Ash International

Two Tapes

2010-07-10T10:23:10Z

Continuing Ash International's occasional series of cassette releases, two new tapes from BJ Nilsen and Joachim Nordwall are now on sale. BJ Nilsen's "Draught #1" features two live recordings from 2008, housed in a splendid Savage Pencil cover. Joachim Nordwall's "Ignition" - his debut solo album, to be released later in 2010 on CD - features five tracks, received and recorded in Brooklyn, Chicago, Gothenberg and Stockholm between 2006 and 2010. Equipment used: analogue synthesizers, effects and computer. This cassette was mastered by BJNilsen. Joachim Nordwall runs iDEAL Recordings and is a member of Skull Defekts.

Ash 9.1 - BJ Nilsen - Draught #1

2010-07-10T10:21:19Z

Buy in the TouchShop Cassette only, in an edition of 500 copies. Cover: ‘Dead Flowerz One’ – the first in a series of six by SAVX. Track Listing A: Live at the ICA, London, 17th May 2008 - 40:07 Recorded by Charlie Poulet B: Live at Puzzle, Caen, 26th November 2008 - 31:50 Recorded by Anna Cruise "Arrive early. Dress appropriately. Avoid excessive alcohol consumption. Tune up before and during the performance. Don’t be a statue. Avoid “dead air”. Be flexible. Learn to play through bad stage sound. Never stop part way through a song, no matter how badly you’ve screwed up. Be prepared to socialise and mingle with the audience members. Have fun."

Ash 8.9 - Joachim Nordwall - Ignition

2010-07-10T10:19:18Z

Buy in the TouchShop Cassette only, in an edition of 500 copies. This release will appear as a compact disc later in 2010. Track Listing 1: I am the Beginning of Every End 2: Slow Motion Broadcast 3: My Skull is a Breathing Fire 4: Dead Air 5: My Face Appeared on a Black Screen (Then Disappeared) Received and recorded in Brooklyn, Chicago, Gothenberg and Stockholm between 2006 and 2010. Equipment used: analogue synthesizers, effects and computer. Programme repeats on both sides. This cassette was mastered by BJNilsen. Joachim Nordwall runs iDEAL Recordings and is a member of Skull Defekts and Alvars Orkester.

Presenting... Thomas Ankersmit

2010-07-02T12:10:10Z

We are proud to announce the release by Thomas Ankersmit of his concert performed in Utrecht late in 2007. Here is some info about Thomas, who has no other solo CDs available at this time… in fact, Live in Utrecht is his first official CD album release. Thomas Ankersmit is a 30 year old saxophonist, electronic musician and installation artist born and raised in the Netherlands and now primarily based in Berlin who combines abstract, intensely focused saxophone playing with hyper-kinetic analogue synth and computer improvisation. He also creates installation pieces that use sound, infrasound and "modifications to the acoustic characters of spaces" that disrupt the viewer/listener's perception of the exhibition space and their presence within it. He frequently works together with New York minimalist Phill Niblock and Sicilian electroacoustic improviser Valerio Tricoli, and other collaborators, mostly for live performances, have included Tony Conrad, Maryanne Amacher, Jim O'Rourke, Kevin Drumm and Borbetomagus. Buy Thomas Ankersmit "Live in Utrecht" in the TouchShop www.thomasankersmit.net

