Sounds from the edges of culture and between the cracks of category
Latest Releases- Cassette Imprint
LOR162 - Ben Glas - Noise For Quantum Listening
Linear Obsessional is delighted to release a third album by Ben Glas, (an American composer based in Berlin) which continues his idiosyncratic exploration of experiential sound and psycho acoustic phenomena. "'Noise For Quantum Listening'"is a collection of experimentally experiential pieces, composed with the sole purpose of exploring the use of the listener's brain and cognition as interactive instruments. The result of combining gestalt principles with psychoacoustic techniques, NFQL is an open window for inter/active listeners to explore open ended forms of listening, follow their thoughts and or simply mind roll. Via sonic satiation, spatial relativity and superpositioning, NFQL pins the listener's perception to itself, to reveal new listening possibilities. Available to stream or purchase now
LOR156 - Viv Corringham -Here in Our Distant Corner We Wait
Linear Obsessional is very excited to release a new album from the extraordinary vocalist and composer Viv Corringham. "Here in Our Distant Corner We Wait" is an engaging and fascinating collection - Viv uses her voice, both pure and treated, to create intimate explorations within a very human realm. It finds her making some her most personal and explorative music. Viv Corringham is a British vocalist, composer and sound artist, currently based in New York, who has worked internationally since the early 1980s. Her work includes music performances, audio installations and soundwalks. Her ongoing project Shadow-walks has been presented in gallery shows from New York to Istanbul to Hong Kong. She is a certified teacher of Deep Listening, having studied with composer Pauline Oliveros. This is Viv's third album for Linear Obsessional. Available to stream or purchase now
LOR159 - Dave Clarkson -A Pocket Guide to Wilderness - Deep Forests and Dark Woods of the British Isles
In his latest exploration of British audio psychogeography (following quicksands, seashore and caves) Dave Clarkson takes his tape recorder into remote woodlands - and works magic with the results. Some tracks could almost be works by the Radiophonic Workshop - the click-funk created from twig noises on the first track for example, while others are more desolate and eerie. This is an area of exploration that Clarkson has truly made his own. Released as a cassette and download with PDF booklet. To purchase please visit the release page
LOR165 - Cathal Coughlan -Song of Co-Aklan
Sold Out. Linear Obsessional is proud to release the limited cassette edition of Cathal Coughlan's "Song of Co-Aklan" as part of the LinOb Cassette Imprint, with the encouragement and permission of Cathal Coughlan and Dimple Discs. Limited to just 50 copies with download codes. 12 new songs, his first solo album for 10 years "Song of Co-Aklan" includes contributions from The Necropolitan String Quartet, but also Luke Haines (Auteurs/Black Box Recorder), Sean O'Hagan (Microdisney/High Llamas), Rhodri Marsden (Scritti Politti) , Aindrías Ó Gruama (Fatima Mansions), Cory Gray (The Delines) and Dublin singer-songwriter Eileen Gogan. Sold Out - but available in all other formats from those lovely people at Dimple Discs
LOR157 - Lou Barnell -What Came Before This
London based sound artist and performer Lou Barnell presents two new pieces, "Takis" and "What Came Before This" for the latest release in the Linear Obsessional Cassette Imprint. Takis -"A brutal, dream-like hypnotic soup of sensory tests, voice, wearable sound-material sculptures and augmented electronics. Written in homage to the late artist TAKIS" "What Came Before This" is a composition for clock recordings, mixed electronics, vocals, melting ice and harp. Released as an audio cassette and download, with PDF booklet of detailed notes and images. To purchase please visit the release page
LOR155 - Bill Thompson and Richard Sanderson -Summiting
A collaboration between the British amplified melodeon player Sanderson and the Texan guitarist/composer Bill Thompson. "Summiting" consists of long sustained tones, blending into a landscape of slow evolution and mysterious incident. The cassette consists of a live recording from The University of Surrey, and a studio recording produced by Thompson. An additional download track records their first meeting. To be released as a cassette with download coupon and 3D glasses, and download. To purchase please go to the release page
LOR157 - Daniel Figgis - THE TYPING POOL
