MachineBeat is proud to announce it’s first release on Juno Records.
Catalog# mb001 – NerveJam – MachineMusic
Release Date: 23/4/2012
Price: £4.99
Individual Tracks: £0.59
NerveJam | Here it Comes!
Posted: 18th April 2012 by NerveJam in NerveJam, NewsTags: Juno Records, MachineBeat, MachineMusic, New Release, Release Date
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MachineMusic album – digital release via Juno Records 23.4.2012
Posted: 18th April 2012 by NerveJam in NerveJamTags: Back Catalog, Critical Acclaim, Croydon, Digital Downloads, Downloads, Evolution, Eyes And Ears, Juno Records, MachineMusic, New Release, Phase3, Release Date, Subliminal, Time Release
That’s right, I’m releasing my back catalog as digital downloads via my own label (MachineBeat), on Juno Records. First up is MachineMusic, which includes “MachineMusic” and “Subliminal”, which received critical acclaim (and indeed, airplay!) at the time.
It also includes my version of “Croydon Library”, which I’m quite proud of..
Release Date: 23.4.2012
Price: £4.99
Individual Tracks: £0.59
I’ll be releasing Evolution and Phase3 in following weeks. Keep your eyes (and ears) peeled for further announcements.
P.S. New material is on the way..
OMD | She’s Got Claws
Posted: 16th April 2012 by jim@newblack.me in OMDTags: Blogs, Myspace Blogs, New Album, New Project, OMD
Just want to draw your attention to our friend Micci’s new project: She’s Got Claws. Check out her new website to listen to and learn more about the new album.
OMD | English Electric Update
Posted: 2nd April 2012 by jim@newblack.me in OMDTags: Blogs, Clear Vision, Diesel, Dilemma, Distinctive Style, Dresden, Failure, First Priority, Glitch, Helen Of Troy, Imagery, Music, Myspace Blogs, OMD, Prototype, Rott, Ships, Simple Logic, Utopian, Voices
We keep getting asked about the imagery and sound that will be associated with English Electric. The imagery is the more difficult issue. We already have a clear vision for the first priority in making an album; the direction of the music.
Regarding imagery; we have a dilemma. There would be a simple logic to basing something on recreating the front of the blue and cream Deltic Diesel prototype. However, there is also a reason for doing something totally fresh. EE is certainly an attempt to move forward, yet will also retain our distinctive style. Simply recreating the Deltic front would be more like another version of History of Modern and would tend to suggest that the music is a further exploration of that theme. We have, as yet, made no decision.
Lyrically, EE seems to be an exploration of how one’s Utopian dreams often end in dystopic failure and regret. Musically, it uses many current sounds and styles. Dresden sounds very ‘OMD,’ Our System is like a Glitch style Stanlow/ROTT if that can be imagined. Helen of Troy sound like Georgia meets first album Depeche. Please Remain Seated, Decimal, and Atomic Ranch use programmed robotic voices and have a hint of Dazzle Ships to them. And there is more..much more!
