this occasional society december newsletter
hello friends! hoping that this newsletter finds you well.
Let’s crack on!
this occasional society update
a quiet month in ‘the pod’. the tentacles of the day job wrapped themselves tightly round our waking hours and were difficult to shake off, making it tricky to carve out time for creativity. the wave has now passed. onwards we surf. here is your exclusive ‘unvarnished, work in progress, music sketch’.
the next newsletter will be with you 1.1. as ever, if you want anything included in the ‘updates from friends of the society’ section, just let us know. it’s good to talk.
updates from friends of the society
After releasing her mesmerising cover version of Radiohead's 'Blow Out,' Socool unveils her new EP 'Becomes Music' on Bathurst, a beautiful and charming ambient downtempo affair.
Electronic Music Open Mic have a lovely new website. If you run an EMOM night, it’s easy to register and add in the details of your night. A fantastic resource.
Berlin based Pauli 403 has just unleashed their experimental electronic release, the fantastically titled (and fantastic sounding) ‘The Corpse of the Internet Does not Rot / While the AI Trains’.
No sooner had I posted about Xylander and their most recent music release last month, than they only went and launched a bloomin’ internet radio station - Audio Interface. At the time of publishing, there are two regular shows, Forgotten Futures, featuring the best in independent & unsigned electronic music and Disturbing Dreams, featuring dark ambient & experimental tracks. You can submit your own music and, should you feel so inclined, they are looking for shows.
The album ‘transitions’ from sockpuppet tell a story of aspiration and heartbreak, of being trapped by circumstances and escaping, and ultimately finding one’s own path forward. Dating back to the 2000s, now feels like the right time for their release.
LR Friburg is collecting tracks for a compilation on their netlabel, Aurora Compilations, dedicated to setting intentions for the year 2025 and expressing the feeling of resilience - something that would carry us all through the year, no matter the circumstances. The callout is here and one of the past iterations of the series is here to check out.
New from Luka Prinčič ‘DRAGX̶FUNK /dɹæɡɑːfʌŋk/’ has been described as a transgenre mutation, a fluid entity, jagged pop, electro-funk, techno-cabaret, a schlager, and soft alternative, queer to the core, satire and tragedy, sharp and fun indulgence for the dance of bodies and brains, activism and hedonism, which would all like to steal your attention. t.o.s. would plump for the more succinct ‘funky as f**k’.
a.o.b. - things that have replenished our creative wellspring recently
As mentioned above, the day job has been somewhat overpowering this month. Despite that, there’s been some lovely distractions.
Gazelle Twin interviews Gary Numan…and vice versa. Another gem from The Quietus
Despite a distinct lack of interest in organised religion this article on the process the vatican uses to bestow sainthood was an interesting read. ‘Devil’s Advocate’ used to be an actual job. Imagine having that on your passport.
It’s been referred to in a previous newsletter, but, as it’s the done thing to make such proclamations at this time of year, based on the amount of time it’s spent on the metaphorical t.o.s. stereo, Fractures by Kayla Painter is album of the year in this house.
This selection of ‘Lost Halloween Film Posters’ from Richard Littler (creator of the wonderful Scarfolk) made me yearn for them to be real.
Finally, aren’t elephants great.