Ghost Stories 2017

As Hallows Eve arrives again, this year, we’ve once more asked a few artists from the label to give us a Top 5 of their favourite creepy/eerie Halloween type songs for your blood curdling pleasure.

Arran Trax has provided us with a bunch of trick or treat dancing devils and one or two eerie soundscapes. Belial Pelegrim has given us a selection of some of his most ghoulish creations and collaborations. Whilst, Minerva, has selected her Top 5 skin crawling soundtrack excerpts. Lastly, revered selector Loui Cleghorn digs out his most deviant tracks to play out.

ARRAN TRAX

1. Rude 66 - Paranoia
   
   
   
   "First up is this hair-raising slice of pumping Horror Disco, excellently executed by the Amsterdam based analogue-synth guru Rude 66. This 2014 release on the fine Dutch vinyl label Bordello A Parigi is now highly sought after on discogs. Just wait till those vocoder lyrics come in!!!!"
   
   
   
   

2. Hesperius Draco -  ASI Kingdom
   
   
   
   "This must be one of the best melodic compositions I have heard in the last couple of years. Majestic, melancholic and ever so slightly malevolent, Draco (Italian, Alessandro Parisi) conjures up images of ghostly armies marching through snow-covered Transylvanian forests."

3. Scotch - Disco Band
   
   
   
   
   "What the fuck is going on in this video?' any sane person has to ask themselves.
   So weird it's kinda creepy!!!
   This Italo-Disco classic came out in 1984 on the American Disco label."

4. U - Friendly Ghost
   
   
   
   "I just LOVE the artwork on this slab of heavyweight vinyl. A subtle sense of mystery from the anonymous U."
   

5. Luke Vibert - Halloween
   
   
   
   "Last one is this ghastly acid-trip by the very talented Luke Vibert."

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BELIAL PELEGRIM

1. Enfield
   
   
   
   "I'm a big skeptic when it comes to the paranormal, but I'm open-minded enough to never rule anything out. I also love a good ghost story. The Enfield Poltergeist is one of those stories that captured my attention because the documentary really left me wondering what the fuck was going on in that house. This song was my attempted to peak other people's interest and tell a bit of the tale in a soundscape format."

2. Dismemberment Goblins
   
   
   
   "One of the sub-groups within the Sleepless Collective is the Darksiders. They were putting together a compilation playlist on Soundcloud of music written expressly for a 'Cabin in the Woods' tribute set that focused on "The Purge", where all the monsters in the glass rooms are unleased into the Facility. All of the tracks are rather amazing. Dismemberment Goblins was my choice and my track."

3. Rosemary
   
   
   
   "One of my good Soundcloud friends and collaborators is the very talented Roots Dubman. He sent me over some strange sounds that inspired me to produce this dark and foreboding, electro-horror track. The name came from Roots informing me that he started putting together his sounds after watching Rosemary's Baby alone in the dark."

4. Funeral March For The Golem
   
   
   
   "This derge-like processional was inspired by books I was reading on animating inanimate objects with consciousness. Let's just say it's not a good idea to try this out at home. Not a deeply dark track, but fitting for this time of year. If you have a chance, check out the remix that BELP made of the track as well."

5. Insular Vampire Hovering
   
   
   
   "I always enjoy collaborating with Berlin's Lutz Thuns on dark ambient projects. He and I worked hard at creating a very creepy setting on this one in particular."

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MINERVA

1. Ennio Morricone - Eternity (The Thing)
   
   
   
   "Morricone was mainly famous for soundtracking Spaghetti Westerns before he did the OST for 'The Thing' but that all changed after this. Minimalistic, atmospheric and very, very effective. The descending church organ on this particular track creates a deep sense of tension"

2. Lady In The Radiator - In Heaven (Eraserhead)
   
   
   
   "This film contains, like, two pieces of music at most but it works really well within the style and overall feel of the horror that is slowly unfolding.  'In Heaven' was written specifically for the film and it helps carry that feeling of intrigue and inevitability through to your ears as well as your eyes."

3. Krzysztof Komeda - Lullaby (Rosemarys Baby)
   
   
   
   "50 years old this year and it's still terrifying in it's own unique way. Feelings of unease linger all around and Mia Farrow adding vocals brings the creepy levels up."
   

4. Harry Warren - Jeepers Creepers (Jeepers Creepers)
   
   
   
   "This is essentially some jazz from the 1930's but the almost ridiculing nature and delivery, personally, make it very scary for me. It appeared in the film of the same name 70 years later and is heavily featured in many different styles and versions which only add to the eerieness!"

