typewriter keys clattering beneath a ceiling fan whirring

in an earnest effort to try to maintain more regular posts, might i spend a short amount of time detailing the events of the past week, with regard to my latest activities as well as towards the latest news of future developments. as always, much is rapidly transpiring, a cause for great jubilation indeed. there is nothing more satisfying that days filled with a feeling of 'getting things done'. productivity can be seen as key at every stage it would seem.

so, the murmur breeze 'foreshore reverie' album is finally out there in the world at last. the limited edition gatefold cd is looking wonderful, and here's to all of the kind souls who have ordered themselves a copy so far. we are most grateful indeed... and how decorative stamp and cooler than cucumbers are currently deep in the planning stages of the super-deluxe vinyl edition which shall grace the world sometime sooner rather than later.

the album has also garnered some really nice reviews and kind praise so far too. be sure to read the reviews over at beats, breaks & big smiles, as well as this honourable mention and brand new glowing review at indierockmag... and should you still be in the dark as to what all the fuss is about, be sure to stream the album in its entirety, as well as potentially make a purchase, over at the decorative stamp online store.

i am also now fully immersed in the mix of the forthcoming debut album from abSUrd, and how it really is a wonderful beast indeed. seventeen songs which showcase the kind of astonishing production which graced the duration of the 'foreshore reverie', but this time featuring a multitude of vocal performances from an allstar line-up of babel fishh, bleubird, ceschi ramos, filkoe, james p honey, jamesreindeer, papervehicle [edison, home, mildew, the beastmaster] and univac.

gladly, i have reached the stage already where rough first passes of all of the songs are complete, and how i am now moving on to the stage of fine-tuning, adding effects and generally appraising the songs in terms of overall sound as well as continuity. the first meeting has also been undertaken with miss nadia d'alò regarding field recordings and additional live instrumentation, and how word has been sent out to michael rea too. it is going to be something very special indeed. more news will follow over the coming weeks.

i've also been working towards the printing of 'nova conditions', as well as moving towards preparing some more written works to see the light of day. there has also been some stirring over at the iron filings and sellotape camp which will need to be investigated. most excitingly, there has also been a communication from the brutal goats gloom, and how it seems i might well have been enlisted to aid and abet the release of their forthcoming debut opus.

for all the day-to-day latest breaking snippets of news, be sure to 'like' my facebook page, and do be sure to bookmark the decorative stamp site, as it contains a veritable treasure trove of facts and figures, links, videos and images of the wider goings-on pertaining to my, as well as the whole families undertakings. here's to the next transmission then. there is still very much everything to play for.

keep safe

jamesreindeer

the mechanism is chewing the tape to ribbons

i cannot be entirely sure as to how more than a month has gone by since i have been able to make time to type up a new field report. everything has been unbridled chaos it would seem, or possibly a very loosely controlled chaos, as there have been a great many advancements since my last transmission. how i should very much like to detail all the facts in the case, but i fear that it might quickly develop into a lengthy essay on to-ings and fro-ings, so might i thusly skirt around the current facts in the case with some degree of brevity.

the new murmur breeze album is officially upon us... and what a lengthy journey it has been. i still vividly recall hearing news from captain honey on the telephone all those long moons ago telling me that six new songs had been recorded, or how i was formally charged with the task of mixing the album at the house of abSUrd whilst he was living in nancy, france and we were stopping off on tour. or even receiving the first stems in preparation of the mixing process... or finally beginning to begin the challenge in the wake of the collapse of the galloping halfwits west coast tour.

i begun the mixing process at around the stage where three quarters of the album had been recorded, and found myself taking charge of newer and better and stronger songs as each moon passed. it was simply magical to be able to work with abSUrd's production, as well as to be able to have exclusive detailed listening time with captain honey's latest prose. it was also a great pleasure to have such free reign in terms of my own control of the mix and of being able to record additional musical parts, both by myself and with the immensely talented multi-instrumentalists michael rea and nadia d'alò.

so, the time has finally arrived for decorative stamp to launch the highly limited gatefold cd edition, painstakingly hand-crafted by both abSUrd and myself. i must say that i do believe it to be the strongest release so far on the label, if only in terms of such sustained high quality throughout its lengthy duration. please do order yourself a copy should sufficient monetary funds be in your possession. i can assure you that you shall not be in the least bit disappointed.

i guess it would be fair to say that the vast majority of my time this month has indeed been devoted to maintaining the clattering beast that is the decorative stamp. how surprising it is that such a modest enterprise can demand such a great amount of time, if only to allow the simplest of procedures to transpire. still, looking ever forwards, next month will see the release of the incredible 'order lost' album from visitor. since it landed in my inbox a few moons ago, i have had it on constant rotation, and cannot wait to unleash it on an unsuspecting audience very soon indeed. further details are as yet unavailable, but i believe we are looking at a 6th june release date.

i have also been burning the midnight oil in the studio whilst working on the mix of the forthcoming debut solo album from abSUrd, which really is something of a monster indeed. entitled 'close to distantly' and featuring around seventeen songs; a perfect mix of instrumental pieces and vocal tracks, it really is going to be an extraordinary companion piece to the latest murmur breeze, but still shining bright in its own right quite easily. featuring some of his strongest compositions to date as well as a mouth-watering roster of guest vocalists. my aim is to finish the mix as soon as possible, that we might get it out there to stagger and astonish ever more widening audiences.

my first book 'nova conditions' is also achingly clawing its way towards release, although it has taken a slightly different path to the one i had originally foreseen. it had always been my intention for the book to be hand-made by myself in a lovingly laborious fashion, but financial costs and sheer hours involved have lead me to realise that it shall be an impossibility. so, i am taking to having the book printed professionally, and have received a few attractive quotes already. a few small formatting changes will need to take place for the manuscript to be workable at the printing press, but i still anticipate the release to be as soon as is possible. and, as an added delight, it should now enable me to produce both paperback and hardback editions, giving the reader a broader choice as to what might suits their tastes. more news will follow.

i am sure that there are a great many more threads i could detail besides, but i believe that is the bulk of it. other than news that the beat i created for ovate & staplemouth is complete and will feature on their upcoming cd and vinyl release on planck length records, a uk label which will also release the james p honey & joel simeus album entitled 'book of marion' which i had the honour of mixing back when the winter was still melting. there is also a posse-cut in the works for moshe, which will feature a whole host of emcees, including noah23, riddlore, ancient mith, swordplay, myself and others. there is also a little something coming out on knertz, a small collaboration between myself and miss nadia d'alò. mmmn, and there is also much talk occuring with oskar ohlson and winterismyname regarding collaborations for their next album project.

so, onwards and upwards then. how i shall attempt to report back more frequently with less lengthy entries in the future. i just need to find some way of introducing more hours into a day, perhaps more days into a week too. let us see what the coming moon unfolds and hope that things won't be quite so desperately manic across the summer months. as always, i greatly appreciate your interest and look forward to feedback on all my latest various endevours. til next time then.

keep safe

jamesreindeer