For nearly two decades Dave Hillary has been running the Edinburgh based Bearsuit Records, an independent label that’s happily associated with weird, peculiar, eclectic and inventive, electronic music, alternative rock and oddball pop music.

Dave Hillary is responsible for much of the labels output. For example Hillary is behind “Eamon The Destroyer,” “Bunny And The Invalid Singers” and the wonderful “Harold Nono.” Who’s “We’re Almost Home” album was a personal, left-field highlight of 2020.

Hillary’s latest character is “Andrei Rikichi” who explodes onto the scene complete with the usual Bearsuit Records Milligan-esque backstory. Rikichi is the son of a Tokyo diplomat, raised in Switzerland and Belgium. He has a BA Honours in Exploding Furniture. He’s a multi instrumentalist, specialising in the three string Zither Pipe and enjoys eating pickles. After playing in various collectives, Andrei Rikichi has completed his first solo album.

The poetically titled “Caged Birds Think Flying Is A Sickness” is a fourteen track album, available on Compact Disc and digitally. Many of the songs run under two minutes in length and the whole album scurries in under half an hour. So “Caged Birds…” sounds pleasurably like a soundtrack to a dark dystopian film.

The music ranges from bombastic explosions in sound to sublime melody filled alternative electro pop, often on the same song.

There’s ethereal voices hidden under industrial, repetitive, drone. There’s ghostly, operatic vocal solos. There’s vocalized mirroring of the synth strings and vocals imitating instruments. There’s electronica and rock drums, distorted, muffled or clipped, sometimes driving the theme, sometimes jolting, juddering and pensive. There’s simple, saccharine melodies, lasting for a few seconds or riding the full two minutes of the song, that lift the emotion and there’s twisted, inky melodies which imply a quickening of step, racing up from behind you. And then there’s the sultry, fuggy ambient soundscapes, coloured liked a nuclear Autumn, hazy and dreamlike, a treat for the headphones listener.

“Caged Birds…” isn’t a score for an unknown arthouse film, but if it was, the soundtrack I would definitely want to watch that film it at the cinema.

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I’ve always been a fan of independent labels but in this internet age, with excellent platforms like Bandcamp, I’ve become a bigger fan of “Hobby” labels. I can’t help but admire the people who set-up a Hobby label. The dedication, time and love that gets poured into each release can only be applauded in my opinion. Especially when you consider a successful release is someone buying a download or physical copy, and a triumphant release is actually breaking even financially.

One of the Hobby labels I’ve been following closely for the last couple of years is Colander which uses the tag line “Art, noise, music, you name it, Colander will spoil it.” The label is run by Darren Giddings, the jovial host of the eclectic radio show “Space Folk Horror Lounge” found on Frome FM and mixcloud.

Colander has been releasing music from artists like Dogs Versus Shadows, The Central Office Of Information, Drew Mulholland, The Electric Pentangle and Expose Your Eyes. Often in highly unusual formats. There’s been a series of wonderfully packaged credit card sized cd-r’s. A series with titles such as “Omni” and “Material Outrage,” so far running to ten albums, all on CD, from an imaginary in-house group named “The Colander House Band,” a rather clever and interesting concept.

The house band is actually established electronic music artists making music that’s not necessarily their normal style, and releasing it under the “House Band” moniker. For my part, this has led to an unhealthy amount of time, unsuccessfully trying to fathom out who is behind the masks. My personal favourite release (so far) is a run of 25 Lathe Cut Flexi-disc’s with just one, unique, two second, locked-groove loop. This came with a download of all 25 locked-grooves, which, once played is capable of emptying a room quicker than a fire alarm.

The latest Colander offering is from the label boss himself, under his music composing moniker “Darrg.”

