just back from a short break to Glastonbury. Was far too tired to really enjoy myself, i lost count of the times I suddenly felt myself toppling over sideways, but it was nice to get away from the house especially as I forgot (genuinely forgot) to take my work file with me so couldn't do any essay work or marking.
am back now and working on some reviews. just wrote one for a Christopher McFall album and currently listening to Simon Whetham's album on Unfathomless.
Mostly though I've been restlessly pottering with stuff all evening.
bout now though I'm very tired and I should probably go to bed.
Wednesday, 4 April 2012
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Reamde
I really like Neil Stephenson's books but i knew i was never going to have the time to actually read his monstrous new one - Reamde - so i grabbed the audiobook. 150 15 minute chunks later it's finally finished. Did I enjoy it? In the end, probably yes. was it worth the time commitment? probably no.
He's gone the john grisham route here with a story based around kidnapping and terrorists. there's a massively unlikely plot twist that you have to negotiate your way around and then a very long slide to the inevitable finale.
it was fundamentally a reasonable story but overly long and a little bit creepy in it's gun fetishism.
He's gone the john grisham route here with a story based around kidnapping and terrorists. there's a massively unlikely plot twist that you have to negotiate your way around and then a very long slide to the inevitable finale.
it was fundamentally a reasonable story but overly long and a little bit creepy in it's gun fetishism.
Sunday, 5 February 2012
Books...
are like heroin for me.
I have an addiction. I am unable to stop buying books. The bookshelves of my study cannot hold anymore yet I still bought another 5 today. There are books piled on the floor, on each other, on the chairs, on the speaker cabinets, everywhere.
i need to fight this addiction but truthhfully I don't really want to. Just being around books brings me pleasure. Reading them even more so.
i do need to clear some room though. i think eBay might be getting well used over the next few weeks.
I have an addiction. I am unable to stop buying books. The bookshelves of my study cannot hold anymore yet I still bought another 5 today. There are books piled on the floor, on each other, on the chairs, on the speaker cabinets, everywhere.
i need to fight this addiction but truthhfully I don't really want to. Just being around books brings me pleasure. Reading them even more so.
i do need to clear some room though. i think eBay might be getting well used over the next few weeks.
Friday, 3 February 2012
Holding your heart in your palm
After discovering a problem with the run of the new Heart of Palm album 'Psychopomp' and having to scrap them all. The replacements are all made and ready to go.
i really love the noises these guys make.
i really love the noises these guys make.
Tuesday, 3 January 2012
Happy New Year
Welcome to 2012.
I hope the year ahead is filled with good times for everyone.
There's a busy year ahead for Quiet World with 3 new releases over the course of the month and two more to follow soon after.
Out today on CDR and download is 'Simple Ghosts and Lazy Old Bones' by myself, Rhodri Thomas & Stephen Jones
Next week will be 'Psychopomp' from Cincinnati's finest Heart of Palm and a week or so after that will bring a new album from our good friend Banks Bailey called 'Entrances'.
Sometime in February or early March we will have new albums from Mike Fazio of Orchestramaxfieldparrish and a brand spanking new release from Darren Tate.
Hope you enjoy coming along on the ride we have planned.
Peace
Ian
I hope the year ahead is filled with good times for everyone.
There's a busy year ahead for Quiet World with 3 new releases over the course of the month and two more to follow soon after.
Out today on CDR and download is 'Simple Ghosts and Lazy Old Bones' by myself, Rhodri Thomas & Stephen Jones
Next week will be 'Psychopomp' from Cincinnati's finest Heart of Palm and a week or so after that will bring a new album from our good friend Banks Bailey called 'Entrances'.
Sometime in February or early March we will have new albums from Mike Fazio of Orchestramaxfieldparrish and a brand spanking new release from Darren Tate.
Hope you enjoy coming along on the ride we have planned.
Peace
Ian
Saturday, 12 November 2011
new music abounds
it's been a little while since I've had the opportunity to post anything here but I have 5 minutes spare so here goes.
been a turbulent couple of months here. After all the health issues I had last year it was my partners turn this year. It's been a shitty time (for her especially) but she's on the up at the moment.
there's a new issue of Wonderful Wooden Reasons finally gone online. The zine is by far the most time consuming of my hobbies and so it's the one that suffers whenever things go skewiff. I'm going to try and get a few more smaller postings done before the end of the year.
my main mission for this year is to do more with Quiet World. It's off to a good start. three new releases in the last 2 months by myself, Sujo and Susan Matthews. there are loads more lined up but i'm not going to jinx them by mentioning any names until i have the music in my hand.
