Things I did in 2021

 

In 2021 I managed to release:

• 2 zines (Intrusive Signals 1 & 2)
• 2 x 3" CDr's (collaborative project as CLAIRVONT "The First" alongside Stone Jaw, and a split with Lee Riley)
• 1 x C38 tape (split with Blackcloudsummoner)
• A live stream video for FEAST#3
• A digital compilation ("The Tump Dump")
• Digital tracks for IFAR and The Bare Lightbulb and another not yet released....
• 8 x hour long radio shows ("The Tump Clump")

Which I am pretty proud of considering everything that has been going on in the world (and in my life too....).  Much respect to my collaborators Blackcloudsummoner, Stone Jaw and Lee Riley.  

In 2022 I look forward to:

• Continuing with the Tump Clump radio shows
• Unleashing guest mixes for other radio shows (2 in the works... not finished yet, sorry)
• Finally (maybe) finishing my concept album with Dansmonsters - no promises hah!
• Releasing Issue 3 of Intrusive Signals zine
• More collaborations.... any takers? HMU.
• Releasing the final part of my Folk-horror trilogy on 3" CDr (following Grim's Ditch and Weland)
• Maybe finally a live performance? Who knows, covid be praised.
• Working on CLAIRVONT "The Second"
• FESTIVALS! CLUBBING! PARTIES! GIGS! PUBS! CUDDLING! Maybe. 

2021 EOYL

For anyone out there who has read my zines, you may know that I love a good list.

So this is my end of year list for 2021.  These are the releases I have listened to most often, in no particular order, with links where available, and some photos of the physical stuff where applicable.  I hope there are not things I have forgotten.  

There are 3 great collaborations in here, and numerous self released / small label works.  A lot of things were released on tape because that was an easy medium to self release where record pressing plants were snowed under / closed due to covid / low on materials.... also nice to see a semi-resurgence for the CD for this same reason.  

This shows what an important year it was for artists coming together to create and keep things ticking along. Enjoy and support the artists!

Top row: Shackleton, Lucy & Aaron

Bot row: Ekoplekz, Mark Dicker, Scald Hymn, Knifedoutofexistence, Campbell & Edwards.

1. Dit Sese - Dit Sese (Invisible City Records, March 2021, Cassette / Download).  30+ minutes of "dense electronics and void drone" which take you to the precipice of the event horizon and back.  Recorded live in Tokyo, these 2 tracks contain many of the characteristics of drone music, yet there is a hell of a lot going on in the depths.  Obscure shrills slowly rise and fall, chattering layers are buried in the depths, things drip and grind, heavy tones come in and out of focus.  The sounds mesh together as a heavy smog to get lost in, and I have done so on many occasions. 

The Tump Clump Episode 8

Episode 8 heralds the arrival of December,  the darkness dominates and the Winter weather has crept into play.  My shed now feels pretty cold.  And a bit damp.  

Perfect.

Let us continue.

Following an intro that could be me getting into the festive spirit, I open the show with a couple of tracks from the Steep Gloss label, based in Wigan.  I picked up the 2 tapes recently by Wellness Regime and The Conduits, and both resonate well with my current brain energy.  The Conduits take processed crusty loops and add an aura of dark strangeness.  Wellness Regime also use loops, perhaps field recordings layered with the chaos of life.

Dit Sese is an artist I am happy to admit that I know not much about.  Originally I discovered the project via a tape on Invisible City Records earlier this year, labelled as "Dense Electronics and Void Drone" which seems particularly apt.  The 2 x 15 minute tracks were recorded live in Tokyo in 2020 and forge an addictive drone trip that warrants repeated listens.  I was then pleased to discover the compilation track from Seoul based label Constant Value called In Thin Rain recorded in 2016, weighing in at just under 6 minutes and therefore I could shoehorn it into the show.  I hope to discover more from the artist... somewhere.... 

