2022 thing what I did

I like putting together an end of year "achievements" list because otherwise I feel like I have not done much.  I guess it helps put it all into context that I do actually get some stuff sorted, which is nice.

So in 2022 I managed to:

• Release "Intrusive Signals" zine issue 3 (still a handful of copies left at a bargain bin price if you want one) - see here.
• Release a super limited split tape with Plague Arish for Supernormal Festival.
• Dump out a trio of digital-only EPs (Gritonometry and Safehouse Demo(n)s as Soloman Tump, and стіна as Postman Lomu). 
• Complete the folk-horror 3" CDr trilogy that started with Grim's Ditch and Weland, capping off with the Palimpsest EP
• Start the Palimpsest live document of archival "live" recordings.  I didn't add as many to this as I had hoped, but I shall update it soon with some new bits.
• Get a couple of articles published in the ever-impressive TQ Zine - cheers! Look out for my extended SPL/IT article in issue 57. 
• also had an article included in the impressive tome-like Supernormal zine
• Release a collaborative album alongside Distraxi on CD - DARTMOOR ELECTRONICS.  I am pretty proud of this one, its pretty brutal and I love the work Distraxi does.  
• Put together 10 new radio shows of The Tump Clump.
• Collaborate with Arachnopus on a live audio/visual piece for Wonder Valley Experimental festival in California for Phog Masheeen
• Unleash a fairly banging guest radio mix for WCR Dark Train - a great show for Warminster Community Radio that always brings new music to my ears.  Check it out
• Get to a few festivals and shows which felt damn good!
• Get some tracks on various compilation releases including bits for Moon Musiq, Front & Follow, Owlripper Recordings, Camembert Electrique, godNOISEgod - more details of each of these elsewhere on the blog.

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Busking with kit at Supernormal Festival 2022

So when I write it out like that, I guess I have achieved some things.  2023 might be quieter, I don't really have any plans for new zines (at present) but I hope to continue with releasing music and doing the radio show....

The Tump Clump Episode 15 - MIXCLOUDSPESH

The Tump Clump reaches episode 15, and due to the summer siesta for SoundArt Radio, this is a Mixcloud exclusive edition for July / August.  Which also coincides with my 40th birthday so I decided to play a few extra tracks because I do not need to stick to the usual prescribed one hour slot......

Another disclaimer: I only play tracks I own. Either physically, digitally, or gifted to me direct from the artist/label.  If you enjoy the sounds played on this show, please directly support the artists and labels buy purchasing some of their art.

https://www.mixcloud.com/solomantump/the-tump-clump-15-040822/ 

Opening with the monolithic drone of Shiverdust by Lucidet which is taken from the Life Death Chaos Order album, a sprawling 4xCD / digital album of longform dirge and dark dynamics.  A feast of a trip if ever there was one.

Drek 5 by Ekoplekz is next - part of a suite of unreleased tracks that Nick was kind enough to send me a while back.  Check out his new single release which is on 7" lathe - be quick, not many left!

The next couple of tracks come from the compilation album The Quietened Mechanisms which was released by A Year In The Country back in 2018.  I recently revisited my CD copy and released again just how many great tracks there are on the release.  So I have included the offerings by Field Lines Cartographer and Grey Frequency which seem to sit well amongst the opening electronic drones of tonight's show.  I love the way the Grey Frequency track melds into a lush pad with birdsong halfway through.

A track by False Moniker from the Screen Memory tape which was released on Strange Rules in 2020.  Pretty much everything on the label is gold, but it seems to be a bit quiet of late as label owner Cremation Lily is concentrating on touring and releases their own sounds.  

Then I gratuitously played my remix of the Klaus Von Mork track "Little Owl" from the Rental Yields Volume One compilation, out now on Front & Follow.  It is really great to be involved in this digital series, and I thoroughly enjoyed putting this track together.  It's a sort of noisy / squelchy distorted vision of KVM's original session recording and found samples.  Future editions of the compilation will include the Megaheadphoneboy interpretation of my samples, and then the Klaus Von Mork rework of a Megaheadphoneboy track.  There are 20 tracks on this volume, all of excellent quality and touching up the various strands of electronics / experimentals, and sales are raising money for the homeless shelter charity in Manchester, so please support if you are able.  

AUTECHRE! I previously said on The Tump Clump that I wouldn't play any Autechre because if you wanted to listen to them you know where to find them.  But for this special edition of the show (and to kind of commemorate my 40th birthday!) I decided to play Tankraken, lifted from the Versions edition of their 2008 Quaristice album.  It still sounds superbly future, with icy percussion and moody grumbling bass.  I hope the mixcloud algorithm AI doesn't pull my show because I played this.

Then more excellent moody electronics from Helm, with a track called MOLE from the recent Axis album.  

Time to play some noisier stuff... kicking off with GRIMWITH who I recently discovered via the double edged sword of Instagram.  Some great digital / tape noise coming at ya from Leeds.  Check it. 

