The DiN label via its
founder Ian Boddy has its roots in the analogue electronica of the
German Berlin School. However over the course of 100+ albums the music
released on this UK based imprint have pushed far beyond this musical
heritage. The electronic music scene is ever evolving and a new, younger
generation of musicians involved in the burgeoning modular synth scene
are untethered from the past and able to wander freely into unexplored
worlds of sonic soundscaping.
Just such a musician is Polypores (aka Stephen James Buckley) who paints
music with a Eurorack modular, drawing influences from ambient, new
age, and experimental electronica. His music soars, bubbles, crackles,
and soothes, in ever-shifting, immersive cosmic landscapes.
His musical output is both varied and prolific with sold-out vinyl
releases on such well respected labels as Behind The Sky, Castles In
Space and Polytechnic Youth. Notable live festival performances have
included the Castles In Space Levitation event, Manchester’s Subliminal
Impulse and the prestigious Future Yard in Liverpool.
Whilst Polypores did have a track on the fifth volume of the Tone Science series, Hyperincandescent (DiN71) is his solo
debut on the DiN label. Releasing on both CD and Vinyl the music is
split between two album length tracks that meander between different
sections exploring a micro world of texture and form. At times calm and
blissful the mood can suddenly be transformed into something more
chaotic with strange, organic twisted shapes emerging from the
undergrowth. His ability to play with tempo as a mouldable musical
expression is at times breathtaking and highlights quite what a fearless
sonic explorer he is.
DiN is very proud to showcase the talents of this quite unique artist as the label forges ahead into its third decade.
credits
released May 20, 2022
Written, performed and pieced together by Stephen James Buckley in June 2021.
Mastered by Ian Boddy in July 2021.
Instrumentation:
Eurorack modular system comprising modules from Make Noise, Intellijel, Doepfer,
Mutable Instruments, ALM, Expert Sleepers, Joranalogue, Instruo & Takaab
Waldorf Blofeld
Specular Tempus Reverb
Thanks to:
Ian and Wendy for their work in making this happen.
Barry and Mark for listening.
Kate for the title.
For the second half of tonight's show we honor Alan White (14 June 1949 – 26 May 2022) who was an English drummer and songwriter, best known for his tenure in the progressive rock band Yes. He joined Yes in 1972 as a replacement for original drummer Bill Bruford. Following the death of bassist Chris Squire
in 2015, White became the longest-remaining member in the band and the
only member besides Squire to never leave the band prior to his death in
2022. He recorded 42 albums with the band. We'll be playing sides 1, 3, & 4 of Tales from Topographic Oceansplus some tracks from Drama if time permits.
We begin tonight's program with Aphrodite's Child was a Greekprogressive rock band formed in 1967, by Vangelis Papathanassiou (keyboards, flutes), Demis Roussos (bass, acoustic and electric guitar, vocals), Loukas Sideras (drums and vocals), and Silver Koulouris (guitar).[1] They initially found success in Europe with hit singles like "Rain and Tears",
"End of the World", "I Want to Live", and "It's Five O'Clock". The
band's career ended shortly after release of their most influential
album, 666 (1972), which has appeared on a number of lists of the top progressive or psychedelic albums of all time.
The central concept is a countercultural interpretation of the Book of Revelation,
in which a circus show based on the apocalypse performs for an audience
at the same time that the real apocalypse takes place outside the
circus tent, and at the end the two merge into one.[4] Ferris described the result as a "concept book", and stated that he intended for the narration to be looser than Tommy, but more rigid than Sgt. Pepper.[4]
The music of 666 is more ambitious and experimental than previous
Aphrodite's Child releases, containing greater use of electronic
keyboards, studio experimentation, expanded instrumentation,[29] and influences from genres such as jazz, musique concrète and world music.[30][31]
Reflecting this character, only six of the album's 24 songs have vocals
and lyrics, four by lead singer Demis Roussos and two by Loukas
Sideras. The rest are either instrumental, instrumentals with narration,
or use vocals as an instrument.[32]
Although the album's material is often acknowledged as challenging and
uncommercial, it has also been described as tuneful, "fun", and
retaining elements of pop music.[9][32][33] Authors Paul Hegarty and Martin Halliwell interpreted the album as reflecting "the turmoil in Greece at the time",[29] while Vangelis argued that its theme was highly relevant in general, stating in Sounds in 1974, "The answer to the question 666 is today."[12]The Mojo Collection
argues that "the album's lush arrangements were as startling as any of
the progressive era and have aged better than most", in part due to
Vangelis not relying excessively on contemporary synthesizers and the
prominent role of guitarist Silver Koulouris.[31]
The official release of the soundtrack was delayed for over a decade. The first 1994 release omitted much of the film's score and included compositions not used in the film.[4] A 25th anniversary edition released in 2007 included further unreleased material and a disc of new music inspired by the film. Various bootleg recordings
containing more comprehensive versions of the score, as well as
superior sound quality to the original 1994 release, have widely
circulated.[8]
An orchestral rendition of the soundtrack was released in 1982 by the New American Orchestra, but disowned by both Vangelis and director Scott.[8]
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The
music you hear on tonight's show is available on the artists' Bandcamp
pages and websites (links below).
