returning from the front

gentle readers. might i apologise for the long delay since my last transmission. i have been deeply entrenched at decorative stamp headquarters these past few moons, working night and day on organising the various strands and components that shall make up the forward push of the collective as the spring months slowly emerge from the frozen wintry cold. to that end, there has been little or no time for me to concentrate any specifically jamesreindeer-related activities.

still. all of my activities have been greatly productive and, for the most part have allowed me to be creative in a variety of ways, which has been most rewarding. however, since each various strand is worth detailing in full, i shall refrain from any further detailed revelations in this transmission, suffice to say that i shall be attempting to post a goodly number more reports in the coming few weeks in order to get up to speed with all the latest to-ings and fro-ings... i thank you for your patience and look forward to sharing with you the latest facts in the case anon.

til then, keep safe and warm

jamesreindeer

video evidence from the old cinema

it is with keen excitement that i might now be able to reveal the following video evidence from the wonderful 'rubbert twist & firends' live extravaganza, which occurred at the old capitol cinema in mainz, germany, last september. i was fortunate enough to be invited onstage to join the splendid people that are rubbert twist in performing renditions of two of my own pieces, hailing from the fbcfabric & reindeer album. be sure to sit back and enjoy the spectacle captured in full psychedelic accuracy.

mask of sanity

the only dance i can do

once again, i must extend a big thank you to rubbert twist for inviting me to perform my own set of iron filings and sellotape material, as well as for the opportunity of taking to the stage with them also. here's to many future events in similar veins, and good times to all those that may find themselves involved. ever onwards and upwards then.

keep warm, take care

jamesreindeer

papervehicle and assorted ephemera

dearest readers. again, so much time passing, with so few precious moments to document the happenings. all is a whir of clicking and crackling obsolete machinery here. the midnight oil is burning bright and constant, the plates are all spinning at the edge of control and the thick winter onset is creeping up around the safehouse, threatening to breach the compound.

still, the typewriter keys continue to clatter, the recording equipment continues to preserve events and the decorative stamp ploughs on with great endurance. the papervehicle book and first album re-release are at last upon us. fix yourselves copies directly, for it is surely one of the greatest audio documents in the world of alternative rap music and how the book contains a vast wealth of fascinating facts regarding the case.

on halloween i found myself at the knertz headquarters of oskar ohlson and winterismyname for a gathering of close friends to celebrate the occassion. oskar and ms winter had pulled out all of the stops to turn the location into a full-blown halloween dream-sequence with each room leading us all deeper and futher into a mesmerising hollow of grotesquely curious fairytales.

i was also fortunate enough to be invited to perform a small set, and took the opportunity to play a host of old favourties along with a healthy selection of songs from the iron filings and sellotape release, which are a good deal of fun to play indeed. the rather awesome 'no more fun' from the knertz family also graced us with an unplugged performance, and how splendid it was indeed.

the halloween bash also served as a release party for the wonderful new pumpernickle release, which you simply must secure yourself a copy of. the only sad part being that filkoe could not join us for the festivities, being trapped in north america at the time. how he was very much there in spirit though, his presence could be felt in the cartoonish nightmare in which we were embroiled.

recent weeks have also afforded me the wonderful opportunity of crossing paths with some of the skribble gebibble family on my own adopted-home turf, which was awesome indeed, and how it transpires that i will be paying a visit to oberhausen for an impromptu performance this coming thursday, as well as a new exciting collaboratory plan being in the works.

onwards and upwards then. time is short and i must attend to a host of other bits in pieces, including working on a new raft of vocal guest spots for a host of splendid projects indeed. so, i shall away, but shall indeed endevour to find time to word futher exploits as the winter continues to tighten its grip around us. til then...

keep safe and warm

jamesrindeer

clattering keys and the dropping temperature

gentle readers. how it has been a whole lunar cycle since my last transmission. how the season has turned from the warmest indian summer into the coldest onset of winter since i was last able to make time to post some news, and how extraordinarily busy a time it has been indeed. although, in truth, most of the events have been ostensibly decorative stamp, rather than jamesreindeer-related, it has still been a raft of splendid progress by any account.