“Boots” is a four track EP of minimalist, left-field, guitar and electronic music. It’s available as a Lathe Cut 7” vinyl or a Bandcamp download. The title track is constructed around a 1915 recording of Taylor Holmes (an American stage and film star) theatrical reading of Rudyard Kipling’s poem “Boots.” The poem imagines the mental fatigue, repetition and despair endured by infantryman during the long marches in South Africa during the Second Boer War. Holmes dramatic reading starts with the infantryman at an already mentally low point before swiftly descending into the maniacal.

Boots—boots—boots—boots—movin’ up and down again! There’s no discharge in the war!

Darrg uses the marching pace of the poem pinning it down with a left, right footslogging drum beat. Over which phased, disorienting and heavily panning, almost industrial sounding, electronica pads zip and fizz. As the infantryman unravels the effects intensify culminating in a quickened drum beat, as if the soldier stumbles before collapsing. Obviously Kipling’s poem is about war and suffering but Darrg, intentionally or not, has given the recording a real feeling of an anti war protest song.

“Get That Ghost Out Of Spain” continues on the marching pace with a one, two drum machine beat over which two repeated, picked guitars loop while strange Synthesizer sounds buzz around. It’s almost a radiophonic piece and very reminiscent of David Cain and Ronald Duncan 1969 BBC album “Seasons” except there’s none of the dead pan, slightly sinister poetry.

“Squelch” raises the pace. Driven by Richard Scott on the drums, playing an almost tattoo rhythm, with a throbbing kick, while a simple, surprisingly catchy, bass hook loops. Again Darrgs’ use of samples is delightful. Here using an intriguing sample about “the cascade method of critical path analysis”

“Can we Not?” is the download bonus, experimental noise soundscape track. The sound of an electro, free jazz, orchestra warming up. Strangely while playing this my better half walked in the room and said “Really, it’s a Sunday afternoon, can we not have this noise on.” Which makes me wonder if that’s why, in the Bandcamp genre section, Darren Giddings has used the category “eye-rolling.”

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Appearing in the Doomsday Book and with evidence of Iron Age trackways, the small, isolated village of Imber, in Wiltshire, is an ancient Village that holds a special place in English folklore. In 1943 the Ministry Of Defence commandeered Imber for military training. Much of the land around Imber had already been purchased by the military and on the whole the residents considered it their duty to do their part in the war effort. They were given 46 day’s notice before being evacuated. Legend has it that many residents left tinned goods and other non perishables behind, on the belief they would return in around six months time or at the very least, after the war.

The villagers were never allowed to return to their homes in Imber. Imber’s grade 1 listed Church still stands and has been maintained. Once a year, on the closest Saturday to St Giles day, a service is still held and is enthusiastically attended, otherwise Imber is an English ghost town.

I’m currently diving in and out of a rather weighty book on “The wickedest man in the world” Aleister Crowley. There has, so far been no mention of the “Great Beast” visiting the Village of Imber, on Salisbury Plain. Yet, I’m half expecting to turn a page and discover Drew Mulholland and Crowley had met somewhere on Salisbury Plain.

Obviously the pair hit it of famously, went for a spot of lunch and a pint, or two, at The Bell Inn in Imber to discuss all things wyrd, magical and horned God like. Incidentally they were delighted to discover the legendary ghost hunter Harry Price having a cheeky sherry.

This is the atmosphere and setting for Drew Mulholland’s latest album “My Life With The Imber Goat Cult (1911-1913)” A 15 track album crafted around field recordings, composed as experimental soundscapes touching on modern classical, horror folk, ambient drone, and hauntronica styles. The perfect ingredients for a ghostly, nightmare inspiring, Pagan God worshipping hauntology album.

“Imber Goat Cult” uses very limited harmonies and extremely sparse melodies. Instead Mulholland assembles a layered tapestry of samples and tape loops into a compelling and mysterious sonic journey into a world pregnant with paranormal and occult imagery. There’s organic recordings of rhythmic chanting, spliced with distorted, warped Synthesizers and the loops are deformed and sublimely disorientating.

