Phil's 2008 Picks

Right here:

http://nonightsweats.blogspot.com/2008/12/no-night-sweaty-2008_17.html

Airplay

The people what have played our stuff:

[I'd just like to thank the people at KFJC below who have played our stuff consistently in the past weeks. It's most appreciated.]


KFJC 89.7FM in Foothill College, San Francisco on Dangerous Dan - Dec 13 (hollow bowl)
KFJC 89.7FM in Foothill College, San Francisco on Natasha - Dec 12 (heat this)
KFJC 89.7FM in Foothill College, San Francisco on Rocket J Squirrel - Dec 8 (devil in the well)
KFJC 89.7FM in Foothill College, San Francisco on Natasha - Dec 5 (the freeway temple)
KFJC 89.7FM in Foothill College, San Francisco on Maybelline - Dec 5 (hollow bowl)
KFJC 89.7FM in Foothill College, San Francisco on Mitch LeMay - Nov 25 (certainly)
KFJC 89.7FM in Foothill College, San Francisco on Marlena Poliatevska - Dec 2 (don't leave the light out)
WREK 91.1FM in Atlanta on Dec 3 (look back)
KFJC 89.7FM in Foothill College, San Francisco on Ray X - Dec 1 (heat this)
KFJC 89.7FM in Foothill College, San Francisco on Pete Dixon - Dec 1 (hollow bowl)
WREK 91.1FM in Atlanta on Dec 1 (give me a warning)
PBS 106.7FM on Ear of The Behearer Nov 7 (heat this)
WEFT FM in Illinois on Poodles Ahoy Nov 18 (swung and hung)
WEFT FM in Illinois on Poodles Ahoy Nov 11 (freeway temple)
WREK 91.1FM in Atlanta on Nov 21 (kalimbah tweak)
RTRFM in Perth on Posted Nov 26 (catbird)
KFJC 89.7FM in Foothill College, San Francisco on Justin Outlier - Nov 27 (devil in the well)
KFJC 89.7FM in Foothill College, San Francisco on Rowan Hawthorn - Nov 25 (give me a warning)
ABC Radio National on Quiet Space - Nov 24 (hollow bowl)
KFJC 87.9FM in Foothill College, San Francisco on Natasha - Nov 21 (hollow bowl)
KFJC 87.9FM in Foothill College, San Francisco on Morris Minor - Nov 21 (heat this)
KFJC 87.9FM in Foothill College, San Francisco on Cousin Mary - Nov 20 (catbird)
KFJC 87.9FM in Foothill College, San Francisco on Cinderaura - Nov 19 (certainly)
KFJC 89.7FM in Foothill College, San Francisco on Rowan Hawthorn - Nov 18 (freeway temple)
WMBR 88.1FM in MIT, Cambridge on Aural Fixation Nov 15 (disk 2 1st 4 tracks)
WMBR 88.1FM in MIT, Cambridge on Breakfast of Champions Oct 30 (devil in the well)
On medium rotation at WREK 91.1 in Altanta Oct 31
PBS 106.7 FM in Melbourne on The Art Of Bleep 20 Oct (hollow bowl, devil in the well)
WEFT FM in Illinois on Poodles Ahoy Oct 14 (certainly, catbird)
WCBN-FM [Michigan Uni] on Freeform with Tyler C Oct 12 (The Court On The Left)
WEFT FM in Illinois on Poodles Ahoy Oct 7 (devil in the well, water for the time being)
ResonanceFM in the UK on Kosmische Sept 26 (hollow bowl)
RTRFM in Perth on Difficult Listening Sep 21 (fricket)
RTRFM in Perth on Posted Sep 10 (hard defined)
FBI's Jack Shit Sep 6 (water for the time being / catbird)
RTRFM in Perth on Difficult Listening Sep 7 (box the remainder / heat this)
Hobart's Sonography Aug 27 (fricket / heat this)
2SER's Novum Aurum Australe Aug 25 (certainly)
FBI's Utility Fog Aug 24 (drift down keira)
FBI's Liquid Electric aug 21 (certainly)
Podcast on Avant Music News (devil in the well)
French Le Vestibule (give me a warning)
RRR's The Drift Aug 17 (hard defined)
FBI's Utility Fog Aug 10 (devil in the well)
Triple J's Soundlab (devil in the well)
Dandenong Victorias Spectrum FM Aug 2 (hollow bowl)


..

