Bun Rights!

There will soon be a new release from Soloman Tump, on a cassette tape and accompanying digital (with a bonus track) via a record label that I admire.

 

Distraxi & Soloman Tump - Dartmoor Electronics

 

I am rather excited to have released this split album with DISTRAXI which we have worked on for the past few months.  It began quite organically, following a discussion on her visit to Dartmoor and my recent Palimpsest EP which began to explore the themes of folklore and layers of stories embedded in the landscape.  We soon began to work on tracks that would symbolise the dark horror folklore of Dartmoor through a harsh industrial soundscape. 

>>>> dartmoor electronics <<<<

A few words about the tracks I wrote for this release.  Please check out https://www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk/ for much more information on the places and legends named.

Bowerman's Nasus - named after a rocky outcrop found near Manaton, said to be the petrified body of Bowerman The Hunter who fell prey to the vengeful witch Levera after he disturbed their sabbath ritual.

Vixiana - the tale of a six foot tall witch who lived under Vixen Tor.  Legend said she had green sunken eyes and was skinny as a rake, trapping passers by in her cave carved by the creatures of Hades.  

Kitty Jay - the tale of the orphaned servant girl who fell pregnant to a farmers son near Easdon Tor.  She committed suicide in a barn and her grave was placed at the cross of a parish boundary to avoid shaming any locals.  To this day, fresh flowers are still placed by passing pilgrims to remember her.

The Triangle - A podcast on this area of Dartmoor can be found here by the wonderful "Faery Whisperer", relating to Kitty Jay, Bowerman's Nose and Easdon Tor.  

The album cover is a boundary stone found near Grimspound on Dartmoor.  The glitched background art was a happy accident created in the wonderful MSPaint. 

I was lucky enough to recently visit The Museum of Witchcraft & Magic in Boscastle, Cornwall where I picked up some further reading material on these legends.  Perhaps there will be more words on these soon.

In other news; I locked myself out of my instagram account recently, and unless someone at their end can get me back in somehow, I won't be back there anytime soon.

But, I am still alive. 

Palimpsest EP

I have been cogitating over this EP for about 6 months.

There were 4 complete iterations that were scrapped before I decided upon the tracks that eventually made the cut.  Hampered by my own disbelief and self doubt.... crippled by my own frailties.  Possibly 9 hours worth of material were recorded in total - and some of it may see the light of day in the future elsewhere - who knows...

In a previous post I said this should appear at some point this year... well, 2 weeks later, here it is....

Palimpsest EP

1. Clapper Bridge 06m23s

2. Longhouses 03m55s

3. The Maiden Sea 04m19s

4. Bearacleave 04m10s

5. Grimspound 02m49s

A palimpsest is something reused or altered but still bearing visible traces of its earlier form.

These sounds are inspired by the landscapes and lore of Dartmoor, UK.

Original artwork by www.dansmonsters.co.uk

I knew that I wanted to record some sounds that reflected my new home of Devon (specifically Dartmoor), and after some background reading on local folklore and various trips out into the wilderness... I returned to my shed with a clutch of photographs, field recordings and found detritus.

But I found distilling the wonder and magick of Dartmoor down to a maximum 22 minute EP extremely challenging.  We are talking about 368 square miles of national park with thousands of years of history and countless legends.... the enormity of the task I had taken on soon hit me like a ton of bricks.

Many tons of bricks (Rippon Tor rifle range)

So I feel this EP is the first chapter in my discovery of Dartmoor - an opening into its world.  Maybe there will be more precise excursions into it in the future.  This collection of sounds is typically chaotic in the "Tump" style - loose rhythms, noisy textures and an overall low fidelity feel.  But this time I think perhaps maybe a little bit more refined than previous Tump EP's... I would be interested to know what you think?

I made a small batch of these 3" CDr's (and amazingly only have 3 left - so snap them up quick if you want one) - and I love how the labels came out.  "ST" print stamp courtesy of Mrs. Tump.

LINKY

Dartmoor or less

I am currently working on the final part of my folk lore inspired trilogy of EPs.

The first parts were "Grim's Ditch" and "Weland" which were released in the year of the plague 2020 while I lived in Oxfordshire.  They concerned the stories behind the ancient network of man-made ditches and the story of Weyland the Smith respectively, both of which are stories with roots in Oxfordshire.

Now that I live in Devon, I am looking to complete the trilogy with some new local folklore.  I am however finding it difficult to connect with the stories of the surrounding area since I am still fairly new here.  I lived in Oxfordshire for my entire childhood and a good portion of my adult life - so I was able to relate to the stories I wished to tell with relative ease.

Hamel Down Tor at dawn, August 2021

I am however trying my best to do justice to the landscapes and stories that surround me now around Dartmoor.  Using various library books, wild camping trips and excursions into the wilderness, I am beginning to appreciate the wonder and scale of my new home.

It is a daunting prospect attempting to distil a legend of this landscape into a 21 minute EP (yes, I will complete the trilogy with a 3" CDr to mirror the first 2 releases) yet I hope to do it justice by not rushing.  So it should appear at some point later this year.

Sunset over Dartmoor from Bovey Tracey

So far whilst researching Dartmoor I have discovered the principle of the "Palimpsest" - something which is reused or altered but still bears visible traces of its earlier form.  This can apply to literature but also of the physical landscape.  Past generations of human activity have left scarring and debris for us to discover.  Drone photography allows us to see ancient farmland markings during hot summer months on ground which is now considered inappropriate for farming.  A drying lake can reveal ancient settlements in a particularly low water season.  

I am making use of this principle in a year long "remix" effort - I will be recording live performances over the course of 2022 using samples and ideas from the previous recording.  These can be found here for free streaming and download (or a payment if you prefer and you can add it to your Bandcamp collection).