The run-out-groove-anthem this time around is the hideous Wombling Merry Christmas, simply because I found the 7" in my collection and its the only festive themed record I own. And NOW ITS STUCK IN MY HEAD AND I CANNOT GET IT OUT.  Sorry if you also get afflicted by this.  Go sing it to a friend and pass on this ear plague. 

I constantly try and make The Tump Clump an inclusive space.  I like playing tracks from around the world, from different scenes, and welcoming in different folk.  

So its pretty cool this time to play Urschmerz from Germany (death folk industrial), noise queen Lutkie from USA (gnarled synthesis and vocals) and Hannya White from London (abstract soundart). I lump all this together as DISMAL and I enjoy it.

The tracks by Pigswill and Scum Alice come from a charity compilation called Are You Shivering? put together by members of the DEEP DIVE DISCORD server and out on the Moon Musiq label.  Some really exciting sounds in here, and Scum Alice has a huge discography, seemingly broadcasting live on Youtube and Twitter quite often.  One to keep an eye on.  All proceeds support the GEMS initiative:

"For the past 20 years, Girls Educational & Mentoring Services (GEMS) has served as the nation’s leading organization for empowering commercially sexually exploited and domestically trafficked girls and young women. Through cultural change, advocacy, training, and survivor leadership, GEMS is committed to shifting public perception and policy."

I close the show with some sounds of my own called Grit, which is the digital bonus track from my new split tape release alongside BLACKCLOUDSUMMONER.  It's kind of my soft attempt at power electronics, but really just experimenting with a loop pedal and adding vocals. I enjoy this sort of setup, I might do more. 

Thank you for listening to the show and for reading all of this.  Please support the artists.

See you in 2022 for some more.

The Tump Clump #8 - 7th December 2021
Wellness Regime - Lucky This Is All Hypothetical Isn't It

The Conduits - All My Friends Are Shallow Dilettantes

Urschmerz - Reject

Dit Sese - In This Rain

Hannya White - Wanna See

Non Bio - Create Problems

The Mike Sammas Singers - Wombling Merry Christmas [Run-out Groove Anthem]

Lutkie - It Reckons

Pigswill - Sleep Cycle

Scum Alice - Heavy Whispers

Volunteer Coroner - Yesterday Lays Upon Your Shoulders

Soloman Tump - Grit

BLACKCLOUDSUMMONER x Soloman Tump - SPLIT

As mentioned in a previous blog post, I recently created my first DIY cassette tape for release.  After a few teething problems, I am pretty chuffed with the outcome.

There was one more hiccup after I finished that previous blog article - I posted 10 copies of the tape to BLACKCLOUDSUMMONER (who also lives in England) and after 9 days they had still not arrived...

So here's a bit of advice; always get a tracking number when posting with Royal Mail.  I was able to track the parcel and found that RM for some reason had not attempting to redeliver after there was no answer on the door after the first attempt.  We nudged them, and the tapes were dispatched again.  

After the fun I had working on the Lee Riley split, this one came around pretty soon after and I hope to get some more splits together soon.  TALK TO ME IF YOU ARE INTERESTED!

////

So without further ado....

BLACKCLOUDSUMMONER x Soloman Tump = SPLIT

My track on the tape is called Engorge, and is my gratuitous attempt at some harsh noise.  As usual though, I had to include a few rhythmic elements, and moments of relative calm... Weighing in at nearly 16 minutes, its fairly heavy going.  

I created the sounds with my home made "Spyrimba" percussive device, which is formed from 6 pieces of stainless steel strip, crudely rolled to form different notes, bolted to a base place.  Add a contact mic and a bunch of effects and hey presto - plucked noise.  

I added some clicks, loops, field recordings, some synth growls from my Neutron and probably some other bits too.  I tried doing it all live but had to layer and manipulate after because I screwed up. Hey ho. The final track now exists in this format and I like it.

The digital release also includes a track called Grit which was me trying out some live vocal work over a noise blast.  Dismal power electronics? Maybe. but I don't do screaming.  Not yet.

You can also grab the tape from BLACKCLOUDSUMMONER as well as browse his awesome discography HERE.