Peculiar, unnerving sounds flit about, sometimes floating in, sometimes crashing and crunching into the mix. There’s also recognizable samples, like a church bell, a heavy door opening, bird songs and possibly even laboured breathing. This coerces the listener into the feeling of a discernible location, an English village, where the Church probably isn’t the main location for worship.

Unquestionably Mulholland is the master of giving his recordings a notion of time and age. There’s often a suspicion on “Imber Goat Cult” of a recently discovered collection of old field recordings. They’ve been cleaned and this is the first time they’ve been heard, conceivably in a 100 years. A really inventive, mystical, dark, fascinating listening experience that I believe would have enthralled Crowley and intrigued Price, especially if the pair invested in a decent pair of headphones.

“My Life With The Imber Goat Cult” is Drew Mulholland’s first recording for the independent label Subexotic Records. Its released as a limited edition Lathe Cut flexi-disc and as a download. However, if you are new to Drew Mulholland’s music its worth mentioning he has been making music for quite some time. In 1997 he started The Mount Vernon Arts Lab and has been making otherworldly soundscapes ever since. I’d highly recommend a visit to his bandcamp page where you will find Drew’s lifestyle motto

stay up all night and make tape loops from field recordings

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When Tom McDowell isn’t composing eerie synthwave music as Dream Division, he is curating his independent label Library Of The Occult Records, which specializes in alternative, experimental electronic music or “sounds of the dark arts.” Throughout 2021, alongside various intriguing albums, the label has been releasing “a series of haunting cover versions by our favourite musicians, of classic themes and music from film and television” as limited edition, lathe cut singles. “Sounds Of The Unexpected” compiles these singles together.

Running from 1979 to the late 80’s “Tales Of The Unexpected” was an Anglia television series (mostly) based around Roald Dahl’s amusing and sinister short stories that always finished with a twist in the tale. This is the major inspiration behind “SOTU” from the title, cover artwork to the first single, from Dream Division.

A sample of Dahl mixed with dreamy synths on the opening track “Intro” is a statement of intent followed by the shows legendary theme tune, composed by Ronald Erle Grainer. Dream Division captures the sound perfectly, moving away from the slightly jazzy undertones to a synth sound, whilst still keeping the Latin sounding rhythm and adding more bass and a little distortion. It’s like listening to the filter called “childhood” you can apply to photos on your phone, it’s the same picture but seen through nostalgic, whimsical eyes.

From the soundtrack to the 1973 folk horror masterpiece The Wicker Man, Ivan The Tolerable (Oli Heffernan) covers “Gently Johnny.” The Wicker Man score was composed and arranged by Paul Giovanni and performed by Magnet, a group of student musicians, but also included members of the cast. It mixes traditional Scottish, Irish and English folk songs, Giovanni compositions, nursery rhymes and near psychedelic guitar music.

Amazingly the soundtrack was only first released in 1998. Ivan The Tolerable’s version of “Gently Johnny” is a darker version than Giovanni’s sweetly sung, knowing, ballad. It’s sung with a deep almost sinister delivery that’s wonderfully juxtaposed with the sweet harmonies of Claire Hargon on the chorus. The rhythm is heavier, hypnotic with an air of the world weary. A truly, inventive and lovingly curated version.

The 1979 television series “Noah’s Castle” was based on a book for young adults by John Rowe Townsend. When the economy has almost collapsed, rioting is common place and food is scarce, a family escapes to a large house in the countryside. As the situation deteriorates, the starving locals get suspicious and the family comes under threat.

The Heartwood Institute reimagines the “Noah’s Castle” theme. Moving away from the late 70s synth and drum machine sound into a familiar Heartwood evocative hauntronica soundtrack. Here driven by a bass drum with groggy, giddy synths surrounding the original main theme. The B side “Liberating Food” uses samples from the TV series and continues the wonderfully woozy atmosphere.

