most honourable mentions - 2013

so, might i let my final entry in this years musical reflections be dedicated to some most honourable mentions; the releases that i was forced to agonisingly remove from my final short-list of exceptional works that saw the light of day across the last twelve months.

in some cases i found the releases to be slightly flawed, or perhaps a little too patchy, when forced to be over-critical, but for the most part it was simply a case of forcing myself to strip back the final list to the absolute bare essentials. either way, the selection reads thusly.

-

ancient mith - and the dead shall lie there

always a pleasure to get to audition a new long-player from the perennially captivating ancient mith. how he is more than capable of  delivering a full albums' worth of texts without once losing sight of the cohesive whole or growing tedious... and here's to the next eu-tour!

david lynch - the big dream

anything new from david lynch will always be a notable moment, since my teenage fascination with his creative world, and how intruiged i am to see him release a new album so soon since the previous outing. more confounding, infuriating, mesmerising, captivating material to be sure.

soso - not for nothing

how i have long been partial to the works of the mighty soso, and how this latest outing is immediately captivating and remains so for its short duration. i am always struck by the sheer craft that he employs with each of his releases, giving them always the necessary gravitas to enthrall.

nosunnofood - nosunnofood

edison has been one of my 'all-time-favourite' producers for a long time now and how any outing from his musical realm is surely guaranteed to captivate, enthrall, entertain, sooth and stimulate. a perfect excursion back into his sonic landscapes between official solo releases.

james p honey - dIv_ØØNYgHN

the young captain honey murdering his way through half-an-hour of barbed materials. for my money always more visceral and captivating when stripped-down, these songs are further proof of his magnificent artistic path over the last few years.

earl sweatshirt - doris

probably the most 'hyped' release on this small list and how it was a curiously-intriguing item indeed. there can be no denying his incredibly powerful voice, nor his excellent flow, and how the lyrics and, for the most part beats, were able to generate a consistent journey though his world.

prodigy & alchemist - albert einstein

an unexpected treat to be sure. i cannot begin to explain how much i listened to the early mobb deep records as a teenager, nor how bemused i was by their plunging descent into utter dross. so, what a delight to hear prodigy offering bar after bar of gold, over a full-albums' worth of solid beats.

action bronson & harry fraud - saab stories

scarcely able to bring myself to allow this release art onto this blog, but i cannot deny how many times i listened to 'alligator' and 'seven series triplets' this year; only two out of the six songs on offer, but just so compelling as to carry the weight of the release onto this list.

tesk - nerves

an absolutely stunning debut release from the masterful tesk. how it probably would have been in the short-list had it not arrived so late in the year, only giving me the chance to begin to be blown away by all that lays within. a full tape of shimmering magical hues. utter bliss.

home - word

how little could be more welcome that a futher release from the always-masterful home. how this new set of ten songs carried me forward through this year on buoyant wings, always offering a keen and clear eye on the reasons why we are indeed moving forward. truly wonderful.

-

so, there we have it, my humble take on the musical facts in the case of 2013. i sincerely hope that you found a few enjoyable moments within, have managed to discover some new treats for your own archives, or simply enjoyed the shared understanding of mutual tastes, and how i sincerely hope that we are all still here this time next year to celebrate once again.

in final parting, i would also like to reference a number of artists that didn't make it onto any of these lists, simply by way of my having not had the chance to audition their works over the last twelve months. i am keenly looking forward to hearing the latest releases from the following:

jesu, boards of canada, carcass, odd nosdam, the haxan cloak, arcade fire, low, billy woods & blockhead, cathedral, burial, bill callahan, dakota, tim hecker and many more ...the tale is ongoing indeed...

sending all the love, keep safe and take care

jamesreindeer

leipzig, deutschland
30th december 2013

landscape eternal - out now

might i gladly take this moment to present my second official spoken-word release, following on from last years' 'shallow pools' poetry collection. entitled 'landscape eternal' and gathering together sixteen pieces taken from the works of some of my own favourite literary masters, some of my closest associates within my own writing circle as well as some of my own compositions, and woven together as a whole, 'landscape eternal' is designed to take us on a brief journey through distant lands, evoking moods of eerie unease and foreboding amidst a psychedelic landscape of strange sights and sounds.