Andy
John Foxx & The Maths | The Shape Of Things (Released 19/3/2012)
Posted: 19th March 2012 by NerveJam in John Foxx & The Maths, News, UncategorizedTags: John Foxx and the Maths
TWO DISC LIMITED EDITION IS AVAILABLE HERE
STANDARD 16 TRACK EDITION IS AVAILABLE HERE
‘From exultant motorik to giddy Depeche Mode-like synth pop to the macabre ‘Talk’, The Shape of Things is consistently absorbing, as good as any of Foxx’s early-80s benchmarks.’ 4/5 Mojo
‘He has never seemed so relevant, nor sounded so modern, as he does in 2012. Foxx’s best album since Metamatic. These ancient gizmos sound as much like the future as they did in 1980, and so does the fantastic Mr Foxx.’ BBC.co.uk
‘This is a record of utopias and dystopias, perfect synth pop. It’s also an entirely human record though: the common theme that emerges is one of corrupted memories: failed relationships are visualised as futures that never came, while even the most robotic of tunes feature traces of blue skies and ocean.’ 5/5 Artrocker (ALBUM OF THE MONTH)
‘The Shape Of Things is an absolute triumph.’ 4/5 FACT magazine
‘Foxx has rediscovered his musical touch. This sequel to 2011′s Interplay again taps a renewed interest in minimal wave’s glacial harmonies and pattering beats, though on haunted elegies such as ‘Rear-View Mirror’ and ‘September Town’, with their sonorous vocals and JG Ballard-esque vision of decaying modernity, it’s the man who triumphs over the machines.’ 3/5 Q Magazine
‘Sharply observational but with a soft centre that makes it a moving experience. With such an intense creative zeal at the moment, John Foxx is continuing from strength to strength.’ 5/5 DMC World
‘In The Shape Of Things Foxx, ably assisted by his new lieutenants and always with one eye on dreams of an imagined future, continues to make his most startlingly contemporary-sounding music in years.’ The Quietus
‘A retro-futurist show of bubbling electronics and dolorous laments.’ 7/10 Uncut
‘There’s an aroma of Bowie’s seminal Low here, especially on ‘Unrecognised’ which comes fuelled by techno bubbles, striking synth lines and a mournful vocal invoking loss. Another great LP from Foxx.’ 4/5 Record Collector
‘By the power of JG Ballard’s Roland Juno standing under an autobahn flyover in Berlin in 1973 in the cold war rain wearing a fedora – it’s a new John Foxx album! Having gone through 360 degree electro rehabilitation recently – with the help of East London analogue synthesizer archivist Ben ‘Benge’ Edwards – Foxx has not only rescued himself from being a footnote of 80s night nostalgia but has re-established himself as a synth pop artist of note and proto hauntologist. More introspective but no less gripping than last year’s great Interplay.’ 8/10 Vice Magazine
‘An electro corker. This is an album packed with proper tunes as well as atmosphere. Foxx’s vocals might sound as detached as ever, but he also demonstrates an ear for an infectious melody on ‘Tides’ and the elegant ‘Vapour Trails’, which catch him slotting neatly into a gap between Gary Numan and David Sylvian. Electronic music, currently enjoying another resurgence, owes him a considerable debt but it also feels eerily like an album very much about the now rather than an album about the past.’ 3/5 The Arts Desk
‘The electronic pioneer shows how it’s done. Foxx’s talent for melody and lyrics hasn’t left him, and songs like the almost folky ‘September Town’ and the stuttering waltz ‘The Shadow Of His Former Self’ are in a direct line from ‘Europe After The Rain’ and ‘The Quiet Men.’ Anyone tempted by recent electronic music and who wants to see it done by one of its originators would be well advised to nip by here.’ 7/10 Classic Rock
”Foxx’s fascination with the dark underbelly of urban existence remains unabated here. Whack this round your jugs on a midnight trip to London’s Soho and there’ll be little requirement for your inquisitive side to imagine what lurks beyond the sordid stairways or afterhours drinking establishments, as Foxx is more than willing to take you inside, upstairs and down the back alleys.’ 8/10 Barcode
‘Foxx is a man whose creative touch paper has been well and truly lit in
the last two years. The Shape Of Things is an incredibly assured piece of work,
machine-like in its execution but revealing a soulful, tender exterior that we do
not often seen from the former Ultravox man. It suits him well – and on this
evidence further rewards will soon follow.’ 4/5 Musicomh. com
‘The Shape Of Things is full of emotion, intensity and avant-garde twists.’ 8/10 Hi-Fi Choice
John Foxx & The Maths | John Foxx & The Maths with Matthew Dear
Posted: 18th March 2012 by NerveJam in John Foxx & The Maths, NewsTags: amp, Analogue, Backbone, Control, Control Lyrics, Dreams, Fact Magazine, Fruits, John Foxx, John Foxx and the Maths, March 19, maths, Narrative, Piece Of Music, shape of things, Sonic Architecture, Voices
FACT MAGAZINE:
Last week, we reported that Matthew Dear was teaming up with John Foxx to re-record ‘Talk’, the third track on the upcoming John Foxx and The Maths record The Shape Of Things.
