:mai:2006:
• Onwards.
• There is lot’s of activity.
• I have posted some photographs of my loft-studio on this site. I’m busy much of the time.
• We recorded a second Reformed Faction cd in March in the space of two weeks watching Werner Herzog films. We then changed our name taking out any reference to the band known as Soviet France. It’s a millstone we don’t need nor want. So we’re just called Reformed Faction. There are some shows in Eastern Germany in September.
• In speaking as I do frequently to Martin Atkins I made contact with Chris Connelly, whom I hadn’t met before but we discovered we had many things in common, a mutual love of Can and Scott Walker being but two things. I love Chris’ voice, so we have started to record an album together for Invisible and all is rosy.
• I’ve been obsessed by Captain Beefheart for the past few months. Just thought I’d share that with you. I’ve been buying copious amounts of music.
• Martin and I are talking about doing a one off SPASM type show in Chicago. I still think SMEAR is a fantastic album.
• I’m coming to Chicago anyway to finish off the Chris Connelly collaboration, put together the official DVOA box set retrospective and maybe play a DVOA show.
• The new DVOA cd. “From Labrador to Madagascar” is done and is in the hands of Invisible. I’m really happy with it. Features a guest appearance by Robin Storey. It’s as intense as I feel I’ve been and is ploughing new territory for me and no that doesn’t mean I’m using prefabricated beats and sequences. No. No. No. It’s clustered fourth-world and all of the beats were made by hand.
• I am going to include a free cd, a collaboration with Richard Sanderson in the DVOA box set official release, together with some free artwork by me. The Richard collaboration is a Faust tapes collage of post-punk songs, no wave free jazz and ambience.
• The collaboration with Jared and Robin continues. We just need to re-record some vocals and it’s done. Think beatnik-fourth world-sad little songs in a blender with some ground down volcanic rock and you won’t be far from how it’s sounding.
• On and off Robin and I have been doing stuff for a joint cd with Dave Wright of Not Breathing. It must be near completion.
:RELEASES:
Reformed Faction
Vota
Klanggalerie Records.
OUT NOW
Debut CD by
‘VOTA’
Available now from Klanggalerie
Robin Storey, Andy Eardley and Mark Spybey , three ex-members of the band Zoviet-France, have united to form “Reformed Faction.”
Founding member of Zoviet-France, Robin Storey has worked under the name Rapoon since leaving the band in 1992, releasing numerous CDs, touring, authoring best selling loop-sample CDs, creating visual work and film work and collaborating widely. Andy Eardley worked with the band from 1990 to 1995 and was founder member of Horizon 222 and Ingleton Falls. Currently, his solo work is under the name of 'Delayer,' and he is starting work with an experimental male voice choir known as the 'Boiling Brothers.' Mark Spybey was a member of the band between 1987 and 1989. He subsequently worked under the names Dead Voices on Air, Propeller, collaborated widely, toured and was a member of Download (ex-Skinny Puppy). He was also a member of Sofortkontakt! led by the late Michael Karoli of Can and has toured with Damo Suzuki of the same band and worked with Faust.
The impetus for the formation of the Reformed Faction came several years ago, when four of the ex-members met and planned to do some work together. The musicians involved feel drawn to create music that honours the process of spontaneous composition. Using live improvisations, the trio then cut and paste, in the tradition of pioneers such as Holger Czukay to create collage like compositions. Instead of the analogue four track tape machines of old, all of the music is recorded onto computer but the object brut like way of assembling pieces remains essentially as it was when they first began to make music.
At the heart of the music are unconventional sound sources: children’s musical toys, ethnic instruments, homemade gadgets and sound processors. Bagpipe chanters, flutes, percussive instruments and the effected tones of the human voice are all utilised. Over reliance on the detached and distant excesses of technology creates stagnant and purposeless music. This is visual music; made by the human hand, drawn by breath.
Vota was recorded in the summer of 2005. The band has since recorded their second cd, provisionally entitled ‘Anton the Stiff’ and members continue to work on their own projects. There will be new releases by Rapoon and Dead Voices on Air during the course of 2006. Spybey and Storey are also nearing completion of a project with Jared Louche from the band Chemlab.
‘Reformed Faction’ appeared live in Vienna in November of 2005 and will be playing live extensively in 2006.
For information, bookings etc, contact: refacsf@yahoo.co.uk
Web Site: http://www.pretentious.net/RFSF
Record Label: http://www.klanggalerie.com
Spybey Out
mspybey@hotmail.com