Ian Eccles-Smith

Cool story on this one. As anyone who has been here for a while knows, the Dorobo label has been a staple of my diet for many years now. Triggered by a fascination with Alan Lamb's wire 'music' and the Atomic Weight compilation featuring the works of Dumb Type. and Ryoji Ikeda and a bit more experimental than my usual fare, I was hooked and did a deep dive into the catalogue.

Over the years I've been in communication with many of the artists on the label and they have been more than gracious enough not only to reply and maintain a friendly dialogue they've also been willing to share music with a genuine spirit of openness that it should be shared.

The album, Clubbed 2 Death, which I discovered via the Trash Trance compilation, has always been on my radar as there has only been a 128kbps version available on Ian's website and the CD has never shown up anywhere other than a listing on Discogs. Eventually, I just shot an email to him in hopes of tracking down a copy.

Wouldn't you know, he was more than happy to not only respond but upload a lossless version to his Soundcloud page. Joy of joys! We exchanged some emails and he was kind enough to provide some back stories on a few of the releases in which he was involved, including Loggerhead's Demons In Rapture.

So, for your enjoyment, another HTCIS exclusive (kind of):

Clubbed 2 Death (1992)

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Apsilene (2003)

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Easy Tempo

Pure bliss.

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To go deeper into the mood check out

HERE

and

HERE

Man Watching The Stars - Dusk (2014)

It's so easy to tag something 'drone' but it always misses because there is such a spectrum categorized from dark to light that makes it a useless tag.

As I often do with such a large mp3 player full I rely upon the shuffle. Was doing some studying/writing last night and it bounced through various styles until a track from this release landed and instantly brought a calm to the room. 

There is a resonance here that made it stand out instantly. 

Highly recommended if you seek some calm in the midst of the chaos of life.

Name Your Price offering, show some support

HERE

European Tribute To A Soundtrack Master

Quite hard to find, limited to a production run of 110.

Made some of the best soundtracks, and cult films, reimagined for a new generation.

HTCIS exclusive.

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Energostatic Label

I know sometimes compilations can get a bit tiresome, especially for those of us who recall the days of full albums and digging in to the 'deep tracks' that never made radio play, but these are hands down some of the best compilations in my files.

From the Energostatic label, only two of these are still available on their site. The others can be found in the archives so are lesser known and would certainly get more attention if found on their Bandcamp page.

Really good stuff.

(Click on the titles)

Noesis

Aesthesia

Aesthesia II

Hydrodubium

Vision - Full Dub (2015)

One of my favorite straight up 'dub' releases. Not to be confused with 'reggae' this is 'dub' in the sense of bare sound manipulated. 

Oddly enough it stands out because it is so bare and not busy. Something about the cleanness of the sound is therapeutic.

Not completely free but pretty close.

Enjoy

HERE

Onejiru

Discovered her here many, many moons ago. Learned of this, her only release, and sought to track it down. The album itself was not expensive but it was never available in the US so I'd be paying up yo five times or more than the price of the album for postage alone.

I have discovered lately that on amazon you can often find the same discs inexpensively and pay a lesser ship charge ($3.99) to receive albums from overseas (in this case, these both came from Germany). Much better than the $6 to $10 that shipping often costs from overseas to the US which is a total buzzkill as the market in the US isn't always friendly to musically adventurous souls.

This is a rare promo that I discovered while virtual crate digging. It wasn't listed on Discogs (is now) and only had a passing reference on one of those old warez sites.

A Few Reasons (2006) 

Prophets Of Profit (2006)

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Morner - Senselessness (2015)

Morner continues to hit my shuffle and while the sound is instantly recognizable it is also instantly satisfying. As I've learned, it is not for everyone but for those adventurous souls who are looking to expand the definition of what 'music' can be, I cannot recommend it enough.

HERE

Remixes from the track Kaisa featuring label mates from Sense/Net as well as the IMMINENT netlabel, whose catalogue continues to grow and engage, can be found 

HERE

Daughter Of The Industrial Revolution

Of all the music that has crossed my ears over the past few years, the music put out by Demdike Stare has invigorated my love of music again.

Since circa 2007 it had been the "discovery" of Echospace that rekindled a passion for music and I became a dub techno head. As the genre filled up with imitators, duplicators and a safe, comfortable sameness developed with the sound, I noticed my interest leveling off. No more deep dives into an artist's back catalogue, just an endless repetition of shuffling. Good, maybe even great, background environment but very few moments that elevate beyond the calm comfort of familiarity.

Around 2010 or so, Demdike Stare passed into my hearing.  Much like the guys from Echospace/Deepchord have tentacles that reach deep, so too these guys. The passion has been relit.  

They have a way of putting together disparate sounds and styles and making sense of the sounds they use. They have an affinity for what might be called 'camp' but have a way of reinterpreting it in a way that gives it substance.

From techno to dub to noise without missing a beat they refuse to be pinned down.  Their music, like noise canceling headphones, has a way of calming the overactive brain, music for a post-cultural world.

Daughter Of The Industrial Revolution is one of the side projects from Miles Whittaker, half of the Demdike Stare duo, this one straight up analogue. A few of these tracks ended up on the first release under his other solo moniker Suum Cuique (also essential); his latest release under his own (first) name continues the trajectory.

Long out of print and unavailable digitally, take your brain on a bender. Good stuff.

Path Of Least Resistance (2008)

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Variable Resistance (2009)

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Heavy Dub - Cold Tear Records 6 Year Anniversary

Hard to believe it's been six years for this label. Can't recall when I first discovered it but it's been a staple of my diet since that time.

Offered as a 'Buy It Now' feature it features eight tracks from some dub heavyweights. Enjoy the sounds 

HERE