Hello you. It’s that time of year again where the greatest radio station on Earth asks you to put a hand in your pocket and help them to stay on air for another year. Continuing to broadcast 24/7 throughout a turbulent 12 months and providing an invaluable lift to lockdown life, we need them more than ever – and as 2021 has already seen the station moved to new premises they’ll be needing us more than ever too!
With live events obviously suspended and all us programme-makers continuing to send in our shows remotely, the usual gala fundraiser events and online auction have had to be suspended in favour of individual guerilla-style efforts to raise some cash. To that effect, I’ve had a rummage in the archive and am auctioning off a couple of super rare and highly covetable items in aid of the station. To be honest it wasn’t really much of a rummage as both items were released quite recently and therefore near the top of the pile. Actually this first one arrived a mere fortnight ago:
The New Obsolescents – The Superceded Sounds Of… (Castles In Space, 2021)
Super limited ‘moonrock-coloured’ vinyl inside unique hand-cut foil sleeve – the last of its kind. All 300 sold out in less than 25 minutes when placed on pre-order a couple of weeks back, so this really is the final copy! Now live on ebay until 22:00 GMT, Wednesday 3rd March. Let the bidding commence!
A brand new deep space travelogue from the collective minds of DJ Food and Howlround. Improvised live at the Museum Of London in 2016 and now heading off into the uncharted territories of 2021. Strange new worlds conjured from obsolete media, a vision of the future constructed live using nothing but vintage analogue technology and a sense of adventure. The album is presented in an extraordinary sleeve, hand assembled by Strictly Kev, who explains, “Since discovering the Philips 21st Century Prospective series of French musique concrete LPs on tour in European the 90s I’ve been fantasising about one day making a record with a Héliophore patterned silver foil cover. The patterns etched in the covers are achieved by minute differences in the angles of the foil coating which then reflects the light and appears to animate when moved. These legendary and increasingly expensive LPs contained critical works from an international array of leading artists in the tape and electro acoustic field, spearheaded by Pierre Henry who also released many of his own works on the label. Tracking down the company who made the original Philips covers in France led to a dead end as they had long ceased to exist so I gave up hope. Unknown to me a British company had managed to replicate the process under the name Dufex in the UK. Sadly they’d also wound up business in 2019 but via a chance encounter on a separate project I managed to find the final stocks of card from the business at a lighting company”.
Howlround – Rec And Ruin EP (The Fog Signals, 2020)
4-track lathe cut 7″, plus bonus digital content. The original 30 copies of this release sold out in under 10 minutes back in December 2020, this is a secret ’31st Copy’ saved especially for the Resonance FM Fundraiser. Mint, unplayed and the last one ever. Now online and available for your bidding pleasure until 22:00, Tuesday 2nd March. Place your bids here!
Howlround end 2020 in typically noisy and abrasive style by flipping this accursed year a massive bird in the shape of the REC AND RUIN EP. Four tracks of primal ooze and sonic sludge, plus digital bonus content, all recorded during lockdown. 7″ lathe with laminated cover featuring exclusive ghostly artwork, each hand-cut and assembled by Ben Soundhog @Plastidisc, Deepest Wales. Some of our fiercest material yet, all created using a wineglass, a microphone and four reel to reel tape machines. As ever, absolutely no digital FX or artificial reverb have been used in the making of this EP and no downstairs neighbours have been upset – I waited until they were out. Track 3 sounds uncannily like Tristam Cary’s original sound effects for Quatermass And The Pit, but I can assure you it’s pure sonic coincidence. It truly is astonishing the distances you can travel on a spool of tape and a sense of adventure!
Limited edition clear vinyl 7″ in a beachcombed plastic bag with 4 inserts, 2 stickers and a Field Lines Cartographer badge and artwork by Nick Taylor, plus an exclusive test pressing. Contains two magnificent new Field Lines Cartographer tracks from “The Spectral Isle” universe, with thanks to Colin at Castles In Space for this very generous donation! Now on ebay, Bidding ends 22:30 GMT, Wednesday 3rd March. Get bidding here.
All kinds of other exciting activities can be found this month and beyond via Fundraiser.Resonance.FM, and of course you can make a private donation at any time by simply visiting ResonanceFM.com/Donate and doing whatever feels natural, perhaps even setting up a regular payment to help the station meets its monthly running costs. Resonance is a force for good in an increasingly fraught and difficult world and all the programme makers and engineers willingly give their time and service for free – but even keeping these hardy souls supplied with occasional hobnobs and teabags doesn’t come cheap.
Good luck, everyone – now let’s raise some money!
Robin The Fog 