Now, FACT can exclusively present the fruits of the pair’s collective labours. Dear’s reinterpretation – renamed ‘Talk (Beneath Your Dreams) – is certainly more propulsive than the original. Foxx’s austere sonic architecture remains, but Dear grafts it onto a solid techno backbone and bathes it a warm analogue afterglow. Particularly impressive is the way Dear’s and Foxx’s respective voices work in concert. As Dear explained:
“When I received the original piece of music from the guys, I found it very much intact and almost complete. I approached it quickly and informally, allowing for a subconscious narrative to take control. John’s lyrics called out to the shadows of someone’s mind. I wanted my verse to be that mind’s response.”
The Dear-augmented version will be bundled with the single CD edition of The Shape Of Things, which will hit shops on March 19 via Metamatic Records.
John Foxx & The Maths | USA Airplay
Posted: 16th March 2012 by NerveJam in John Foxx & The Maths, NewsTags: Adventure University, Airplay, Amarillo Tx, Dirt Road, Flight Test, Ftw, Heavy Rotation, John Foxx and the Maths, Kopa, Kpft Houston, Ktcl Denver, Manchester Vt, Medium Rotation, Moines Ia, Monmouth Nj, Myrtle Beach Sc, Pala Ca, Road Radio, San Diego Ca, San Marcos Ca, Wkzq Myrtle Beach
Thanks to the following stations in America for playing ‘Evergreen’ in the last week. It’s much appreciated.
IndieSF Internet “Regular Rotation” (2x)
KACV Amarillo, TX “Under The Radar”
KBZT San Diego, CA “FTP”
KFMG Des Moines, IA “Dirt Road Radio”
KKSM San Marcos, CA “Music Caravan”
KOPA Pala, CA “Music Caravan”
KPFT Houston, TX “Sound Awake”
KTCL Denver, CO “Adventure University”
Spy FM Internet “Regular Rotation” – Heavy Rotation
WBJB Monmouth, NJ “FM Showcase”
WBJB Internet “Altrok” – Medium Rotation
WEQX Manchester, VT “Going Underground”
WKZQ Myrtle Beach, SC “Flight Test”
XTRA San Diego, CA “FTW”
Thanks also to Substance, co for working on this campaign with us.
Events | New show in Madrid on 26 May
Posted: 9th March 2012 by NerveJam in Events, John Foxx & The MathsTags: benge, Hannah, John Foxx, John Foxx and the Maths, Madrid Spain, maths, New Madrid
John Foxx And The Maths will be playing a one-off show in Madrid, Spain on 26 May. This will feature the full-line of John Foxx, Benge, Hannah Peel and Serafina Steer.
