Let's get things clear.. that picture does not really do this card justice.. so you'll just have to vividly imagine the rest.. Needless to say This years theme was cheesy film style bad break up... cue faux mirror effect and shock red lippy (if you were to accuse me of both a deranged imagination and sense of humour, I may be probably guilty as charged). My reasoning for the theme was as follows: This was a card for my friend Phil of Toluene/III/Biz Baz Boz fame and with previous years of audacious designs (many of which to be showcased on future weeks) I felt I had to keep the theme this year suitably mad. In-case you were wondering, i do not own my own lipstick... I'll leave it to your own musing to work out where this may have come from.
The mirror effect was achieved with backing glued tin foil onto a cardboard record mailer, flattening (as pictured in the making frame above) - clinical Microbiolgoy manual mandatory, prit-stick, more bloody prit-stick, gluing a half cut HD plastic record sleeve and finally slicing to a mirror shape. Steamed heartbreak-in-the-morning touchup effects generate by YET MORE prit-stick and blobs of dried nail polish (clear) for convincing water droplet effect- yet more artistic uses for womens' cosmetics, I should make a book. Then crack realism into the 21st century, by adding ultra-realistic Birthday-Smellotastic-funkology (c) (patent pending). As a trade secret this involves making the card smell like it's desired setting so that it is the first whiff the poor soul gets when opening the envelope. In this case tootpaste lovingly smeared on the front and a few sprays of cedarwood moth repellent spray gave that oh so dank-humid long shower in the bathroom morning-esque aroma. Hopefully, this nuance was achieved when Phil opened the card.
I didn't want to be tooooo outlandinsh with the message... thoughts of " Happy M*therf***ing birthday..." crossed my mind... but... just about... seemed a little too much... (damn... writing that makes me think I should have now.) Instead it reads the classic "Phil, Have a fantastic B-DAY") which is not a pun on a french bathroom utility (bidet). But as a nice side note, I decided to put the classic line of any awkward shower break up about the finer succinct rules of pet ownership (often a troubling matter at these times) keeping it nicely on theme... Hey, at least it didn't say car keys, vintage Gonk troll collection or Gibson EB (or Mini-nova...(http://global.novationmusic.com/hardware-synths/mininova)) could be far worse, right?
Expert Knob Twiddlers - Mike & Rich http://www.discogs.com/Mike-Rich-Mike-Rich/release/9206
A recent vinyl find picked up yesterday in Notting Hill Gate, always wanted to stumble across this in a record shop (mostly due to the cover) and very glad I did. Firstly, Who doesn't like Downfall, right? that was one damn fine game and a favorite of my lonely childhood mostly because things fell and party because it was also it was technically possible to play against yourself if you could manage Orwellian double think against yourself (like all the best games are). The tick-list for your average R James release are there: faces on the front cover, check. sinister grins, check. wacky humour, check. stupid name, check. crazy track names, double check! This is a fun record and being a Synth fan I still an't get over the double innuendo of the title. Not many people can qualify but I think these two (who need very little introduction - so I wont) have probably earnt it. The music is understandable as wacky as the cover, feeling almost, but not quite, entirely unlike a rave pop jazz funked up drunken romp of dance hiphopjazz splurge waltz samba oompa futurism in most places. Its a little disconcerting and repetitive in parts but retains enough movement between themes to be overall very unique and playful. It is almost exactly as I would imagine further work of AddNtoX to sound if someone had done a techno remix of Avant Hard (another classic album) - odd, unnerving but strangely rewarding and musically enjoyable with lot's to explore. Probably pretty unique amongst most my records and bound to get many listens. It seems Mr Ziqs early collabs tended to sound like techno rip-offs of earlier groups (without tending to sound harsh, I mean this in the best possible way) as the first album collab with SpeedyJ, which I also have (Slag Boom Van Loon - http://www.discogs.com/Slag-Boom-Van-Loon-Slag-Boom-Van-Loon/release/21647) sounds very much like a future techno Residents album (http://www.discogs.com/artist/6708-Residents-The), just as un-nerving but not as wacky.. especially compared to the screaming bunny-boy strobe torment which is residents live.) Sounds here include, jazz fanfares, oompa loops, burps, cats, whistles and wacky incoherent synth buzzes as expected, but I must admit there is a lovely lush pad towards the end of the first track Mr. Frosty that would bring this work into the realm of the much sought after and wonderful earlier "IDM" of this entourages output. Highlights i would say are Mr. frosty, the sound of beady eyes and Eggy toast, with overall the album losing it's way a little in the middle depending on how jazz-funk you happen to like things. This was almost certainly an album where one rang the other and said, "hey want to get trashed this evening in my home studio and whack out a masterpiece."... "I'll get the Russian standard and some pop tarts" came the reply, and the rest was history! Mr. Frosty
Sometimes, the most important facts people need to know, are not, necessarily, the ones they actually do know. Informing people of information of benefit to them is a public duty, and one that, as a responsible citizen, I feel I should try and uphold in every medium possible! Especially at someones Birthday! Being the life of the party, I naturally perceive that people LOVE facts, right? Therefore for a friends' (Patch C) birthday a few years ago this informative if a little esoteric card was given. Whilst some of the information within the graph is not wholly scientifically endorsed or accurate it's validity is assumed as being one that intelligent people will just recognise as common fact from intuition (as so many fine models are): such as wrestling a bear becomes VERY likely at retirement age, 21 year olds are very good at Pokemon and Baroque music is closely related to basil, but is in no way bohemian. I think there was more important public information on the other page of the card but I fear this may never be revealed to the wider public (despite it's contents being of the up-most importance to you, the readers, imminent safety.) as at the time I may have failed to get a picture. (patch, if you read this.. your chance to help me out?...). Whilst quite simple in design, I was trying to make it overall look like a bound 1960's information booklet but the paper was just a liiiiiiiiittle bit too bobbly... As this blog develops, you will begin to see that my cards tend to fall into two categories: themed and crazy (Sometimes, REALLY crazy), or arty and natural with the chosen theme really depending on the person and/or how much I may have had to drink.