5. Toru Takemitsu - Kwaidan Theme (Kwaidan)
   
   
   
   "I have so much love for Asian horror and I am a bit of a human encyclopedia when it comes to Japanese films and soundtracks in particular. 'Kwaidan' was one of the very first horror film I ever saw and the avant garde theme tune startles me to this day still. So much silence in this one but when the warped use of traditional Japanese folk instruments make themselves known it brings with it a layer of suspense."
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   LOUI CLEGHORN
   
   1. Alex Under - Bola 6.1
   
   
   "This song is slow, rumbling evil. Ominous as hell and a beautiful way to start a set. This was released on Soma a few years ago curiously enough. There's a Bola 6.2 and a 7 that are more friendly but they dont come close to this transient gem."
   
   2. Andrea Roma and Mar - Dark Matter
   
   
   "This is one of those tunes that I don't think will ever leave my collection. Andrea Roma bringing ever part of his arrangement into a cacophony of dark harmony. Another old favourite."
   
   3. Loui Cleghorn - Yorick (Boom Merchant remix)
   
   
   "A remix by Boom Merchant of my own tune 'Yorick' that is coming out on my own label 'Unstrung' very soon. One of the more aggressive numbers from the Cleghorn collection given a tribal overhaul. Spooky yet inviting and warmly arresting."
   
   4. Robert Babicz - Cristal Sun
   
   
   "Something I've been playing a lot recently. A twisted acid rave number with shifting, contorting synth lines. One of the best Babicz tunes for a good while."
   
   5. Nick Dow - Goujian
   
   
   
   "I'll let wikipedia do the talking - King Goujian's army was known for scaring its enemies before battle because its front line consisted of criminals sentenced to death who committed suicide by decapitating themselves."
   
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   You can see last years playlists here.

In The Loop : Episode 9 (Advent Calendar Part 4)

The penultimate round up of our digital advent calendar over on facebook means more audio surprises.

December 16th

Mute Branches - Crappy Hissmas

A beautifully drowsy and blurry sounding unorthodox lo-fi Christmas track from Mute Branches. It's his entry for the Drowned in Sound "Official Christmas Song Challenge 2015".


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December 17th

Sleep Maps - The Sword Beyond The Veil

A recent posting of an old track from Sleep Maps. "The Sword Beyond The Veil" is an epic post-rock excursion that's more than worth retracing over.


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December 18th

Gabriel Simao - Misty Mountains Cold

A simply stunning violin cover of The Hobbit theme "Misty Mountains Cold" by Gabriel Simão.


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December 19th

Akwalek - Kesselse Pauwen (The Next Commuter remix)

A very unique and personal remix from The Next Commuter which featured on a collaborative release through Xtraplex Records. Click the link and read a bit more about the track. It's got field recordings, a live jam and peacocks. All good!


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December 20th

Hiramatsu Toshiyuki - Flag EP

The "Flag" EP from Hiramatsu Toshiyuki on Hz-records is an outstanding collection of his glitch inspired electronica and just a glimpse of what he's capable of creating. We'll hopefully bring you something new from him next year.



Stream and download "Flag" in it's entirety here

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Our final 4 day countdown to Christmas continues on our Facebook at 10am until Thursday, be sure to catch it....

BRICOLAGE : VA "The Longest Night" Winter Solstice Compilation (bc005)

The Winter Solstice occurs little more than a week away from now on the 22nd of December.

The shortest day and the longest night of the year where the dark almost completely takes over the light and winter truly arrives. Here at Bricolage we're providing an early Christmas present, in the form of our own personal solstice soundtrack, from us to you. Back in November I asked the artists on the label if they would like to encapsulate, in music, what the solstice means to them. The results are nothing short of beautiful. 11 different tracks created specifically for the yearly phenomenon. It's free download at our bandcamp as always. There's a track by track breakdown below and some streaming links to bandcamp and soundcloud.



You can stream a preview a minute or so of each track from our our soundcloud below.



1. Liapei - If You Asked
Liapei start off the compilation with crunchy winter footprints, chirping birds and a beautiful solstice inspired spoken word piece. Warm synths soon appear alongside a calming drum track. The youthful Glasgow accent makes this track all the more poignant. The perfect opening track.

2. Sleep Maps - The Brief Sun
Another Sleep Maps track, another epic. "The Brief Sun" picks up the pace nicely with bright melodies, resonating guitars, rumbling bass and precision drums that throw up images of the low December morning sun.