Ash 8.8 - Thomas Ankersmit - Live in Utrecht

2010-07-02T12:06:52Z

Buy in the TouchShop CD in Jewel Case 1 track, 39:18 Photography by Alexandra Leykauf Track Listing 1: Live in Utrecht, 39:18 Recorded on November 17th 2007 at Rumor, Utrecht, Netherlands. Thomas Ankersmit: Serge analogue modular synthesizer, computer, alto saxophone. Pre-recorded saxophone and reel-to-reel parts composed by Valerio Tricoli, with source material by Ankersmit. Mastered by Denis Blackham at Skye. Thomas Ankersmit is a 30 year old saxophonist, electronic musician and installation artist born and raised in the Netherlands and now primarily based in Berlin who combines abstract, intensely focused saxophone playing with hyper-kinetic analogue synth and computer improvisation. He also creates installation pieces that use sound, infrasound and "modifications to the acoustic characters of spaces" that disrupt the viewer/listener's perception of the exhibition space and their presence within it. He frequently works together with New York minimalist Phill Niblock and Sicilian electroacoustic improviser Valerio Tricoli, and other collaborators, mostly for live performances, have included Tony Conrad, Maryanne Amacher, Jim O'Rourke, Kevin Drumm and Borbetomagus. Reviews: VITAL (Netherlands): An odd thing just occurred to me: I may have met Thomas Ankersmit about ten years for the first time, when he walked into the shop I was working, asking me to buy records for the store from FMP, then, later on, telling me, he played saxophone and that it was pretty noisy. I asked him for some recordings, if he had any, with the idea to put them out on a CDR label I was involved with, and again later, off and on he inquired about playing a concert in a local venue I am a volunteer at, but I never actually caught his music, not on a release, not in concert. So, his 'Live In Utrecht', is the first time I hear his music. To his saxophone he added over the years a Serge analogue modular synthesizer, computer and 'pre-recorded saxophone and reel-to-reel parts composed by Valerio Tricoli, with source material by Ankersmit'. His Utrecht concert is in three parts (or least here on this CD). In each part he explores a minimal set of sounds, the beginning and end dominated by his saxophone playing, with a spiraling effect, maybe through the use of a loop device? In the first part there is also the crackling of vinyl, in the second high pitched sine wave like sounds float around more freely, and mingle with computerized crackles, while in the third piece the saxophone returns and sound like a bunch of bagpipes playing a very nice piece of drone music. I am not sure why exactly this concert had to be released, or why it would stand out from his other concerts, but its surely a very nice one. [FdW] kinamuzik (Netherlands): Live in Utrecht is de eerste officiële cd die Thomas Ankersmit op de mensheid loslaat. Deze liveopname uit 2007 onderstreept meteen de belofte die de naar Berlijn uitgeweken Nederlander in zich draagt. Ankersmit maakt naast (geluids)installaties ook op zichzelf staande improvisaties waarbij hij zich voornamelijk op saxofoon, analoge synths en computers baseert. Live in Utrecht vangt aan met monotone, abstracte saxofoonklanken die met tal van elektronische afwijkingen geconfronteerd worden. Deze wisselwerking tussen semistatisch uitgesponnen klankentapijten en flitsende onregelmatigheden, die zich als luizen in de pels van de compositie nestelen, zorgt voor een gespannen textuur. In de loop van de opname wordt deze spanningsboog op drie verschillende manieren gemaakt, waarna in de goede regel van de dialectiek de synthese een nieuwe voedingsbodem vormt. Dat de muziek ook op cd overeind blijft, spreekt in het voordeel van Ankersmit. Zijn eerdere samenwerkingen met Tony Conrad, Maryanne Amacher, Jim O'Rourke, Kevin Drumm en Borbetomagus hadden de verwachtingen hoog gespannen. Ankersmit lost ze in.

Ash 8.1 | second edition

2010-06-29T09:13:34Z

Jana Winderen's "The Noisiest Guys on the Planet" has been re-editioned, with reworked cover art. It is on sale now in the TouchShop. Cassette only, in an edition of 500 copies. Second edition, with alternate inlay. “The Noisiest Guys on the Planet” were recorded by Jana Winderen, who also provided the illustration. Thanks to: Institute of Marine Research and the crew on Johan Hjort. The decapods or Decapoda (literally means “ten footed”) are an order of crustaceans within the class Malacostraca, including many familiar groups, such as crayfish, crabs, lobsters, prawns and shrimp. Most decapods are scavengers. As their name implies, all decapods have ten legs; these are the last five of the eight pairs of thoracic appendages characteristic of crustaceans. The front three pairs function as mouthparts and are generally referred to as maxillipeds, the remainder being pereiopods. In many decapods, however, one pair of legs has enlarged pincers; the claws are called chelae, so those legs may be called chelipeds. Learn more about "The Noisiest Guys on the Planet". Buy "The Noisiest Guys on the Planet" in the TouchShop.