Larry Heard - Alien http://www.discogs.com/Larry-Heard-Alien/release/5603315
Ho-hum... what bracket to put this album in then, House, techno, downtempo, none? (not that i usually care much for tags). I must admit whilst I was very aware of Larry heard from many of David Toops' rambling endearments, I never actively seeked out his works. Whilst this is something I rather regret now, especially as when I lived in Worthing I had access to buy an original press of "washing machine" in a small independent house and dance record shop (you know you want it records) and regret not taking up the opportunity. The problem partly was, I never did buy into David's suggestion that washing machine was the start of the third ambient boom (ocean of sound)... I would admit that the track is not doubt inspiring and novel, but i feel it lacked some of the distinction of earlier ambient works from the main body of material at the time and to some degree didn't move the genre onto a new direction. Personally, I feel that the UK techno scene was better at progressing ambient sound and that the "house sound" whilst inspiring much of the UK scene borrowed far more heavily from soul and disco. If you don't agree with this statement, fair cop... I wasn't around at the time (not even alive for some of it) and this is purely personal opinion.
Diverting away, this gorgeous sci-fi infused album sound very much in line with traditional lush house fullness of yesteryear and has the groove in many of the tracks as such (especially within Microgravity where there is a laid back Balearic feel). However it feels obvious that Larry has borrowed in 1996 many of the experimental European elements within dance music and added it to his sound to create a hyrbrid. This only works to complement heavily the sci-fi nature of the music to feel incredibly immersive and give the tracks a thematic credibility on par with the scene/story setting powers of Drexciya.
Whilst this album is rather sample light and vocal light. I personally love the purity of musical influences that come through (jazz lines, house, soul, euro-house, ambient) untainted by trying to be too experimental with sound itself and sticking to experimenting around the musical form. A good example of this would be the track flight of the comet where the syncopated jazzy stab throughout really complements the idea of a jaunt through an alien interplanetary city at sunset. Actually, I would be very surprised in the composer for the anime series Kaiba (Kiyoshi Yoshida) had not borrowed some of his O.S.T ideas from this album. Stylistically this album is all over the shop, RNA-DNA is a slow rave like pulse through an oceanic bubble with a nice simple techno hook, Dance of planet X is just purely EPIC, no other description (and my god man! THAT PAD!). Probably my favorite piece on the album, but being the least experimental (experimental being something I usually look for), maybe that's a little easy to say over one of the more esoteric and sprawled tracks such as Galactic Travels Suite (a meandering ambient dance trip with experimental Underworld-esque trance like beginnings and a really nice change in musical hooks throughout, especially the bass lines. It ends in a fantastic off kilter bassline Kraftwerkian techno beat. Prog-tastic!) Cosmology Myth feels like it would work well on Cowboy Beebop, partly a cheezy feeling wild western sci-fi crossover in nature, it somehow really works well... whilst I would like to say this may be the weakest track on the album.. I honestly think there are no weak tracks, only a lack in my ability to fully appreciate them.. it must be said Cosmology Myth has a hell of a lot of soul! The beauty of Celeste ends the album nicely along with the former track on a chilled Hip-Hop note, not usually being a fan of rap bar a few instances (say...4Hero) I always feel rap works if thematically coherent. And here it does.. a nice poetic, if a little repetitive, view into the nature of this invented solar system.. and maybe through the lines... just a short glimpse at our own and our ability to wonder at it?
In most tracks the analogue nature of the synth lines really shine through, some of the bass lines are purely room shakingly full and gritty as you would come to expect. But also... do I hear wavetable synths? (or at least samples) popular at the time of making... the digital crispness for the upper lines REALLY compliments well against the analogue backdrop. I wish more artists, and myself, would explore this as the basis for songs. Now without straying to become to technical anymore, I've quickly come to love this album and rate it very highly. It feels a nice departure from some of the more bleak and rigid techno I have, feeling far warmer (like a red summer sun) but still retains the musicality and thematic ability to innovate through sounds and notes that I idolise so much with the former. Musically, tracks seem to borrow heavily from 60s soul/jazz solo organ lines, Hip hop, cheesy digital country guitars, film soundtracks, Eno-ambient, Euro-techno to some degree french impressionism such as Satie in some of the more contrived musical passages. It's a very good mix and not one I feel most people could pull off and make work to this extent. Full of emotion and lot's to explore over and over again in repeat listens me and this album have a long future together. Sigh, they don't make em like this as much nowdays' ... just repress 'em.