New MySpace Tracks

Just because I thought it was time for an update, I've added a couple of 'recent' tracks / mixes to the MySpace page. And when i say 'recent' I mean "mixed in 2008" - we've not recorded for ages, apart from the live gigs.

These may see the light of day in one form or another at some time in the future, when we can get the time to work it all out once again.

1st up is "A Laurie Driver": This is guitar track by Rob ripped out of it's 3 piece jam and then lightly post-processed. Both Ian and I played fairly well on the recording but taking us out of the equation lets it stand out marvelously. Whilst it doesn't have the all-consuming flow of someone like Keith Fullerton Whitman, you've got to remember that this is a good guitarist with a couple of effects.

2nd is "View To The North": This is another of those spooky, eerie tracks that we seems to be able to produce with some ease. Lots of scratchy guitar; droning, out of kilter bass sounds and clicking electronics.

I hope you like them. Let us know.

..

Freq

A terrific review from Freq Online magazine:

A Slow Rip – For The Time Being
Label: Endgame Format: 2CD

For The Time Being is a double CD compilation of ambience, taken from material originally released between 2004 and 2007 by A Slow Rip on 7 CDR albums. The Wollongong based trio take the name from the initials of their first names: Rob Laurie (guitar, percussion, vocals and wind instruments), Ian Miles (analogue synths, guitar and bass), and Phil Turnbull (virtual analogue synth). A pretty impressive list of instruments. A Slow Rip are definitely not laptop artists, which is fine by me; personally, I've always thought they were more suited for spreadsheets than music.

A Slow Rip improvise and record straight to tape. This approach leads to a warm organic soundscape of buzzing synths, long drones and prepared guitar. The first CD is predominantly composed of more drone based music, whereas the second CD is more experimental but still very warm and effortless. The percussion really comes to the fore, in a very spacious and relaxed way. A Slow RIP are slow. Nothing happens that quickly. Their sound has the feeling of time stood still. All in all very nice stuff. They've clearly got a lot more material, so hopefully we'll get to hear more of it soon.

-Alaric-

Video

As part of our 2nd gig at Megaphon studios, Shane and Tegan organised a professional video of the event. All bands were recorded and we each picked a couple of 5 minute sections / songs to be fully edited. Shane mixed our live audio feed and this has been added to the tracks. Hope you like then:

MySpace:

1st Section


2nd Section

YouTube:
1st Section
2nd Section


please give us some feedback here or on youtube / myspace itself.

..

Italian Review

Our album was reviewed in the September 2008 issue of Italy's Blowup magazine. Here's the translation (thanks Paz and sister):

Rob Laurie (guitar, percussion, voice) Ian Miles (analogue synthesiser, bass) and Phil Turnbull (analogue synthesiser) are three mature Australian musicians who have an academic experience behind them of jazz and new wave, have played together under the stage name of “A Slow Rip” since 2002 and have produced 7 CD-Rs, arriving only now with their official debut with this double which collates the best moments.

Theirs is an ambience created on the whole with analogue instruments which follow the line between the cosmic German (Tangerine Dream) and certain dark isolationist drifts (Lustmord) wrapping the listener in a tangle which for brief moments dangerously leaves one in a somewhat lackadaisicalness (especially the initial pieces), but then fully redeems itself with the sudden crude rock (Give Me A Warning), beautiful percussion sections (Kalimbah Tweak ) and hypnotic electronic guitar, excellently made (The Court on the Left, The Freeway Temple) all the material focuses almost entirely on the second CD, clearly better than the first CD.

(7) Stephen I. Bianchi

or, for the Italian speakers, the original:

Rob Laurie (chitarra, percussioni, voce), Ian Miles (synth analogico, chitarra, basso) e Phil Turnbull (synth analogico virtuale) sono tre maturi musicisti australiani con alle spalle esperienze accademiche, jazz e new wave che suonano insieme con la ragione sociale A Slow Rip dal 2002 e hanno prodotto sette CD-R arrivando solo oggi alluscita ufficiale con questo doppio che ne raccoglie i momenti migliori.

