Sheffield-based record label Discus has had another busy year of releases, from Stewart Lee's favourite Antichoir Juxtavoices to the 3rd album from Julie Tippetts & Martin Archer. Label owner Martin Archer got in touch to update us on their year so far...
Juxtavoices
Juxtanother Antichoir From
Sheffield (Discus
44CD)
“Martin Archer has been
throwing combinations of sonic stuff at sticky Sheffield surfaces since the late 1970s. Assembling the 30
singers of Juxtavoices in atmospheric locations, he channels their breathy
extemporisations through texts by Samuel Beckett, Gertrude Stein and the
venerable sound poet Bob Cobbing, who would have loved Juxtavoices' inchoate
evisceration of Are Your Children Safe In The Sea? Here's a mass exorcism, a
whole tribe talking in tongues, 30 full-moon were-Ligetis, and Wicker Man
workings wrangled by the Swingle Singers”. - Stewart Lee, SUNDAY TIMES
Combat
Astronomy
Kundalini Apocalyspse (Zond
005)
Monstrously heavy,
groovy, trippy, creative.Dubby, dynamic and dastardly. Combat Astronomy continue
to display flair, creativity and stubborn iconoclasm on their latest album
"Kundalini Apocalypse". Intended to be released in time for the end of world, it
arrived late. We are all of course still here and you are invited to go on an
internal adventure of collapse and rebirth with another premium disc of unique
poly-metric bass guitar metal, avant jazz and abstract drones.
Martin
Archer
Blue Meat, Black Diesel
& Engine Room Favourites (Discus 43CD)
“One never knows
what direction British multi-reedman Martin Archer will impart as he surges
forward in a stealthy world of avant-jazz, electronics, or discombobulated
jazz-rock. Hands down, he's one of the more creative musical souls on mother
earth. Each new album marks a distinct journey. His fresh outlook and cornucopia
of disparate concepts, executed with large and small ensembles represent a
succession of distinguished agendas. Here, Archer's bountiful resourcefulness
once again shines radiantly within a large ensemble format….. Archer cites the Chicago-based
Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) as a major
influence within the album notes. Comprised of three extended works, each piece
is a study in semi-free jazz, incorporating capacious characteristics and an
open forum for the artists to expand their wares. Dual percussionists and
drummers, strings, horns and vibes all play significant parts amid an incessant
reinvention process. Numerous
contrasts and unexpected delights abound. A mark of invention along with
qualitative factors has become a tell-tale constant within Archer's diverse
discography. This release is yet another example of his far-reaching
proclivities and fertile imaginative powers.” - Glenn Astarita ALL ABOUT JAZZ
Julie Tippetts & Martin
Archer
Serpentine (Discus
41CD)
FOUR STARS –“The
third and finest recent outing from Julie Tippetts and Martin Archer. It's even
billed as their pop album, though this pop is offbeat and oblique and dipped in
dub..... Serpentine follows FiNiN like a welcome book of Alice Munro short
stories after Lord of the Rings.... Fans of Sunset Glow will know that back in
the mid 1970s she was startlingly strong at the point where song form meets
melting point. She still is” - Marcus O'Dair, Jazzwise
Orchestra Of The Upper
Atmosphere (Discus 40CD)
Our best ever
selling album, this remarkable mix of truly adventurous prog, Terry Riley
influences minimalism, Zeuhl bombast and modern electronic composition went to
repress within weeks of release.
“The music is very
dense, very intensive, very colourful, very professionally presented and with
its very own atmosphere, so that one can only listen in awesome fascination
despite the length of the album. Whoever likes the krautish experimental, the
electronic post rock, the minimalistic hypnotic, modern ensemble music, and true
progressive sounds should get immediately the "Orchestra of the Upper
Atmosphere". - BABYBLAUESEITEN PROG REVIEWS
Inclusion
Principle
Live at Showroom 06.04.13
(with Pete Fairclough) (Discus
45DL)
Live at Showroom 22.09.12
(with Chris Bywater) (Discus
42DL)
For the first time
Discus is also pleased to make available two download only releases. Herve and Martin enjoyed these 2 collaborative concerts so
much, we just had to make them available!
Currently in various stages
of preparation for 2014 release
Julie Tippetts /
Martin Archer / Pete Fairclough – as yet untitled
Juxtavoices –
Guardian Weekend Remix
Orchestra of the
Upper Atmosphere – second album
Inclusion Principle
– with Chris Bywater, Pete Fairclough, Rob Tarana, Rosie Brown
Combat Astronomy –
sixth and seventh albums as yet untitled
Martin Archer &
Engine Room Favourites – Bad Tidings From Slack Water
Frostlake – first
album by remarkable singer songwriter Jan Todd
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