A Brief Return to the Days of Youth

 

I so wanted to share this one since I first heard it years ago but couldn't come up with a copy (that I could afford). I pieced it together but was missing the fourth track. This month when I was doing the Days of Youth I was determined to share this essential set. Thanks to friend jonder who shared the final track, I am able to present it in full.

Coming out at the time of Brexit, this anti-Brexit protest polemic features one of the finest post-punk supergroups in my opinion. These longstanding musicians with the eclectic mastermind of Jah Wobble collaborated on this CD single in protest of the then-current political climate.

A Very British Coup came about through the creative genius of bassist Jah Wobble, recorded with producer Youth featuring Wobble's former Public Image Ltd band mates Richard Dudanski on drums & Keith Levene on guitar together with lead vocals from Pop Group frontman Mark Stewart, additional bass / keyboards added by Youth with Charlie Wardle on Chinese harp along with loops from Andrew Weatherall / Nina Walsh. It doesn't get much better than this. 

 

Jah Wobble with Levene, Dudanski, Stewart, Weatherall , & Youth – A Very British Coup,
80 Proof Records 80P009CD, 2020.
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A Very British Coup
A Very British Coup (radio edit)
A Very British Coup (Dogma)
A Very British Coup (Youth Dub) 

 

 

Stay young,
NØ

Facility 4 on the Air

 

I have featured Nina Walsh before involving her relationship as long term creative partner to Andrew Weatherall. The two ran the Sabres of Paradise & Sabrettes record labels. They later released material as Woodleigh Research Facility which I have extensively shared in the past.

The Woodleigh Research material is released on the Facility 4 label, which Nina still runs. 

 

Brother Joseph's Sonic Treasure Show broadcasts out of Glasgow via Radio Magnetic, weaving a mix of cosmic, psyche, ambient, downtempo, & Dub. On New Year's Day 2021 Brother Josep's Sonic Treasures radio show featured two special long form pieces from Nina Walsh's Facility 4. These two pieces were lined up to be played on Weatherall's Music's Not For Everyone but in February 2020 tragedy intervened, took Andrew away, & the monthly radio with him. This set was never aired.

The first piece, C-Pij01 Facility 4 Day, is an hour of wonderful ambient wash, a combination of:
Nina Walsh - flute, synth, vocals, guitar; Marcos Alegria - guitar; Anita Hurst - vocals, harmonium; Franck Alba - viola, ebow guitar; & Chris Cornetto - trumpet. Broadcast at 1:11pm, 01/01/21.

 

Nina Walsh & friends - Facility 4 DAY, C-PIJ01, 2021.

 

 

 

 

The second part, C-Pij02 Facility 4 Night, is two & a half hours long, introduced by Brother Joseph. It fades into distortion & noise, echoes & bangs before a song starts to take shape, guitar chords. Then back to ambient sound, FX & washes, drones & voices coming through the mist with a wandering trumpet floating on top. After an hour & ten minutes it dissolves once more, Brother Joseph returns, then the guitar/ bass/ drums kick back in, an 80s post-punk bassline with a lovely synth topline. Then there's more, twists & turns, musical sections mixed together, one segueing into another. 

 

Part 2 Night is from the archives of Facility 4 with: Nina Walsh - vocals, guitar, synth, flute; Nadia Musa - vocals; Franck Alba - ebow guitar; Vipri Kettu - violin; Audrey Riley - cello; & Chris Cornetto - trumpet. Broadcast at 11:11 pm, 01/01/21.

 

 

Nina Walsh & friends - Facility 4  NIGHT, C-PIJ02, 2021

 

 

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Dig into these magical tastes,
NØ

WeatherWalsh End in Nardan, WA.

 

The mysterious Woodleigh Research Facility is located in a bunker in Tooting named Facility 4. It is a fully equipped recording studio with a plethora of musical instruments & a Podenco dog named Binky. It was the hide-away of DJ & producer Andrew Weatherall before his 2020 passing along with musician & producer Nina Walsh, who continues on these days as Facility 5.

Andrew Weatherall's great body of work has been heavy in my rotation lately. I have shared several of his many resleases here at NSS. Last month I shared The Asphodells - Ruled by Passion, Destroyed by Lust. Many of the Frenz of this here dump have been wanting more Weatherall. I am wanting to share more. Here's the first Woodleigh Research Facility full-length. 

 

Included with The Phoenix Suburb is a 19 page article from Electronic Sounds, Issue 107, November 2023 in .pdf format. 

Here's just a short excerpt from the article: 

"Weatheral...began work on what...she (Nina) described as 'a very old loop programme' running on 'an antiquated computer system' bought on eBay for £30."

"He was relegated to a back room with no windows," she says. "He'd be getting a groove going with beats, sitting in a cloud of smoke. As soon as his ears had settled on a fixed key & bpm, I'd start creating the additonal parts - loops, melodies, harmonies, & so on. He'd ask for something specific - 'It needs this, it needs that' he’d say - Which I would duly deliver on a flash drive and load into his working library"

The Woodleigh Research Facility - The Phoenix Suburb (& Other Stories)2xLP,
Rotters Golf Club RGCLP021, 2015.
decryption code in comments

This side - Test results 01:
I am Amateur Barbarian
Brackstone Abroad

That side - Test results 05:
Aeronauts: The Next Phase
Osler's Crystal Fountain

This side - Test results 05:
The Question Oak
Emancipation Garage

That side - Test results 07:
Dumont's Assistant
Taqiya featuring Youth (bass)

 

 

 

 

January 31, 2020, shortly before Weatheral died from a pulmonary embolism on February 17, 2020 his record label Rotters Golf Club began releasing a series of downloadable Facility 4 sets. At depth. They released one a month after that with the last (The Woodleigh Research Facility - Facility 4: A Walk with Bob & Bill, Vol. 4, RGC027DL) coming on December 25th.

Rotters Golf Club was an electro record label set up by Andrew in 2001. The label was mainly 12" single-orientated, with most releases actually by Two Lone Swordsmen (Weatherall & Keith Tenniswood aka Radioactive Man) under various guises.

I had already planned the 12 Days of Holi-daze (which starts Wednesday) when I thought what a great idea to share one Facility 4 recording each day of the 12. Since I had already put many hours into my original plan & completed it & deemed it ready, I could hardly just drop it & go with these. So I'll be giving you both items each day. Facility 4 & Mad Professor's 12 Dubs of Crazemas. You all deserve it, from me to you with love for your finest holi-daze.

Enjoy the wintery Weather all,
NØ