Pressing: This album is mostly a wonderful repress and a steal for the sale price. The clear vinyl is lovely and really works well to prop up the clarity and content of the songs. A few yellow/ black flecks on the second disk as noted by some (generally around the edge.) However, to me this just gives the press a little more character. Nicely cut and flawlessly mastered. the extra room and lack of compression offered by having two disks may have an effect but i haven't listened to the original press so cannot say for certain. Artwork all well made and perfectly reproduced. An essential purchase!
This card was for my sisters birthday recently where she was soon to go kayaking as part of the group in the outer Hebrides. With only hazy memories of what this part of the world looked like the image was conjured mostly from my imagination (but with a bit of help from Google images) of what the trip might look from an above perceptive and rather than being isolating tried to emphasise the togetherness of the flotilla (forming HB for happy birthday to keep the card thematically relevent to the occasion) in a contrast to the desolate but beautifully sparse nature of the landscape. The sparkly blue card was used to provide both a sure surface for writing, give rigidity to the frame and to highlight shades of the surf where the darkness permeates through the crate paper at the glue. Lighter flossam and floculant shades were given by the use of regular tissues covered in glue, stretched or rolled into strips. The same textured paper (from the works used many times in many cards of which I cannot rate highly enough) was used to form the rocky outcrop and the natural pattern gives a slight otherworldlyness to otherwise a rather set image. This is doubly so with the dappled sun spots with the yellow patterned paper in the card front. People were not included within the kayaks, partly due to time constraints, the fiddlyness of paper required and to keep the card more conceptual than to mirror the possibility of any actual image.. However as the trip was yet to be completed I feel this aspect portends nicely with the idea that my sister had memories and an adventure still yet to explore. A kayak still yet to fill... along with the others yet to meet. Again this endlessness and dream like nature of the trip to be completed was purposefully created with the crate paper branching lazily over the edges of the card and not rigidly sticking to the frame or even the rest of the card. It was hoped in some small measure that this would be portrayed in the endless ocean waves of the paper.
Thematically the card content refers to an in joke about the possibility of encountering a killer whale whilst away, the minor but perceived unfairness of NCP parking charges and a reference to an obscure joke within an episode of the young ones. Where possible, this was made into a bad poem in a whirlpool configuration.
This being the first card of the blog, it sets the scene for what some of the messages within the cards look like. Content of the cards tends to depend on life events that are happening, in-jokes within family/friend groups, interests or plain random and this card is a good example of some of the types of things said. However, I would note that some of these things are very personal and would request any would be card reader to please keep this in mind (especially if you have questions) as you look through the site. I am naturally very reticent about ever letting my private life being given out to a wider audience (especially feeling facebook is somewhat over-rated) and I do not take the decision to put the content inside the cards up lightly.
Handmaking Birthday and Christmas cards has always seemed fairly natural to me and seemed a good way to creatively relieve the stress of a science based day job. Throughout my card making stints I have always tried to stick to a theme of the month or year when approaching peoples birthdays and tend to stick to concepts that couldn't be conveyed in notable purchased materials (probably because it would end in the proprietors being arrested.) Throughout my time I have made many quite a few years worth of cards but many I do not have a record of (at least some i will try to hunt down as apparently friends still have them). Many of the cards reflect events that were occurring within my friends lives and might not make sense to an outside audience and where possible will have a bit of back story.
Notable cards in my time have been paper craft daffodil scenes, a dystopian future blank thought crime situation card, mathematical puzzles, fuzzy sheep, minimalist and cubist, a Scottish haggis, another fuzzy sheep and probably my favorite convincing a friend he had a long lost Uncle in a far off island.
... some of these are probably lost forever but others I will ask around and try to salvage where possible. Newly made cards and themes will also be shown.
I will also occasionally drop a review of some electronic/techno/dance/IDM vinyl reviews as either I find them in a second hand store, have the money or feel arsed. Current collection over 200 so should keep me fairly busy. Card making material piles mostly bought from "the works": (materials re-used where possible)
I also tend to use scrap from magazines, junk mail and old naff postcards of the queen where possible. Updated sporadically! More cards and details to appear soon! If you have stumbled across this blog and find the cards funny, would like more information of what was written inside or feel like collaborating on your own card adventure please fell free to drop a line. Also, if you are a fellow techno vinyl nerd and would like to gass about specifics that no-body else would care for (for example, sweet lilting TB303 lines in Wob glass, what makes InSides so goddamn special and how the hell is it possible for Rei Harakami to be so musically perfect) I will gladly oblige.