the release also contains a twenty-minute ambient soundpiece to accompany the spoken-word selections, to be used in conjunction with the words or as its own separate entity. a darkened drone-piece that crackles and moans under its own weight, and certainly feels like a fitting companion to the ominous lines of the landscape eternal. the whole thing now being available from both the decorative stamp online store as well as my own bandcamp page, and available as an ultra-limited hand-crafted cd edition of only ten copies, as well as for 'name your price' digital download. get involved.

keep safe

jamesreindeer

josef motley : 1982 - 2012

as this long and strange year finally begins to draw to a close, i would very much like to take the opportunity to say a few words in honour of our now truly-legendary captain josef motley, who very sadly left this mortal coil under such desperately tragic circumstances at the beginning of the summer. captain james p honey and myself consider ourselves so very fortunate to have been able to become friends with josef back in the myspace days and had the very good fortune of collaborating with him on what should have been the first of very many songs. in truth, we both very much considered him to be the 'third man' when it came to the uk alt-rap scene and, while our paths sadly never crossed in person, we very much saw him as a close acquaintance and a fascinating artist indeed. his passing is a truly cruel blow to the world and how we can only know that he will be so dearly missed by so many.

josef's creative output was always something very much worth paying close attention to. from his own solo releases, to the storming power of his 'swampglow' group, to the richly bizarre world of the 'tortoiseshell male' to his work on his album collaboration projects with both dCABB and thelostandfoundsound, there was always more than enough to entertain, bemuse and satisfy the most-curious of listeners. josef's talent lay in his incredibly adept ability to filter the mundane sham of everyday life into a strange and captivating series of cut-up words, sounds and images to a standard that burroughs himself would surely have approved of. sometimes 'unlistenable', sometimes wonderfully 'catchy', oftentimes absurd, and joyfully daft, his output so perfectly mirrored this farsical 'everyday life' which the western lands have steadily built-up as 'reality'. the world is a poorer place in his absence, but we will be sure to celebrate his works until the very end, so grateful that he would have given us the chance to do so. an incredible artist and a noble captain indeed. he will remain in our thoughts for all-tme

keep safe

jamesreindeer

das fest - marathon man 7" - out now

yet another staggering release emerges from the thick of this strange and long set of recent moons. yet another release buried long without the production stages, but finally seeing the light of day as a highly limited and very beautiful seven inch vinyl via the almighty postrap collective, we are indeed talking about the astonishingly powerful 'marathon man' and its accompanying remix, from the majestic das fest and featuring guest spots from my humble self alongside babelfishh and james p honey, not to mention the omnipotent audio88 on the original mix.

'maranthon man' is something of a long-time anthem which first emerged some years ago and was very much a part of the debut das fest album. still, when fishh, honey and i found ourselves honoured to share three shows with misanthrop and omega takeshi in the winter of 2010, we were deeply grateful to be given the opportunity of revisiting the song with a view to preparing a remix version for this forthcoming special release. thusly, we are over-the-moon that, almost exactly two years later, this mighty piece of vinyl might be able to greet the world. be sure to fix yourself a copy directly.

keep safe

jamesreindeer

facts in the case of goat's gloom

finally, the unrelenting terror that is the first ep from the very sinister goat's gloom is at last upon us and now available as a highly limited-edition 7" vinyl via the astounding divergent series. to the uninitiated, goat's gloom is the stunning collaboratory project between decorative stamp's very own babelfishh and dug yuck, alongside the almighty frkse. the murkiness of time makes it slowly become unclear as to when the project first arose, but if memory serves i believe the vocal recording sessions for the ep took place in the spring of 2010 at the seattle residence of dug yuck during the abortive 'galloping halfwits' tour, when james p honey and i were due to travel to the pacific northwest but had our plans torn asunder by the volcanic ash cloud which grounded all european flights for the better part of a week.

