Brian Howell (Can?) -- "Wind And Wood"

I picked up this little curiosity in a small head shop in Ottawa, whilst on holiday in Canada in 1994. The music found upon this intriguing cassette is a rich exploration of ethnic/tribal influences, including hypnotic percussion, meditative chanting and diverse string and wood instruments from around the world. In fact, I'll list them from the inlay: "Congas and other percussion, dulcimer, kalimba, berimbau, recorder, pan and bamboo flutes, kantele, harmonica, bass and voice."

After much searching I have still not been able to trace the artist responsible for this music. I discovered another Brian Howell in Texas who I thought was the one (he also played a variety of ethnic/folk instruments), but alas it was not he -- for a start he was too young to have recorded this in 1993!. I have however found a few references to a Brian Howell linked to the Black Lodge Singers (a Native American group), and this seems more likely to me. If anyone has any information about this artist, please get in touch.

Brian Howell -- "Wind And Wood" cassette (1993)

1. Sail Trilogy (Awaken / Seek / Horizon)
2. Drum Speak
3. Sideroad
4. Cave Trilogy (The One / Offering / Elements)
5. Hour Glass
6. Bedouin
7. Drum Speak
8. Another Momentum...

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?lzmnmnnzdzi

Groupa (Swe) -- "Utan Sans"

Excellent Swedish Folk music. I was introduced to this band by some good friends of mine, whose band Jacob's Ladder played a couple of their tunes. This is Groupa's third album, I also have another that I may post at some point soon. (I'm also after their second album "Vildhonung" -- anyone got it?)

Info (website)


Groupa -- "Utan Sans" (1988)

01. Utan Sans
02. Hacklek Och Chokladvals
03. Fastän
04. Blå Svit
05. Gåsmarschen
06. Bastuvalsen
07. Polkett
08. Imeland Och Grimeland
09. Grolåten
10. Avenyschottis
11. Vals

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ezmv0mjjz2a

The Flow (UK)

As the inlay states, it's "90 mins of unique music + sound set to Didgeridu background", very hypnotic and meditative. I bought this tape in a New Age shop in Canterbury many years ago, and would dearly love to know more about whoever made it. There is a local Folkestone phone number, but I'm shit on the phone so never plucked up the courage to phone it -- feel free if you want, but bear in mind the tape comes from 1992 so it's probably an old number (plus the dialling code would now be 01303, not 0303!).

The Flow -- "The Flow" cassette (1992)

12 untitled tracks

Pt1 -- http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?4lxzmyjln2j
Pt2 -- http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ntnzxyxmz3j

In 2 parts due to large file size.

Discharge -- Live in Folkestone 2006

Anarcho-Thrash/Punk legends Discharge, I made this recording at one of their gigs a few years ago.

Live @ Lanterns, Folkestone (25/05/06)

01. Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing
02. The Nightmare Continues
03. Never Again
04. Protest & Survive
05. ?
06. Ain't No Feeble Bastard
07. Corpse Of Decadence
08. Beginning Of The End
09. Realities Of War
10. The More I See
11. Cries Of Help Cries Of Pain
12. A Look At Tomorrow
13. They Live You Die
14. Hell On Earth
15. You Take Part In Creating This System
16. War Is Hell
17. Fight Back
18. Decontrol
19. State Violence State Control

http://www.mediafire.com/?t31h05ir7zd3hka
(link updated 19/08/10)

Andrew Done -- "Earth Prayer"

Another surprisingly good offering from the New Age realm, this is an album of hypnotic tribal-influenced drumscapes (albeit programmed) augmented here and there by chants, plus some guitar and synth. When it gets going it reminds me in places of Tribal/Trance project The Ambush, who I posted earlier. It does occasionally stray on the side of cheesiness (especially some of the synth sounds) and the sound is overcompressed and slightly distorted, but on the whole this is great stuff.

Andrew Done -- "Earth Prayer" cassette (1992)

1. Medicine Man
2. Elf Dance
3. Free The Rain Forest
4. Crystal Cave
5. Earth Prayer
6. Elements
7. One Tribe
8. Seeds Of Life

(download link dead)

http://youtu.be/7WL1wYEUNMs

Jesus Fix (UK) -- Demo (1995)

Jesus Fix were more friends of mine, from Whitstable, Kent (UK). Their music is an intense hybrid of Gothic Crust-Punk/Metal, influenced by Amebix, Killing Joke and Motorhead. I may post the rest of their stuff at a later date, but this is their best release in my opinion.

Info (Kent Band Archive)

MySpace


Demo (1995)

1. Forever
2. Treadmill
3. Dark Ages
4. Token Gesture

http://www.mediafire.com/?xyu6vtiz6jk492j
(link updated 19/08/10)

Scanxion (UK) -- demos 1990-1994

Scanxion (or Scansion as they later became), were from Romford, Essex (UK), and were a tight and talented band who played interesting and progressive Alternative/Thrash. This is one of those bands whose music takes me right back to being 17 again -- great days. This is highly recommended.