each release is limited to 50 copies with a signed and numbered QW card. they look real nice and everyone has brought their 'A' game.
been a turbulent couple of months here. After all the health issues I had last year it was my partners turn this year. It's been a shitty time (for her especially) but she's on the up at the moment.
there's a new issue of Wonderful Wooden Reasons finally gone online. The zine is by far the most time consuming of my hobbies and so it's the one that suffers whenever things go skewiff. I'm going to try and get a few more smaller postings done before the end of the year.
my main mission for this year is to do more with Quiet World. It's off to a good start. three new releases in the last 2 months by myself, Sujo and Susan Matthews. there are loads more lined up but i'm not going to jinx them by mentioning any names until i have the music in my hand.
each release is limited to 50 copies with a signed and numbered QW card. they look real nice and everyone has brought their 'A' game.
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
Videos
hi folks
The start of the new academic year is rapidly approaching so I'm starting to slide back into work mode and getting as much of my prep done as i can. Several new classes again this year plus the 2nd year of my course (on top of my actual job and the extra classes I took on last year) means I'm going to be pretty busy for the next 30 odd weeks.
As if this wasn't enough there are some fun things in the pipeline for Quiet World. We have a series of new releases lined up by some old friends of QW and some new.
I was kindly asked this week if I'd contribute a label mix to the Exotic Pylon radio show which of course I'm flattered and honoured to do. I spent the other night trying things out and I'm pretty happy with the final result. The only obvious problem is that finances and my DIY ethic have dictated that QW has always been essentially a bit of a vanity project so the mix has ended up looking a tad egocentric but in that sense it does reflect the label I suppose. I'll pass on more info about this when I know it but i really do recommend hitting the link and having a look around. If nothing else go and score some downloads of their magnificent Weird Tales for Winter series, the one by Advisory Circle and Moon Wiring Club is my absolute favourite. The music by Jon Brooks is just sublime.
Also, as I mentioned on the news page over on www.quietworld.co.uk I've now created a page on the site for all the videos people have made for us over the years. the direct link is here.
Make sure you check out the two Aurarora videos (I'm not posting them here as they are widescreen and blogger cuts the right hand side off). They are 2 thirds of an, as yet, unfinished triptych of videos exploring the ecology (both natural and not) of this area. Hopefully the third will see the light of day sometime but it won't be anytime soon.
should be another new issue of Wonderful Wooden Reasons online this weekend too.
peace
ian
The start of the new academic year is rapidly approaching so I'm starting to slide back into work mode and getting as much of my prep done as i can. Several new classes again this year plus the 2nd year of my course (on top of my actual job and the extra classes I took on last year) means I'm going to be pretty busy for the next 30 odd weeks.
As if this wasn't enough there are some fun things in the pipeline for Quiet World. We have a series of new releases lined up by some old friends of QW and some new.
I was kindly asked this week if I'd contribute a label mix to the Exotic Pylon radio show which of course I'm flattered and honoured to do. I spent the other night trying things out and I'm pretty happy with the final result. The only obvious problem is that finances and my DIY ethic have dictated that QW has always been essentially a bit of a vanity project so the mix has ended up looking a tad egocentric but in that sense it does reflect the label I suppose. I'll pass on more info about this when I know it but i really do recommend hitting the link and having a look around. If nothing else go and score some downloads of their magnificent Weird Tales for Winter series, the one by Advisory Circle and Moon Wiring Club is my absolute favourite. The music by Jon Brooks is just sublime.
Also, as I mentioned on the news page over on www.quietworld.co.uk I've now created a page on the site for all the videos people have made for us over the years. the direct link is here.
Make sure you check out the two Aurarora videos (I'm not posting them here as they are widescreen and blogger cuts the right hand side off). They are 2 thirds of an, as yet, unfinished triptych of videos exploring the ecology (both natural and not) of this area. Hopefully the third will see the light of day sometime but it won't be anytime soon.
should be another new issue of Wonderful Wooden Reasons online this weekend too.
peace
ian
Sunday, 31 July 2011
Wednesday, 6 July 2011
no more classes
for the next two months.
As of today I am officially on holiday until September. That doesn't mean I've no work on - i have plenty - but it does mean I've got time to relax a bit, go for some walks, read some books and write some reviews.
huge apologies to everyone with regard to WWR this last year but this new job brought with it a whole host of responsibilities and headaches and I knew it would screw with parts of my life but it also brought with it extra cash. I'm not money motivated but the last few years have been difficult here so this was a much needed boost. The next year will be just as busy as the last but hopefully having done it for a year I'll be more prepared for it.