The second of two cassette EPs by the Irish composer and installation artist Daniel Figgis. THE TYPING POOL consists of five tracks of extraordinary music - the title track is a propulsive masterpiece shifting from a chattering hypnotic groove into a maelstrom of drumming before settling again into an uneasy calm. A gargantuan multi-faceted piece, turning on a pin from moment to moment. AWOL is music composed for a hypnotised underwater dancer - and is suitably woozy, haunting and sub-marine. Following the disorientating field recordings and time cut-ups of AUDITORIUM is "hurty" - one of those exquisite miniatures that Figgis excels at. The EP concludes with "Glimmered" a radical re-working of a similarly titled track from his "Skipper" masterpiece - splintered into a glitchy cascade of sparkling sound. To listen and purchase please visit the release page
LOR146 - Daniel Figgis -THE TIN GOD
Linear Obsessional is delighted to present the first of two EPs by the extraordinary Irish composer Daniel Figgis. Figgis (a long time friend of this label) released the magical and hugely admired album "Skipper" in 1995. Since then there have been few releases, whilst Daniel worked on extraordinary large scale happenings, installations and site specific compositions for various ensembles. 2020 has seen a small flurry of low level releases -including the music on these EPs. THE TIN GOD features five tracks, ranging from the sun-coming-out optimism of the opening track (with a sound world recognisably adjacent to "Skipper") to the wobbly, ecstatic "please be me" (featuring the saxophone of Van Der Graaf Generator's David Jackson). The delightful, slightly spooky miniature "fail better" and the title track - a deep dive into the sound of the piano. THE TIN GOD is released as a limited edition in the Linear Obsessional cassette imprint (design by David Little) with download coupon, and as a download only. Download comes with a PDF of text, images and further information. To listen and download please visit the release page
Forthcoming Releases
LOR163 - Bettina Schroeder and Tony Irving -Shatter Resistant
A fantastic, dynamic release by the duo of multimedia artist Bettina Schroeder (electric ukelele, lap steel and effects) and Tony Irving (possibly best known for the ferocious noise improv duo Ascension) on drums. A fiery and ever shifting collision of ideas and quick thinking, with a sound-world that is parallel to rock music, whilst being amorphous, fleet of foot and loose limbed. Recorded with characteristic clarity and punch at Tigersonic's studio in London, and mastered in Alchemix Studios in Brisbane - this is an aural delight. Released as a cassette in an orange shell, with full colour artwork by Schroeder and a download with notes, biogs and more artwork. Available to pre-order soon...
Latest Releases - Downloads
LOR168 - Steven Ball -Standard Definition
The latest missive from Linear Obsessional's resident chronicler and experimental songwriter is a multimedia EP, featuing video, four songs and a PDF booklet. "Standard Definition is a collection of four new songs written and recorded in 2021.
Two of the songs, Landscape Painting and Terminal Passage, are the first of what will become an occasional series for which I write songs in response to video material that I captured in the first decade of the twentieth century. The songs describe the videos or extrapolate new narratives from them. The videos were originally shot on the miniDV digital video tape format, a technology that has become largely redundant since the development of High Definition formats. It is this Standard Definition media that lends its name to this collection. Of the remaining two songs Click and Catch Switch echoes children’s language development and the Romanian Surrealist poet Ghérasim Luca, in whose writing nouns often become verbs. No Blood, No Soil consists of a series of reflections on statements around the politically vexed notion of connection to place." Available for free/name your price for the first month of release Listen or download here
LOR161 - Sam Fendrich -The Changing of the Avant Garde
**Free/name your price for the first month** Linear Obsessional is delighted to present the latest work from the maverick Siberian born, British composer Sam Fendrich. In a message to LinOb Sam wrote -"One of the few upsides of this strange era is that I’ve had the opportunity both to benefit in a (I hope) creative spurt (eg i’m on cd no: 10 and counting of my “MONK project”) - but more importantly I’ve reviewed and reconsidered my work of the recent past. The upshot is that i’ve concluded that a two part work entitled “ the changing of the avant-garde” is the most representative and central to my thinking/work musical and otherwise..."
