What's Actually Happening?

I should be better at this, but you know, life and stuff.

Hello everyone,

Thank you to all of you that have been asking for an update.

So… After a bit of a backroom break, CiS is gearing up for the new year.

We’ve been doing a shedload of boring shit around contracts and pressing plant orders. But the good news is that we have been busy working on tons of stuff that will be coming your way super-soon.

I’d like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has stuck with us on the Subscription Library. Your support is very valued and the Subscription Library singles club is lining up to be something a bit special. The first single is a Belbury Poly mix of a track from the forthcoming Keith Seatman LP. I’m tooting the horn right here, but this shit is why we do what we do. It’s amazing.

The plan is that there will be an album comprised of the “singles” at the end of the year. I’ve asked Nick Taylor to do a 12” single image as well, as some of the upcoming bangers are quite long. You won’t want to miss the MAPS remix of Big Verona Power from Lone Bison. Because it’s fucking awesome. Sound of the Summer, Kids.

We switched distributors last year and things are running a bit more smoothly than they have been. The Apta LP is beautiful and has just about gone from here. The new distro have bagged another couple of boxes which are winging their way to the Biscester warehouse today. Great. At the time of writing, we only have 10 copies left at CiS HQ at Shortmead Street, Biggleswade.

I’m including a podcast record that I did with Apta as our Barry delivers the beauty yet again. It’s difficult for me to express what a heart bursting joy it is to work with these people. Such talent which has the power to turn your day into something else. I’m sure Apta is used to hearing by now that his stuff is optimistic and uplifting, but I can stand here and tell you that it ABSOLUTELY IS. It’s joyous music and it’s just the pure beauty of it all that makes me melt. So yeah, we had a chat. Barry’s audio is a bit dodgy, but it’s a fun ramble around this beautiful record. Thanks to Stephen Polypores for rescuing the audio.

Bringing together Zeke Clough who did the artwork for the LP and Apta is what makes this, whatever it is we want to call it, worthwhile. Hello genius, meet another genius.

The LP is just about gone. It’s a beautiful record from one of the best secret saxophonists I know. Spoiler alert, saxophony made his face hurt, so he switched to the guitar and we are all taking the benefit. The Pool is one of the finest things we’ve ever released and much love to Barry for his vibes and to Zeke for housing it so finely.

Next up we have a beautiful LP from Andrea Cichecki.

Andrea is such a vibe and this album is just perfect. She gave Nick free reign on the artwork, and as ever, he has delivered bigtime. There’s a bandcamp edition for this one, but both editions are so beyond, it really doesn’t matter. Nick finished the artwork before Andrea had completed the album, so she used Nick’s imagary to channel back into the music. I love that symbiosis so much. And it’s a reminder that Nick’s work is such an important part of what CiS is. I mean, look at it! The litmus test for anything that we release is “Would I buy it?” The answer is a resounding “Yes”.

Still your nerves, because after Andrea we have some new Warrington-Runcorn New Town development Plan incoming, which is some of his best ever work, I reckon. Towards the back end of the year, we’ll be compiling all of the WRNTDP EPs onto a CD. So that’s your Christmas presents sorted. There’s also a new album on the way with a single track on side two! Tangerine Dream can fuck right off. Innit.

Gordon Chapman-Fox, the beautiful brain behind WRNTDP says “I’d worked on these tracks for the best part of a year, and, in my mind, they were a fundamental part of the whole Your Community Hub project. I was heartbroken when they couldn’t make it onto the album, so it’s an enormous relief to see them come to life here.”

The initial concept for the fifth WRNTDP album was to expand beyond north Cheshire, and dedicate a track to some of Britain’s other New Towns. Being part of the project from early on, these four tracks were dedicated to Basildon, Cwmbran, Redditch and Harlow. To give an idea on how long these things can take to gestate, the opening track "The People Of The Town was performed at the End Of The Road Festival in 2022.

He’s quite clever. Thinks about stuff. A unique talent. He’s written a whole new album for a gig overseas, because that was the deal. “Yeah, I can do that.” Not going to get too gushy, but fuck, the joy of working with him is endless.

The album cover is an image from the half-modernist, half-mock Tudor houses that were built in Birchwood, Warrington in some of the last large scale building projects that were part of the New Towns.

Then after that, my friends, we have double Dalham! Ka-Pow!

Following the inclusion of three of his tracks on a Ridley Scott documentary on Netflix, we get to drop the actual albums. There will be a signed print for the legends that want to buy both together. Jon is an amazing artist who doesn’t sound like anyone else. We’re all super thrilled at CiS HQ to be dropping those two records. Expect huge space and a building up and collapsing down buildings type of thing. Awesome isn’t the word. Jon’s stuff always takes me out of body. It’s beautifully massive. Again, nobody like him. And he’s made me do a thing that we rarely do, a black vinyl album, although the other one is pressed on white vinyl, so I’m not sure who won there. You will all be the winners when you hear the fucking records.

Much more on this soon, but Project Pop: Volume One is just about there. Working with Nick Lone Bison over the last few years has been such a joy. The hours I have spent pacing around the office listening to his beautiful pop songs. Hours and hours. And hours. Bringing the beautiful healing power of proper pop songs. It wouldn’t be a stretch to confirm that these songs have already made an impact. My daughter has been playing them out in Manchester and I’ve done a few DJ gigs with early mixes. The response has been incredible. It’s hard when you work with such a multitude of brilliant artists, I don’t want to be the spoon who lets the side down. So that’s not happening. In the studio with Nick and the singers. Just the best. Nick “Can you do me another one of those” Bonell. Deep love.

I HAVEN’T EVEN TALKED about Lunar Module, our new CD imprint. The quality of the stuff we have pulled together for the first tranche of releases is very, very good. The second tranche also underway. We’ve done our job for those that want to hold something in their hands but still love the CD format.

Much more on that soon. I’m thinking about offering a one time payment subscription for the first series of ten CDs. Gordon has designed the logo and again, Nick on most of the artwork duties. I know what I know and this stuff is great. Super excited about getting this stuff out there.

Jules is calling to get me home from the office for a proper meal. Which I haven’t had since Tuesday. So I’ll draw the line there. As indeed has she.

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Colin

Castles in Space xx