Coming up in 2011.

This is just a 'first tease' of what's coming up on CaféK in 2011. Sorry for the dreadful pixelated-quality of the photographs, but it's all we could manage at the moment. ^_^

KAP002 is at the top, followed by KAP003. What else can I say? Both releases are full albums and very different species. KAP002 is to be released in February and KAP003, in June or July. Both will be available through Bandcamp, in any digital format you like (just about).

Have a great weekend everyone.

- Jb.

RIP Peter 'Sleazy' Christopherson.

Like so many of us, the first thing I read on Twitter this morning was that Sleazy had passed away. Shock and disbelief doesn't really cover it. I'm just putting this post up here, as a small tribute.

Sleazy first got in touch in 2004. I received an email from him with the title 'Blatant Plagiarism!'. Sleazy explained that he had built a Coil song ('Wraiths & Strays') around a sample of one of my old tunes. To be honest, I was honoured but baffled that he'd even heard my music, let alone sampled it. He made it clear that he wanted to come to an agreement about the sample. We stayed in touch via email for about a year, until I left the label I was with at the time.

Recently we got in touch with each other again. As ever, he was full of compliments, kindness and wise words. I had an email from him two weeks ago, which contained some particularly good advice and inspiration; advice that I've thought about over and over, since.

I'm gutted to hear of his passing. RIP Sleazy.

- Jb.

Café Kaput & Moon Wiring Club in The Guardian.

Just a quick heads-up to say that Simon Reynolds has done an insightful piece on Ian Hodgson (Moon Wiring Club / CaféK art director) and myself in The Guardian music blog.

You can have a read << here >>.

From the Archives.

Those who follow me on Twitter will perhaps recall that a couple of weeks ago, the British Library got in touch, to ask if I would contribute the D.D. Denham LP to their Archive. The idea of someone possibly stumbling upon 'Electronic Music In The Classroom' in 300 years time and thinking 'what the devil is this?' appeals to me, I have to admit. It's also a great honour to be asked to contribute.

The fact that the British Library Archivists do extremely important work, really can't be overstated. As I was told, they preserve everything from wax cylinders to downloads and have highly-developed methods and techniques of archiving and storage. They have asked for all future Cafe Kaput releases to be part of the Archive and this makes me feel very good indeed about the future of the recorded output of the label. You see, archiving concerns me greatly; not just in terms of my own music, but generally. Archiving, or backing up data of all kinds is such an important issue, yet we don't really pay enough attention to it. There are pitfalls to be avoided, whether we are creating art or consuming it.

Recently, I dug out some multi-track recordings which I made for my first album, back in 2000. They were stored on the then-revolutionary DVD-R and reportedly the best quality available at that time. Some of these DVDs don't actually work any more, which is a bit concerning.

Compare this situation with the time when I transferred and re-mastered an archive of Oliver Postgate material, some of which was released as the Ivor The Engine / Pogles Wood soundtrack, on Trunk Records. I was dealing with open reel tapes, some of which were over 40 years old. Apart from the odd tape which suffered from the infamous Sticky Shed Syndrome (a chemical / manufacturing deficiency which affected some tapes during the early 1970s), the transfers went smoothly. Considering they had been stored in a cardboard box in Olver Postgate's cellar, they sounded very good indeed.

These days, I record all my music masters to 1/4" tape, partly because I like the sound, but also because it's a very reliable format to store music. If treated with some respect, modern tape formulations should last a lifetime.

That's not to say that digital backups can't be trusted or shouldn't be relied upon; they just require a different approach. This is why I like iDevices (pod, pad, phone etc). If you use one of these, any album you buy in mp3 format is automatically backed up. If your iDevice goes kaput, you've always got a backup on your hard drive... and vice versa. When you upgrade your computer or iPod, you take your music with you automatically, so the media is refreshed and data less likely to be lost. It may not be a perfect solution, but still; it's the antithesis of it sitting around on a slowly-decomposing CDR or DVD-R.

The key to keeping your data intact is to keep it moving.

(thanks to James Tugwell from the British Library for making contact).

- Jb.

Protect & Survive - Music For Your Domestic Nuclear Shelter.

Every year, as the weather turns colder and the leaves have left most of the trees, my mind turns to 'comfort library' music. Music as warming as a big bowl of soup, with perhaps a chilling blob of crème fraiche in the middle. Or something.

So, this morning, quite by chance, I dug this out while the Jb household had breakfast (not soup). It's a compilation I put together in 2004 and was given to a handful of friends on CD. I think about 4 people have heard it so far. The object of the exercise was to think about the music the government would possibly provide in the event of a nuclear disaster, so it's all library music and a lot of it very 'comforting'. Think of this stuff being piped through stereo systems or on special governmental radio stations, in reassurance that 'everything will be fine, don't worry' and you're about there.

It's also quite a nice library compilation, outside of any context. I just thought I'd share it with everyone; seems like a good idea?

Hope you all enjoy it. Download link below:

<< Protect & Survive - Music For Your Domestic Nuclear Shelter >>

EDIT: For those having trouble with the SendSpace link, here's a mirror on Uploading.com - << HERE >>

- Jb.

You Fancy Magician.

Ah, happy days are here again. Today, I finally held in my hands the new Moon Wiring Club album... on vinyl. A moment of complete relief for Ian Hodgson, who has put months of hard work into the release (both artistically and logistically) and a proud moment for me, to see the fruits of the Blank Workshop labour finally manifest themselves on vinyl.

Amongst all this exciting talk of vinyl, I must point out that there is of course a CD version, lavishly illustrated and impeccably programmed for your listening pleasure… but this is where it gets very interesting (or confusing, or both, depending on how you like your onions).

The vinyl version may share some of the same track titles as the CD version, but the tracks are either completely different, or barely recognisable in comparison. Some other tracks may have completely different names, but may share certain sonic elements. You're probably thinking this sounds as confusing as some vintage MB Games instruction from 1974. 'A Spare Tabby At The Cat's Wedding' is apparently based on a 'game' of sorts, if the CD booklet is to be believed. Well that's what I arrived at, anyway. I thought I had it pretty much figured out, but then I read the press release (which sent me into a state of confusion and I had to sit down quietly with some hot tea afterwards; I'll say no more about that). Typically, one Moon Wiring Club release generally contains more detail and ideas than a lot of people's entire careers and with this release, it's completely off the scale.

This isn't a review as such; it's more of an 'advisory and notification', so I don't need to talk about the musical content in detail. It's a given that it's a fantastic record. Suffice to say, anyone who enjoys Confusing English Electronic Music ™ (© Warren Ellis) will luxuriate in the sheer lavishness of this album. It looks as though you'll need both the CD and vinyl versions, though.

I think it's all being released on Gecophonic within the next week or two, so keep an eye on the Blank Workshop website for details on availability and pricing.

- Jb.