David J – Missive To An Angel From The Halls Of Infamy And Allure

‘Missive To An Angel From The Halls Of Infamy And Allure’, the forthcoming double solo album by David J (Bauhaus / Love And Rockets) is an intensely personal, self deprecating, confessional song cycle and ultimately a glowing tribute to his wife of many decades.
It is intended as a cyclic swan-song, the last track, ‘I Hear Only Silence Now’ being a new version of the song which was the first on J’s 1983 solo debut, ‘Etiquette Of Violence’.
The new album was recorded in Prague, Berlin and Los Angeles as well as Wellingborough, England when J revisited Beck Studios where his former highly influential band, Bauhaus cut their seminal classic, ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’ back in 1979.
The new album features contributions from Anton Newcombe (Brian Jonestown Massacre), Toby Dammit (Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds), Paul Wallfisch (Swans), Sean Eden (Luna), Rose McGowan, Tim Newman, Asia Argento, Emily Jane White, Annabel (lee) and the great Czech violinist Karel Holas amongst others. J sees the album as the culmination of 36 years of solo / collaborative work.
It is also a ‘coming home’ of sorts as the label behind the release is the London based Glass Modern (the newly reactivated Glass Records) which originally released some of J’s earliest critically acclaimed works. Tim Newman contributed the instrumental backing to two tracks on the album (I Walked Away From) The Girl In Yellow and (I Don’t Want To Destroy) Our Beautiful Thing. The former was recorded in Beck Studios, where David then performed a special “live in the studio” gig. Tim joined David onstage for an experimental take on Bela Lugosi’s Dead during the encore.

V for Vendetta Soundtrack

Released in a die-cut sleeve with printed inner bag for Record Store Day 2019, Glass Modern present an expanded re-issue of the 1984 Glass Records EP by David J. The EP was the original soundtrack to the graphic novel “V for Vendetta” by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. The first of its kind, the original four tracks were expanded to nine, with three from the 2006 CD reissue and two new tracks by electronic composer Tim Newman especially for this release. “Ballet On The Burning Stage” is like a V for Vendetta symphony condensed into 7 minutes, and the other, “The Present” features the voice of Alan Moore himself.

Of the release, Tim said “David J dropped me an email and told me about the reissue, he said they had 10 minutes spare on the LP, and that I should use the original tapes and come up with something amazing. It was a wonderful challenge, but I’ll leave it to others to decide whether I fulfilled David’s instructions!”

David J – Vagabond Songs

The new album by David J (of Bauhaus) is out now and features two songs produced by Tim Newman, the two songs (She’s Got) Chinatown in the Rain in Her Eyes and Ascension also feature Tim on a variety of instruments including guitar and dulcimer.

David J’s ninth studio album Vagabond Songs features a disarmingly charming and heart-felt collection of acoustic songs written on the road and inspired by people and places encountered by David J as he ventured on his ramblin’ vagabond way around the world. The limited edition gatefold double vinyl album includes the UK hit single, “The Day That David Bowie Died” as well as a radical reworking of the Love and Rockets’ classic, “The Dog End of a Day Gone By”. The double LP comes in a special casewrapped gatefold jacket with two full color sleeves filled with lyrics and art, the color of the vinyl records is a mixture of opaque and translucent colors that match the gatefold jacket’s artwork. The run is limited to 500 copies (350 colored vinyl, 150 black vinyl).

David J – The Day That David Bowie Died

We are delighted to announce that Tim Newman has contributed a track to the new record by the fantastic singer songwriter David J. A true legend of the alternative music scene, David J was a founder member of Bauhaus and Love and Rockets. David continues to tour extensively and records wonderfully varied and exciting music.

Released on 10″ on “A” Recordings, a label owned by Anton Newcombe of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Day That David Bowie Died is a lovely EP. The title track was recorded with US band Federale, whilst the flip side features two versions of a new David J composition, Ascension; firstly David’s acoustic version, followed by Tim Newman’s instrumental arrangement, edited together to one whole.

Below David J expresses how it happened it in his own words:
“Something Happened On The Day He Died” As with every David Bowie album from ‘Hunky Dory’ on, I purchased ‘Blackstar’ on the day of it’s release:

“I was on tour at the time and had set aside the evening of Saturday, January 9 to immerse myself in it (post show) via headphones in the dark, dark basement of that night’s venue, an old house in suburban Seattle. The album blew me away. Once again Bowie had dared to dive into wild unchartered territory and it was thrilling to tag along.
The following day I travelled by train to Portland having booked a recording session there on the Monday. That night David Bowie left the planet. In a state of shock I played the new album for the second time.
Now with an entirely different perspective. Listening to it in that very weird, poignant and strangely exalted state I was struck by the notion that Bowie had created an incredibly complex and layered swan song and had, in effect, transformed his death into an astonishing work of art. By the time the final track came on I was weeping copiously. Those tears needed somewhere to go. They ended up in a song. One that simply poured out of me. I recorded it the next day.
(Props to Revolver Studio owner and engineer, Collin Hegna for assembling such a great group of musicians at such short notice in order to fully realize the work at hand.)” David J – 2016

