Bruce Haack

The first record I heard by Bruce Haack sent shivers up my spine. Maybe it was the strange electronically treated voices or the homemade instruments or the fact the record was about Lucifer's banishment from heaven which made me feel so uneasy but it definitely left an impression. The record was called "Electronic Lucifer" and I constantly wonder who bought this record when it came out in 1971. Mr. Haack also made some rather strange and wonderful kids records. The above clip is of Bruce Haack on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood with Esther Nelson. What exactly the strange instrument he's playing in this footage we may never know.

Bernard Voïta

Last night, I found these photographs by the Swiss artist Bernard Voïta on my hard drive.  I like them very much.  I think they come from a book by Voïta called "White Garden".  His perplexing use of perspective and high contrast tones make my brain whirr in a quite pleasing manner.  I wish I knew more about his work but I don't.  If you find out more about him maybe you could email me or leave a comment.

Jockum Nordström

Jockum Nordström is a Swedish artist best known for his collages, paintings, drawings and sculptures that knit together references to folk art and outsider art, jazz, surrealist collage, furniture and architectural design, human sexual habits and maritime lore.  What I like about his work is that it combines a childlike primitivism with incredible draughtsmanship.  Sadly, there are only two long out of print monographs which document his work.  Hopefuly another will go to press shortly.  Michael who runs one of my favourite blogs Stopping Off Place emailed me to say that there is also a great compilation of his first three children's books availiable from the Fine Little Day shop.

David Noonan

A few months ago I purchased a rather splendid art catalogue entitled "The Dark Monarch: Magic and Modernism in British Art". As well as including wonderfully written essays by Michael Bracewell, Martin Clark and Alun Rowlands, it contained a multitude of interesting artists whose work examined the relationship between art and the occult.

David Noonan brings together an eclectic array of found imagery – sourced from film stills, books, magazines, and archive photos to create odd and oblique narratives. These collages are then photographed and turned into large-scale screen prints. I particulary like the referred nostaglia his work evokes. I hope you enjoy his work as well.

Pierre Bastien - Avid Diva

About five or six years ago I became obsessed with the work of French composer and multi-instrumentalist Pierre Bastien. He builds mechanical musical instruments using items such as metronomes, cymbals, pulleys and Meccano. His work has been described as a "hypnotic swing of wheezy scratchy noises which underpin nostalgic melodies. The resulting sound is one of broken bluegrass, blues and Musique Concrete that combine to create an amazingly cohesive and alluring organic atmosphere."

Collage No.2

Another day, another new collage.

Stan VanDerBeek

Anyone with even a passing interest in collage, whether it be audio or visual, should jump instantly hastily into the oddball world of Mr. VanDerBeek.  Stan VanDerBeek was an early pioneer in the development of experimental film and animation techniques.  His films display a humour and a lightness of touch which seems lacking in much of todays experimental cinema.  It's clear to see how his work was inspirational to a young Terry Gilliam.  I hope you enjoy this cinematic wonder from 1959.

The range of his work is startling, from direct painting on film, collage and stop animation.  His work was always searching for new methods of representation, exploring the boundaries of filmmaking, opening it up to visual art, music, literature, performance, technology and architecture.  Below are a few examples of his wonderful graphic work.

Sister Corita Kent

This is one of my favourite photographs. I can still remember the shock it gave me.  Nuns making art?  Who'd of thought?  I certainly wouldn't have considered this possible, but like all good images it opened doors to unknown worlds.  Sister Corita Kent was one of the most innovative and unusual pop artists of the 1960s, battling the political and religious establishments, revolutionising graphic design and encouraging the creativity of thousands of people - all while living and practicing as a Catholic nun in California.  She was respected and admired by Charles and Ray Eames, Buckminster Fuller and Saul Bass but more importantly she brought unconventional systems of graphic communication to the masses which still look ahead of their time.

Bandaly Family - Do You Love Me

Middle eastern psych of the highest order. Maybe it's accidental.  

Maybe it's not.  Produced in the late seventies in Kuwait. Hypnotic.

Collage No.1

Another piece of recent artwork.

It's About Freakin' Time

A little update to my blog after a long period of slumber.   Here's a little graphic silkscreen thing I've been working on.  It's about freakin' time.

These Made My Ears Happy In 2006

Majoie Hajary - La Passion Selon Judas [CBS] lp

R. Quenzel - Electronik Percussion Points [Conroy Library] lp

Roland P. Young - Isophonic Bogie Woogie [Em Records] cd

Beyond The Wizards Sleeve - Spring [3rd Mynd] Mini lp

Salah Ragab And The Cairo Jazz Band - Egyptian Jazz [Art House] lp

Mustafa Ozkent - Genclik Ile Elele [Finders Keepers] lp

Okay Temiz - Drummer Of Two Worlds [WEA] lp

Dead Moon - Echoes Of The Past [Sub Pop] cd

William Sheller - Lux Aeterna [CBS] lp

The Ridiculous Trio - No Fun [Slovenly] 7”

Have Guitar Will Travel

Raw, chicken scratch guitarist supreme. Today is National Bo Diddley Day round these parts. It don't get better than this.

Todays Top Five Plays

1. "Mumblin' Guitar" - Bo Diddley
2. "Pop Orbite" - Chico Magnetic Band
3. "Space Bugaloo" - The Mike Nock Underground
4. "I'm An Old Cowhand" - Sony Rollins
5. "Engram" - Caroline Peyton

Isophonic Boogie Woogie - Roland P. Young

An ultra obscure disc of mesmerizing chimes, kalimba, saxophone and lo end electronics. It's an utterly compelling mixture of stuttering woodwinds, whimisical bells/chants and warm sunbeams. Recorded in 1980, this is true oblique outsider music. The whole disc is steeped in tradition while sounding as if it was beamed down from a satellite from the distant future.

Five More Top Plays

1. "People Get Freedom" - Ghost
2 "Kopruden Gecti Gelin" - Ferdi Ozbegen
3. "Ab Hoc Et Ab Hac" - Jean Cohen Solal
4. "Buddy Mikro" - Electronic Percussion Points 70
5. "Brown Rain" - Victor Brady

Todays Top Five Plays

1. "Psyche Suki" - Electronic Sounds
2. "Got My Boogaloo" - Jackie Mittoo
3. "Rhythms Call" - Flying Rhythms
4. "Introduction To The Story Of Spedy Sponda" - Oren Marshall
5. "Winter's Going" - Bonnie Dobson

Lunar Probe

A fantastic library on De Wolfe stocked to the brim with exotic android musique. "Alchemie Rhythmique" by Pierre Sciortino combines classical tumbling percussion cello/piano interplay, a deranged, oblique fractured soundscape. Seek out!

Berto Pisano & Jacques Chaumont "Kill!" OST

This soundtrack has everything, driving percussive workouts, strange creepy celestrial wordles vocals, nimble orchestral jazz stylings and pensive scraping free form avant tomfoolery. Sheer brilliance.

Electrk Bizaar

This lp seems to have taken years to find but the wait has definately been worth it. There's lots of sleazy moog action on this rather lovely 1974 Southern library. A few of the tracks have appeared on comps compiled by hipsters Barry 7 [Add 'N' To X] and Luke Vibert but there's still plenty of compelling electronic squiggle doink to investigate.