We urge you to support the musicians you hear on FreeForm Radio.
We are excited to feature Lobate Scarp's new release, You Have It All on tonight's show. This is a superb recording, destined to be a classic of contemporary progressive rock. Our thanks to Adam Sears for providing a promotional copy of this release.
What kind of band would you get if you combined Keith Emerson on
keyboards, Steve Hackett on guitar, Chris Squire on bass, Neil Peart on
drums, and Robby Steinhardt on violin? That’s the best way I can try and
communicate to you what the sound of Lobate Scarp is like. But don’t
get me wrong; I don’t mean to suggest that Lobate Scarp is simply a
pastiche of familiar sounds from ELP, Genesis, Yes, Rush, and Kansas.
Not at all. What I mean is that the sound of Lobate Scarp is like some
impossible dream come true.
As if it burst forth from the dream world of their cover art, Lobate
Scarp does indeed have their very own unique sound. That’s the wondrous
fact now firmly established by You Have It All, their second full-length album. It is a truly magnificent achievement. It instantly secures You Have It All a permanent place in the celestial upper echelon where my all-time favorite records rotate in eternal bliss.
Back in 2012, Lobate Scarp’s first CD, Time and Space,
contained exquisite intimations of greatness. I am forever grateful to
Adam Sears himself for boldly going where no band had gone before and
introducing his work to me. I was simply floored. This band was offering
something new: yes, their own sound; and who cares about fashion, we
always want bravely epic prog with unlimited daring. Helmed by Adam’s
visionary hand, that courageous debut album also hinted at a future
greatness, because right away there was debate about the merits of the
CD on this site. That’s a small clue a band just may be very special.
That kind of debate does not happen for a band that is a mere copycat
nostalgia act trying to replay the glories of the era of the birth of
prog. No, a band with their own sound, and doing something new and
interesting, will inevitably provoke different and polarizing responses.
First, Progarchy published a negative assessment, and then a positive assessment. Finally, I tried to break the deadlock at Progarchy, by myself declaring the album one of the very best albums of the year.
Over the years, I was delighted to learn of the band being quietly at work, with an occasional burst of beautiful light in 2016 and 2019. And now the patient work of a decade has come to fruition. You Have It All is an apt title for an album of such staggering ambition that actually and successfully attains all the moonshots it takes.
The first thing that has to be said about this record is just how
good it sounds. It is absolutely one of the best sounding audio
experiences of my life. Steven Leavitt and Rich Mouser and Michael
Bernard have all done amazing work with this CD and created an audio
paradise. The production and engineering investment of talent that has
been lovingly poured into this record is indisputable in every note.
Every penny that was crowdfunded has been spent to dazzling effect.
The startlingly immediate surround-sound of the drum kit on every
track is a marvel to behold, whether it is special guest drummer Eric
Moore (of Suicidal Tendencies, and Infectious Grooves) on the two epic
tracks “You Have It All” (14:31) and “Flowing Through the Change”
(17:25), or Jimmy Keegan (of Spock’s Beard, and Pattern Seeking Animals)
or Mike Gerbrandt on the other tracks. And the various guitar tones
will have you doing double takes… who is that? Is Steve Hackett on this album, or what??? And Adam Sears can be likened to Keith Emerson for his uncompromising pursuit of sound for the sake of glorious sound.
Usually, Lobate Scarp is Adam Sears (vocals/ keys), Andy Catt (bass),
Peter Matuchniak (guitar), Evan Michael Hart (drums), and Christina
Burbano-Jeffrey (violin), as when they performed most recently at
RoSFest in April in Sarasota, Florida. But the impressive parade of
studio musicians appearing on the CD recording is a testament to Lobate
Scarp’s unrelenting pursuit of excellence by any means necessary. I have
the impression that they will record and re-record, and collaborate and
re-collaborate, again and again, in any permutation and combination of
talents, regular or extraordinary, as they pursue the perfect sound and
the perfect record. And gosh darn it, their diligence of a decade has
paid off mightily with this release.
You Have It All has the effect of a typical Yes album on me,
in that it unfailingly elevates my spirit and transforms my mood for
the better just by listening. This is no small musical miracle. Yes is a
band prized as rare on this earth for just that reason. Operating in
that same prog tradition of making intimate contact with the listener,
Lobate Scarp uses their magic power to do what only the rarest of
musicians have the power to do.
