Chris Rotter and Pati Yang have two new songs out, both available at Bandcamp and both sending any monies raised to Medical Aid For Palestine. The first is The Killer Inside- synths fade in, a tambourine rattles, the bass throbs and and Pati sings. It’s got that woozy, shimmery, shoegaze feel, a pop song wrapped up in a hazy guaze. Pay what you want, raise money for those in need, find it here.
The second is Gravity (Take Me Home), a long lost, unreleased Rotter/ Yang song, now out in the wild and looking for a home. Acoustic guitar layered over a bed of synths, Pati singing of memory and loss. Again, pay what you want, find it here.
Chris’ brother Roger is the guitarist in The Early Years, a cosmische band from Hackney whose single Complicity in 2011 caused a stir, was played on the radio by Mr. Weatherall and led to 6 Mix and then remixing Paul Weller during his Sonik Kicks period. In 2017 they released an EP of remixes of songs from their album II which included two Andrew Weatherall remixes and an Andy Bell remix. Both Weatherall remixes are stunners obviously but Remix I is especially stunning, an exercise in krauty hypnosis, repetition, bleepy melodies interrupted occasionally by the sound of speeding cars. One of those remixes which is a little overlooked in the back catalogue.
Brother Joseph’s Sonic Treasures went out two weekends ago, a six hour radio show on Radio Magnetic and dedicated to Isaac. I wrote yesterday about the tribute to Isaac in the first half hour recorded by Brother Joseph. That opening section of the show includes two of my favourite songs, Otis by The Durutti Column and the Beatless Mix of Smokebelch by The Sabres Of Paradise, and hearing them in the show and in the immediate aftermath of everything we are going through was deeply moving.
Joseph uploaded the show (in seven sections) to Soundcloud yesterday. You can listen to it here.
After the tribute to Isaac there is some mighty dub from Stephen Haldane, some ambience, psychedelia and cosmic splendour from Joseph, lots of those dreamy pedal steel guitars and analogue synth sounds, more from Stephen and then Chris Mackin’s guest mix which starts with his special reworked version of 86’d for Isaac and then Chris’ song selection, a beautiful mix of ambient and western taking in Gene Clark, Dennis Wilson, Link Wray and Chris Bell among others. Here’s Chris’ handwritten tracklist.
Chris signed off with a quote from Nick Cave, no stranger to grief and loss. Nick’s son Arthur died in 2015. Nick wrote a lengthy piece on his blog about grief (I glanced at it a few days ago but haven’t read it in full yet, it seems too soon. I will though). He finished with this and Chris put it in his message for his mix- ‘In time there is a way, not out of grief, but deep within it’.
Sitting here now, typing this, that seems hopeful. While writing this post last night I found an interview with Nick Cave from 2017 and in it there was something that resonated very strongly with me-
”A lot is said about grief, especially the conventional wisdom that you do it alone. I personally have found that not to be the case. The goodwill we received after Arthur’s death from people who I did not know, especially through social media, people who liked my music and kind of reached out, was extraordinary…” I’ve definitely found this to be true.
It’s Isaac’s funeral on Friday. Planning and organising your child’s funeral isn’t something you really ever think you’ll have to do but with Isaac I guess it was always somewhere at the back of our minds. The reality is much more than you can ever imagine.
Some things happened yesterday which show the impact Isaac has had on people and the never failing to amaze me kindness of people. I hope some day we can pay it all back some way. At the weekend Nina Walsh contacted me to say she wanted to do something to raise money for the MPS Society, the charity that support children and adults with the group of rare genetic diseases that included the one, Hurler’s Disease, that Isaac was born with. Nina wanted to auction off her and Andrew Weatherall’s 39p museum, a treasure trove of sweets, crisps and pop that used to line the shelves at the Facility where so much of the Woodleigh Research Facility recordings were made. As an additional treat she said she’d throw in the original reference master CD of Andrew’s Convenanza album and all these items would be bundled together in a brand new Facility 5 tote bag. To say this left me floored is an understatement. The auction is taking place at The Flightpath Estate Facebook page.