La loro una ambient realizzata per intero con strumenti analogici che sta sul filo tra la cosmica di stampo kraut (Tangerine Dream) e certe scure derive isolazioniste (Lustmord), avvolgendo lascoltatore in un viluppo che se per brevi tratti si pericola in qualche leziosit (soprattutto i pezzi iniziali) sa poi redimersi ampiamente con improvvise crudelt rock (Give Me A Warning), belle sezioni percussive (Kalimbah Tweak) e ipnosi chitarristiche ed elettroniche di notevole fattura (The Court On The Left, The Freeway Temple), tutti materiali concentrati quasi per intero nel secondo CD, nettamente migliore del primo.

(7) Stefano I. Bianchi

Megaphon Studios, St Peters, Sept 6 2008

Before my memory fades completely I'd better write down some notes about the gig at Megaphon Studio.

I'd never been there before but Shane has had the place going for years. It's on the top floor of a set of old industrial buildings at the railway line end of St Peters. You can get out onto a large roof space area next to the studio and it was glamourly industrial in the slight haze of rain:



These pics are all from Mr Peter Nelson, esq - dear friend of the ages.



They remind me a lot of the shots of Cleveland in Pere Ubu's Datapanik box set.



I've always been drawn to images like these of half decayed industry - all the shots for the album cover came from old factories at Sydenham, just down the road.

I'll admit it now that getting all the gear up those tiny sets of stairs was a chore and Ian was a little tired after helping to lift in the PA. The Dead Sea were set up when I arrived and, due to the amount of gear they had, really couldn't be moved in and out so we set up in the smaller area next to them.



Rob somehow managed to leave his specially prepared little box of tricks at home and was crammed into a corner right next to the lights (for the video recording) but he played well in spite of these handicaps.



Peter didn't manage to get any shots of Rob unfortunately so here's 2 of me!



And an atmospheric one of Ian and me.



As much as I could see, the audience were interested and intruiged and gave us good applause after the 40 mins:



Rob was a bit dissappointed (mainly because of the missing gear) and Ian didn't think it was as good as Music Farmers but I felt it was a cohesive performance with some lovely nuances. Tegan and Shane agreed and both thought it was better than last time! Shane was mixing the recordings this week in preparation for the video pieces (which will probably appear at MySpace and Endgame in due course).



Tom's show was a bit hampered by the column in the middle of the studio but it was as clever as last time.



The Dead Sea were terrific this time - much quieter and all the better for it. I didn't stay for Modern Gong Ritual but, apparently, they were better than at Music Farmer's as well.

Thanks once again to Aaron, Tegan, Shane and all who helped tomake these two gigs so splendid.

..

Photos

Arron has added some photos of the gigs to his FaceBook 1/4" group.

And here are a couple in all their glory...













All shots by Aaron Hull 2008 whom you can find at 1/4"

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Availability

A rolling thread for places to buy our fabulous record:

For the less internet inclined:

Fuse (Crown St Surry Hills)
Redeye (King St Sydney)
Bravery, Repetition & Noise (King St Newtown)
Repressed Records (King St Newtown)
Music Farmers (Wollongong)
Redback (Wollongong)
Trackmasters (Thirroul)
Ekho (Thirroul)

JB Hi-Fi are taking a swag of them (with a large order from Psy-Harmonics)!!!
The NSW stores which have a copy are:

Sydney (George St)
Strand Arcade
Ipswich (I think that's Qld)
Parramatta
Blacktown
Kotara
Newcastle
Parramatta Westfield
Erina
Bondi
Leichhardt
Hornsby
Penrith
Glendale
Liverpool
Castle Hill
Chatswood
Miranda
Tuggerah
Macquarie Centre (North Ryde)
Macarthur Square (Ambervale)
Warrawong
Warringah Mall (Brookvale)
Rouse Hill

Then there's:

1st and foremost - Endgame

Next found: Recordstore.co.uk

And it's up on iTunes now as well.

As at 14th August it's also on Napster UK.

Damn - someone wants to swap it already.