The delightfully named Garden Gate covers the 1970 theme tune to “Ace Of Wands” called “Tarot” which was composed by Andrew Bown. A children’s TV series about a magician with supernatural powers. “Tarot” is a much lighter, breezier theme, which admittedly touches upon mystical occult subject matter but is an upbeat, genial, electronic folk song. Warm, wistful, affable and dreamily sung with a surprisingly catchy chorus.

The final single finds Hawksmoor covering “The Boy From Space” backed with a Dub mix version. The Boy From Space was a Sci-fi story that was part of the BBC Look And Read series, covering reading for primary schools. Two children find a young boy from space and are almost instantly chased by an adult alien called The Thin Man, pretty scary stuff for children learning to read in primary classrooms.

It was on repeat throughout the 70’s and 80’s and featured some amazing electronic music and really was rather good, although definitely a bit frightening. Hawksmoor’s version is a magnificent love letter to the sound of the show with soaring synths, hazy pads and computing bleeps. Space-aged, other worldly, dreamy and fantastical.

Sounds Of The Unexpected is a love letter to library music and to an era of British television and film that was very creative and stimulated, in particular, young people’s imagination. Of course the songs all sound fantastic whether you watched any of the programs or not, but a little bit of the appeal here is dancing like the lady in the flames in title credits of Tales Of The Unexpected, as myself, sister and brothers used to do.

Highly recommended for fans of dark synth, hauntronica, experimental electronic music and horror folk, as well as anyone looking for a little bit of British Nostalgia.

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Before I attempt to write a review for an album, I like to listen to the music as many times as possible before the review needs to be submitted. This was the case for “Sufficiently Disconcerting.” An intriguing collaboration between two experimental electronic musicians, Xqui and SEODAH (Sound Effects Of Death And Horror) Sometimes, however, the location, environment, atmosphere and your personal mood combine to make an albums first listen into an experience, and occasionally, a surprisingly unique experience.

I’d planned the working day around a lunchtime visit to an unspoilt Chalk Downlands Church, dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period. I’d already wolfed down my lunch at elevenses, so when I parked up I decided to scroll through my Bandcamp feed for a suitable soundtrack. The cover art of “Sufficiently Disconcerting” has a blurred and distorted, maybe possessed, face with unfeasibly large mouth, howling out a twisted demonic scream. Although it was a Summer day, it had been raining off and on all morning, before deciding to settle on a persistent blanket of drizzle. The monstrous face with contorted scream seemed appropriate, so headphones on and hood up.

“Sufficiently Disconcerting” consists of six soundscapes. As I walk through the lynch gates and follow the path around the outside of the church the choral drone of the opening track “Timete” perfectly accompanies the experience. A mix of voices and synth strings creates an excellent ominous atmosphere it feels like an opening scene to a Hammer Horror. “An American Man Stole My Balloon” mixes vocal samples with unbalanced and unhinged beeps, beats, sound effects and synth pads. It’s a split personality of a song, a musical Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, slightly uncomfortable and strangely hypnotic.

Whilst walking around the outside of the old church, looking for any interesting features, soundtracked by the gentle ambient drones and floating synthesized voices of “Exultate” I’m half expecting to bump into a spectral monk or at least to disturb a murder of crows.

The eleven minutes of the dreamy, whimsical “Probiscus (wins by a nose)” hinged around a gentle bass bleep, snatched piano and panning pads finds me inside the Church. The vivid wall art, dating back to the early Norman or possibly late Anglo-Saxon’s is extraordinary, running all around the walls, depicting biblical scenes like a story book. Studying the scenes and taking photos to “Oculi Mei” with the re-emergence of the synthesized voices, unusual effects and warm string sound was a moment of pure joy.

The final track on “Sufficiently Disconcerting” is an epic piece running to nearly 30 minutes. “Hallucigenetic” is loosely divided into three movements and is almost a stand alone album. It brings together all the musical themes. The pianos, the voices, the synth strings, pads and unusual sound effects, but also adds an Occult horror sounding rock guitar and organic drums, before drifting into a beautiful, mysterious electronic soundscape. With an afternoons work looming I left the Church to the strains of the fuzzed out guitar. It was a particularly pleasant lunch break scored by a delightfully unique musical experience.