Apologies for any inconvenience

2010-04-16T08:05:18Z

Ash International would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused by international ash. These events are somewhat beyond our control…

Ash 8.7 - Meltaot • Souls on Board

2010-04-08T09:55:27Z

Buy in the TouchShop Limited edition vinyl only Published by Touch Music [MCPS] © 2010 Ash International "Worms compose as well as decompose" On the 19th November 2009, there took part at Café Oto, London, the first ever Night of the Long Worms - a label night held by the cassette label, The Tapeworm. Meltaot consists of Savage Pencil (Electric Guitar/Cymbal) & Sharon Gal (Bass Guitar/Voice). Souls on Board features Bruce Gilbert, who has recently released his latest solo album on Editions Mego. Free Meltaot vinyl sticker with each copy. ! Side: Meltaot - Live at Café Oto [Savx/Gal] 14:20 Recorded at The Night of the Long Worms 19.xi.09 ? Side: 1. Souls on Board - Live at Café Oto [Worm/Gilbert] 13:58 you can hear an edit of this track here Recorded at The Night of the Long Worms 19.xi.09 2. Pirates Mix [Bruce Gilbert] 7:35

Ash 7.5D - Three Questions..., digital download

2010-02-10T17:56:25Z

Now available for download in the TouchShop: Philip Marshall's “Three Questions and an Answer”. Originally released in 2009 as a limited cassette, in an edition of 104 copies only. Download Three Questions and an Answer in the TouchShop

BBC Radio 4 Drama | 1st February 2010

2010-01-30T18:49:10Z

The Ditch on Monday 1st Feb "A sound recordist is enticed by the disturbing aural landscape of Slaughton Ditch, with terrifying and fatal consequences. Written and narrated by Paul Evans." (The Radio Times) This play uses recordings taken from the CD "The Ghost Orchid: An Introduction to EVP" which is available from the TouchShop here. You can read more about EVP at parc.web.fm.]]> Wildlife Sound Recordist: Chris Watson Produced & Directed by Sarah Blunt

The Skull Defekts - Lyrics in Libraries

2010-01-20T09:34:45Z

Video footage of a reading/performance in Brixton library, dated 04/05/06, by The Skull Defekts with Mike Harding, presented as part of the 2006 Lyrics in Libraries season. Curated by J.G. Thirlwell. Lyrics in Libraries is an annual arts & literature festival which has been running since 2003. It is a partnership initiative between OpenHaus Arts and London Borough of Merton Library & Heritage Service. ]]>

Ashe International

2010-01-15T13:22:17Z

BJNilsen discovered this great site - Ashe International. “We are happy when we see our worker's devotion and our esteemed customer's attraction and faiths with our products. It forces us to say that the day is not at distance when we will be everywhere.”

