUT THEN IT CAME BACK AND TOOK ME OUT PERMANENTLY. Beautiful golden scars. Holy shit. Basically, it ends with the main character accepting that he’s queer and though he’s screwed up, he’s not broken beyond repair. ALSO accepting the loss of the person he fell in love with that helped him recognize that. And that helped me accept myself and tie up some loose ends around my own grief over my uncle. I’m doing a bad job of expressing my love for the podcast and it’s characters but this is always on my mind.

Archive 81: Shh no hush. I already hear you yelling that it’s popular. I’m talking about about specifically Season 1 Ep 2 A Night at An Opera, Season 2 Ep 15 Aurora, Cello, and Season 3 Ep 28 Exist in the place that you are currently occurring. No, this isn’t the only bits I’m obsessed with, but this is the ep where I am ultra lost-in-the-sauce and no one will scream with me. Each of the episodes have cryptic music that makes my heart flutter and if I’m not careful they will send me to another dimension. Suddenly I will have spent 30 min looping the maybe 1 min of audio from the song. I had some actually cryptic experiences with the opera song from ep2 and considering how season 1 ends, well let’s go with I’m still not sure this is just a podcast. As for Aurora, I know every word. I sing it to myself often. There’s something so beautiful and haunting about it. And finally Screeks, oh my dear sweet Screeks, I would kill a man to be serenaded by Screeks.

Oasis Transmissions: This one is pretty new but I listened to the entire 2 seasons in a week. I need to know what happens next. Also, I hope my own writing is as good as this podcast. It’s exactly what I want. Had a nightmare after listening to the 1st couple ep that placed me in the same world 10/10

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petrichormeraki · 4 years

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The Magnus Archives Liveblog Ep. 11:

• “Dreamer” Awww, that’s a cute title

• Antonio Blank???

• Oh? Dreaming about dear old Gertrude huh

• ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

• Liarrrrrr

• The Magnus Institute’s Standards: Supernatural/unexplainable experience or encounter within the realms of apparent reality

• No dreams, hallucinations, etc.

• Well dang, those are some pretty high standards my dude, when’s the last time you had a date?

• PSYCHIC MAN

• Dreams and prophecies, the salt and sugar of paranormal investigation

• Dark tendrils eh?

• And here I was thinking there were no Adventure Zone references

• the hunger the hunger the hunger

• Oof, that’s rough buddy.

• Gertrude’s a bookworm, noted

• Bet you ten bucks she never read this

• WE HAVE LOCATED OUR FIRST CONFIRMED GAY

• He recently broke up with his boyfriend Grayem : (

• Rave Dream Rave Dream Rave Dream

• Hmm... I wonder if any of the numbers pop up again like in the Rave Shed case

• Okay, real talk for a second, either the dream shows an inanimate force that acts upon humans causing death, or maybe it reveals an extension or appendage of some higher consciousness that is able to exert it’s will over people

• Idk, just some ramblings here

• Hmm, this dude really has been having a tough time, poor guy

• John Oozle

• Oozle

• O o z l e

• I officially love this podcast

• Orange glow vs blue light. Discuss

• Wait now there’s red????

•Too many colors man, that’s too many to keep up with

• Voxole and the Tems?????? What?????

•Tem Tem? Like undertale?

• I’m so confused, I have no idea what he just said

• Jon

• Diction, I’m begging you

• Crimson glow, bronze plaque

• The Magnus Institute, London, founded 1818

• The Magnus Institute needs a better gardner smh

• Archive description for artists/writers interested

• Tendrils, come on man, you gotta be careful, papercuts can be dangerous

• Do we even know what happened to Gertrude other than she left?

• WE HAVE A LAST NAME

• Gertrude Robbison

• “Died in the line of duty” of an archivist????

• Rosy! Another new name.

• Rosy in charge of new statements?

• I feel like we got some exposition this episode, I’m pumped

#petrichor liveblog #the magnus archives #tma #tma episode 11 #tma liveblog #tma spoilers #tma speculation #petrichor does a think about tma #petrichor listens to the magnus archives #can I say that they’re vague spoilers anymore?#What’s the point of no return with spoilers where anything I say is spoilery?#well here we go

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joemuggs · 4 years

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DO YOU SUFFER FROM SPYMANIA?

