hey there you good, good people,

this occasional society update

‘the society’ will be playing in Reading on 14 May with Fingerwolf, Cephid and amongst others. It’s free in. If you are around, come and say hello.

t.o.s. also has a track on the upcoming C.Circo remix album, out on 22 May (see below).

This month’s music sketch is here. Focusing on repetition & texture over tune this time. Not sure if I like it.

the next newsletter will be with you 6.6. as ever, if you want anything included in the ‘updates from friends of the society’ section, just let us know.

updates from friends of the society - buckle up, it’s a big one this month

The Gravitons 3rd W3dn35day online gig on 20 May is ace producer and composer Elif Yalvaç dropping some flashcore, speedcore and ambient. The next night gribbles is streaming an improvised set via NHAM in Concert and the week ends with a NHAM hosted release party for the C.Circo remix album. As ever, go to the Gravitons Calendar for the various timings and downloadable reminders.

22 May also sees Ordos Mk.0 and the M.I.T.A. collective will be hosting another Music is the Answer night at The Bear Cave in Bournemouth. Expect D&B, UKG, House and Techno.

28 May at Alphabet in Brighton is the launch party for the great new album Signals by Bunkr. It’s a slice of shimmering ambient and dreamy synths, deftly interwoven with breaks and polyrhythms. With support from Brighton ambient duo Songe and king of the haunted techno realm Simon Heartfield, it’s a stacked lineup. If you want a reduced price ticket, DM Simon via social channels.

Simon will also be cropping up imminently with a remix of ‘Clip Clop to the Shop’ from Keith Seatman’s recent album ‘Counting to ten then back again’ which you can preview on YouTube.

Speaking of remixes, C.Circo is releasing their ‘Metamorph Remixes’ album on 22 May featuring new versions of tracks from last year’s Metamorph album by Default Media Transmitter, Ordos Mk.0, Socool and Control.org amongst others, as well as t.o.s.

In addition to popping up on C.Circo’s remix album, Socool has released another collaboration with CommsBreakdown AKA Steve Ash (formerly a remixer / producer with Black Dog Productions, who remixed U2, Elbow and A Guy Called Gerald). Sax Tracks is an experiment in how far the same two sax samples can be reworked into different tracks, producing tunes ranging in style from upbeat house to more funky tripped out fare.

It’s a good day when Roberta Fidora has new stuff going on, whether it’s eye popping, incredibly detailed videos, new music or great newsletters, so there was much delight in ‘the pod’ with a recent flurry of activity including a cassette EP ‘World Wore‘ pulling together a host of recent singles, a cassette ep called Bungalow Legs from a new project with Mike James under the name ‘dee eye why’ and a NHAM listening party for the Gilded Cages from her old band CURXES on 15 May.

I always enjoy Max Williams Sine Waves on Sunday radio show via listen again each week and there’s a bunch of great shows coming up this month, with highlights including sessions from Tempered Truth and Jo Thomas, a ‘best of 2025’ crossover show with Kev Grosvenor of the Homebrew Electronica Show and a Kraftwerk ‘81 show (featuring archive live tracks) to coincide with their upcoming tour. This is all alongside a great mix of new tracks and classics.

Additionally, Max has just released a new album of jazzy electronics, Garden Invicta, under their M-Corp moniker and will be premiering tracks from it at Salisbury People in the Park on 16 May.

New on Dorset ambient cassette label Evergreen Music, Waves of summer grass by Mosaicist is an enthralling mix of field recordings, chimes and bamboo flutes, brilliantly evoking the mood inspired by the haiku line that inspired it.

I’m very much looking forward to the next release from the quiet details label, Songs from the Soil by Sulk Rooms. Featuring field recordings of worms from Thomas’ compost bin, I’ve no idea what to expect, but I’m pretty sure I’ll enjoy it.

Finally, if you are quick about it, you might be able to bag one of the last physical copies of the new release from Cavendish House / Dave Clarkson. Beauty from Broken Technology was produced using a mixture of broken synths, rhythms created from scratched and skipping CDs, warped tapes, electrical pulses, signals and power surges, and a tired piano from Cornwall. As ever, Dave coaxes beguiling and surprising sounds out of his sources to create a coherent whole.

aob - things that have replenished our creative wellspring recently
I had the pleasure of seeing Mosaicist, Tim Cowie, Grasslands, and others at the Ambient Afternoon in Wimbourne a few weeks ago and could have drifted away for days. A perfect accompaniment for a lovely sunny spring day which definitely left me refreshed and reinvigorated.

I’ve been enjoying Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein - writer and sometime member of Sleater-Kinney. There’s some interesting stuff in there about how much work and trust goes into building a scene. Nice to see Jo Johnson get a passing and heartfelt mention as well.

You probably need a sit down after all that. That’s okay. Treat yourself.