Info (Kent Band Archive)


Scanxion (UK) -- demos 1990-1994

All demos in one file


"Poetic Justice" EP/demo (1990)

01. Something Wicked This Way Comes
02. C.B.A.

"On My Own" demo (1992)

03. On My Own
04. Nothing
05. Conclusion

Untitled demo (1992)

06. Sick Sense
07. Learned Helplessness
08. Fading

"Gash" demo (1993)

09. Caprice
10. Scum
11. The End

Extra tracks

12. Splay
13. Left

http://www.mediafire.com/?7po5oaiqdec989t

(link updated 12/04/11)

Innards (UK) -- 2 demos + unreleased tracks

Innards were friends of mine from Ashford, Kent (UK), and played some great old-school Death Metal band with some Sabbath-esque Doom touches. I recently paid to have these demos remastered from the original master tapes, as I felt it was a crime for them to be forgotten. I've also compiled some unreleased live tracks of theirs.

Info (Kent Band Archive)


Innards -- "Abdominal Congestion" demo (1992)

1. Gouge Pit
2. Abdominal Congestion
3. The End Is Nigh
4. Cardboard City


Innards -- "Greedmongers" demo (1994)

1. Transparent Lies
2. Mortified Carcass Mess
3. Born To Conform
4. Return

http://www.mediafire.com/?s7vmgzhdr52vvr3

(link updated 24/01/11)


Innards -- unreleased live + rehearsal tracks

1. Hammered
2. Sack Of Shit
3. Icons Of Hate
4. Instrumental
5. The Stench Of Burning Death (REPULSION cover)
6. Neon Christ (NEON CHRIST cover)
7. No One Is Superior (rehearsal)

http://www.mediafire.com/?wpel2ypappg51dz

(link updated 26/01/11)

Moondragon (UK) -- "Dream"

Last week I posted the "Synaesthesia" tape from these Cornish Psych/Punk crusties, so here's an earlier album by them. To my ears it isn't quite as good, being a little unrefined in comparison, but still well worth checking out.

Moondragon -- "Dream" CD (1991)


01. The Blue Boots Dub
02. The Tunnel
03. The Sight
04. The Beer
05. The Drum
06. Whats Going On
07. The Children
08. The Beguiled
09. The Dot
10. The Blue Boots Dub II
11. The Remembrance
12. Space
13. The Hand
14. The Massing
15. Intermission II

Note: this is the tracklisting printed on the inlay, which is inconsistent from track 4 onwards with the actual tracks. I've included a note in the RAR file that explains all...

http://www.mediafire.com/?t64toxgkkduq34k

(link updated 25/08/10)

Tribal Drift (UK) -- Demo 1994

Tribal Drift were an Ethno-Ambient/Trance/Dub group based around the hypnotic sound of the didgeridoo, an instrument I was fascinated by after discovering Crow (I sought out several bands that utilised the didgeridoo in their music, and I'll be posting a few more when I get round to it). After reading about this band in (of all places) NME, I finally saw them play at Glastonbury 1995, in a small tent powered by a guy on a bike!

The band later released a couple of CDs, but these didn't grab me as much as this tape.

Website


Tribal Drift -- Demo tape (1994)


1. Deep In The Belly Of The Earth
2. Shiva
3. Friends, Lovers (Warm Like A Star)
4. Shanty
5. Void
6. Drifting Mixes (Belly/Within You/Ants/Fragile)

http://www.mediafire.com/?fytmdmwqyak

(Updated 3/7/10 -- new link)

Electric Sex Circus (UK) -- "Spanner Badge" EP

Electric Sex Circus were a great energetic Alt-Punk band from Bexleyheath, Kent (UK). This was their only official release, but is fairly well known is some circles due to a couple of tracks being included on compilations. The guitarist Phil Avey later played in Tunbridge Wells Post-Rock outfit Unhome, and his cousin Ken played percussion in my old band Elemental.

Info (Kent Band Archive)

Electric Sex Circus -- "Spanner Badge" EP (1990)

1. Spanner Badge
2. Soft
3. Cut Your Head Off

No cover, since it is plain black, though it has got advent-style windows. Buggered if I'm scanning THAT...!

I've also included two tracks ripped from their MySpace page:

4. China Chick
5. Flowers And Trees

http://www.mediafire.com/?mu3537b9tg1ovue

(link updated 21/0810)

Sarah Wexler -- "Helix"

In my late teens I went through a stage of exploring meditative music. I borrowed this cassette from my Mother, half expecting it to be the usual bland, soulless music normally associated with the New Age genre. She never got it back, as the music contained within is fantastic -- warm, rich and textural, created by flute, tablas and harp. Staring into a candle flame, I would lose myself in a brooding revery...

I have tried to find further information about the artist, but so far have failed.

Sarah Wexler -- "Helix" cassette (1987)


1. Sound Stream
2. Tabla Tracking
3. Helix
4. Aeolus Awakened
5. Ten To Five
6. Bamboo Dreams

http://www.mediafire.com/?1zj7ugxir661z8p

(link updated 29/12/10)

Hybernoid -- "The Last Day Begins" (1994)

Another one I've already posted on Lockjaw, but it's such a great album I needed to post it here. Hybernoid were a great and unique band to emerge from the British underground scene of the early 90s, releasing 2 demos and 3 singles before this awesome slab of Industrial Doom/Death with some Gothic influences. This is one of my favourite albums from that period. After this album they ventured into more Ambient/Trance territory.

Info (Metal Archives)

"The Last Day Begins?" CD album (1994)


1. Revery
2. Reality Wave
3. World Of Ruin
4. Ash In The Sky
5. Permafrost
6. Life Fade
7. Akeldama
8. Skin
9. Mind/Liberty

http://www.mediafire.com/?56yk775a8xyx8ye

(link updated 22/08/10)

I'm slowly compiling their other releases, I'll post them soon...