What's Actually Happening?

2024 Is Happening.

Hello,

I hope your Sunday is turning out to be a funday. Big welcome to all our new subscribers that we’ve picked up in the wake of Neil’s new and brilliant Moonbuilding Substack. What a joy to see such a great writer roaming free and hoovering up all of the things we love. If you’re not already, you definitely should.

Things for the new year are ramping up here at CiS_HQ.

I’ve spent two weeks pulling together this amazing compilation in support of the wonderful people at Iklectik Arts Lab. IKLECTIK is a nonprofit creative organisation supporting experimental sound, art and technology.

A few weeks ago, Robin The Fog suggested to me that we do something in support of the Iklectik crowdfunder.

www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/iklectikfuture

Team CiS were scrambled and the quality of the work from everyone involved speaks volumes about the respect in which Isa and Eduard are held from anyone who has ever had an interaction with them or played at their amazing venue.
However, time is tight. The crowdfunder closes at the end of this month and it's an all or nothing deal. If they don't make the target, all money will be returned and we will have lost something very special. Their future plans include not only finding a new permament home, but taking the Iklectik experience to other venues around the UK and maybe beyond. We've opened up all tracks on the album so people can listen on the bandcamp, but this album will not be available on streaming platforms.

Please give what you can to ensure these excellent people can continue to do their exceptional work.

“This Is Not The End: Music For Iklectik” is available here, but will will be pulled at the end of the month when the crowdfunder ends. I honestly think it’s one of the best things we’ve ever done. Don’t miss.

Late January saw the release of the wonderfully evocative Stellarays album, “Winter Resort Music”, which Bob Fischer reviewed in Electronic Sound. We’ve been sat on this one for a while as the vinyl crisis was in full flow and what we were expecting to be delivered in late 2022 didn’t arrive until May ‘23. We didn’t think we could release “Winter Resort Music” in the summer, but this total gem is finally out and is a wonderful testament to the artistry of dear, departed Bruno. This incredibly handsome release with artwork by Castles in Space mainstay, Nick Taylor, is a perfect artefact of library music, retro and modern at the same time, beautifully put together by Bruno, Centeio and Corinna.

After much delay, we also got our hands on the beautiful Apta EP, “Submerge” ahead of his upcoming album “The Pool”. This gorgeous 12” features remixes of Barry’s fluidly beautiful original from The Hardy Tree, Polypores, Pye Corner Audio, GNOD and Field Lines Cartographer. Absolutely stellar work from our man, here, which should now be available in all stores as well as via the bandcamp. The video from Zeke Clough and Johnny is stunning. I think this is the first time Apta music has featured a vocal, and the Durutti Column resonance is strong. Amazing work.

February

Our main release for this month is a new retrospective album of Howlround music from the Iklectik project’s instigator, Robin The Fog. I was delighted to be able to compile an album from his unreleased archive last year. Expertly mastered by Antony Ryan at RedRedPaw, “A Loop Where Time Becomes” is a wonderfully eerie collection of tape works by Robin which he describes as follows:

“After twelve years, ten albums and innumerable live shows (including at least one former underground reservoir), the Howlround sound has indeed changed quite a lot, but the basic ethos remains the same as it did back in 2012. All tracks are created by manipulating field recordings dubbed onto analogue tape, with all digital effects and artificial reverb strictly forbidden - a process that has been described by Electronic Sound magazine as ‘conjur[ing] magic’. Of the twelve tracks here, only one has been physically released on a limited edition and long out of print compilation. A second appeared on a download only release several years ago and a third was created as part of the unreleased soundtrack to a documentary. Everything else on this compilation is seeing the light of day for the first time.

“All were created in South London at various periods between 2012 and 2017, five years during which the project evolved from the Radiophonic mournfulness of 2012's debut album The Ghosts Of Bush ('The ultimate Hauntological artefact' - Simon Reynolds), to 2015's tour with tape legend William Basinski, to 2016's darker and weirder soundtrack to Steven McInerney's multiple award-winning film A Creak In Time and on towards what would become the wilder, gnarlier noise of 2019's The Debatable Lands. This retrospective from the first five years marks the gradual evolution of Howlround from the earliest days conjuring 'aural ectoplasm' from nocturnal field recordings of the last days of an underground BBC studio to increasingly spurning of the external world altogether by creating blistering no-input noise and raw analogue feedback. It's been quite a trip.”