The result is as dynamic, puzzling, ferocious, compulsive and just plain weird as anything Sam has produced in the past, if not more so. Free jazz piano crashes over warped electrofunk workouts - distorted, unplaceable instruments weave through an undergrowth of clattering and insistant backdrops... Part Two features much more "jazz piano" - stylistically flying around with enormous gusto, as the background changes from creeped out hip-hop to maudlin electronica. It's an extraordinary journey - and quite unlike anything else. To download please visit the release page
LOR167 - St James Infirmary -Asozial Kessel Kaputt
The latest in the Linear Obsessional Single Series (download singles, 7" length, two sides, no music) is by St James Infirmary “Whilst on a visit to the old Stasi HQ in Dresden in 2918, the atmosphere of unease was heightened by the harsh roar of a boiler. That sound is captured here" St James Infirmary are g w lang. Recorded by Jimmy Buxton for Mario’s Recording Services, Ashington, Northumberland. Photo by Skip Doncaster. Available to purchase here
LOR154 - Christmas Split Single -Xmas Lights/Instructions for Christians
The Linear Obsessional Christmas Single is the 7th in the series of download singles (2 sides, single length, no music). A split single featuring Northern English sound artist/ musician Chris Whitehead and author, scholar, critic, editor, and arcane artist K.A.Laity. On one side you will hear an electromagnetic recording of Christmas Tree lights cycling through their flashing sequences. The other side is a field recording made on a cold day in Berne, NY featuring "Instructions for Christians" in the original Old English. Download includes two front covers and one back cover designed by David "smallhaus" Little featuring photographs by the artists., and 9 colour location photographs by K.A.Laity Happy Christmas! Download here
LOR153 - Argument Club -Solstice 2019 (51.455758, -0.003256)
Over the last year, during Covid, parks have become valued spaces in cities, as a place to escape to, to relax, to exercise and to breathe. These recordings by Argument Club (Paul Morris) were recorded last summer for a now abandoned Linear Obsessional project based around recordings from a park. I'm delighted to be able to include these geographically pinpointed, datestamped recordings as part of the Linear Obsessional Single Series. Download only, includes a secret bonus track with the download. The artist has also geo-cached a set of CDs at the co-ordinates in the title. To download visit the release page
LOR152 - Matt Atkins -Two Keralan Scenes
Sound artist and improvising musician Matt Atkins provides us with our fifth installment of the Linear Obsessional Single Series (single length releases, A and B sides, no music) "Two Keralan Scenes" was recorded in India in January 2020. Released as a download at classic single price (75p) with front and back covers. To listen or purchase please visit the release page
LOR151 - Cravune -Parc de la Ciutadella
The fourth release in the Linear Obsessional singls series (two tracks, 7" single length, A and B sides, no music), the Naples born, Berlin based sound artist Cravune presents two recordings made in the eponymous park in Barcelona, Spain. "The first track is an unusual way of singing (at least to me at that time) of birds. On the second track you can hear my steps on dry leaves as I go back home passing by the Cascada fountain. On that specific day I was in the park of Ciutadella to meditate and relax but also to collect material to be included in the soundscape for a contemporary dance project of a friend - hence the birds... but we ended up not using much of that crazy shrieking :) " -Cravune To stream or download please visit the release page
LOR149 - Chris Whitehead -Vent
The third in the Linear Obsessional Single Series - 7" length download tracks, A and B sides, no music.
"Modern ventilators are designed to take over the breathing functions of patients in order for surgical procedures to be carried out or in those that cannot adequately breathe for themselves due to disease. They have automated self-test sequences which check their various mechanical and electronic systems are fully functional. Vent 1 is a recording of part of the test sequence of an anaesthetic ventilator typically used during surgical operations. Vent 2 documents the full test sequence of a portable ventilator used for transferring patients from one area to another within the same hospital or during ambulance transfers to other hospitals." -Chris Whitehead To stream or download please visit the release page
LOR147 - Lou Barnell -Bicycle Recordings
The second release in Linear Obsessional's download single series is by the sound and performance artist Lou Barnell.
"I have been cycling around cities for most of my life. When you decide to record bicycles suddenly they are everywhere- hurtling and bumping along the banks of Glen Faba, a swimming hole in Essex, or blasting along the gravelly underbelly of a tunnel amidst the tense traffic noise of the Olympic park in East London." To purchase or stream please go to the release page
LOR139 - Duncan Chapman - Transporter
Linear Obsessional announces a new series curated by David Little and Richard Sanderson, with Duncan Chapman's "Transporter", Download singles (two tracks; A and B sides, each around three minutes or under) of field recordings. Rather than the longform field recordings usually end up being, the Lin Ob singles will be perfectly crystalised moments outside your normal daily experience. At the time of writing, the whole world is in Covid 19 lockdown, so these audio bulletins from the outside world are even more pertinent. "Transporter" consists of two recordings made at the famous Transporter Bridge, the skyline dominating symbol of Miiddlesbrough. Side A is a walk across the top as the mechanism of the gondola move across the River Tees, Side B is the sound of the Winding House as it pulls the Gondola full of cars and people across the river. An audio slice of 19th Century technology. available for classic single price of 75p. To download please visit the release page