for the most part, my activities this last month have been directed towards editing and overseeing the completion of the digital book that shall be accompanying the re-release of the astonishing first album from papervehicle on decorative stamp, and how it has been such a pleasure indeed. we have certainly been able to put together something really special for sure. hovering at a little more than eighty pages, the book contains a wealth of information surrounding the facts in the case of the first album, in-depth interviews, song notes, a full lyrics transcription, exclusive photographs, as well as protracted introductory piece from my own fair hand. be sure to fix yourself a copy when the 31st october release date rolls around.

there has also been a wealth of behind-the-scenes activity occurring with further forthcoming releases on the stamp, the closest of which must surely be the vinyl release of the staggering 'foreshore reverie' from murmur breeze, and how it is something beautiful indeed. as well as being a thing of physical beauty itself, packaged gloriously and featuring full-colour artwork from james p honey, the songs themselves have been re-ordered and present a different, but equally satisfying version of the wonderful second full-length release from the most treasured duo.

there has also been much talk and discussion surrounding the order and selection of releases that we shall be presenting this winter, and what a wonderfully diverse and affecting bunch they shall be. without wishing to give too much away at the moment, it does rather look as if the winter will indeed be seeing a selection of more melancholic and darker releases on the stamp, featuring some absolutely incredible material indeed, and how i can indeed confirm that 'decorative stamp volume two' really is shaping up to be something rather magnificent itself. be sure to be poised for a whole host of wonderful new music on the near horizon.

still, for my own part, i am indeed busy chipping away at a host of my own creative enterprises, and do keenly endevour to present you with some more specifically jamesreindeer-related information as soon as possible. i can assure you that there are a host of splendid pieces in the works, and how, as time slowly permits, i will be sure to provide some much clearer information as to quite how and when to expect them. here's to the onwards and upwards indeed.

still, lastly, and on behalf of the whole mysterious collective, i would like to extend great thanks to everyone who has secured themselves a copy of the iron filings and sellotape album thusfar, the response has been quite extraordinary indeed. so much so, that there has even been talk of returning to the vaults to set about compiling a second album of material. reports are very hazy at this point, but it does seem that this shall not be the last we hear from the mysterious collective, perhaps even by a long way. the plot slowly thickens...

keep safe and warm

jamesreindeer

close to distantly - out now

it is with much gladness that we can collectively announce the release of the astonishing debut album from AbSUrd, entitled 'close to distantly', and now available as a beautiful limited-edition hand-crafted gatefold cd and download on decorative stamp, as well as direct from AbSUrd himself. spiralling across seventeen psychedelic songs, the album is a veritable tour-de-force, showcasing the astonishing, mesmerising, disorientating, surrealist production talents of AbSUrd, alongside a host of guest contributors including myself, nadia d'alo, babel fishh, bleubird, ceschi, filkoe, james p honey, papervehicle and univac. and how special mention must be given to the glorious design and presentation of the disc itself; a collaborative effort between AbSUrd and Mlle Metronome, a perfectly exquisite piece of craft indeed.

for my own part, i am doubly excited at the release, for i am lucky enough to have been very deeply involved with the production process and all that lies therein. initially i was just to guest on the album vocally, but one hazy late night conversation lead to another and i was soon on board to mix the album in its entirety too, which subsequently unfolded the events that saw me contributing additional instrumentation as well as assorted field recordings. before, finally, AbSUrd extended the invitation for me to submit a piece of artwork for the final release too. all-in-all, it has been a wonderfully enjoyable path, and something that we are all very keen to share with you all. do fix yourself a copy as soon as time and funds permit. i can wholeheartedly assure you that it is a most highly rewarding listening experience indeed.

keep safe

jamesreindeer

close to distantly - coming soon

ladies and gentlemen. it is with much jubilation that we can at last officially announce the debut album from the most highly treasured AbSUrd shall be upon us in but a couple of weeks time. entitled 'close to distantly', it shall be available as a limited edition cd and download, direct from the decorative stamp.

spanning seventeen songs, and taking us on a ritualistic, psychedelic voyage into the unknown, the album is a tour-de-force of the mechanical-yet-organic, the surreal-yet-affecting, the dark-yet-warming, and features a whole host of guest vocal and musical appearances.

AbSUrd. - Somewhere Else by decorative stamp

as of today, the album is now available to stream in its entirety from within the decorative stamp online store, in order to let you whet your appetites in anticipation of being able to secure your own personal copies when the 26th september release date rolls around... get involved!

keep safe

jamesreindeer