iron filings and sellotape

i have had the pleasure of being involved in the iron filings and sellotape project since one psychedelic summers night in 2003. the project is an experiment of sorts, a view to creating music, film, still photography and literature with exclusively found elements, assembled with obsolete technologies. the name of the project itself might be clue enough. iron filings and sellotape recordings exist as if having been found buried in a ruined bunker, or collapsed building. broken fragments serving as some testament to an unwholesome truth which has pervaded human civilisation these past one hundred years, or more.

to that end, fragments of field recordings, tape experiments, grainy film and photographs have been amassed, with the intention of one day being revealed to the world as a fractured document to mirror our most troubled thoughts in the dark of the night or the bleakness of the light of day. for my part, i have contributed music, words, vocals and film to the furnace, all constructed by the lamplight of evening, scrabbled together with haste and an urgency; to compile the materials before they might disintegrate in ones hands. in good time decorative stamp will serve as the worthy vessel to unleash these salvaged reels, until then a few scraps of film, music and text exist to serve as an example of the ongoing experiment.

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'amidst the grease and chaos' was completed some years ago, shot on a faulty digital camera mobile telephone, capturing scenes of late night analogue television signal of bbc news 24 on an old portable television set dating from some decades ago. all the footage was shot in a darkned attic against a backdrop of the beams and rafters. the scenes depicted therein are of the ongoing conflict in afghanistan, the british armed forces hunt for the fictional al qaeda in the fictional tora bora mountain cave complexes. as well as the rapid increase in opium production since the allied forces first engaged the taliban in the wake of the attacks of 9/11.

'war report [salvaged reels]' was completed just recently, having been shot on a modest digital camera, capturing scenes from digital footage obtained from internet resources. scenes therein depict the soviet war in afghanistan in the 1980's, as the reagan administration moved to support the 'freedom fighters' in driving the russians back across their border, inevitably bringing funds and training to a large number of islamist thinkers whose intention was to use these tactics to wage their war on the jahiliyyah which was spreading throughout the middle east, filtering in from the sinful west. the footage is intercut with two seperate reels of free associated text being typed across a computer screen.

there will shortly be two songs available to obtain from the project. the first, 'kingdom of heaven', now available as a free download on decorative stamp volume one, and the second to be featured on an up and coming cooler than cucumbers release. there are also a number of compositions available for streaming on the long since abandoned iron filings and sellotape myspace page. a great deal of the musical output of the project is currently instrumental, but for where vocals exist, it is my intention to post the words contained therein.

being the voice of the project, it would certainly fall within my remit to give more detailed explanations as to the why's and wherefore's of the project, but i would prefer to keep the exposition to a minimum and let the atmospherics of the project be the most important force. there is something about this music, words and imagery that has a quality found only in certain places, perhaps at certain times. do be sure to investigate further, should any of the above have struck a chord.

keep safe, be well

jamesreindeer

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iron filings and sellotape on myspace


iron filings and sellotape at decorative stamp

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photographic evidence

in the attic of my father's house at christmastime

photograph taken by decorative stamp's own nadia d'alò

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forthcoming written works

depending on how closely events have been followed, there have been mild hints and allegations surrounding various facts in the case of my forthcoming written output. so, might i take this opportunity to boldly announce that the coming months will see the appearance of my first book, to be one of the first releases from the decorative stamp printing press.

entitled 'nova conditions', it is a trilogy of short books which i began work on in the summer of 2005. slaving away on and off, when time would allow, i have finally found myself in a postition where they are finally finished and ready to be unleashed on the world at large.

it would be hard for me to specifically describe what lies therein, but do expect the kind of writings that you will be familiar with from the lyrical content of my musical releases thusfar, but perhaps pushed to further extremes, both comedic as well as dark. it might be seen as a satire of sorts, woven within some sort of dream sequence set deep within the western lands.

i am at the stage of laying the works out to be ready to go to print, so there will still be some time before the opus is officially revealed. perhaps i might post some excerpts along with the developments in its availablity, as well as details of the rather fetching format in which i intend to present it.

suffice to say, it is a really wonderful feeling to finally finish this ambitious piece of work, and how keen i am to share it with those of you who would take interest. i sincerely look forward to your responses, feedback, constructive criticism and the like. here's to this next bold stage in my creative output then.

thank you for your time and patience.

jamesreindeer

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less than dirt

not so many moons ago, i was most kindly invited to contribute the only vocal parts for joel simeus' virtual mixtape under the name of 'less than dirt'. described by the man himself as 'a "mixtape" influenced by tribalism without a political agenda. meant to portrait a western mans impression of the third world and all its wear and tear chaos.' my angle was that of the western man himself, and the society he represents, it being a futile path or system which, when applied to 'third world' development, could only lead to the same failings. please find a transcript of my lyric sheet below, and do be sure to download the mixtape itself, as it is something very special indeed.