It’s the 25th anniversary of the Spymania label, and to celebrate it they have released a record of unreleased tracks. It’s brilliant, you should buy it. In 2016 I wrote a history of the messy, messed-up, but brilliant Brighton scene that they found their feet in. Sadly it got lost in the archiving of the Red Bull Music Academy site, but I’ve still got the text, so here it is. And to prove I was there, here is me, in an inexplicably bad shirt, with the Spymania crew and friends:

Some Spymanians - far left is Hardy Spymania, next to him in blue t-shirt is Paddington Breaks, third from right leaning forward is MDK and that’s me in the bad shirt on the right.

25th Anniversary EP by SONGBIRD & WAFTA

From the town's 18th century genesis as a playground for aristocrats, Brighton has always been a space for outrageous hedonism. Being the closest point to London on the English south coast makes it an obvious place for escape and misbehaviour. With that has always come something grittier and grottier though. It's no coincidence that the best known fictional depictions of Brighton feature razor-carrying petty gangsters (Brighton Rock) and running street battles and hurried back-alley knee-tremblers (Quadrophenia). The novelist Keith Waterhouse famously said “Brighton always looks like a town helping police with their enquiries” – and it still does. Behind its facade of homeopaths, holidaymakers, students and media folk, it hides rampant corruption and organised crime, a heroin economy to match any British city, and sprawling estates that are among the country's poorest.

In the heat of the 1990s rave fervour when the world and its dog came down to Brighton to party their way through untold seven-day weekends, all of this ambiguity was expressed via a rather different electronic scene. While the superclubs along the seafront pumped to the sounds of handbag house, trance and big beat, hidden away in the nooks and crannies a techno style formed that became known on the European underground simply as “the Brighton sound” – and around it sprouted odd rave and electronica mutations that, though they might have seemed pisstakey or bloody-minded at the time, would alter the course of electronic music for a long time to come. All of this was surrounded by a dense web of art, theory, satire, in-jokes and meat-flinging cabaret, that could be perplexing, even off-putting, but has left a huge creative legacy from a tiny scene that punched way, way above its weight.

This scene of malcontents and squarepegs was by definition loose-knit – but if there was a centre to it, it was Cristian Vogel. Originally from the south Midlands, he and his friend Si Begg already had experience putting out cassette releases and primitive music software hacks (with the Cabbage Head Collective) before he came to Sussex University to study 20th Century Music in 1992. With a head full of Stockhausen and rave tapes, he was boshing out the techno, and by the end of 1994 had two releases on Dave Clarke's Magnetic North label and was resident at the Acid Box club nights in a little sticky-floored upstairs venue in Brighton's North Lanes.

This was the period when techno and hardcore were still part-fused, and along with headliners like Carl Cox and Luke Slater you could expect to hear Belgian hoover noises full-pelt gabber rolled into the more “intelligent” beats, all with nothing but relentless strobes and smoke to intensify the experience. It's a sign of how intense it was that the “chillout” in the backroom consisted of Richie Hawtin tunes playing and Tetsuo: Iron Man being shown on a couple of TVs, and felt genuinely laid back in comparison to the dancefloor. It could be shoulder-to-shoulder packed, or have ten people raving away, but it was pretty much always guaranteed to deliver mental obliteration. It's precisely this delirium you can hear in key early releases like Vogel's “Ninjah” or Tobias Schmidt's “Minus One”.

Si Begg and friends

Cristian, together with Si Begg founded Mosquito Records around this point, around which a motley crew of producers of monstrously banging but sonically razor sharp techno gathered. Neil Landstrumm, Tobias Schmidt (an ingenious pseudonym for one Toby Smith), Ibrahim Alfa and Russ Gabriel, as well as Begg and Vogel themselves, all released in the first couple of years. They were closely allied with the Scottish techno scene, notably through Landstrum but also the Sativae label run by Dave Tarrida and Steve Glenncross, and played to seething crowds north of the border, as well as absolutely huge ones in Germany, Poland and further afield. Yet even though the audiences were tiny back on the south coast, the local brand was inescapable: indeed Si Begg, who lived in London right through the nineties, recalls with some bafflement seeing untold German flyers with “BRIGHTON TECHNO” in big letters under his name.