As at 28th August it's on MTraks

Weirdly, at 31st August it's in Target

1st September at CDOnline.au

and, for also the Finnish peoples of the world.



..

Music Farmers 30th August 2008

So, 1st gig in 23 years and I was surprisingly calm thoughout. I suppose I'm in some sort of middle-aged post-caring thought-stream or something. Back in the day my hands would have been sweaty and my pulse right up to the limit but now, except for one track, I really don't need to remember chord changes or, even, vocalisations whilst moving fingers over keyboards. In any case, I think it went pretty well. There were lots of good moments including a quite lovely end with "The Slug of Aznaroth" :-( and some hairy moments that Shane managed to fix with his magic SFX. The feedback was good including some unexpected positive comments from friends who, really, just turned up to be supportive.



Modern Gong Ritual were slightly shambolic but good natured and sometimes quietly elevating. They're not too different from us except that we use synths rather than guits (and gongs) and I think we have a little more variety in the output. The use of the moo-cow thingy put Rob in a lather as he was hoping to use it to splendid effect as well.



Tom Ellard was a hoot. I'd only ever spoken to him once or twice before and he hasn't seemed to have changed the sardonic humour one iota. The music was all over terrific in that electro-dance way he's perfected. Sometimes the videos were too chaotic for me but the one based on relgious TV imagery perfectly matched the less frenetic track.



I didn't take any pics of The Dead Sea, unfortunately, as they had terrific, well matched visuals. They play a kind of heavy, grandiose, progressive post-rock that sounds enormously difficult to pull off. The array of stuff they utilse and the ease with which they use it is amazing as well. However it got a little loud and peircing for my ancient ears.

So... thanks must go to: Aaron for his unfailing positivy and calm; Shane for mixing everyone with clarity and aplomb; Tim V for gear and assistance; Tegan for promotions (and the rest); David for the polarised slides and all the others who helped to make it happen (including the lovely person who did all the stuff at the door - but whose name I, regretably, can't remember Emma).

Bring on next Saturday!

Drum Media (26 August - 920)

A review (thanks Brooke - whoever you are):


Click on the pic to read the text, or just read my transcipt here:

"Illawarra trio A Slow Rip get off to a steady start on their double cd For The Time Being. The gradual introduction of synths and noises builds over each soundwave carefully, conjuring a dark and dreamy soundscape of tepid peaks and troughs.

The first cd is an eerie, tribal take on the ambient genre blending the supernatural with native noise. Obvious is the soft incline towards melody as each track progresses and declines instinctively. It's format reads like a story - a basic beginning, stormy journey and quietly resolved ending. In this way the album is somewhat formulaic but never typical.

The secound cd is less synth-, more percussion based, easing towards the lightness of bells and airy melodies. Where the dim hum of synths lurks on the first cd, the band chooses naked noise to dress the secound.

The band worked on the double cd for three years, with instruments wandering from your basic guitar and bass to virtual analogue synths. Their strength - and signature - lies in the end product of the natual and synthetic; a country/city hybrid as much day as it is night. To call their weakness the lack of variation would be ignorant. Variation exists in it's own intricate capacity.

It's not a party albumor a headphone record, nor is it standard background noise. It's an intelligent and perfectly executed collection of sounds, to be enjoyed by a discerning set of patient ears."

Brooke Salisbury

Endgame Ad (thanks Tegan and Cat):



1/4" Ad (thanks Aaron):




..

The Last Practise

Before our 1st gig. At Thirroul Neighbourhood Centre which is a lovely old style country hall filled with lots of pics of cartoon characters...


Tim setting up the marvellous little PA he supplied for free - thanks as always Tim and Happy Birthday too...




Shane weaving his magic behind the desk - it was great to hear the sound whirling round the room.


Ian in front of the bananas - nuff said.


Rob suitably serious as he did the tuning up mantra.










Overall it was a terrific day with lots learnt about what to do. Hope to see you all there so you can experience our supreme power and majesty.

..

Background Noise

John (and Richard) at Background Noise interview Ian Miles and Shane Fahey about our release.