“Sufficiently Disconcerting” is an interesting mix of ambient soundscapes and drone nightmares, designed as a journey. It’s sounds cinematic, sometimes dark and menacing, some times uplifting and bright, but its not composed as an easy listen. While cooking supper listening to “An American Man Stole My Balloons” my better half walked into the kitchen, looked at me, looked at the speaker, sighed and walked out! If electronic music and particular experimental music or old Churches is something you take an interest in then you really can’t go wrong with “Sufficiently Disconcerting” because at times it really is.

“Sufficiently Disconcerting” is released by the Lancashire based label Wormhole World as a CD or download. An independent label, easily found on Bandcamp, that specializes in experimental music.

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Directed by Christopher Alender and written by Marcos Gabriel “The Old Ways” is a spooky horror film currently streaming on Netflix. Cristina Lopez (Brigitte Kali Canales) is a journalist sent to her birth place in the Veracruz state in Mexico. Cristina is researching for a story on tribal culture and Witchcraft. She is kidnapped by a group of Veracruz locals and held hostage suspected of being possessed by a Demon. The group is led by a Bruja (Julia Vera) a Latin American term for a female Witch. There is also the Bruja’s son and assistant Javi (Sal Lopez) and Cristina’s cousin Miranda (Andrea Cortes.) The film is a delicious slice of horror. Chilling, eerie, ominous and spine tingling scary. A large part of this nightmarish atmosphere is achieved through the dark arts of the film’s score, composed by Ben Lovett.

Ben Lovett is a Los Angeles based musician and film composer. Lovett has been composing for films since 2005’s “Last Goodbye” and since has mainly composed for science fiction and horror films such as “The Wolf Of Snow Hollow,” ”Synchronicity,” “The Signal,” and “I Trapped The Devil.” For this reviewer, a soundtrack fan and avid collector, Lovett raised the bar of modern, independent, horror films with the remarkable 2018 score for the film “The Ritual” and the 2019 score for the film “The Wind.” Both soundtracks have a natural, organic, tribal, horror folk sound, mixed with a dark twist of neo-classical style, heavy on the strings, and haunted, traumatic, over-worldly sound effects. Ben’s latest score for “The Old Ways” sounds like the third in an unholy trinity, except this time with a Latin American accent.

Ben Lovett said

I got involved with The Old Ways when director Christopher Alender played me a recording of an ancient Mexican death whistle and I thought it was the most terrifying thing I’d ever heard.

The 17 tracks on “The Old Ways” mix instruments of ancient Mexican origin, played by Martin Espino and Mexika on Percussion with guitars, guitarviols, mandolins, strings and vocals. From the opening track, “Veracruz” the Mexican/Spanish sound is obvious as is the earthy, tribal like, horror folk sound that Lovett has honed so well on previous scores. When the soundtrack requires pace, the drums throb and pound, underlined by intriguing, exotic percussions, twisted cello strings and unsettling, unearthly sounds. When the film requires gentler sound Lovett moves towards the guitar and mandolin, often played in a Spainish style, accompanied by spectral sounds and delicate string arrangements. The atmosphere is often charged with a sinister, portentous foreboding vibes and pure jump out of your skin surprises.

The majority of the soundtrack is fantastically dark and haunting but there is also songs like “La Llorona” sung by Whitney Moore. A warm, lazy, Spainish folk song that almost juxtaposes the disquieting horror folk.

“The Old Ways” is a great horror film and a fantastic soundtrack. Lovett has, once again, delivered a claustrophobic, moody, ghostly musical nightmare. One for the horror fan, soundtrack fan and leftfield music fan.

“The Old Ways” has found the perfect release partner in the independent label Burning Witches Records. A label that has released many, exquisitely packaged, film soundtracks. Its available as a limited edition “Clear and Red Smoke” vinyl and download.