Tim Newman – A Truce Between the Cerebral and the Brutish

Vibrafuzz Family are pleased to announce the release of a new Tim Newman. A Truce Between the Cerebral and the Brutish is available now on CD from 267 Lattajjaa, an experimental music label from Helsinki.
In the past, the music I made had two distinct qualities running through it. One was melody, the other was the sounds used to carry the melody. The sound was arrived at by choice of instrument and effects / processing / filtering etc. A cd I recorded as The Dovetail Consort represented a departure from this process. The sounds used were restricted to acoustic instruments with no processing other than reverb. This allowed me to concentrate on melody as the only variable.
This cd looks at the other side of the equation, focusing purely on sound and dispensing with melody. The tracks are made up of single continuous notes played on guitar and heavily processed and looped sections of Indian classical music, The album title comes from a description underneath a photo of King Crimson in The Wire magazine, “a truce between the cerebral and the brutish” just seemed to sum the album up.

S.C.FREE Compilation

S.C.FREE is a compilation limited to 50 copies of mostly unreleased material and is given free with Striate Cortex label orders. The album aims to promote Striate Cortex artists projects past, present and future. Tim Newman contributed a solo track, which opens the album, Tim’s liner notes are:

…Its Friday night and I’m venturing out. Table tennis at the Page Park Community Centre. No-one’s there, except a couple of old fellas at the bar. Fuck. Then I remembered Andy’s email asking for tracks for this compilation. Recorded Friday night, mixed Saturday morning, with just a Fender Telecaster and loads of FX pedals.

Homegrown Records Vol 2

Following swiftly on the heels of GLR Freaks Out Big Time, GLR’s new compilation Homegrown Vol 2 is upon us. This great compilation features Vibrafuzz Family act Tenor Fax, who contributed the track League One from a forthcoming EP of electropop football results. The EP should be along in the late spring of 2013, but in the meantime, this compilation is available to download for free from the Green Leaf Records website. Enjoy!

GLR Freaks Out Big Time

Vibrafuzz Family are pleased to announce the start of an exciting collaboration with Green Leaf Records, at the helm one Alex Emm, footsoldier of the Bristol underground and all-round good egg. VFF and GLR are working on some cool looking on demand cd re-issues of the VFF back catologue plus plenty of new and unreleased material.
But for starters, Vibrafuzz have contributed the track Pale Rider from the first Vibrafuzz album to the new compilation GLR Freaks Out Big Time. The compilation is available to download for free from the Green Leaf Records website, check it out.

Vibrafuzz Family – Vibrafuzz Family

A new (ish) compilation of Vibrafuzz Family material has been released on Fourier Transform as a hand numbered limitied edition cd and free download. When asked to submit material for the Concentric Spaces Vol 2 complilation on Striate Cortex, Vibrafuzz sent in these tracks. Although not originally intended as an album in itself, the tracks seemed to work well together…

1.Two Guitars
Recorded in Cairns in 2006, as the name suggests, the track is made from two guitar lines. I recorded an 8 track ep over two days whilst in Cairns, this is the first track from the sessions to see the light of day.

2. A Note’s Place In Time
From the first Tim Newman solo album, released on Reverb Worship. The album is made entirely from single note samples of Gamelan instruments held at the Nusantara Museum of Ethnocography, Holland.

3. Freak Ballad (original version)
The track chosen for the Striate Cortex compilation. This first version has Tim Newman playing everything. The lead guitar parts were largely replaced with Charlie’s playing on the final version.

4. On Connections Between Instruments
From an album exploring the relationship between traditional Indian music and the contemporary drone genre. The album is soon to be released as a Tim Newman solo album simultaneously with a remix album by Vibrafuzz.

5. Performance 9
Recorded in Nottingham in 2003. I recorded and mixed 10 tracks in a single day, all with a Korg CS30 synth and a Crafter Junior guitar. This track was the best of the bunch and is the first to be released.

6. The Guide (Tim Newman Remix)
One of several tracks recorded for an abandoned project consisting mainly of guitar feedback and drum breaks. This remix lets the guitar do all the talking.

concentric spaces vol 2

The second compilation cd from Striate Cortex features an exclusive Vibrafuzz track, Freak Ballad. Vibrafuzz have shrunk to a two piece following Olly Page’s return to Argentina, but Tim and Charlie are still onboard. The debut album was really all about Charlie’s guitar freakouts anyway, and nothing in this respect has changed. Tim’s backing has chilled out on this one though, moving the ‘fuzz closer to Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain. Here’s what Norman Records had to say about the Vibrafuzz contribution:

“Other highlights are a psych fuzzy guitar thing from Vibrafuzz complete with more wah-wah than you could shake a shitty stick at…”

Can’t say fairer than that. Concentric Spaces is available now from the good ship Norman Records, or directly from Striate Cortex.