All of this was great, but taken alone could simply have been another local flavour on the international techno scene. The four-to-the-floor certainly remained the heartbeat of the scene as The Acid Box became The Box, which became Defunkt, which became Freekin' The Frame, and the techno dons kept coming through: Blake Baxter, Shake Shakir, Claude Young, Beltram, Weatherall, Surgeon, Bandulu... but very quickly, things became about more than just that. There was a strongly disruptive element from the beginning in the form of a close alliance with the Brighton “clench” of the Church Of The SubGenius. If you don't know about the Church, that's a whole other rabbit hole to fall down, but for our purposes it's enough to know that the local bunch existed on the fringes of freeparty soundsystem culture and subverted its tendencies to crypto-mystical bollocks, and were big on collage and stencil graffiti, heavy punning streams of consciousness (“Bulldada” in the SubGenius parlance), mischief disguised as culture and vice versa.

Heavily influenced by this SubGenius mischief was Mat Consume, in-house designer, computer animator and frequent back-room DJ for the Vogel-related axis. His art, brain-bent ranting and noisily experimental sets became a vital part of the identity of the scene, helping coalesce obsessions with punk and Situationism and ambivalent embrace of digital progress among Vogel and compadres to the point where when they formed an umbrella organisation for their activities it was natural to call it No Future. Held loosely together by Vogel's partner and manager Emma Sola this acted as a booking agency for various acts, but just as much felt like a chaotic but fiercely independent joint art project between Vogel, Sola and Consume, throwing ideas and aesthetic forms out into the underground and forging alliances with equally bloody-minded creators.

Emma Sola

These included the likes of Canadian filmmaker and stencil artist Pablo Fiasco; animators and sound artists Ruth Jarman and Joe Gerhardt aka Semiconductor; non-techno eclecticist club collectives Mufflewuffle and Slack; the combative cabaret night That Stupid Club which would feature subcultural saboteurs like Stewart Home, Dennis Cooper and The Divine David; and another more rave-influenced cabaret night called Monkey's Lounge full of spoken word, off-colour comedy, offal-flinging and pints-of-piss-drinking, run and compered by... um... me (under the names Rimmington Snuffporn Esq and DJ Dead, with help from my music production and DJ partner Jeffrey Disastronaut). It was at a Monkey's Lounge session that Consume physically pushed Jamie Lidell – already widely known as a wildly innovative techno producer via the Subhead collective and their Growth parties – on stage with the house band Balzac, immediately kickstarting a long running residency as their singer and marking the beginning of a performing career that still continues.

Tom “Squarepusher” Jenkinson and Hardy Spymania

Possibly the most important alliance of all, though, was with the Spymania crew. Their social circle was a motley bunch of Londoners, Midlanders and most notably a large contingent from Chelmsford, Essex. Many of the latter had been to school with Tom Jenkinson, a musician known originally as Stereotype and then, when the Spymania label itself was formed by Paul Fowler and brighton-based Hardy Finn, as Squarepusher. Their ethos was preposterous in all ways, fuelled by unstable fusions of questing intellects and Essex swagger. As teenagers they first congregated around a Chelmsford club night called Club Trout, run by future scene mainstay Jane Mitchell (and later exported to Brighton as Smooth But Halibut); they smoked themselves sarcastic to early tapes made by their friends Cassetteboy; everything they did was shot through with skater-stoner-hardcore-raver pisstake attitude. Their rickety old website, which remains live today, still gives a hint of all this. http://www.spymania.com/pgs/hardcore.html