Robin is one of the absolute best and this album is a beautiful representation of what he does, ever so slightly skewed to the CiS soundworld. Very limited copies pressed up on purple vinyl with gorgeous artwork by Robin and Phil Heeks.

We’re also finalising the line up for Levitation ‘24 which will take place at Bedford Esquires. The 100 early bird tickets have gone, baby, gone, and once we announce the full bill, our expectation is that this will sell out pretty quickly. We have an amazing group of artists so I’d suggest that you keep an eye out for the announcement which should be coming next week. Tickets are available from the Skiddle site here: www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Bedford/Bedford-Esquires/Levitation-24/37148409

There have been a few leaks, but the final line up is *incredible*. Esquires is a fantastic venue with two rooms with tremendous sound, fully PRS registered and incredibly professional. There’s also a smaller bar stage area which we’re thinking of getting some bands on to perform. You won’t see everything, but proper festival vibes. Ruby has worked with the venue before and we have every confidence that this going to be one of the events of the year. Undoubtedly, the best Levitation festival so far.

March

March is alive with fantastic new music from us. Next month sees the release of the beautiful new album from one of the highlight performers at Levitation’ 23, Kinbrae. The Truscott brother’s performance made me shed a tear, such is their emotional impact. The new record is no less slamming and we have sweated blood over the artwork and packaging for this one. Our pals at Monorail will have a special edition with obi-strip and ‘zine. It’s dizzying stuff. A mix of post-rock, ambient and electronics, this cannot be missed.

We also have an album from Kevin Pearce. The voice and co-writer of the Sound of Science album. Gabriel-esqe wonky pop songs with stunning arrangements. We’ve got some CiS affiliated remixes incoming as an intro, but this one cuts deep. The Field Lines Cartographer remix of Sundial is quite the thing.

April and Beyond

We’re waiting for delivery of the new Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan album. There’s also a preceding EP and super limited 7” which features a Vince Clarke remix. Gordon continues to astound us with the sheer quality of what he’s doing. People, I’m here to tell you that you will not be disappointed.

Check in with GCF’s live activities here: warringtonruncorn.com

Meanwhile, the Subscription Library schedule is looking amazing. Swansither picture disc recorded at the pub on the moors as featured in An American Werewolf in London. Also new Kieran Mahon, Loula Yorke and R.E.E.L. featuring Matthew from Twilight Sequence. Plus another two volumes of Participation (as recorded and produced by our lovely subscribers) and a brand new stamps EP from the ever wonderful The Leaf Library. https://theleaflibrary.bandcamp.com

Also a complete banger of an EP in the works from CiS newcomer Mudlarking and not forgetting one of our official bootlegs in wraparound sleeve by Nick Taylor with multitudinous inserts recorded live at the Paul Cousins album launch party in May last year featuring Paul in full effect with Joe Harvey-Whyte and Vincent Curson Smith. It’s stunning.

MORE!

We’re also launching a CD only imprint called Lunar Module. We’re obsessing over the packaging, but a proper announcement and subscription details coming soon. Artists lined up include Camp of Wolves, Hawksmoor, Pulselovers, Gordon Chapman-Fox, Lo Five, Phexioenesystems and Bartholemew.

Some of you will already know that we’ve set up a publishing arm and have already had sync for Jon Dalham on Netflix. We also have live requests from Disney and the BBC. It’s busy. Beautifully busy.

Ins:

1. All of the wonderful artists who scrambled to contribute to the Iklectik album. There is more incoming before we close it down at the end of the month. Thank you all.

2. Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/castlesinspace.bsky.social

3. General elections. Let’s have one.

Outs:

1. Twitter/X. The label account is dormant as we have taken a moral stance that we will not give content to this binfire, for better or worse. Please keep in touch here on the substack, on Bluesky or at the bandcamp: castlesinspace.bandcamp.com/follow_me

I guess that’s it for this update. I’ll try not to leave it it three months next time. 😀

Thanks to all of you for your continued support.

Colin

Castles in Space

Saffron Road, Biggleswade. 18:40, 18/02/2024