And they’re off! It’s now officially spring, the forced rhubarb and a lonely crocus under the black plastic bucket out the back (above) are showing signs of life and the tomato seeds have started to germinate indoors (below). All we need now is some dry days and then we can start to prepare for the forthcoming months!
And to get you all in the mood for the forthcoming season here’s some tunes …
Here’s a review by us here at weeds (for “an associated writing project” as they say) of the excellent Japan Sound Portrait – Indication 1.1 (Bamboo USB Stick). Definitely go and have a look at Neil Cantwell and Nick Luscombe’s Japan Sound Portrait here.
Just before Christmas I received a gift from a friend at work: a credit card-sized bamboo USB stick containing just under an hour of sound emanating from or influenced by the island of Japan. It is a tactile article – one of only 100 produced – with simple red and black graphics cleanly executed on the surface of the polished light wood, while the USB device can be folded away into its bamboo casing, making it almost undetectable. What makes this artefact more interesting is that field recordings – audio recorded outside of a conventional recording studio – are used in the making of the sound collage.
This is the work of The Japan Sound Portrait who are creating a “crowd-sourced portrait of Japan in sound” in the run up to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. In a promotional tour of the country in 2015 the founders of the project, film producer Neil Cantwell and DJ Nick Luscombe, asked people throughout Japan to send them their favourite sounds to use in future recordings. I’m not sure who were asked or what the system of choosing the sounds were, but given the wide range of content it must have been a democratic one.
Indication 1.1 starts with what sounds like ceremonial bells or even a village clock, then segues into some chilled hip-hop beats which sample the chimes. It then builds as more layers are added – woodwind instruments of varying pitch, a metal gong of the sort that could be used to start a Sumo contest, unusual sounding chants – and ends with someone beat-boxing. This opening track gives a hint of the cultural and emotional breadth of the rest of the collage’s content.
As the soundscape unravels, a variety of samples are seamlessly blended into the mix: audio which straddles ancient and modern Japan. These include: monks chanting, traditional instruments, and the sound of various household appliances. There are also short musical interludes which fade in and out alongside tracks of Japanese folk music, downtempo hip-hop and upbeat electronica.
There’s a sample from a Shinto (an ethnic religion that focuses on rituals to connect present day Japan and the past) tatemae or “roof-raising” ceremony to pray for safety while a building is under construction and to thank the craftspeople for their labour. Money and sweets are thrown from the dwelling to awaiting happy children.
The movement of the whole piece can change from one mood to another quite rapidly, which is not a bad thing: from the Get Carter-esque instrumental which uses a sample of a click of a telephone handset being replaced, to a double bass-led track with lush orchestral strings overlaid with the sound of seagulls and later on a more abstract sounding tune composed by Verity Lane played on a 17 string Bass Koto (Japanese Harp) which is strummed and plucked (and possibly its body and strings hit with a drumstick).
There are no track listings but an email from Japan Sound Portrait gave some pointers “…Laurent Fintoni, interwoven pieces from Shinekosei’s Juel Suite…” but not knowing all the artists mentioned, I can’t identify many of the individual parts. I do though recognise the “Sharp Ag-ion coat washing machine” at 35 minutes in and if I’m not mistaken it also appears sampled as a bassline earlier on. But where is the sound of the “UFO catcher” also mentioned in the Sound Portrait’s email?
One thing that strikes me with Indication 1.1 is that yes it is predominately an instrumental piece, yet with the use of the found sounds vocals are not needed nor are they missed. The more you are exposed to it, the more you discover what you might not have noticed on previous airings: traffic on a country road, a child laughing and the sound of a gaming machine spilling out its winnings. There’s also fun to be had trying to guess what the other sounds that you don’t recognise could actually be.
The packaging of Indication 1.1 is an attraction and also hearing that future releases from the project will include a music player in the form of a Japanese lunchbox and music files embedded onto clothing. But this isn’t a case of form over function, as the range of high-quality music/sound textures compiled testifies. All in all this is a great release, the downside being that I now have to find an equally interesting gift for my work-mate next Christmas and it may require some thought.
A trio of great tunes for the weekend, the first courtesy of Funkology via On The Wire on BBC Radio Lancashire, the second courtesy of the excellent mix from Zombies in Miami on the other week’s Beats In Space here. Last not least, featuring the great wordsmith Lee Perry on a brilliant tune from Sherwood & Pinch.