still, for my own part, i was also extremely honoured to be invited to guide the ep through the mastering stages and have thusly been heavily exposed to the desolate material contained therein. it is always a privilege for me to reveal that dug yuck and babelfishh are quite easily two of my favourite writers and vocalists, and how this collection of maddening compositions really does show them at the height of their most darkly-disturbing powers, channeling the most ominous of energies through the unrelentingly devastating musical turns of the hallowed frkse. might i strongly suggest then that you secure yourself a copy of this truly mind-altering release. it is very surely not something for the feint-hearted, but those of you bold enough or adept enough will surely revel in the murky depths of this fascinating collection of blackened materials.

keep safe

jamesreindeer

tell - das jüngste mikrowellengericht - out now

finally, after what has been the longest of journeys, we can at last collectively announce that the very amazing ep from the mighty tell, aka trip and nimrod from saarpreme is at last upon us, entitled 'das jüngste mikrowellengericht' and now available as a limited edition cd from the mighty postrap collective. seven songs taking us on a stirring musical and lyrical journey, also featuring guest appearances from the exceptional manuscript as well as myself alongside james p honey for the first time in what seems like many a long year.

in truth, the collaboratory track 'zeitsoldaten', on which honey and i feature is something of a 'lost gem', which we have always been very proud of, and have eagerly been anticipating the release of, ever since we recorded it in what may well have been the summer of 2009. it is so strange to think back so very long ago, to think of how much water has passed under the bridge, but at the same time to marvel on how fresh and relevant the song still seems, both in terms of our own writing, and in terms of the musical climate of this modern age.

i am very lucky to be able to consider myself good friends with both trip and nimrod and how much of an honour it is for me to have been able to participate in their release, and how i can wholeheartedly recommend you fix yourself a copy, whether you are able to understand deutsch or not, as it really is a staggeringly well-realised piece. so, do be sure to fix yourself a copy of the limited edition cd, or even simply a digital download. but, either way, be sure to get involved.

keep safe

jamesreindeer

three years of skribble gebibble

so, the party of the year has now been and gone. without wanting to wish our lives away, it was so hard to not keenly anticipate the third skribble gebibble birthday party directly after the second. still, a full year had to be permitted to pass and how last saturday finally saw the third birthday party upon us, and how astonishingly amazing night it was indeed, all that we could have hoped for and more. should you still at this juncture be unaware of quite how important the skribble family are, please understand that they are a group of the most wonderful, talented individuals who have been putting on great nights and bringing amazing artists to oberhausen for the past three years. it is always such a great atmosphere when they take control of the druckluft, such good times and so much fun in ascending waves. i cannot emphasise enough how special the evenings they create are, and would seriously recommend a road-trip to find yourself in attendance at some future event, you shall not be disappointed.

so, the third birthday party was always in the backs of our minds as last year slowly turned into this new one, and how, as the time grew closer, it began clear that they had set in motion yet another amazing line-up and another unforgettable party was looming on the horizon. as the party began to motion its way through the planning stages, the very exciting news that decorative stamp's own a band of buriers would be confirmed as performing crept across the internet and how it would fantastically mean that captain james p honey and i would at last be crossing paths again for the first time in eighteen months, a reason for our own personal excitement, but also a wonderful turn of events that would see the twin-james' reunited on skribble turf, a more fitting location there could not be. a lot of biding time had to transpire in such keen anticipation until finally the time was upon us and we all gathered ourselves up from our various corners and started the pilgrimage to oberhausen.

for our own part, we had assembled a three-person, gut-city contingent in the form of myself, the awesome miss nadia d'alò and our wonderful associate, the very talented miss paulina stulin. we fixed ourselves a weekend train-ticket and made our way slowly along the rhine, following the valley and the flowing water, passing through bingen, koblenz and bonn before the line stretched out from köln into the more industrial north-west, onto düsseldorf and finally oberhausen. we arrived at the druckluft to immediately find the buriers and some of the skribble family outside, vast hugs and the widest of smiles ensued, and how we immediately knew that we were all back home again together again. excitingly we were also notably joined by the very awesome chryso and antonia from saarland for the evening, most welcome additions to our number. all was very much well as the soundchecks, drinks and reunitings began to transpire. it was so, so wonderful to see everyone again, so many great friends, so many wonderful people.

