After the two EBV releases of the late '90s, FSOL have once again branched out into artist distribution - this time with two digital releases.First up is 'Prestatyn' by longtime FSOL friend and collaborator, Riz Maslen as Neotropic.
"Prestatyn is a journey of melancholy, inspired by childhood holidays in the bleak yet beautiful landscape of Prestatyn in North Wales. Although these holidays were happy times, there is the back story of the struggles of a single mum trying to make ends meat and give her kids some kind of escape away from the traumas of a family break up! Riz creates her landscape filled with her memories, with its dark meanderings leading to the ever hopeful crescendo."
Tracklist includes The Horse Trainer, Patience and Farewell/Home. The digital release includes a Yage remix of Home, while the CD runs at only three tracks.
Second up is Hegira by Seafar - better known to some of you as FSOLBoard poster Mason Bentley. The two hour album is described as:"A new comer to FSOLdigital - SEAFAR deliver a fat slice of electric space music - Hegira the sounds of a flight from danger. Wander the streets together, the noise of life muted by sheets of rain, brilliant colours dimmed in a pervading mist of grey. An instrumental amalgam of moody beats and synth drenched noises."
The 26 track album can be downloaded from FSOLDigital, where you can also find the Neotropic download, and the Neotropic CD purchase link. The site itself has had a brief overhaul with a sparser look, new fonts and a link to the second Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble CD release (as well as a broken link to an MPB8 podcast - coming soon perhaps?). And fear not, links to the forthcoming 2" Tape Reels and Environments 3 remain!
Meanwhile, Gaz is kicking up a storm on the internet, this time in an argument with a poster on YouTube which has been recounted in full on WATMM and can be read. It all ended peacefully, but throws an interesting light on the perspective of filesharing from the owner of an independent digital label.
We'll have news on confirmed dates for the next Amorphous shows - the MPB launch has been moved tentatively to 'October' - soon.
