Peripheral Minimal records is proud to announce the release of the legendary and previously unreleased album, "WOMB" by Steve Parry (Neu Elektrikk / Hywl Nofio) and Colin Potter (Nurse With Wound). Recorded onto tape in 1981, it has remained unreleased in any format until now! Limited to 500 copies in a digipak CD with an 8-page booklet containing detailed information about the recordings.
"Womb remained unreleased other than a few cassette tapes given to friends. In 2014 I re-discovered the album master tapes while having a house clear-out. The Ampex 406 master tapes were severely damaged due to natural deterioration, the original tape had to undergo a time-consuming restoration process. Thankfully the project was salvageable and the music was transferred to digital. I must admit listening now to these recordings I am reminded of the creative surge and ebullient enthusiasm for making the music. It was indeed an exciting time."
- Steve Parry
Recorded: (1981) at Integrated Circuit Studio, Sutton–on-the-Forest, York & Wern Studio, York. Field recordings (1981) by Steve Parry on a Sony portable cassette tape recorder.
• Engineered by: Colin Potter
• All Instruments / sounds – Steve Parry & Colin Potter
• Producer – Steve Parry, Colin Potter
Instruments/devices used in the recording included: saw, plastic bucket and plastic tube, water, alarm clock, cotton rags, metal bars, electric drill, drum machine, bongo drums, analogue synth & sequencer, field recordings, electric, acoustic & bass guitars, flute, keyboards, found sounds, comb & voice.
REVIEW:
"Womb finds the sonic pairing of two important figures from the post-industrial genre. The nine-track album was recorded back in 1981- but never released, aside from a few tapes given out to friends. It’s a release sitting somewhere between sparse experimental electronica, moody-to-unsettling sound-scaping, and generally grimly atmospheric sound craft. Here from UK’s Peripheral Minimal Records is a most welcome first official CD release of the album.
Steve Parry has worked with the likes of Matt Johnson of The The, but is most known for Hwyl Nofio- the project he started in 1997, and has thus far put out seven albums & one EP. Its sound sits between the improvised & composed- combining elements of avant-garde, ambient, noise, musique concrete, contemporary classical and soundtrack elements. Colin Potter has worked with the likes of Nurse With Wound, Current 93, and Organum. He also runs the long-running/ respected post-industrial label ICR label.
The CD release comes presented in a four-panel monochrome digipak- with the front cover taking in a half-in-shadow photo of a weird vase with bat-like wings. Inside we find an eight-page booklet- with write-ups from both Parry & Potter about the recordings. The release is ltd to 500 copies, and considering who is involved I can’t see these hanging around long. To order directly head by here.
The nine tracks featured have runtimes between around thirty seconds and nearly ten & half minutes. The following elements were used in the recordings: saw, plastic bucket and plastic tube, water, alarm clock, cotton rags, metal bars, electric drill, drum machine, bongo drums, analogue synth & sequencer, field recordings, electric, acoustic & bass guitars, flute, keyboards, found sounds, comb & voice.
We open with the title track- it moves between interlocking/ subtle shifting layers of electro-percussion & uneasy tone drifts/ wails. And drops into sour plucking, and haunting ambient hisses/ whooshes. There’s “Funeral For Clowns” which mixes clip-clop carnival-like electronics with drifting ebbs of moody guitar tones, and a selection of tone strikes/ hits/ whizzes.
Moving onto the second half of the album we have “Isolate, Clothed With a Cloud “ which blends atmospherically scaping-to-tolling guitar work, with rolling bashes, loose percussive peddling, and eerier vibe rolls. The album plays out with the glum purr & shift of “Mind’s Eye” which blends backwards & forwards tone shifts, with sparsely brooding key strikes, and all manner of subtle/ eerier noise detail.
For the most part, Womb has a fairly timeless quality of both disquiet & unease. And it’s certainly great to finally hear this early work from Parry & Potter. This is worth a look if you enjoy either man's other work, or dig general wavering/ eerier sounding scaping utilizing both electronic & acoustic elements."
- Musique Machine
credits
released March 1, 2024
All tracks mastered by Colin Potter at ICR, London 2021
Artwork: Oleg Galay, Jason B. Bernard & Steve Parry
COPYRIGHT: Hwyl Records / ICR
Peripheral Minimal Records 2024. PM34
A wonderful meeting point between 1970s Tangerine Dream and early 1980s experimental/electronic/cassette scene. As featured on the excellent Cherry Red compilation Close To The Noise Floor, which is a great introduction to that whole scene. Kiltyman