still, the time would race by as always, and before long we were in the thick of the evening, the druckluft swarming with hundreds of guests, the skribble dj's spinning endlessly amazing songs for our listening pleasure, the wohnzimmer filled with folk drawing amazing images, thick and heavy beats arising from the dancing folk in the basement, and soon the main room to be filled with the big names of the evening. we all took in the wonderful atmosphere and moved between the rooms, wide smiles on all our faces, happy times and the warmest of vibes. still, the main event on a lot of people's lips was the mighty performance from the buriers and how the time was soon upon us. a huge crowd of folk were eagerly gathered by the time that james and jamie took to the stage and how their performance was staggering indeed. a chew-heavy set filled with some of their biggest songs, and how the crowds lapped it up so enthusiastically. perhaps the most awesome moment was to be found in my being invited to join them onstage for a splendid freestyle as well as a performance of the mighty 'float'. james and i had not rapped together in so long and yet we immediately fell into the amazing synchronicity which we so gladly share. a real treat to be able to perform again together, but moreover that it would be onstage at the skribble birthday party for the oberhausen people, planets align indeed...

still, there was much more to be had of the night. more amazing performances, more astonishing beats from the skribble dj's, the cutting of the birthday cake and the drinking of champagne, a futher acoustic performance from the buriers to a fortunate few, a further james & james freestyle session, yet more smiles and drinks, cakes and keen conversation as folk continued to draw amazing images in the wohnzimmer, as amazing sounds stretched out from the main room and the thick, pulsating rhythm continued to creep up from the basement. honey and i talked long into the night, sat at the foot of the skribble dj's just catching up late into the night, surrounded by a changing combination of wonderful friends and loved-ones. i know that i so keenly speak for the both of us when i talk of our continued, shared astonishment and appreciation of how lucky we consider ourselves to have been able to cross paths with these amazing people those long years ago.

sadly the night wore on so late and trains, planes and cars needed to be sought on the morrow. our taxi was awaiting us as we bid farewells to the family and made our weary way back to mülheim as a splendid group of the buriers, nadia, pauli and myself, as very glad and grateful guests of the astonishingly wonderful sinja and sabrina. the night was absolutely finished off to perfection when honey and i got to taste an amazing cupcake each from sinja's baking efforts before sleepytime. it must be quite seriously mentioned that the cake situation and the skribble family is something of a legend it its own time. if you are even remotely interested in cakes, then even let that alone be a reason to find yourself at the next party... we slowly all crept into the dreaming with but a few hours til dawn and the sadly inevitable beginnings of the goodbyes.

we arose from temporary slumber to being immediately reduced to saying goodbye to james and jamie, tender hugs and weary-eyed but wide smiles indeed. it was so, so nice to see them both again, and how we all dearly look forward to regrouping again before too long. we shall see where and when across the coming moons. pauli, nadia, sabrina, sinja and i rested awhile longer before slowly gathering ourselves to head off to a splendid brunch with the family. we arrived at the wonderful residence of elisa and friends and spent the next hours gathered around a long table, just eating our fill, taking tea and coffee, reflecting on the previous night and talking long on a host of other subjects besides, whilst reluctantly saying a host of farewells as our numbers began to dwindle. for our own part, the hauptbahnhof at oberhausen beckoned and we made our way back to the druckluft with jakob for just a spell to cross paths with the mighty dyxz and the awesome julia for a little more cake and a few last smiles before the final farewells.

our path back to hessen and decorative stamp headquarters was a smooth and relaxed one indeed, our minds filled with a wonderful haze of fond memories from the night before, how the party had exceeded all expectations which is simply always the case with skribble parties. might i boldly, and on behalf the decorative stamp family also, offer once more our huge thanks and appreciation for being able to travel into the awesome world in which we create, to thank them for so many amazing nights, so many amazing shows and to wish them the happiest of birthdays and so much luck and encouragement for the next twelve months, more good times indeed... and, please be sure to keep the skribble name on your lips, offer support, 'like' them on facebook, bookmark their website and try as best as you can to find yourself one day at the druckluft in oberhausen for a magical, magical time indeed.