John Blades Review

A SLOW RIP – For The Time Being (2-CD, Endgame Records)

Listening to the new A Slow Rip double-CD release is really taking a sound journey through a sometimes desolate landscape. You don't just listen to A Slow Rip because it is a whole-body experience, with the sound absolutely consuming you. It is often very filmic, evoking strong visual images and emotions.

The first CD opens with two pieces which are like a continuum. Hollow Bowl, followed by Hard Defined may have their roots in Brian Eno's Music for Films and Music for Airports, but they are really music for lost worlds, evocative and soothing yet somehow disturbing. And unsettling. Especially considering the following piece Devil in the Well which awakens the listener from their serenity. The remainder of the first CD is a perfect marriage of A Slow Rip’s members’ (Rob Laurie, Ian Miles and Phil Turnbull) deep-seated love of drone music, Terry Reilly, Krautrock, 70s electronic music (particularly Germanic), the English post-punk group This Heat, and musique concrete’s harsher sounds. There is plenty of Klaus Dinger (founder member of the krautrock group Neu) motorik drumming, rhythms for motoring on the German autobahns.

The pieces Catbird and Heat This (a kind of homage to their much-loved This Heat) are intense dronescapes with metal resonances reminiscent of Throbbing Gristle's film soundtrack from 30 years ago, After Cease to Exist (a soundtrack for the hypnotic surface of Tarkovsky's mysterious Solaris). For me the experience of the piece Certainly is a swirling void, sucking you towards the centre of a black hole. It is quite dizzying and conjures up intense images. What a rich and strong sound experience.

The second CD begins with a colourful, lively, almost-comical caricature, with the almost-comical title of Fricket. The second track Kalimbah Tweak has a really mechanical motorik rhythm which I must say is my favourite rhythm on the CD - motoring motorik. The third track is a very Germanic musical piece called The Court on the Left; bright and airy. On track four we are returned to the reflective music of the first CD with a perfect minimal drone piece reminiscent of Brian Eno sprinkled with delicate musical droplets (The Freeway Temple). This is followed by further dark journeying in Drift down Keira.

The layers and textures of the CDs are beautifully balanced and produced with really careful mastering and production. Drift Down Keira is like being in the midst of a sonic wind blowing across the Arctic tundra. The films of André Tarkovsky are brought to mind with their strong images and textures. Yes, that is the word, the sound is very textural. There is a probing of deep space with Box the Remainder, where other-worldliness is embraced. The remainder of the second CD travels between light and dark, with some beautiful and surprising musical elements.

Each CD has a very individual character. The dark cavernous regions which the music takes the listener to on the first CD are almost colourised by the second CD.

The members of A Slow Rip really use the instruments in inventive and non-obvious ways. Rob Laurie (mainly guitar), Ian Miles (moog Opus 3) and Sydney post-punk luminary and archivist Phil Turnbull (Odyssey and Ion), all live in the glorious northern beach suburbs of Wollongong, south of Sydney. There is a wonderful sense of place on the glorious coast where they live, surrounded by the very industrial coalmining industry. I initially thought of ‘rip’ as the force of the currents in the ocean off the coast where they live. This force is echoed in the soundscapes that A Slow Rip magically create. Although RIP also stands for their names - the best of double entendres.

Aside from the music the CD has been beautifully recorded and mastered, with incredible attention to sound details, separation, crispness and clarity. The three members obviously have a masterful studio technique and skill-like craftsmanship. Shane Fahey, from the Endgame label who are releasing the double CD, said that it was beautifully mixed via the painstaking work of Rob Laurie and that its full potential was unleashed with the attentive and excellent mastering of William Bowden. The design of the gatefold cardboard sleeve has been assembled sensitively and thoughtfully by Tegan Northwood (who runs Endgame Records with Shane Fahey) incorporating ethereal photography by Phil Turnbull from his photographic archive.

Although all of the musical elements which are so important to the members of A Slow Rip are present, the music is a unique blend and really unlike each of the elements on their own. It is a very rich tapestry and a very enriching musical experience immersing yourself in the two CDs. Much more than a listening experience it is really a whole body and mind experience. Riveting. Pure poetry.