Big shout to Dr Strangedub for featuring Jazz’min and Madtone Versus The Gaytones version of NZAM Fang Creation Myth on this week’s Echo Chamber on KFAI downloadable here at 19.27 mins in. There’s also a cracking Ras Takura horticultural related dubplate just after it. Big thanks to our musical collaborator Jazzmin for the voice and the vibes and for playing it on Dub Kali Rootz on Radio Dreyeckland this week!
Today a chap collected some demijohns that were finally put on ebay last weekend after throwing in the wine-making towel a few years ago. There were more failures than successes making vino, including once ending up going to bed early one Saturday evening feeling “well woozy” after a bottle of white wine made from a Boot’s kit. The attempt at making mead using cheap honey procured off a man who sold unfridgerated ham, cheese and european varieties of sweets you’ve never heard of in a market in Farringdon ended up “displaying a intense battery acid type flavour” and was duly tipped down the sink cleaning the U-bend out in the process. Sometimes you have to let go of things.
On a happier note it’s mid-way through February and there’s a little bit of gardening action at Weeds HQ. More seeds have been procured from Shannon’s today (sweet pea and night scented stock) and there’s spuds chitting underneath a table. The plastic plant propagator in the back room has a few pots with peppers and tomatoes in them and after listening to a tip from Christine Walkden on Gardeners Question Time the other week some foil was stuck on the back of the propagator to reflect any light so the seedlings don’t automatically lean towards the window and hopefully don’t grow on the leggy side. Roll on spring!
It’s not the end of January and it’s already started. I bought some seed potatoes (maris piper of course) from Shannon’s a fortnight ago and the week previous some onions and garlic. The other day on ebay I won “25 varieties of veg and herb seeds” for the grand sum of £2.24 including p+p.
I love the way someone has gone to the effort of typing and cutting up little labels and sorting the seeds into lots of little “dealer” type bags. It’s a right mix up as it contains all sorts: celery, sprouts, broccoli, cabbage and two varieties of tomato but there isn’t many bags that the seeds go into double figures. Anyone fancy doing a swap on 9 cress seeds?
Thanks to Linda P from Roots and Shoots (Walnut Tree Walk, London SE11 6DN) for getting in touch and sending us more info on their Potato Day on Sunday 12th February from 11am-2pm. Admission is £5, concessions £2 with all funds going to Roots and Shoots.
There’s lots of good stuff going on with 60+ varieties of seed spuds for sale, onions and shallot sets, garlic, soft fruit, posies of flowers for Valentine’s Day at reasonable prices made by the students at Roots and Shoots and more.
Sadly there won’t be a seed swap at this event as it’s the first time they have done something like this but they’re are going to see how well it goes this year and then if all goes well do the seed swap next year.
It’s looks like a great event for a good cause and at a brilliant venue not far from The Imperial War Museum. After you’ve been at the venue for a short while you’ll forget you’re even in London. Hopefully see you there!
A super tune obtained this afternoon for the bargain price of £2.04 (with plastic bag) from Oxfam on Drury Lane, Covent Garden.
Bought on a whim, the only reason being, it was on a label called Better Days (the name of the New York club where Tee Scott would play and Steve Proctor’s musical project) and the mention of Frank De Wulf on the A side.
It’s a cracker of a tune from the New Composers out of Saint Petersburg called The Sirens of Titan. It’s a great chilled out piano-led piece which features some operatic vocal samples and even a bit of morse code, a tune that’s well up our street. Who said you can’t find a decent record in a charity shop anymore?
David Rodigan has told a story on this week’s show about the (late, great) UK mastering engineer John Hassell. Years ago when in a studio in America, he heard that the session before him featured one Frank Sinatra. He asked the production team how it went, and they said it was okay but they were amazed that the record company went for the take where Frank forgot the lyrics. Turns out the tune was called Strangers In The Night (and we all know that “dooby dooby doo” bit at the end.) Brilliant story and I’d love to believe it’s true.
His mention of John Hassell reminded me of a brilliant TV programme from many moons ago where it shows him at the controls (and his wife Felicity giving it a “reeeeewind”) and even has some nice petrol lawn mower and edging shear action at the start of it. What more do you want out of a TV clip? Dub it Mr Hassell!
Weeds up to me knees 