Hello you. A triple whammy of treats this week, with a new episode of Fog Cast on Resonance FM, plus an Out Of The Wood mixtape from the vaults and a brand new radio session from the ever-productive Grey Frequency. That’s four solid hours of ambient audio gold, so probably best to pop the kettle on before we go any further…
Fog Cast this week is a small tribute to the recently departed Barbara Pointon, tireless dementia campaigner and force for good in the world who was also (along with Ian Helliwell) responsible for a retrospective compilation of her husband’s compositions surfacing on the Public Information label in 2016. Sobering to think how this fascinating body of work could have been lost forever without her care and attention – along with potentially so many other great swathes of our electronic music heritage, mouldering away in attics and basements across the nation. It’s certainly a subject close to the Helliwell heart and Ian’s compendium of early pioneering composers Tape Leaders is well worth hunting down if you haven’t done so already. Our other featured album is from The Soulless Party, yet another classic addition to the Castles In Space canon (will their current golden run ever cease?!), plus new surprises from Kit Records and Wormhole World to boot. As Super Grover would say, ‘no need to thank me, I live to serve’! Strap on your ear goggles and dive straight in:
The Soulless Party – Ghost Planes [from The Black Meadow Archive Volume 1, Castles In Space, 2020]
Cleaver Boi and The Hungry Ghost – Minnal [unreleased, 2020]
Malcolm Pointon – Then Wakes The Ice [rec. 1970s, from Electromuse, Public Information, 2016]
Cosmic Neighbourhood – Squirrel / Waving Tree [from Library Vol 1, Kit Records, 2020]
boycalledcrow – Ghost In My Head / Chasing Rainbows [from the forthcoming album Mystic Scally, Wormhole World, 2020]
Malcolm Pointon – Trojan Woman / Study 2 [rec. 1970s, from Electromuse, Public Information, 2016]
The Soulless Party – Walking On Black Meadow / A Voice In The Heather/ The Village Under The Lake / He Took Her Hand [from The Black Meadow Archive Volume 1, Castles In Space, 2020]
Up next is a classic edition of Out Of The Wood, the regular Sunday lunchtime show that comes live from from West Norwood’s Book And Record Bar and is streamed on WNBC.London. With its rotating roster of regular DJs and special guests, this show is always the perfect way to while away a Sunday, preferably in store while drinking coffee or beer, flicking through records and listening to shop owner King Michael’s tall tales of record hunting adventure.
I say it’s a ‘classic’ edition because although it only dates from a few months back, it was the final edition of OOTW to be broadcast before lockdown (in fact I remember the date exactly – March 15th – because it was Mother Fog’s birthday and I managed to convince everyone in the shop to join me in serenading her down the phone). Doesn’t that feel like a long time ago already? Furthermore, putting this two hour ambient special together was also what gave me the idea for Fog Cast, the first edition of which would swiftly follow a couple of weeks later. Plus they’ve chosen that one photo of me by Victoria Hastings where I come very close to almost looking smouldering (My secret? That faraway look comes from trying to read the venue’s ‘Specials Menu’ under subdued lighting). Anyway, very glad to see The Book And Record Bar is now back open and I’m sure that new editions of OOTW can’t be far away either (Michael has invested heavily in hand-sanitiser). Until then plenty of delights from the show’s sizeable archive are available from https://outofthewood.london/
And lastly here’s Grey Frequency’s ‘Haunted Ambient Mix’, originally broadcast Saturday 18th July on CAMP Radio and including Howlround’s ‘A Creak In Time Part 2’ as the filling in a Laurie Spiegel / Else Marie Pade sandwich. How about that for an accolade?! There’s also appearances from recent Fog Cast alumni such as Simon Klee, Forest Robots and the Grey man himself alongside Steve Nolan. Somebody buy this man a pint, he’s earned it…
Robin The Fog 