Yet these were musical connoisseurs too, assiduously collecting hip hop, acid, Detroit techno, British electronica, and especially in the case of Martin “MDK” Wood, death metal, gindcore and anarcho punk. This pile-up of musical expertise and sarky dicking about was there from the first release, Squarepusher's Conumber EP – which featured everything from a track that was nothing more than a timestretched Jenkinson asking “can anyone lend me a fiver” to the jungle-acid fusions that would literally redefine how electronica was made from the Aphex Twin on down for the rest of the 1990s. The Spymania records that followed touched on illbient mismatched time signatures, Drexciyan electro-funk, Deicide samples, eerily blissed out atmospherics, Cassetteboy's peurile genius (via offshoot label Barry's Bootlegs), and a dozen more awkward twists and turns besides, always brain-frying, always funny, never settling on any sound that offered the casual listener an easy handle on what was going on.

A standardly Dada Spymania cover

This added up to a refreshing antidote to the chin-fondling seriousness and purism of much of the electronica scene. And when Finn, Wood and friends went raving at the Acid Box, they naturally found a kindred spirit in Mat Consume who would design almost all the Spymania sleeves, their grainy photocopy style a counterpoint to the garish clashing computer images and animated dancing baby skeletons of his No Future work. They in turn helped inspire Consume, with the urbane Lynton Million (a university friend of Jamie Lidell's), to set up Trash Records.

Trash was a label that would take the horrible and confrontational side of the scene to extremes, with anger and ugliness from label mainstays including DJ Paedofile, Chuck Shite and Shit & Cheap (aka Consume & Landstrumm – sample track name: “SuckingCocksForFishheads”), as well as impossibly intricate turns from the likes of Liddell and another Chelmsfordian Squarepusher contemporary and Rephlex recording artist, Matt Yee-King. Si Begg, too, was close to the Spymania team, and launched the rather more good-natured but equally ridiculous Noodles family of labels, featuring a slew of collaborations and AKAs (including Hardy Spymania's pleasingly literal Barry Pseudonym) from the No Future and Spymania families.

It was a messy and disparate little scene. The bulk of the rave action took place in the big clubs of Germany and the rest of Europe, but the creative processes were at least as much about what happened in smoky shared flats and workshops in Brighton's tatty backstreets as they were about big dancefloors. Vogel once described his metier as “the drug pub rant”, and a lot of work sprung from precisely these. Continually, though, the bulk of Brighton club culture, from the seafront clubs to the free parties on the beaches and Downs, tended to look askance at the belligerence and deliberate obfuscations of the No Future axis, or more often simply ignore it all. Perhaps the glorious cresting of the first wave of activity, and probably this scene's peak visibility in Brighton full stop, was at the Brighton Dance Parade of 1997. This attempt to replicate Berlin's Love Parade was never to be repeated – hippie mismanagement and Brighton's endemic corruption saw to that – but for one day only the ravers had their literal day in the sun.

The Trash crew: top - Consume, Hunter & Million / middle - Million & Consume / bottom - Cristian Vogel & Million

There, among floats pumping out free party trance and funky house, the No Future bus – stencilled all over by Pablo Fiasco with pictures of dead rock stars, and with a stunningly crsip rig playing weaponised techno whose angles and curves were a thousand times sharper and more present than any other music on the day – stood out like a septic thumb. This was also the year that Vogel's musical partnership with Lidell began in earnest – with Lidell's furious remix of Vogel's “(Don't) Take More”, which remains a brain-damage anthem to this day in some quarters, and their first release as the mutant electronic funk duo Super_Collider, “Darn (Cold Way O Loving)”. The latter track, amazingly, emerged on a major label, thanks to it being signed by Skint parent label Loaded, in turn licensed through Sony. It was a year to wave the freak flag high.

Despite untold hard drugs, fights and the incestuous nature of a town as small as Brighton, the scene and the various record labels involved remained vigorous and continued to diversify right through the last years of the nineties and into the new millennium. Super_Collider released one album on Loaded, and another on Rise Robots Rise, the label created by Vogel and Sola for ever more varied output including Catalan girl-punk and German dancehall. Lidell's ultra-experimental first solo album, Muddlin Gear, came out as a joint venture between Spymania and WARP in 2000, accompanied by deranged artwork and live films by Pablo Fiasco. Bands increasingly became part of the mix: whispering neo-Krautrockers Fujiya & Miyagi (on Paul Spymania's Massive Advance imprint), the terrifying Wevie Stonder (who he managed) and space-pop group Chungking (which I was in for a couple of years, and whose multi-instrumentalist James Stephenson played bass for Super_Collider live, creating a Chelmsford rhythm section with Matt Yee-King on drums - both of these two had also been in the aforementioned Balzac too).