There’s a JustGiving page here for anyone who’d like to donate to the MPS Society. Here’s a pair of pictures of the 39p museum and Mr Weatherall himself posing with a 39p can of bubblegum flavoured fizzy pop.
Nina wrote this- IN MEMORY OF ISAAC TURNERMy thoughts have been very much with Adam and Isaac Turner this last week.For those of you who don’t know Adam, he writes a fantastic blog https://baggingarea.blogspot.com/ More of a musical historian than a blogger.Baggingarea has always been the one stop shop that Andrew and I would visit when we needed to remember something about ourselves!Sadly Adam’s son, Isaac, who brought so much joy to so many via his pictorial everyday doings posted on social media, passed away last week and many a heart has been broken.Isaac lived with a condition called Mucopolysaccharide disease (MPS), a condition I knew nothing about until getting to know Isaac, albeit through pixels alone. He was a brave young man with a terrific smile and we will all miss him dearly. My deepest condolences to Adam and the Turner family.As a way to raise some funds for the MPS Society I have decided to auction Andrew’s beloved 39p Museum that was curated over the duration of our partnership from Facilities 1 to 4. I will also include the original reference CD master of Convenanza, mastered by Noel Summerville at 3345 Mastering, bundled together in a brand spanking new Facility 5 tote bag (awaiting delivery!). 100% of proceeds will go to the MPS Society, payable via the JustGiving fundraiser page set up by the marvelous Martin Brannagan of the legendary Flightpath Estate Facebook page. There is also the option to just donate if you are feeling generous The auction will end at midnight Christmas Eve. Bids in the comments below this post. Do I hear £10?
Yes, there are a couple of parts of that which have me blushing through my tears. And to have Isaac, the Woodleigh Research Facility and Andrew brought together in such a way just leaves me speechless.
As if that wasn’t enough, there’s this too. Last weekend Brother Joseph’s Sonic Treasures radio show went out on radio Magnetic, a Glasgow based internet radio station that I’ve supported in the past with guests like Sonic Boom, Andy Bell, Justin Robertson and David Holmes. I’ll be able to share the full show soon, a six hour musical treat dedicated to Isaac and with an opening half hour that was a mix done especially for Isaac by Brother Joseph. The show’s guest was Brother Chris Mackin, otherwise known as Chris Rotter. Chris was the guitarist in the live garage band incarnation of Two Lone Swordsmen and releases music on his own as Bad Meat Club. Back when Andrew Weatherall did a radio show for 6 Music he played a then unreleased Bad Meat Club tune called 86’d, a glistening skyscraper of a song, all soaring guitars and motorik rhythms. Chris messaged me to ask if it was OK to go ahead with the radio show. I replied to say it was and asked him to play 86’d for Isaac. Chris then took my breath away with a twenty three minute reworked version of 86’d, one minute for each of Isaac’s years. Chris has now shared 86’d (For Isaac) at Bandcamp, asking only for a donation to the MPS Society as payment.
I can’t fully put into words how this leaves me feeling. Thank you Nina and Chris.
This is very lovely, a new one from Mat Ducasse and available at a name your own price deal at Bandcamp. Synths and twinkly melodies, some xylophone and a bit of Vangelis in there in inspiration I think. Two versions, Love Theme and Love Theme (Remix). Back in March Mat released a gorgeous cosmic lullaby with guitars from Kenji Suzuki and the ever wonderful Chris Mackin (who went above and beyond last weekend for me). Bunny’s Lullaby was written for Chris’ friends Charles and Lisa when they lost their baby, and, well, that’s pretty close to me at the moment. All proceeds from Bunny’s Lullaby are going to Great Ormond Street Hospital. When I posted Bunny’s Lullaby earlier this year The Swede described it as ‘moving and profound’ and I can’t do any better than that.
Bagging Area 