As far as I can discern the story tying the album together, it goes
something like this. The hero of the story is Everyman, so let’s call
him Adam, since that is what the word Adam means. Adam is jamming with
his prog band on “Conduit,” the opening instrumental track, with his
band endlessly practicing in pursuit of perfection. But people think
Prog Adam is crazy for loving to spend his precious time practicing prog
music like this. This instrumental: It’s so long! Over five minutes
long and there aren’t even any lyrics yet! The people are criticizing
Prog Adam for his super-proggy instrumental. So, he replies in track
two, telling them there is “Nothing Wrong” with his life. He’s doing
what he wants to do. But just telling the haters to stop it is not
enough. Prog Adam therefore goes in search of spiritual sustenance,
looking for a spiritual “Life-Line” on the next track, as sustenance for
his prog, and finding it. With this spiritual enlightenment attained,
Prog Adam goes back to his band, and then they communicate the spiritual
enlightenment by expressing its lesson in the epic track, “You Have It
All.” Jon Davison even makes a guest appearance on this track, making a
cameo as the voice of the universe that teaches Prog Adam what he needed
to learn, so that he is then able to communicate it with the epic
musical power of “You Have It All” (14:31). End of Part One.
Part Two begins with “Beautiful Light,” with Prog Adam viewing the
universe on a daily basis through the mystical lens he learned about in
Part One. But then, with “Test Tube Universe,” Prog Adam, either back in
his day job as a scientist, or simply by making an analogy on the basis
of considering a scientist in his lab, considers the thought that maybe
the universe is just like an experiment that, although beautiful and
supportive to us (see Part One’s lesson), does not really matter to its
creator. But then in “Flowing Through the Change” (17:25), Prog Adam
makes spiritual contact with the transcendent creative force behind the
universe and taps into its deepest essence: namely, love. This final
spiritual awakening to the fullness of love is foreshadowed with “In the
Night I” and “In the Night II” which are threaded between the earlier
tracks on the album, since “In the Night III” is the second movement
within “Flowing Through the Change,” wherein Prog Adam sees the face of
God, and thereby finds his way to the path of love.
If all this sounds a bit woo to you, what can I say except that, I’m
probably making this all up, or else, if you listen to the music, it
will make you into a believer in prog and love and light, and so on. The
radiant power of the music on this album magically transforms whatever
it comes into contact with. Unless your heart is made of stone. Or,
maybe even then, too; that’s how good this music is.
So, what are you waiting for, Bandcamp Friday? It’s already here! You Have It All has everything you need.
'You Have It All ' is the second
full length studio album from Lobate Scarp. Recorded from August 2021-
March 2022. (Except for "Beautiful Light" and most of "Nothing Wrong").
Mixed and Mastered from March-May 2022
The album features special guests Jon Davison (Yes), Jimmy Keegan
(Spock's Beard, Pattern Seeking Animals), Eric Moore (Suicidal
Tendencies, Infectious Grooves), Ryo Okumoto (Spock's Beard), and Billy
Sherwood (Yes).
credits
released May 6, 2022
New
album by litmus0001. IMBER. Recorded in 2017. Meant to be released
in 2019. Finally released in 2022 by AnubisMusic. Experimental ambient
drone improvisation looping krautrock kosmichemusic post-rock. This is exceptionally good ambient music and an excellent addition to the FreeForm Radio playlist.
Yog-Sothoth
is an unfathomably powerful deity and one of the most powerful of the
Outer Gods, a race of ancient deities who wield great power, size and
intelligence, equal and possibly even superior to Azathoth himself, and
is a truly cosmic menace that is beyond mortal comprehension.
Yog-Sothoth is the embodiment of all of time and space across an
essentially infinite number of space-time continuums. For all intents
and purpose, he is connected to the multiverse. He is the grandfather of
Cthulhu and the grandson of Azathoth. Yog-Sothoth is an all-knowing,
all-seeing, and (supposedly) all-powerful being. He was born from the
Nameless Mist, one of the three offspring of Azathoth alongside the
Darkness and Nyarlathotep.
"Yog-Sothoth knows the gate. Yog-Sothoth is the gate. Yog-Sothoth is the
key and guardian of the gate. Past, present, future, all are one in
Yog-Sothoth. He knows where the Old Ones broke through of old, and where
They shall break through again."
H.P.Lovecraft, The Dunwich Horror
credits
Thank you to Raffaele Pezzella (Sonologyst) for providing us with a copy of this release.
The Great Old Ones is a project by Raffaele Pezzella (a.k.a.
Sonologyst). Yog-Sothoth is the first of a series of soundscapes
inspired by the Lovecraftian pantheon of deities.
Music by Raffaele Pezzella
4th track in collaboration with Kenneth Kovasin playing daxophone, cymbal, kantele, lyre, electronics.
Richard has played piano since he was 9 and
done the exams up to grade 7. He has been writing music since his teens. He tune s
and repairs pianos as a profession and just enjoys writing music and
recording it as a hobby. He has five albums available on Bandcamp.
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