I've already sketched out a few reviews and will spend the next week listening and scribbling furiously. Expect a new issue probably on the weekend of the 23rd of this month.
Peace
Ian
As of today I am officially on holiday until September. That doesn't mean I've no work on - i have plenty - but it does mean I've got time to relax a bit, go for some walks, read some books and write some reviews.
huge apologies to everyone with regard to WWR this last year but this new job brought with it a whole host of responsibilities and headaches and I knew it would screw with parts of my life but it also brought with it extra cash. I'm not money motivated but the last few years have been difficult here so this was a much needed boost. The next year will be just as busy as the last but hopefully having done it for a year I'll be more prepared for it.
I've already sketched out a few reviews and will spend the next week listening and scribbling furiously. Expect a new issue probably on the weekend of the 23rd of this month.
Peace
Ian
Friday, 20 May 2011
A Slow Feather Falls
Out today - to mellow you all out for the rapture - is the new album from myself and Banks Bailey.
It's available as a download from bandcamp or on CD-R from www.quietworld.co.uk
hope you dig it.
It's available as a download from bandcamp or on CD-R from www.quietworld.co.uk
hope you dig it.
Saturday, 2 April 2011
Phantasms II
Out today is the next in my series of releases inspired by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
As with the first volume, Phantasms II is a series of electronic miniatures designed as incidental music for an imaginary television show.
I hope you dig it.
As with the first volume, Phantasms II is a series of electronic miniatures designed as incidental music for an imaginary television show.
I hope you dig it.
Saturday, 12 March 2011
Silent Spring
After keeping a fairly low profile for most of last year the releases are now coming thick and fast from me.
In addition to the release on Phonospheric that I mentioned earlier I have another out today on Northampton label Dark Meadow Recordings.
It's another slow drone piece but with significantly less isolationist tendencies than the other one.
you can buy a physical copy directly from the label for a teeny £2
or you can click the blue dot underneath the album and download it for free
In addition to the release on Phonospheric that I mentioned earlier I have another out today on Northampton label Dark Meadow Recordings.
It's another slow drone piece but with significantly less isolationist tendencies than the other one.
you can buy a physical copy directly from the label for a teeny £2
or you can click the blue dot underneath the album and download it for free
Friday, 4 March 2011
Wonderful Wooden Reasons #38
issue 38 is now online at the usual places...
website
myspace
both of those have the mixcloud attached but it's also below
the new (shorter as it's now fortnightly) issue features reviews of...
Chemins - impasse #1
Glowing Pixie & Ghoul Detail - split
The Infant Cycle - Plays Fender Bass Guitars and Birdcages of Unknown Origin
Kaeba - Ianurek 5.0 X 100
Andrea Marruti & Fausto Balbo - Detrimental Dialogue
Olekranon - {bilal}
The Stinking Badger - Chunx Volume 1 1990-1997
hope you enjoy.
website
myspace
both of those have the mixcloud attached but it's also below
the new (shorter as it's now fortnightly) issue features reviews of...
Chemins - impasse #1
Glowing Pixie & Ghoul Detail - split
The Infant Cycle - Plays Fender Bass Guitars and Birdcages of Unknown Origin
Kaeba - Ianurek 5.0 X 100
Andrea Marruti & Fausto Balbo - Detrimental Dialogue
Olekranon - {bilal}
The Stinking Badger - Chunx Volume 1 1990-1997
hope you enjoy.
'Passing Through Occasionally'
I said at the beginning of the year that it was gong to be a busy year for me well I have a new album available via my good friend Adrian Shenton's Phonospheric label.
It's called 'Passing Through Occasionally' and it's a long slow sleepy drone piece.
here's the cover...
and here's an extract...
Ian Holloway - Passing Through Occasionally clip by Phonospheric
Some of you may remember Adrian from his Measuring of Moments cd I put out on Quiet World the other year, Phonospheric is his label.
he's already put out one cd of his own music and as of today he has another available too called Slowtime. Adrian sent me an advance copy the other month and it's really a rather fab set of clean, bright ambient pieces. well worth a listen.
more soon
It's called 'Passing Through Occasionally' and it's a long slow sleepy drone piece.
here's the cover...
and here's an extract...
Ian Holloway - Passing Through Occasionally clip by Phonospheric
Some of you may remember Adrian from his Measuring of Moments cd I put out on Quiet World the other year, Phonospheric is his label.
he's already put out one cd of his own music and as of today he has another available too called Slowtime. Adrian sent me an advance copy the other month and it's really a rather fab set of clean, bright ambient pieces. well worth a listen.
more soon
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