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Rupert Lally really needs little introduction to most electronic music fans. For the past 17 odd years he has been composing Eps and albums at a prolific rate and a consistently high quality. Lally blends electronic music with acoustic music creating anything from minimal, ambient soundscapes to dance floor filling stompers.

“Beyond The Night” is Rupert Lally’s latest album. A concept album of a journey taken from dusk to dawn. The album is split into two 15 odd minute long songs. The first “From Dusk To Midnight” the second “From Midnight Until Dawn.” The album opens with the turning of a key and the starting of a car engine, a soundtrack of a night’s drive.

So, before writing this review, I thought I’d put it to the test. When the house was sleeping, I slipped out for a late night drive. Rupert lives in Switzerland and in the scenario painted by “Beyond The Night” drives a DeLorean. I live in Sussex and I’m not allowed to touch my better halves car, so I’m driving a clapped out, once white, Citroën van. We start our engines and depart to the strains of a jazzy, bluesy, synth horn that breezes in to set the cult, underground cinematic soundtrack vibe.

As the synth horn drifts into the first electro beats and melodies, I head towards the tight, single track lanes surrounding the North side of the South Downs I’m imaging Lally leaving behind the bright lights of Zurich. As the Jazz horns return accompanied by minimalist effects I turn down the first lane.

For Lally it’s a toll booth, before the organic bass drops and the open toll roads allow Lally to put his foot down & let the DeLorean roar. The pace drops to one of Lally’s characteristic, delightfully emotive musical moments, mixing acoustic with electronic, constructing a beautiful, almost whimsical, soundscape.

Here Rupert slows the DeLorean to gaze upon the moons reflection shimmering across one of Switzerland’s great lakes. I also slowed and pulled in to stare at a pre-conquest Saxon Church, obscured behind a flint wall, a giant Yew and the dark of the night. A perfect soundtracked moment and an absolutely splendid ending to the first half of the album.

Side B, “From Midnight Until Dawn” finds Lally heading towards the sun and myself heading back home. Again to a delicate, brooding, jazzy intro before an organic beat rides in with 80s theme upbeat synthwave sound. I imagine Rupert has entered one of Switzerland’s long tunnels, with the DeLorean rushing under strip lights.

The upbeat track eases away into a piece of minimalism with the horns reappearing as the music rises to anther fantastic electronic rhythm. I’m now on the main road heading home. As I pull into my road just as Lally steers the DeLorean around his last chicane to face the rising sun. A perfect journey for the pair of us.

Lally’s music is always full of descriptive and emotive soundscapes, I recommend investigating his Bandcamp page, but with “Beyond The Night” Lally has raised the bar. There’s electro pop, ambient minimalism, organic and electronic rhythms and a sense of intrigue and dark mystery. A highly recommended listen.

“Beyond The Night” is Rupert Lally’s, as far as I’m aware, first album to get a vinyl release. Luckily it’s in the safe hands of Dan Seville’s superb indie label Subexotic Records. It’s available as a limited edition Sodium Yellow vinyl with a download or just as a download on Bandcamp.

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Lucky is a home invasion, horror, suspense, thriller film. Written and staring Brea Grant and directed by Natasha Kermani. It’s available to watch on the streaming service Shudder. Its not your normal nightmare-come-to-life scenario as the story is told through May Ryer’s (Brea Grant) dazed, confused, insomniac view point. A masked stalker repeatedly (in a time loop style) breaks into the house she shares with her husband, who seems remarkably blasé about the situation, as does everyone around May. This leaves May with no option but to take matters into her own hands.

Now a disclosure. Being a soundtrack fan and soundtrack collector I couldn’t wait to hear the score by, the Emmey Award winning, Jeremy Zuckerman, so I hope this review does not come across as a fluff piece. With the risk of spoiling the review, it really doesn’t disappoint.