No Future’s logo, designed with typical aggression by Consume

There were prominent fans too. John Peel asked the Trash collective to open Meltdown Festival in 1998. Thom Yorke and Radiohead's resident artist Stanley Donwood designed t-shirts for No Future. Vogel is namechecked on the Sabres Of Paradise Haunted Dancehall album, and Andrew Weatherall would frequently call him up, dumbfounded at his latest sonic advances. One memorable 1999 awayday for the Freekin' The Frame club to The End in London saw Róisín Murphy jumping on stage after the live Super_Collider show to duet with Lidell on an impromptu version of “Once in a Lifetime”, a very young Kieran Hebden repping UK garage, Chicks On Speed shouting their hearts out, and Chris Cunningham playing long segments of white noise to puzzled ravers, as well as sets from various No Future / Spymania stalwarts.

Inevitably, like all but the very biggest musical scenes, the micro-one in Brighton dissipated as people grew up, fucked up, or moved on – but its echoes continue. Vogel and Landstrumm continue to be significant forces in electronic music, both as influences on the post-Blawan generation and as musicians in their own right. Si Begg is a respected sound designer and composer. Matt Yee-King runs the computer music course at Goldsmiths college, and is a big noise on the “Algorave” scene. Paul Spymania is an artist manager and agent, and along with Scuba, brought dubstep to Berlin in the legendary Sub:Stance sessions. Semiconductor became artists in residence for NASA, among many other extraordinary commissions. Jamie Lidell supported Elton John. Consume is in Bristol, currently working on a giant mural of DJ Derek. Lynton Million lives on a small island, selling whisky. Ibrahim Alfa took several sharp diversions that are an epic tale in their own right, and is only now picking up where he left off with a Workshop issue of his “lost” album Once Upon a Time in Brighton. And so it goes on...

Unlike some electronic scenes, the one in Brighton was never particularly chic (although it certainly had massive cultural cachet in a few countries if not at home), and its records don't necessarily fetch silly money on discogs (like that's a measure of value, right?). But out of a tiny techno club and its committed few regulars grew something that filled an entire decade with utterly extraordinary art, music, humour and ideas, and which still has relevance and resonance for smart creative minds many years on. Those messy, aggro, awkward bunch of ravers and jokers somehow managed to hold it together just enough to build a creative world entirely of their own, with its own rules and its own distinctive identity: what more can artists hope for?

This history is dedicated to James Phillips, a vital part of this scene and always 100% one of the good guys. RIP

Some tunes:

Cristian Vogel: Ninjah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ydOFHo9JtI

Tobias Schmidt: Minus One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YjozNVF7_I

MDK: Sound of Saturday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV3KQHGxmcg

Subhead: Ruction (produced by Jamie Lidell) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5vNX_ylRQM

Squarepusher: Sarcacid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IY6cvGnVCA

Cristian Vogel: Bite & Scratch (Blake Baxter Detroit Mix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXIB7I3D7ss

DJ Paedofile: I was Rise in Clouds https://youtu.be/WcyrrAwqaQY

Buckfunk 3000 (Si Begg): Future Shock Planet Rock https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp4b6PE0FkY

Cristian Vogel: Sarcastically Tempered Powers http://youtu.be/Q2G3204pfkY

Yee King: Goodnight Toby https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbnZuv3xHog

Super_Collider: Darn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh2kauFcGpw

No Future at Brighton Love Parade: https://vimeo.com/119001501

#brighton #rave #techno #electronica #drill'n'bass #spymania #wonky techno #experimental music #subgenius #maniacs #too much marijuana #white lightning

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