John Blades, July 2008
(founding member of The Loop Orchestra, presenter of 2MBS experimental music program Background Noise)

For further information visit:
http://aslowrip.sevcom.com, http://www.endgame.com.au

Gigs

::A Slow Rip:: The Dead Sea:: Tom Ellard:: Modern Gong Ritual::

WOLLONGONG

August 30th at MUSIC FARMERS 8pm
5 Crown Lane Wollongong.

SYDNEY

Saturday 6th September Megaphon Studios,
Floor 2 Building 8/ 70 Edith Street, St. Peters. Sydney.

$10 at the door

1/4"

Aaron from 1/4 Inch has posted band bios, comments etc at the 1/4" web site. He's also posted a 'stream' of tracks from us and the dead sea.

Fried Egg After Nude

Yes, a good day. Cold and soggy outside, warm and creative inside.
From my point of view I was a bit crusty and rusty, also somewhat under the weather.
It took me ages to get my stuff sorted out having not gotten my act together before hand.
Using a guitar/amp and FX borrowed from friend 'JB' (which infact I used on ASR's very first session) along with new toy Ebow and my old Ensoniq keyboard with a stuck key, it was all a bit confusing for me. Too many options perchance.
Phil and Ian were champing at the bit to play the stuff they'd been working on while I pfaffed about.. Still eventually we had a bit of gelling towards the end.

Trying the ebow for the very first time. It's a powerful sound and easy to over do but fits right in with the sounds we're making.
Gotta sort out more practice times..

Oh, the picture is by Felix, my youngest. 'Sludge Bunt' sounds like a good RIP title..

Friday Afternoon

So Ian and I finally played with Rob again after many intervening months, going through all the tracks that we'd been working out as a duo. Shane came along as well to get some idea of what effects he could use to broaden our live sound. We did it at my place, in "Annette's room" flooded with light and with the garden just outside.

Rob has borrowed a guitar "rig" from an old friend and had to come to grips with all that. Oh, yes, and the ebow sounds mighty fine. I set up the Odyssey and the Ion although the poor old Arp is in serious need of another service (it's really just a great noise maker nowadays). It was terrific to play together as a group once more and the songs all made a little more sense. I think Ian felt more relaxed about his parts with Rob there to flesh out the palette.

I made a delicious Duck cous cous for lunch but we wanted to finish it up quick and get back in and play some more. At least one more group practise and, possibly, a live practise with PA for friends before our proper launch gigs.

ebow off ebay

Had to mention this. I've bought an Ebow off Ebay.
An Ebow http://www.ebow.com/ is a hand held battery operated magnetic gizmo that makes electric guitar strings vibrate continuously (well, as long as you hold it close enough)
Good for Frippy, Frithy, Edgey, Michael Brook-ey ethereal nuage-scapes.
It hasn't arrived yet. It's coming from New Zealand.

I had this idea of suspending it from the ceiling just above a guitar's pickup so that it makes an intermittent sound when I swing it..
Now to find an electric guitar..

And a ceiling...

urgh

Hi there,
the ever illusive Rob here.
Just thought I'd stick my ha'pence worth in..
Since the beginning of the year I've been working with a couple of bands other than A Slow RIP (gasp!), one of them, a rockabilly trio(gasp!!) has gigs most weekends plus the odd weeknight... I also work 5 days a week and have 2 kids (gasp!!!) so, yep, time and energy is at a premium these days.
That said, Da RIP is a really important part of my creative musical life (let's face it, musically speaking rockabilly isn't rocket science, infact it's not rocket science any other way either, but it is paying the bills, partially).
And now ASR has a real bona fide CD release, thanks to Endgame Records and there are a couple of performances lined up, though I hadn't really considered ASR to be a live entity in the sense of a giggling band...
I'm looking forward to the shows but at this stage have only a vague idea of what we are going to do.
So while Phil and Ian have been practicing, I haven't so much as plugged in a guitar. As I'm a happy improviser I'm not too worried although my main concern is that of gear. I don't have any.
When we record I borrow stuff or use what's lying around. Sadly I don't have a raft of gear and effects.
As Phil says we are having some kind of rehearsal this Saturday so, as the Illawarra's Premier Avant Trio lumbers into bemused existence, we shall see what transpires.