“Lucky” is released as a limited edition coloured vinyl and a bandcamp download. “Lucky” is one of those intriguing scores that’s sequenced like a stand alone album. Zuckerman takes the listener into a menacing and unsettling neo-classical and electronic music soundscape with recurring themes and surprising twists.

From the opening track, appropriately titled “Opening,” Zuckerman uses snatched, panicked and impearled panting breaths, mixing them with other vocals samples over a rising single drum, instantly creating a dark, claustrophobic atmosphere. The unusual vocal sampling is one of the soundtracks recurring themes. On “The Man” with it’s scratched and plucked strings, the vocals sound like flies or someone freezing to death. On the fantastically intense “Upstairs, Downstairs” the vocals are almost mixed as an extra instrument in the orchestra. On “Not Lucky” the vocals become a spectral choir that’s pinned in place by stabbing strings that quicken the heart rate.

The intense, sharp and often disorientating string stabs are another recurring theme. Sometimes as a rhythm on songs such as “Get Used To It” Sometimes as a means of making you jump. Often as a plot thickener.

The blending of electronic sounds and a sharp string section is another theme to the score. Its possibly best appreciated on “All The Men.” Which starts with fierce paced strings, then vocals, then bass like drops. A real treat through a decent pair of headphones.

“We’re Not Safe In There” really mixes things up. Opening with the ghostly, off key, choir before transforming into a phased, buzzed synth, before morphing into a sparse hook.

Elsewhere on “Waiting” we are treated to a totally unexpected, pure mod synth number that wouldn’t sound out of place in an 80s low budget, straight to VHS, film.

The final track “Lucky” brings every element together. A delicious smorgasbord of the modern, alternative horror soundtrack.

Perhaps one of the greatest appeals of soundtracks as albums is that at no point does a song need to be structured.

The music is following and, ultimately enhancing a scene. However once the visuals are removed some scores are not descriptive and can feel a little flat. Jeremy Zuckerman’s “Lucky” score paints, inky, atmospheric, near calamitous scenes that draw you into a very agreeable unnerving and unsettling listening experience.

If you enjoy thriller or horror soundtracks then Jeremy Zuckerman’s “Lucky” is a must hear score. If you’re a neo-classical fan or experimental electronic music fan the way “Lucky” sounds like an album, in its own right, means there’s more than enough to keep you entertained, you won’t get on your good foot but you might catch something in the shadow, from the corner of your eye.

Arguably the film soundtrack of the year so far.

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Nikmis – Jawbone (Third Kind)

Deadly Avenger and Si Begg – Yokai (Burning Witches)

Forest Robots – After Geography (Wormhole World)

Gavino Moretti – Girl Zero (Spun Out of Control)

VA – Elevate (Dig That Treasure)

VA – Strange Selectors (Werra Foxma)

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Community and local radio has traditionally been invaluable in helping local artists and labels get their first air plays. Enthusiastic, passionate DJ’s can host shows on almost any musical style and, since the Internet and smart phones, community radio shows have gone global.

An artist making Industrial Drone soundscapes in their spare room in Sydney can find airplay in Wiltshire, on a show like Kate Bosworth’s excellent and influential “Dark Train,” – an electronic music based show that goes out on Monday evenings on Warminster Community Radio. They could listen live, anywhere in the world, through Wi-Fi or listen when they won’t, on apps like Mixcloud.

Community Radio is more relevant now, than its ever been. Unfortunately running a Community Radio network is an expensive affair and Warminster Community Radio needs to update its near obsolete computer system.

The Edinburgh based Werra Foxma Records has joined up with “Mrs Dark Train,” Kate Bosworth, and gathered together a mouth-watering array of electronic composers to create the compilation album “Blue Scream.” Released as a limited edition CD or download, with all proceeds from the sale going directly to Warminster Community Radio.
Blue Scream is a cleverly sequenced snap shot of Kate’s weekly WCR show. It captures a broad range of current electronic music styles from 17 very different artists.