You can buy tickets HERE
John Foxx & The Maths | Abstraxa
Posted: 7th March 2012 by NerveJam in John Foxx & The Maths, NewsTags: benge, Digital Components, Electronic Music, Electronic Musical Instruments, John Foxx and the Maths, Living Organism, Modifiers, Modulation Capabilities, Music Box, Noise Generators, Oscillators, Outer Reaches, Phase Shifters, Pulse Generators, Random Sources, Robert Moog, Solo Album, Sound Sources, Synthesiser, Tape Music Center, Timing Generators
Benge from The Maths has just released a new solo album, Abstraxa:
Abstraxa – exploring the outer reaches, using the Buchla Electronic Music Box
The six compositions featured on Abstraxa were realised on a Buchla modular synthesiser. Donald Buchla began makng electronic musical instruments in 1963, developing the first Buchla 100 series systems in conjunction with the San Francisco Tape Music Center. These first inventions coincided with the development of Robert Moog’s 900 Series modular systems over on the west coast of america, and as such belong to the very first generation of commercially available synthesisers. One intersting aspect is that Don Buchla is still developing and manufacturing his modular systems, using the same module format (now 200e series) that he introduced 50 years ago. The current 200e modules utilise a combination of analogue and digital components
The Buchla has a very unique way of producing sound, using electronic voltages to control the sound sources (oscillators and noise generators), sound modifiers (gates, filters, phase shifters, modulators, etc) and event timing generators (sequencers, random sources, pulse generators, etc). Systems can be built up from the available modules to suit the needs of the composer. The power of the system lies in the inter-modulation capabilities. This means that extremely deep patches can be set up with a myriad of connections interacting together in complex ways to produce evolving and self-generating soundscapes. It is anagolous to working with a living organism as opposed to a static machine, a brain rather than a computer.
LISTEN TO ABSTRAXA HERE
John Foxx & The Maths | Classic Rock, Record Collector
Posted: 5th March 2012 by NerveJam in John Foxx & The Maths, MediaTags: benge, Collaborator, Drum Machines, Duffer, Electro Pop, Electronic Pioneer, Europe After The Rain, Experimental Edge, Hg Wells, Hg Wells Novel, Invisible Ray, John Foxx, John Foxx and the Maths, Living In The Future, Mike Cooper, Quiet Men, shape of things, Shapes And Sizes, Ultravox, Vintage Synths, Wonderment
(Photo by Mike Cooper)
THE SHAPE OF THINGS REVIEWS –
7/10 CLASSIC ROCK
Electronic pioneer shows how it’s done.
Named after an HG Wells novel, this album’s title omits the words ‘To Come’, possibly because John Foxx has been living in the future for decades.
Now, the former Ultravox! singer and an influence on all of electro pop, releases his second album with The Maths. And while it’s business as usual – retro synths, papery drum machines, haunted vocals – it’s also as good as ever. Foxx’s talent for melody and lyrics hasn’t left him, and songs like the almost folky ‘September Town’ and the stuttering waltz of ‘The Shadow Of His Former Self’ are in a direct line from ‘Europe After The Rain’ and ‘The Quiet Men’. He’s also as spooky as ever on instrumental opener ‘Spirus’ and the iron wispiness of ‘Invisible Ray’. Anyone tempted by recent electronic music and who wants to see it done by one of its originators would be well advised to nip by here.’
4/5 RECORD COLLECTOR
Foxx even plays guitar on one track!
These days John Foxx has so much lead in his pencil, there’s hardly any room for the wooden casing. We’ve lost track of how many LPs he’s delivered in the last five years, though we’ve heard them all – and there’s not a duffer among them.
It seems that Foxx has unfurled The Maths as a convenient banner under which he can deploy a revolving carousel of players with which to collaborate. On his latest, The Shape Of Things, Foxx shares compositional and recording duties with Ben Edwards, aka Benge – his collaborator on last year’s Interplay, and the man who celebrated vintage synths of all shapes and sizes on 2008′s Twenty Systems. Rather than build upon the electro-pop wonderment of the duo’s previous outing, there’s a more experimental edge here, though tracks such as ‘Rear-View Mirror’ and ‘September Town’ would boost Interplay‘s portfolio.
The light-and-shade nuances to instrumentals ‘Psytron’, ‘Modreno’, ‘Astoria’, ‘Invisible Ray’ and ‘Buddwing’, however, are utterly compelling electronic hymns. There’s an aroma of Bowie’s seminal Low at work here, especially on ‘Unrecognised’ which comes fuelled by techno bubbles, striking synth lines a mournful vocal invoking loss.
Another great LP from Foxx and, after Gary Numan’s recent foray into experimental electronica, we hope that a collaboration between the pair is on the cards.’