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9th November 2003 Back from a performance in Berlin as part of the Berlin Jazz Festival, with Anna Homler and Steve Beresford. The concert was well received, although some people had brought their kids, perhaps expecting us to be a little more wacky than we actually are. This is an occupational hazard if you work with toys. Still, it's always nice to do a little clowning. Got to walk around Berlin in the cold for a bit- got lost and found the biggest see-saws in the world- solid steel things about 75 feet long! Steve Beresford and I couldn't resist, even though the metal was so cold it threatened to do something permanent to your nether regions. Just finished reading Nick Cohen's excellent "Pretty Straight Guys" a rather bleak disection of New Labour. I'm interviewing him tomorrow for Baggage Reclaim. Vaguely apprehensive... 26th October 2003 Mark Spybey has been in touch! He's a very old friend of mine who I've been doing music with off and on (mostly off!) for some thirty years. These days he's living up in Northumberland- although he still seems to be able to knock out CDs of left field electronic music at an extraordinary rate. Anyway, he's cleaned up some recordings we made as a duo back in 1990. It's strange schizo stuff- occasionally AMM style drifting improv, sometimes skronky no wave stuff (including a couple of tracks with me playing sax- yoiks!), next minute a three second punk song. Mark seems fairly confident that we can release this- I certainly have no objections, it's funny and at times really pretty groovy. In the meantime we intend to do some recording together- and maybe even do a couple of foreign gigs.... It's really great to be in touch with Mark again- we communicate by e-mail whilst at work (he's an occupational therapist Up North)- in these cynical/can't-be-bothered days, he's a seething cauldron of creativity and enthusiasm. I'm hoping to get him to do a tape diary thing for the radio show. Other stuff on the horizon include a return to the free improv fold with a gig for Resonance FM, in a trio with Kay Grant (vocals and electronics) and Alan Tomlinson (trombone)- to be confirmed. I'm also hoping for a solo spot at Sean O'Hagan's new venture- a "club" almost sounds too grand- at Petitou, a cafe in Peckham. The first night, with no live music, is on 3rd November- Here's what Sean's written- I am trying to get something going in Peckham at a cafe called Petitou . Its a nice veggy spot great atmosphere. They are up for a bit of music twice a month . I'm going to start simply with Gavin and myself spinning Memphis soul ,Brazilian and Italian stuff. It wil be Free ( maybe £1 to cover the hire of decks ) and bring your own beer until they get a license. I really just want to get something going in Peckham.
Hope you can support it . More details to follow. Really enjoying working with toys again in preparation for the Berlin Gig.
10th October 2003 Two live performances coming up- The first is at The Bull in Clerkenwell on Sunday 26th October, as part of an evening organised by Bobby Barry from Totally Bored. I've still to get a definite confirmation of this, so feel free to write to me if you want to avoid a wasted journey! The second performance is at the Berlin Jazz Festival where I'm performing with Anna Homler and Steve Beresford. Worth having at look at their website just for the extraordinary discription of me which was originally based on the other Richard Sanderson. The other news is that Baggage Reclaim (the radio show) is back. Now on Monday evenings from 5.00 to 6.30 pm. The only discernable difference between this and the old Sunday afternoon slot will be the half hour shaved off the length. Rob Flint, Mark Braby and I are delighted with our new "drivetime" slot. Further details at Resonance104.4fm. 4th September 2003 OK! OK! I know, I know... It's ages since I last updated this site. To tell the truth I've rather enjoyed having a break from it...and , whilst having the break, I got a new computer which I've been getting to grips with, and my hosts, (Lycos- you may have guessed), have changed the system for updating my site. For the better. This has ended up being the period when I've stopped things, firstly the club, then I left Ticklish (that may have been a mistake!) and then we decided to put the radio show on hold for a bit too. So-o-o-o, how have I been spending all the extra time I imagine you wondering. Well I've got more involved in the Rationalist scene- going to the wonderful skeptics in the pub and getting stuck into message group arguments with credophiles. The last month thanks to scientist Sid Rodrigues, I was able to conduct a 90 minute interview with James "The Amazing" Randi. I've also been thinking alot about my music- I've been getting to grips with the laptop (using a wonderful, straightforward and cheap programme called Remix, and I'm currently working on a set of songs to be sung with live laptop accompaniment. I've also been becoming even more fascinated by English traditional music. I've been learning a few Morris tunes on my accordion, but I've now realised that if I want to do them properly I need to buy a melodeon, and take some lessons. Both of these are now on my agenda. I'm also hoping to continue working with Mark Braby and Andy Coules (last seen as part of Drop), a pair of brilliant and flexible rock musicians on a rock group. I don't know where that'll end up, but I know it'll be interesting. During my "Time Off" I also played my only solo gig of the summer at Mark Braby's left field rock club "The Orchestra Pit" . I confess it was a somewhat shaky re-launch of my solo career- and I tried to cram too much in. The next will be much simpler. Here are some photos from that gig taken by Pam Cheal- |
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Biggest See-Saw in the world... |
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Steve takes a photo of our kit... |
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2nd May 2003
Last month saw a few changes.
