this occasional society october newsletter
hello friends! hoping that this newsletter finds you well.
this occasional society update
it’s been a month of mixed fortunes for the society. progress on the release planned for 11.11 has been slower than anticipated due to illness. there’ll still be ‘a release’ but not as originally planned.
additionally, the trip to Levitation-24 mentioned in the last newsletter was scuppered by the clutch going on the beloved but elderly van, meaning a lengthy wait just off the M40, followed by a trip home on a lorry which was nowhere near as exciting as it sounds. sad times. we’ll try again for Levitation-25.
Machina Bristonica is 12 & 13 Oct in Bristol. the plan is to attend, but until the doorway is passed through, we’ll treat it as ‘tentative’ shall we.
highlight of the month, though, was when all round top cat, Kate Bosworth, played ‘black swan occurrence’ on her Dark Train radio show on WCR. Dark Train has been essential listening for quite some time around these parts, so it felt like a mighty honour to hear Kate’s kind words as she gave the track a spin.
this month’s unvarnished, work in progress ‘music sketch’ for you to download if you want is here.
the next newsletter will be with you 11.11. 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
now on his third consecutive t.o.s. newsletter mention, Gribbles has released the previously mentioned gig as an absolutely lovely live EP. it’s for a good cause too, as he explains in the release notes. you can get it here.
other music tickling our ears this month includes this earworm ambient cover of a radiohead track by socool, two very different flavours of dub emerging from Denmark (Samantha Dubs and Doktor Lond), and an absolutely amazing live album, Nostalgia, accompanied by beautiful photos from Hania Rani.
Graham Dunning - who was was high on the ‘to see’ list at Levitation (still not quite over it…) has revived his newsletter. you should subscribe, it’s very good - you feel smarter just reading it.
looking ahead, we’re really looking forward to new albums this month by Kayla Painter - ‘Fractures’ (out 11 Oct) and Simon Heartfield - ‘Symphonien’ (out 25 Oct on Shady Ridge)
did you know that there is such a thing as an Electronic Music Open Mic (EMOM)? and there are regular nights across the world? and you can sign up for a monthly update via this email address? Bournemouth looks the nearest to ‘the pod’. expect a full report in a future newsletter.
speaking of ‘open mics’ - there’s a free open mic for DJs at rehearsal studios Planet Sounds in Southampton once a month! the night is called ‘address’ and is really welcoming, supportive and inspiring. read more here.
if you are further north in the UK than Southampton (i.e. pretty much everyone) you may be close enough for Switched On - the Whitby Electronic Music Weekender (8-10 Nov) to be viable. as ever, the lineup looks amazing.
a.o.b. - things that have replenished our creative wellspring recently
tons of inspiration being drawn from these ‘headphone commute’ interviews with various electronic musicians about their studios. jaws hit the floor to read that Mike Paradinas has only used a laptop for years!
it was recently the 40th anniversary of the first showing of what was widely viewed as the most disturbing BBC drama of all time ‘Threads’. it’s due to get another airing on BBC4 some time soon, but in the meantime, there’s a great BBC radio doc and a really good article in The Quietus by Jude Rogers.
speaking of The Quietus - which this house would argue is the best music writing around these days - this article (it says ‘review’ but it’s nothing of the sort and all the better for it) on the re-release of Selected Ambient Works II by Aphex Twin was a really, really good read.
and finally, it’s a pretty widely known fact that most seahorses mate for life. but did you know that many species of seahorse have a dance with their partner every morning? truly, nature has so much to teach us about getting our priorities right.