Lost Property Arts Collective (non-profit CIC) will put all proceeds from this release towards the running costs of future Splitting the Atoms.
--------------------------------
"Mythos:
This release is a Keele - Brighton/Newhaven connection. It is an exorcism, a hyperstition of sorts, of unwitting occult forces, that are known to lie under Keele Hall, in Staffordshire. And incidentally an exorcism for at least two members (and those acquainted with them of any connection with the Home Secretary Priti Patel who studied at Keele from 1990-1994 - in fact for Keele University as a whole). That said this whole mission is overly academic and incredibly spurious and likely to fail.
The gig was recorded at Keele University Music department in 2011. The the core members of Repo Jazz are Jon Weinel, Sol Nte and Dan Wilson.
Alastair Kemp was the wild card, he had attended Keele University in '89 to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics, meeting Sol through the student Anarchist Society Resist. He however 'dropped out' a few years later. Then moving to Brighton in '97 to attend a BA in Sociology at Sussex, where he would also later get a Masters in Degree in Social and Political Thought, and then started a never finished PhD in the same department in 2009. It was over 13 years in Brighton (from '97) where he would get to know the various members of Splitting The Atom over the next few years, DJing, running DiN at the sanctuary (with Chris Cooke), through Radio Reverb and through loose and incredibly tenuous 'two-handshakes/ 'who the fuck is he?' fuzzy facial recognition connections with the Cowley Club, Safehouse and Colour Out of Space. He then moved to Newhaven in 2010 after the coalition came to power, where he then set up the short-lived journal Newhaven Journeyman and the still somehow-going publishing house Eleusinian Press.
It was whilst looking for a launch for the first Newhaven Journeyman that Alastair ended up at Newhaven Fort where he had moved the year before, just before recording the session presented in this. He thought it would be a good place for a festival. Members of Splitting the Atom and Spirit of Gravity agreed, and Fort Process then had three long runs. As befits his slack tendencies Alastair attended a few meetings and then had little to do with the roaring success of the festival (entirely due to everyone else except for him).
Nonetheless it was Alastair, having previously recorded this session, who recommended Repo Jazz to play at that first Fort Process, itself also a sight of occult forces.
As befits this hagiography and the made-up stuff about occult forces, the session came about as Sol and Alastair had remained in touch and had jammed together before. Alastair having been taught bass by Ben from Brighton band Orishirishi. The group needed a bass player for their free jazz jam, and Alastair needed to get out of town for a bit, so Sol invited him up and Jon lent him his bass. The group than set up a circle of four corners, and Alastair promptly put the bass on his lap and did anything but play the rhythm section that the highly professional and skilled member of Orishirishi had taught him to do, and that Repo Jazz had expected. Instead for this occult summoning/exorcism he did unutterable and unspeakable things to that poor instrument. Thus any underlying structure on here that is not discernibly saxophone, drums or electronics is the bass. The result however was a surprisingly satisfying piece of extended free improvisation.
Occult forces, utter puff piece toss or not, the music here is sound. So please enjoy."
- Al Kemp, May 2021
credits
released May 18, 2021
Sol Nte - saxophone
Dan Wilson - Homemade electronics
Jon Weinel - Shamanic Drum
Guest musician: Alastair Kemp - electric bass
Splitting the Atom is Lost Property and Club Zygotic’s bi-monthly showcase of aural oddities, held in the The Green Door
Store in Brighton. We are donating all proceeds from sales of these recordings to the Green Door Store/Rossi Bar crowdfunder campaign to see it through the coronavirus crisis....more
Straddling the threshold between studio performance and digital technique; the NYC artist applies "fake jazz" principles to synthpop. Bandcamp New & Notable May 2, 2024
A collection of tracks from the singer and multi-disciplinary artist's 111 collaboration series, featuring KMRU, Laraaji, and others. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 25, 2024