I had the final Baggage Reclaim event, which was as touching and exciting as I expected it to be.
Then Ticklish played in Holland as part of the "Earational" Festival. I'd signposted this for some time to my friends, but this turned out to be my final performance with Ticklish (for the time being...but more of that later).
In the eight years that I've been a member of this group, the music has moved from scritchy-scratchy free improv using violins, electric basses, toys and the human voice, through glitchy electronic music, to being a finely focussed, rhythmic laptop ensemble.
During the latter period I found myself slipping out of the loop as Kev and Phil dug deeper into the maths and virtual soldering of the "Reaktor" programme. The laptop phase of the group meant that each member was creating pieces that were to a large extent self-contained. I felt that by adding my own elements, I was adding nothing to the music except extra confusion and density. It was also apparent that there was no room for the more unpredictable elements of my contributions (amplified objects/feedback etc).
When it got to the stage where my “melodic” contributions worked more effectively when sampled by the other members of the band (something I agreed with I hasten to add) I started getting a little fed up. This coupled with a frustration at the grindingly slow speed of the recording of the new album and a general knackeredness and unhappiness over Baggage Reclaim, led to my decision to quit the band after the appearance at the Earational festival.
It’s very important that I add that I have in no way fallen out with the band- all of whom I consider very great friends.
Indeed the group have been kind enough to say that they do not consider my departure to be irreparable. What’s important to me at the moment is that I get to grips with my own music- which has very much taken a back seat recently. I’ve finally got to grips with the Laptop (after giving up on “Reaktor”) using pretty primitive software basically designed for DJ’s alongside some free downloadable gear of a more avant nature. The first fruits of this is coming out soon on a compilation put out by Totally Bored called “Copy This Tape”- and yes (just to confirm the opinion of some that I have an 80’s fixation)
it’s on cassette. Working on this is also giving me clues as to how I may one day fit back into Ticklish.
To the Ticks- thanks guys, it’s been a great trip, a good laugh- I’m enormously proud of the one CD we made together- and I remain convinced that the forthcoming one will, even without my contribution, be every bit as fantastic.
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January 28 2003
Just had a very enjoyable couple of days in Cheltenham, where Anna and myself were the guests of Chris Cundy's "Thinking Music"
club- where we performed with the Thin King himself and the hypnotic 90 degrees South, (Kev Fox to his mates), in the super
surroundings of the city Music Library. Good to finally meet up with Talbot of Ochre Records, with whom I'm organising a Ochre
special at BagRec in February. Special thanks to the inimitable Chris for organising the whole thing, and to Mike Ward of
the wonderful Longstone for an enormous breakfast and a guided tour of the town which
included the delightful Museum and the College where Lindsey Anderson's "If..." was filmed.
See the inevitable pictures below...
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Anna Homler displays the average "improv" fee... |
January 24th 2003
Saddened to hear of the death of Daphne Oram, a British electronic music composer. I'm mainly saddened because this is the
first I've heard of her for about 15 years when I picked up "Electronic Sound Patterns" in a second hand record shop. Timeslice
has regularly included this record in his DJ sets, most recently at the Resonance FM Christmas Party- wonderful bumpy stuff
which can certainly be put alongside the Forbidden planet soundtrack.
I just got a phone call from Anna Homler, who's afely arrived in England is is holed up at a notorious rock'n'roll hotel in
Lancaster Gate. Our mini tour ("London, Glasgow, Cheltenham!") starts tomorrow.