Ash 8.5 - Paul Williams - Pillars of Wisdom

2010-01-04T17:33:32Z

Buy in the TouchShop 1 track .m4v video, digital download for iPod/iPhone Track listing: 1: Pillars of Wisdom - 5m27s Filmed and edited by Paul Williams on location in Abu Dhabi. Soundtrack: Gel by Philip Marshall, published by Touch Music [MCPS]. Paul Williams writes: "Arriving in Abu Dhabi my initial reaction, standing on the balcony of my hotel room on the 20th floor, was disorientation and near-vertigo. Laid out before me was a building site on a scale I had never seen before; a small island was under construction. This was “a room with a view” of a very different kind. Not some picturesque vista illustrating historical achievement but a vast, stark scene of becoming; a display of the knowledge, effort and will required to alter the landscape and create a new world. The skyscrapers I was watching turn from plans into reality suggested the phrase “Pillars of Wisdom”, adapted from the title of T.E. Lawrence’s account of his life in Arabia. As the days went by the view became a site of contemplation. There was always something going on, some detail that warranted attention: the endless comings and goings of the work-crews, the slow gestures of the cranes, the shifting patterns of aircraft warning lights. I wanted to capture something of what I was witnessing so, as you survey these monuments rising from the white sand, look closely and you will see tiny events occurring: the slow trajectory of a car's headlights, the flare of a welder's torch at night, even a bird flying across the face of the sun… As I have come to know this landscape I am continually reminded that even though we live beneath the gaze of giants, made with our own minds and hands, it is our simple joys that continue to define us as human."

Ash 8.6 - Stephan Mathieu - 10 Minutes

2009-12-18T19:34:32Z

Buy in the TouchShop Digital Download: 9x .m4v videos for iPod/iPhone. Published by Touch Music [MCPS] © 2010 Ash International "Nine webcam movies for handheld devices shot with my laptop's camera between September and October 2009. The soundtrack is basically what was playing then. 10 Minutes is dedicated to Anna Carolina Mikalef." I. Crepuscule light, curtain, wind audio: Amelita Galli-Curci sings Massenet 78rpm from 1921 II. Screen 16mm projector, b/w flicker, projection audio: Stephan Mathieu III. Eye light, reflection audio: Stephan Mathieu plays Sylvain Chauveau (excerpt) IV. Sonnenschatten light, mobile, shade audio: Heinrich Isaac 78rpm from von 1928 V. Licht kitchen cabinet, sunlight reflection audio: (silent) VI. Hoch garden, picnic gramophone, 78rpm record with bird song audio: unknown throssle captured on 78rpm shellac in 1932 VII. Sonne light, mobile audio: Stephan Mathieu, text by Yoko Ono VIII. Two Dots empty turntable audio: François Couperin, "Le Carillion de Chitere" 78rpm from 1934 IX. Code 16mm projector, b/w flicker, puzzled webcam audio: Stephan Mathieu (from "Process") Reviews Vital Weekly (NL): Ok, the rule is that we no longer review online releases. I make those rules, so I can also break them if I want to. I like to make this exception for the release by Stephan Mathieu. Not only a highly amiable man, but also a producer of all fine things music wise. The description is clear: "Nine webcam movies for handheld devices shot with my laptop's camera between September and October 2009. The soundtrack is basically what was playing then." Mathieu has a fascination for flickering images, not man produced (well, not necessarily), but from natural events. The wind moves the curtain and the sun tries to burst in. Light on an old shellac (and incidentally picking up the sound from the shellac). Images from the garden, shadow of trees. Simply process like images and accidental sound, which however fits the image well (or vice versa of course: the image fit well to the music). A short sweet production, that, had I one, I would stick immediately on my iphone/ipad/mobile. In fact I wouldn't mind to have all of these as 10 minutes pieces each. (FdW)

The story of the Runaway Train on BBC Radio 4

2009-10-13T09:58:44Z

On Sunday 18th October 2009, BBC Radio 4 broadcasts Runaway Train: “March 9th 1987 began as a normal day for railwayman Wesley MacDonald as he made up a train of 50 cars of ore at a mine in northern Canada. But that all changed when the brakes failed to hold the load and Wesley suddenly found himself aboard a runaway train. This programme tells the story of what happened next, featuring actual audio footage of the radio communication between him and the rail traffic controller as he wrestles with the decision on whether to jump or take his chances onboard.” Ash International released the full recording of the conversations that took place between Wesley, the driver of the runaway train, and Alfie, his controller, in 1994 as Ash 1.9. This vinyl edition is deleted, but the audio may be downloaded as a MP3 by clicking here.