 

buried within volumes. industrial curators of pillars. overshadowed and blanketing. kept hidden. behind columns and outlines beneath unsecure domes, at the bottom of wells and beyond hidden corridors.

dim library lamps obscure lost texts and sketched geometry works gently fading in a slow blurry unravelling. as avenues stretch out to map the passage of the isolated salesman the greying sky consumes the sun in dismal waves. futile voyages inside stairwells and within lobbys, echoing footsteps tracing ancient trade routes gone lifeless. wallpaper peels as the shine of leather shoes dulls in the humid warmth whilst vessels burst and falling masonry kills the lonely traveller passing. withered advertising adorns the streetcar passing. 

 

clatter on the line and the nothing blanket split with cables tracing elevated shapes above the weathered tarmac crackling and heaving in manipulated waves. morning editions billow in passing tow truck turbulence, word petals rising in spirals, billowing and ascening as if transported pollen. 

 

ash rises and drifts on a wilting breeze blowing in. elevator cables whinny and moan in the concrete storey abyss. old leather suitcase and spectacle case abandoned in stone hollows to whither and come apart in drawn out stages. rusted carrion throes frozen mid-collapse. dawn rising across and uneven cityscape falling away into the folded palms of hillsides and shorelines.

joel simeus - less than dirt - free download

keep safe

jamesreindeer

amidst the winter of 1940

over the christmas period i was back in london visiting my family, and during a quiet spell i found myself in front of bbc news 24, which was showing a documentary on the bombing of london by the luftwaffe during the second world war. it was fascinating indeed, and contained a great deal of film footage shot during the winter of 1940. my digital camera was to hand, so i made a series of still photographs to try to capture some of the scenes therein. here are a few of the results:

sadly, i can give no specific credit to the original film-makers. i can only assume that the footage was shot by bbc film crews, or possibly pathe news. suffice to say, historical documentation of events, photographically or journalistically, must be seen as an invaluable resource in our attempts to form better understanding of the society in which we find ourselves. here's to the men and women on the ground, holding cameras steady, scribbling notes, and transmitting facts in the various cases.

jamesreindeer

emerging systems at the dawn of man

might i begin this transmission by gently hinting that a number of different projects are currently in motion, and that this year shall see a flotilla of works out past the delta drifting ever nearer to completion. the last twelve months were spent amidst cancelled flights and awkward struggles, alongside much behind-the-scenes progress and steady footfalls in the right direction. at this juncture i would prefer to be vague, allowing all to reveal itself in good time.

suffice to say that the mighty decorative stamp would appear to have taken to the most graceful of flight, and how it shall surely progress from strength to strength as the seasons pass. there are currently a strong handful of releases set to emerge in the coming months, with a whole host of other, more ethereal projects, formulating in the darkest corners and furthest reaches. more information will slowly start to trickle in, and will be revealed in jubilant waves.

that which is concrete, which has been possibly my chief preoccupation these last nine months, or more, would be the upcoming second album from murmur breeze. possibly due to my closeness with its chief protagonists, james p honey and abSUrd, or possibly due to my willingness to get the job done, i was saddled with the task of bringing their second monolithic work through the mixing stages and into completion... and these are the last 24 hours.

the album is absolutely immense. naturally, i am deeply biased, but also still have great faith in my own musical tastes. thusly, i shall make the bold statement that i wholeheartedly believe it is the greatest work that either of the two of them have created thusfar. nineteen songs which seem to pick up directly from where 'bird irony' left off, only to tread deeper and further into the murky mire that is the world they create together. this will undoubtedly be one of the most important releases this year, it really will.

for my own part, i have recently had the wonderful good fortune of being interviewed by the marvelous miss magali vannier for a splendid article at trip-hop.net. centering largely on the why's and wherefor's concerning the facts in the case of 'rough tongue surfaces' as well as concerning upcoming projects and related materials. should you be unable to read french, then i imagine that will be impetus for trying to arrange an english-language version to be made available.

finally, again gesturing vaguely into the mist, i am due to commence mixing a completed album by a dear friend, which should arrive on my doorstep in the coming weeks. i am also set to put into motion a further album featuring a host of incredibly talented weird-rappers from different shores, as well as collaborating in partnership with another incredibly talented artist for a further release, as well as rallying a few brave troops to begin advancement of my major, highly secretive, campaign for the next twelve months.

huddled up under blankets by candlelight, clattering away at a rusted typewriter, late into the winter night.

keep safe . be well

jamesreindeer