January 17th 2003
So what of the new year?- well, for reasons I outlined in November, I'm stopping Baggage Reclaim in March, and although I
still haven't mellowed out, I'm not quite as cross as I was then. This probably means that Baggage Reclaim will struggle on
in some form after a break- probably using diferent venues for different things- I'm still planning a "rock" gig and an acoustic
gig. Maybe this year I'll finally sort out a concert of the music of Jacques Bekhaert, something I rather shamefully put on
the back burner last year.
Since I last wrote I've joined the "laptop mafia" after buying Kev Hopper's old Mac G3- haven't really got more than a peep
out of it yet though, so it'll be a while before you see me on stage playing it.
November 22nd 2002
The following message was sent out today-
"I regret to tell you that I've decided to discontinue the Baggage Reclaim series at the end of March 2003. This is due
to general exhaustion on my part, as well as a general frustration at the apathy of the London scene v the demands musicians
put on me. I now intend to put more effort into my own music."
I've had enough- it's stopped being fun and become a depressing chore, so I'll quit while I'm ahead.
To the enthusiastic audiences, the 12 Bar Club staff and the musicians and performers who made Baggage Reclaim great- a huge,
huge thank you!
To the hecklers, the moaners, the idiot who threw a punch, the acts that never appeared, the critics who never came, the apathetic,
lazy, carping trend-following creeps, and the people who thought I only existed to give them a leg-up to superstardom- good
riddance.
-Richard.
November 18th 2002
Ticklish played at Emmetrop in Bourges, right in the centre of France.
Here's the usual selection of mysterious photographs. It was a nice gig, and we are indepted to the lovely Vonnick of Alma
Fury for recommending us for the event. Also on the bill were our old mates Dat Politics who we first played with
at the Impakt Festival in Utrecht in 2000.
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9th November
News on the forthcoming single for Diskono- it should be out early 2003. There are now some webpages on the whole "Penthouse
Hotplate"Project, which can be found here...
There's a review of the Vic Twenty organised "Carpenters tribute" here... |
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A funny thing happened on the way to the mediakunst Forum... we bumped into Sabina! |
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Phil Durrant and Rob Flint, they're "Avant Garde", you know. |
30th September 2002
Ticklish's appearance at the Nam June Paik Award in Dusseldorf completed a particularly busy month for us...
here a few pictures..more text to follow |
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September 23rd 2002
Recovering from an exhausting and action packed weekend where the Hideous Replicas and myself played in Eindhoven, The Netherlands,
as part of evening called "I Make Out It's Poetry, That's
Why I'm Screaming At Ya!", organised by the excellent Diskono collective. A great time was had by all- the Hideous Replicas
turning in a drunken, loud and exciting performance- and a short solo set by me which was interupted by a falling wall.
There was also an enchanting set by Danielle Lemaire, a spoken word manipulation set from Diskono and Jan Van Den Dobbelsteen
and
film of Bing Selfish and the Ideals live at the 12 Bar Club (Home of Baggage Reclaim). It was a great night. Thanks to all
at Diskono and the Venue- De Overslag.
Here are a few inexplicable photos from the weekend courtesy of my micro-camera...
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September 10th 2002-
Just got back from performing at the Spletizizerz event in Cologne,
with Ticklish.
We played a great gig in the Kontor Gallery (Thanks Peter) and then were filmed at the Academy as part of the Spletizizerz
project. Thanks to Tillmann Roth for organising a great weekend and introducing us to new friends, Solar X, Roland, Stuart
and Jo from D-Fuse, Roger and many more.
I took my tiny digital camera and these are few shots from the weekend- |
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Rob Flint- In The Kontor Gallery |
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Kev and Rob in the Pavilion. |
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31st July 2002-
Just recorded two solo tracks for the "Penthouse Hotplate" imprint, brought to you by Diskono.
For this I was ably assisted by the "horn section" of Ian R Watson (trumpet), Chris Cundy (bass clarinet) and Debra Scacco
(flute), with myself on accordion and singing.
The release will be a limited edition 3" CD complete with an extra CD rom element- in my case a collection of my "8 second
movies". Watch this space for more details. |
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Debra Scacco and Ian R Watson |
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Chris Cundy |
June 2002
The new Minnow CD "Out Of The Woods" has just been released by Duphonic, and is available in the shops now, or from the Duphonic
website. More details and a realaudio file here.The
CD was also reviewed by John L Walters in The Guardian, you can read
it here. |
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