3. Fragile X - Yalda
"Yalda" is an Eastern tinged instrumental guitar piece with it's roots firmly in lo-fi shoegaze. Swathed in echo and delay, the guitars simmer along gently and are paired with swirling melodious feedback remains to create a gentle winter calling. It's worth noting that "Yalda" is the Iranian term for the solstice, where families and friends come together to eat, drink and read poetry. It's a fitting title.

4. Mute Branches - (I'm Dreaming Of A ) Severe Weather Warning
A woozy and dreamy take on the solstice with chopped up vocal samples, experimental sounds and beautifully dazed sounding effects. The layers keep building in this intricate instrumental.

5. Chairman Cow - Dark Morning
Perfectly picked guitar notes and some flashing chords give way to a booming bass that has a dance hall feel. It's winter reggae! A wonderfully performed dub infused rhythm section and one hell of a hook on the most feel good track on the album.

6. International Debris - Daylight Sector 9999 [Further Verification Required]
A mysterious, spaced out number from our very own expert in that particular field. It's progressive keys are hypnotic and come across as almost symphonic. There's a mystical sounding element throughout that only serves to add to the enigmatic vibe.

7. Roy Or Bison? - Night Vision
An eerie hum and a thundering bell start off the darkest track on the compilation. Primal noises and atmospherics flutter their way in and out for the duration. Shadowy drones, murky electronic sounds and a load of tenebrous effects round off this ghostly track. Don't listen to it alone in the dark.

8. Jazzdefector - The Edge Of A Winters Night
A stunning drone based effort that drifts along flawlessly. Full of wonderful textures and emotion, it's a soaring and grand ode to the longest night of the year.

9. Microvolt - A Calm Place (For Jules)
This ambient track provides you with breathing space. It's a quietly vast piece that transports the listener to a very comfortable place. The sounds have been expertly sculptured and restrained to the absolute optimum level. A slow burner that you'll never want to end.

10. B-Side Boy - P*ssholes In The Snow
B-Side Boy is a new name on the collective. He's another pseudonym of the aforementioned Chairman Cow. Here, the guitar is once again his main weapon of choice but that's not all.....it starts off a little more melancholic than "Dark Morning" before taking a sharp turn into harmonica and glockenspiel based territories. It's by far and away the most Christmas type song on the release and the compilation is all the better for it. Someone get the mince pies!

11. Merriman's Ghost - The Shortest Day
A beat wanders along nicely, the atmospherics fade in and out in perfect harmony and then it lifts off with delayed guitars that provide a thermal glow. It's an introspective and poetic piece of music. Heartfelt and ethereal. A fitting ending to the compilation.

Major thanks go out to all the artists involved in making the release possible.

Introducing The Collective: 21-23

Our second compilation is due on the 16th of November. The release will consist of music from some of our newer members. Two weeks ago we introduced you to Sleep Maps, Oscurito and Glass Mammoth in a a new blog post. Today we introduce you to another 3 new artists.

21. The Next Commuter



The Next Commuter is Hans Thomas, a one man ambient project based in Belgium. He specialises in creating home recorded drones, soundscapes, ambient stories and music for videos.

After exploring the "normal" guitar playing trails of rock and blues for a number of years, he took a sudden turn towards the more ambient side of music. Using the same guitar, and with the aid of field recordings, he decided to start crafting and creating wide and deep soundscapes. He has a respectable discography of 6 albums and EPs under his belt. His music has been commissioned for use in various videos and sculptural installations.

The Next Commuter (Facebook)

The Next Commuter (Soundcloud)

The Next Commuter (Bandcamp)
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22. Neon Idol Lodge



Neon Idol Lodge are an improvised piano and electronics group from Glasgow. Taking elements from ambient, classical and electronic processing to create live improvised soundscapes. We're very excited to be able to introduce their sounds to you.

Neon Idol Lodge (Soundcloud)

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23. Gabriel Roble



Gabriel Simao Roble is a very creative composer and musician from Lisbon, Portugal. He spent 4 years at a vocational music school where he honed his violin skills and all round musical skills before going onto study music technology and pursuing his dreams of making soundtracks for video games and movies. He can switch effortlessly between creating classical music and non classical electronic music with ease and at times straddles the line between both and brings them together as one. A rare talent.

Gabriel Roble (Soundcloud)

Gabriel Roble (Facebook)

Gabriel Roble (YouTube)

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