Chin50: Echo Chamber Rope Trick "Oktober Sound Lab"

Echoing through the mists over the hills down a rope onto the motorway come Echo Chamber Rope Trick. 

Like a half remembered dream where a guitar fell on your head out of nowhere, and you found yourself lost in a field with one disgruntled looking cow. 

You realise you have no trousers on. So does the cow.

You wake up in a cow pat. There are Morris Men standing around you. This is the music they play to you, before you fall asleep again and realise you've never woken up.

Chin49: Modersohn-Becker "Wrong!"

Chinstrap is delighted to present Modersohn-Becker's "WRONG!", a solitary journey into DIY music-making. Allow one of the finest theremin-wielding ducks in the world, Greta Pistaceci, to chaperone you on an adventure. Below the image, from the duck's mouth ....

 

  Modersohn-Becker - 2005-2013: a solitary journey into DIY music-making.

“Starting from approximately 2005 I began to secretly create tracks as Modersohn-Becker. These were incredibly lo-fi affairs: I had no knowledge of music technology or music-making software at the time, and had to make do with whatever was at my disposal.

For the earliest M-B tracks, I used Windows Recorder and a decrepit, taped-together old plastic microphone. I recorded mostly acappella and in one take, without editing the results as I had no way to do so. I would use two Windows Recorder windows, and play from one whilst recording from the other. These recordings were the computer-user equivalent of my childhood experiments of playing with two tape recorders, creating layers by playing from one machine while taping to the other.

I felt incredibly self-conscious about recording, so I would create my M-B tracks sneakily, in a couple of hours, when I was sure I was alone in the house. I just had a desperate need to express myself... somehow. At first these tracks were made just for myself, as a way to relieve my frustration and isolation, but then I gradually and anxiously began uploading some of these to social networking sites in order to get over my insecurity. Because in the end what I wanted was to make a connection with the outside, to know that I existed.

And now, years later, I may be a little more experienced, but the truth is that I still do not quite know what I am doing, though I am compelled to keep doing it. This is me at my purest, in a way. This is what comes out.”

(the above is an edited extract from: http://formsofplay.com/2013/02/07/memory-lane/ for further info please see CD booklet or visit:http://formsofplay.com/diy-musics )



Coming next on Chinstrap Global Enterprises Limiteded, something delightful from Federsel...

Chin48: Autumn Poppy "A Good Lullaby: A Six Year Old Improvises at the Harmonium"

A recording of 6 year old Autumn Poppy improvising on a Summer's afternoon on an early 20th century portable foot harmonium.

Chin47: Greater Than Or Equal To "And In That World I Feel No Pain"

Chinstrap are delighted to present "And In That World I Feel No Pain", four slabs of primal, noisy order and chaos from the minds and fingertips of the thorn in Billy Bragg's side, Bridport's own Greater Than Or Equal To.

Greater Than Or Equal To are the improvising behemoth of Simon "Robodub" Mathewson and Flora Cavalino Bertolli, joined on this release by Jane Saunders, Leon Lord, and Ergo Phizmiz. Recorded over 2012-2013, "And In That World I Feel No Pain" is choice cuts and edits of sessions by two prolific improvisers.

Veering between tribal rhythms, intense polyphony, electronic nightmares, and woozy opium den soundtracks, these recordings variously bring to mind King Crimson, Sun Ra, and electroacoustic scores to Eastern European animation films. From the minds of two very different yet highly compatible musicians, Greater Than or Equal To produce a distinctive and timeless sound. 

Crack open a bottle of your favourite beverage, maybe roll something naughty, lay back, and allow these two motorcyclists of the apocalypse to take your ears on an adventure.

And here's Greater Than Or Equal To in a live improvised soundtrack to Piotr Kamler's remarkable film "Chronopolis" ....




Keep your eyes peeled for a plethora of new and marvellous releases on Chinstrap shortly, including Modersohn-Becker, Federsel, Elvis Herod, improvised music by children, and more Greater Than Or Equal To.

Chin46: Elvis Herod "The Pork Belly Rumble"

Elvis Herod is a gentleman whose belly rumbles like no other. A host of African tribesmen undulate in the pulsating ripples of his epic gut, where the memory of pounding rhythm lives in eternal vibrations.

He is a prime Knight of the Realm, a well of flame, hair and flesh in a world of damp squibs.

In this collection, from both his solo and Plushgoolash projects (in collaboration with that gorgeous chubbybub Bambi Racheed), Elvis Herod serves up a feast of delights.

"Clutterbuck" is an electronic reverie, half dreamed by Al Bowlly.

"Glitter is the Devil's Spice" reveals the truth about this evil ingredient.

"The Swine Disco" takes the best of Plushgoolash and feeds it to MDMA'd up pigs.

"Choke" is a radioplay that makes you feel ill.

"A Heightened Sensitivity to Beauty" takes us right back to Elvis' beautiful stomach.

Ladies and Gentleman, ELVIS LIVES!

Woo.

Chin45: The Travelling Mongoose "Field Recordings from GARGANTUA Tour"

Unedited, unprocessed field recordings by The Travelling Mongoose, from the UK tour of Ergo Phizmiz's Excessive Entertainment "GARGANTUA".

Chin44: Ergo Phizmiz GARGANTUA: An Excessive Entertainment - REMIXES

Cover montage by Simon Mathewson