The Wire Tapper 30 Your track by track guide to this month’s free CD

1Matthewdavid“MakeYourOwn 2007” (Leaving) Matthewdavid made the move from Southern US to Los Angeles and was immediately embraced by the local community. His gentle presence and generous talents made him a welcome addition to internationally applauded LA creative circles: dublab, Poo-Bah, Low End Theory and Brainfeeder. Collaboration with these collectives helped inspire Matthewdavid to a build a platform of his own. His Leaving Records label has an ear to the next and an eye on the original. Through all these outlets, he is dedicated to sharing elevated sounds and visions.

composers Hossein Hadisi (Iran), Ignacio Agrimbau (Argentina) and Joe Kelly (UK). They met at the University of Southampton, where they studied composition under Michael Finnissy. Originally emerging as the last mutation of The Hola, an eclectic ensemble founded by Agrimbau in 2005, After The Rain’s sound combines elements from electroacoustics, ‘free’ improvisation, and DIY aesthetics. More importantly, the group uses performance practices and creative methods derived from Persian classical music, which is at the centre of Hadisi and Agrimbau’s research projects.

2Captain Miki “Do Pok” (extract) From The Solar Anus (Migro) Captain Miki is a warlord in Kurosawa’s film Throne Of Blood. “Do Pok” is a piece about unhelpful self-help, featuring recordings from anti-war marches. It is part of an unreleased album called The Solar Anus. Panos Ghikas is Captain Miki. Panos plays in The Chap, improvises with Jennifer Walshe and uses music as a professional tool and as a force for good.

4Center Of The Universe featuring Easy “Astral adjustments” From Astral Harassment (Metronomicon Audio) Inspired by folk music and rhythmic excesses from all over the world, Center Of The Universe made his first recordings in 2000. This solo project by Jørgen Skjulstad combines heavy bass, odd meters and exotic elements with lo-fi recording methods. He has been active in the Norwegian underground scene for a long time and has released a host of albums, mostly on his own label Metronomicon Audio. Astral Harassment can be downloaded free from metronomiconaudio.net/astral.zip

3After The Rain “Distance III” From The Night Must Fall (ATfield/Memoirs Of An Aesthete/Bang The Bore) After The Rain was formed in 2009 in Southampton, UK, by instrumentalists/

5Andrey Kiritchenko “Fly Above Where Leaves Do Not” (Wire Tapper edit) From Chrysalis (Nexsound) Andrey Kiritchenko, from the Ukraine, began in 1991 as a singer-songwriter in a rock group, but has been active in electronic music since 1996. Kiritchenko combines acoustic and digital aesthetics, tiny melodies and noise. He has released more than 40 albums under many aliases on Staalplaat, Ad Noiseam, SPEKK, Bip-Hop, Neo Ouija and more; performed at major festivals through continental Europe, Russia and Kazakhstan; collaborated with Francisco López, Kim Cascone, Anla Courtis and others; and won an award at the Qwartz Electronic Music Awards.

for which Coulter has respectfully developed his own vocabulary during the 20-plus years he has been playing it.

6Wires Under Tension “Landscape Architecture” From replicant (Western Vinyl) Wires Under Tension is a duo based in New York’s South Bronx. Combining homegrown audio sampling instruments with ferocious beats and adventurous orchestration, WUT’s angular gymnastics reflect the raw energy of their home turf. Multi-instrumentalist, classical composer and software engineer Christopher Tignor switches dextrously between violin, keyboards, bass and the rest of his arsenal, while Theo Metz extracts brutal truths from the kit.

8Manuella Blackburn “Switched on” From Formes audibles (empreintes DIGITALes) Manuella Blackburn is an electroacoustic composer who specialises in acousmatic music creation. However, she also has composed for instruments and electronics, laptop ensemble improvisations and music for dance. Each piece is based on sound materials carefully selected and delicately processed: from the electric guitar to electronic switches and traditional musical instruments. In these bursts of sound remains an emphasis on pitch, uttering a reference to tonal musical history, keeping the listener drawn into the narrative.

7David Coulter & Ralph Carney “Did You?” From Secret Language (Trestle) Secret Language is the first collaboration between the UK’s David Coulter and the USA’s Ralph Carney. The pieces were originally initiated some years ago with Coulter sending Carney a series of solo meditations as sound files, and asking him to respond. Aside from Secret Language, Coulter and Carney have played together on a variety of projects including Plague Songs, Twisted Christmas and various Hal Willner-related projects. Among the numerous instruments is the didgeridoo,

9Tudor Acid “The Sound Of Raindrops” (Wire Tapper edit) From Wrong Side Of Day – Part 08 (Tudor Beats) Tudor Acid was born near London and studied at Sheffield, and was greatly inspired by its steel Techno. Settling in Bristol, Tudor Acid developed music which worked on the dancefloor. Gigs with Luke Vibert, The Doubtful Guest, Posthuman and Keith Tenniswood followed. Out of this came Merri Portland (2010), remixes from Vibert and Tenniswood. With the Wrong Side Of Day EP series, he has gradually moved towards angular beats, three-dimensional sounds and greater abstraction.

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