I dipped back into the Rental Yields album with a track from Kinver Ponds and TarotPlane, with a track called For The Benefit Of The Community.  Lovely brutal repetition and ethereal voices.  Some might say "dismal".

Some may say that quite foolishly I decided to then play RatCornSample by DK.  This beast of a track appeared in my inbox recently and I cackled hard and had to play it.  So there.  VAMPIRES!

Then a bit of crackling noise wall for you, 5 minutes to be exact, courtesy of Gynaeolotry and the Plastic Bag: A HNW tribute to Vomir.  You will also found my Postman Lomu tribute to Vomir on the digital download extension should you really wish to listen to more.  

Black Lead Crucibles is a side project of the mighty Disgusting Cathedral - a long form tense droning beast of dungeon noise.  This meshes nicely into.....

....Hoodrat Messiah and the track Casablanca from the new EP called Gospel. Panic inducing atonal drones! Lovely stuff.  Another artist I discovered via Instagram, and they often put up pictures of their wonderful array of pedals and synths used in the creation of these sounds.  

To finish wish, I play a track by another Tump Clump favourite which is Salac, with their album closing number called Manifesto from Illicit Rituals.  It's a few years now since they interviewed for my now defunct Snare Rush zine, so maybe I should try and entice them back to Intrusive Signals for some more.  Hope to hear some new stuff from them soon! 

That's it for now.

The Tump Clump Episode 12 - LIVE (again)!

Last month I put a call out to my network of musical contacts to see if I could get any demos / live / exclusive / archival / unheard gems... and well, the good people delivered anf I filled up Episode 11,

I was really blown away by the amount of submissions I receive, and so I have filled up episode 12 too.  And there may even be more next time - the 1st anniversary of my show - episode 13.  A year with SoundArt radio already, what a wonderful place.

I quite enjoy playing these longer tracks.  As I mention in the show, much less of me talking... which is probably a good thing for you listeners. 

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1. A Beautiful Idea - I Drone Therefore I Am

From David "Vital Things Podcast" Barr, an exclusive longform oscillatory drone that gets quite noisy at the end.  Wonderful stuff.  Some of my own tracks have been played on Vital Things in the past, so it is nice to finally repay the favour.

2. Don Macarel's Noisy Party - Song For Radio

Can I say who sent me this? Ummm... maybe.  But I won't, because that is more fun.  Blistering hot vinyl samples through vintage mixer.  Screech!

3. Ivy Nostrum - When We Dead Awaken

I have played a track by London's Ivy Nostrum before, under the Wellness Regime tag alongside Kinver Pond.  This track is perfectly Tump Clump - dismal, rhythmic, noisy and unpredictable....  recorded just for the show.  Thank you! 

4. Ekoplekz - Drek 1

Last time I played Drek 4.  Nick Ekoplekz sent me 6 Drek tracks in total, which was very kind of him.  I have been a big fan over the past decade.  The Memowrekz double cassette release (which sadly I only have on digital, but it's a glorious dark industrial dirge).  Anyways... these Dreks are all quite quirky, one take experiments.  Maybe I'll play more in the future. Who knows.  

5. COLDSORE - Drossel

Coldsore lives in Finland.  He sent me 2 tracks that were in the demo stages, and I played the other one Drosseln last month.  This track is an extended drone with evolving elements and field recordings throughout.  Brilliance.  Both appear in a remastered / altered state in a new split release alongside There Are No Birds Here, so check that out.  

6. Sunfish Starfish - Live At Control Voltage 13

And to finish with, a 13 minute live recording from Sunfish Starfish, recording at the Control Voltage Event which is held at the Focal Point Gallery in Southend on Sea.  This is a collaborative project from Pettaluck (who had the opening track on the recent "Half Century All Heart" compilation from TQ Zine, released for Issue 50, amazing stuff!) and The Spermaceti Organ.  You can find their collaborative album here.

Thank you for the contributions! All excellent.  Still a few more to play, which will spill over into next months show...

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Wonder Valley Experimental 14

I discovered the festival called Wonder Valley Experimental which has been running for the past 14 years in California (Palms Restaurant, to be exact).

The organiser Phog Masheeen has kept it going through the pandemic in a virtual setting, and this year both the virtual and physical festivals are taking place.  Here's a little clippy video to get you excited!

I real shame I cannot get to the physical place - would love to perform somewhere like that! It looks a great venue.  My damp shed shall have to suffice for now.  Here is the poster for the physical in person (meat space) festival:

Here is the full virtual lineup:

I applied for a slot to the virtual festival and by golly I was accepted.  I have recorded a dull video using my recent "Palimpsest" setup (me stood in the corner of my shed twiddling things) and enlisted the talents of Arachnopus to edit some glory into the footage.  

You can check out one of her other videos here for Dollarstore Keyboard and she seems to be some sort of wizzo at doing this.  I supplied some raw footage of Dartmoor and the surrounding area - am exciting to see what she comes up with!

Oh and I pretty much finished Intrusive Signals issue 3, more on that next....