keep safe

jamesreindeer

a worthwhile cause in a meaningless world

without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most wonderful things about creating music in this modern digital age, is getting to meet, pass time, share thoughts and collaborate with like-minded artists. since the dawn of this new internet age brought about the revolutionary change of being able to productively work with those situated far outside your neighbourhood, town, city, county, country, continent even... it has been possible to find those souls which share the desire to create art in such similar ways. 

getting to know that each of us, or each few of us are not alone in our desires to approach our work in these similar ways, along with drawing enthusiasm and inspiration from them, i could, and very likely shall someday draw a list together of each and every person i have work with in the past, collaborated with, jammed with, share tales and experiences with, shared the road with, slept on floors with, walked dazed through unfamiliar cities with... but for now, the simple facts of it can be found even from the list of folk made up within my steadily expanding list of releases.

yesterday, as a perfect example, saw the release of the long-awaited official debut album from tree dusk muir. i cannot exaclty recall how, or precisely the first time i came to know about their music. although i do have fond recollections of passing by their myspace page back in glory days, eagerly anticipating hearing the darkly disturbing sounds coming from their music player. it sounded like some kind of hallucinogenic swampland music, doused in lyrics picturing scenes not far removed from the kind of grindhouse horror movies the soundtrack conjured in my mind.

gladly, a dialogue began between us, possibly begininng with james p honey's contact with wormhole out in hawaii, possibly from direct contact from ovate, whom i remember receiving kind word from at an early stage. after lines were exchanged across continents, there came about the opportunity to collaborate on a track for their forthcoming album, an immense posse-cut which would feature contributions from both james p honey and myself, along with our staggeringly talented collaborator jamie romain on cello. i cannot recall exactly when we made the song, but i remember it being around the summertime, perhaps it was the summer of 2008. in a way the track was an aethestic departure from the majority of the work i was engaged in at the time, but how it felt like such  a natural mode to slip into. writing to that song came like a lucid dream within a hazy, hot summers nights' ritual.

james p honey and i then had the wonderful fortune to be able to cross paths with ovate, toobz and rezult in richmond, virginia, as part of the 'our accents sure are pretty' tour with thesis sahib, pierre the motionless, roma and funken, gladly that night also being joined by the imposing might of the masterful moshe, not to mention being housed, fed and watered by the incomparable isaac ramsey, aka swordplay. it was such a wonderful night indeed, to feel so safe and relaxed amongst friends, especially having had the terrible experience of passing through the oppressive misery of washington dc the night before.

i recall it to have been a hot, spring evening in richmond and how james and i had wandered round the corner from the venue to the gas station for some supplies before the show and, upon our return, being greeted by the smiling, strangely familiar face of ovate outside the venue, greeting us with warm wishes and the kindest of words and introducing us to toobz and rezult, and even hailing wormhole on the cellphone. they had driven three or fours hours down from roanoke for the show, bringing with them a cd of their, at that time, almost-finished album, along with a whole bunch of prints of toobz artwork and a few sculptures for us too. as is almost uniformly the case, far from being strange, unapproachable types, they were so very open, friendly, filled with positivity and such kind words of our own creative efforts and equally glad that our paths had crossed on the long odyssey that was that particular tour.

since having crossed paths that spring night in virginia, it has been a pleasure to continually engage with them in dialogue and to collaborate on brief, but incredibly enjoyable occassion, as has been the case with all the other artists whom i have been lucky enough to come into contact with. and so it stands. just last night i was working intensely on a beat for ovate & staplemouth to be featured on their upcoming release on planck length, having a wail of a time extracting the darkest, most psychedelic sounds i could from the microkorg, layering them over three storming beats i had assembled in the sequencer. the enjoyment that creative collaboration brings will always be unmatched.

so, do be sure to download the new tree dusk muir album as soon as time permits, and be on the look out for the ovate & staplemouth release in the coming months. not to mention all the other various release from all the folk mentioned above, and everyone else operating within the scene. there are so many talented people, pushing the boundaries in so many directions, all of whom survive on the support, encouragement and enthusiasm of their listeners. so many people risking it all in their attempts to create something filled  with a meaning true to them, which can be shared with those eager to listen. a worthwhile cause in a meaningless world indeed.

keep safe

jamesreindeer