Opening with an almost Kosmische Musik sounding beat “Eonlake – Windows And Walls” finds the London based Howard Fox, elbow deep in cables and twinkling lights, whilst surrounding himself with warm layers of synth rhythms. Alex Cargill balances his Radiophonic influences with down beat ambience to create a wonderful slice of hauntronica as “The Central Office Of Information – Windows Over Warminster.“ The Japanese artist Rei Nakatani contributes “Body Movements And Vibrations” which forces the compilation forward with an insistent, minimalist, toe-tapping, industrial sounding rhythm.

The pace drops but the minimalism continues with Kieran Mahon’s “Bombing Around Lost Pond And Not Giving A Shit.” Mahon creates a woozy drone soundscape, under which a half hidden synth hook festers, whilst teasing out rippling rhythmic waves, like a pebble dropped in a well. Simon Klee contributes “Arthur Shuttlewood Meets The Thing” lifting the compilations pace again. Klee is the head honcho of Anticipating Nowhere Records and host of Anticipating Nowhere Mixcast, and he delivers an upbeat, drum driven song with plenty of looped hooks with and an eye on the dance floor.

“Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan – The Flaming Badischer” transforms Blue Scream into a wyrd, haunted, 1970s infused, ambient soundscape. A delightfully distorted hauntology soundtrack from the unique composer Gordon Chapman-Fox.

Bendu gives up “Something Larger Than Oneself” which finds the Los Angeles based Ben Vance delivering an affable electronic folk track. Lee Pylon of Kites And Pylons Radio fame (Sine FM and Mixcloud) takes the compilation into another otherworldly place as Dogs Versus Shadows with “Reader Of Dust” – a sparsely crafted, eerie soundscape revolving around a vocal reflection. “Autumna – Crash Dog Whimpers” continues the hauntronica vibe. Ghostly, drifting, vocals and ethereal floating synths pads are pinned by a wonderful lo-fi drum pattern.

The Leeds based Steve Hadfield (Co founder of the independent label Disintegration State) raises the tempo with “Breakbeak.” A squelchy, bubble bass drives a fun, Big Beat sounding bounce of a tune. “Breakbeak” flows beautifully into the lovely, whimsical modular synth soundscape from Letters From Mouse, “Chain Of Flowers.” LFM is Steven Anderson, the host of “The Magic Window.” A highly regarded and strongly recommended electronic music based show found on Mad Wasp Radio and Mixcloud.

Soul Flask, “The Natural Scientist” lifts the compilations pace again with an electronica, shuffling beat. Thomas Herdman (AKA Soul Flask) cleverly uses an old sample (sounding very much like a public information film) about the joys of electricity. With another change of gear we are transported to the thoughtful musical daydreams from the Californian based Fran Dominguez, aka Forest Robots. “Meditation VII (Waterfall Mist)” is a gentle, contemplative and immersive soundscape.

Tayus contribute “1 (Mike K Smith Remix)“ a multi-layered synth number of blissful synth strings and lo-fi drums. “The Train” by the New Wave influenced electronica composer Amanda Jay, aka Star Madman, finds Jay in a more plaintive, yearning mood. Panning vocals compete with dramatic drums and volatile synths all soaked in dry ice. On the penultimate song, “Strings and Rings,” the Manchester based Apta creates a positive soundtrack mixing guitar picks and licks with synth pads.

Blue Scream ends with another Community Radio DJ, Darren Giddings, aka Darg, who hosts the excellent “Space Folk Horror Lounge” on Fromme FM. “Inster (part 1)” plays on a drum loop and catchy distorted keys before drifting into a disorientating mix of layers of vocals repeating “Warminster” It’s not difficult to image the chanting is a field recording of Kate Bosworth, Darren Giddings and friends as they are planning there next Crop Circle. A very fitting finally to a wonderful compilation.

In truth it’s hard to find any fault here and all the proceeds go to help a community radio station and also to give similar hobbyists, like these, some much deserved radio play.

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