Practise etc

So Ian and I have been practising each week so that we can provide the best possible live performance you've ever seen!

Rob's so busy that he can't be involved in these but he's magically talented all the time and we're sure he'll be able to make us sound more brilliant than ever. No pressure, then. Both he and Shane are coming over next Saturday week to do it properly. Ha!

I bought some nice new leads from Allan's Music in Sydney last week. They're great but what a ridiculous store it is. The walk-in section has a million stupid guitars and amps with lots of bad musos testing riffs. Behind this is drums and then technical gear. Upstairs is all keyboards all the time. The synths they have are awful - all digital presets and imperfect manufacturing. Not one good brand amongst the tedium. Lots of gaffer for sale, though.

But I did order a new 3 tiered keyboard stand so that I don't break my gorgeous ion again and, ofcourse, so that i can look like a complete wanker. I was surprised that Allan's don't sell capes as well.

Ah, Wakeman will arise.

Broken

So I finished practising yesterday and was pleased that the fingers could actually perform well enough (just relax seems to be the way forward) and I moved the ion to the side of the room when... the X table on which it sits collapsed!

I'd bought a clip-on light so i could see things better that very day and the clip got smashed completely but, worst of all, the 2nd highest B key was at a 45 degree angle upwards and there was something rattling ominously inside my lovely, lovely synth. Not to mention the scratches on the bottom.

After swearing a lot, I pulled myself together, turned on the power and... it still plays beautifully. Even the broken key. Phew. I pulled myself together more, called up the servicing manual PDF and unscrewed the top from the bottom. Its quite a simple thing inside, really but the top is very heavy. The rattling was a small U-shaped part of the key which keeps it from going upwards as it's in tension with a small spring engaged at the back all the time.

I've talked to Tim V about the best glue to use and will try to fix it temporarily before Alesis can send me a replacement.

Disaster averted.

Fingers

I'm practising madly to get my damned fingers to work in time for our live gigs in August/September. It's been so very long since I've had to make notes come out in some sort of order that my brain is frying trying even some simple combinations. Obviously, this isn't something that's required for 99.9% of our material but it's nice to mix it up a little bit.

1st Review

VitalWeekly, (Netherlands) no.#630

A SLOW RIP - FOR THE TIME BEING (2CD by Endgame) There is a small picture of A Slow Rip on the press text along with this double CD, which show the band as not exactly young man, but their names are new to me: Phil Turnbull, Ian Miles and Rob Laurie, who play music through means of improvisation on guitar, percussion, vocals, wind instruments, analogue synths, bass and virtual analogue synth. Everything is recorded live to the computer, where the material is edited. Over the past few years they recorded seven CDrs of which 'For The Time Being' is a best of. All three players have an extensive background in Australia's music life and play various instruments. That is something that can surely be heard on this release. CD one is apparently more synthesizer based and the tracks are pretty dark and moody, but the atmospherics are kept alive through relatively short (between three and eight minutes) pieces, which have enough to say and never fall short in variation. Things drone and hum nicely away. The second disc has more rhythmic interjections in the music, not really the techno kind, but nice, gentle rhythms that guide a music that is a bit more opened in its structure. This is the more musical side of the band, and other instruments than the synthesizer play a role. It shows indeed another side of the band, and usually I could say that two CDs is too long but in this case it rather works well. Not having heard the previous CDRs of which this is culled, but I can easily imagine these two discs form the complete picture of the band. Nice one. (FdW)

Quite a lovely review of us from someone who's never heard the stuff. I'm glad that the music manages to impart it's qualities - being so close to it I never know if it really has any impact.

Arrival

Well, the real article has been delivered. "For The Time Being", I mean. It looks very beautiful indeed. I'm Listening to it now. And loving it. But I suppose I would say that.

Tentative dates are: July for online availability and August for the CDs. So we'll be playing a couple of live dates in support of that timeline.

Stay tuned for more.

For The Time Being

Endgame Records will be releasing a 2 cd compilation of our work in a few months time. It's culled from our seven (count 'em) albums of 'privately' released material (which you can aclimatise yourself with at our main web site).

You can also join us at

MySpace
Facebook

(Please do)