shows // Wavy Graves

aidan moffat & bill wells (live)

Wavy Graves // 19.05.12 // #18 Aidan Moffat & Bill Wells

Vivid vignettes of breaking hearts uncovered with one voice and one piano.

Aidan Moffat & Bill Wells perform songs from Everything’s Getting Older, an album that doesn't shirk from its lofty aspirations, taking on “the universal cycles of birth, life and death” with wit and sparsity.

These songs are set amongst spoken words of fringe/counter-cultural poets, spatial experiments and guru punk.

NB This broadcast includes the first listen to a track from the forthcoming record by Peter Zummo on Optimo.

Posted at 20:07, 17th May 2012

brian turner (wfmu): free form concepts

Wavy Graves // 29.04.12 // #17 Brian Turner WFMU

Every station has its own model based on various philosophies or commercial interests. Independents have their own set of idiosyncratic differences and every station’s model has had to alter at some point. When the AMs and FMs get too crowded, when the limited reach of transmitters becomes too expensive or inefficient, or because of some administerial conflict. These independents are defined by the ethos they create for themselves, ethea that extend beyond the reductive tags of non-commercial and/or free-form.

WFMU has a commitment to unstructured-format broadcasting, its programming is created by each individual ‘air personality’, and isn’t restricted by any type of station-wide playlist or rotation schedule. Experimentation, spontaneity and humour are among the station's most frequently noted distinguishing traits.

As the station's Music Director, Brian Turner has been instrumental in the station's shift from its beginnings as a college radio station to its current multifarious, multiformat incarnation. The Free Music Archive serves as the most contemporary extension of the station's model and ethos, an impressive resource of free music and live recordings that follows the station’s ethos of never pandering to commercial interest or sponsorship.

The following talk was recorded on 28th April 2012 at The Old Hairdressers and is entitled 'Free Form Concepts and Independent Radio‘. Many thanks to Rob Churm, GI Festival and all the staff at The Old Hairdressers.

Posted at 18:23, 29th April 2012

hype williams (live)

Wavy Graves // 23.03.12 // #16 Hype Williams (live)

The duo’s upcoming Black Is Beautiful LP for Hyperdub drops their Hype Williams moniker in favour of the name(s) Dean Blunt and Inga Copeland. These pseudonyms behind the pseudonym recall an early interview with Dean (then known as Roy): “you immerse yourself in it, you either do it or you don’t”.

Since the self-released CDRs dating back to 2008’s Believe In The Levites, the duo have immersed themselves in Hype Williams fictions and productions. With palpable unpredictability their releases have kept surfacing on a host of different labels.

On ’Find Out What Happens...’ the harsh drones and clattering found instrumentation of their earlier work slid into the textures that frame the lucid synthlines and percussive flourishes of the record’s slow strange swagger. Then came ’Han Dynasty’, a schizoid 3 parter, it's creepy echoing jams mining some very different reference points - the vocal drawl and guitars of pt.2 and pt.3 coming off like a deconstructed Durutti Column.

Without a hint of grim ritualisation they keep coming, their side projects proving to be just as curious and satisfying. Like that addictive sleazy house Ramirez 12” on Rush Hour, or the most recent switch up: Dean Blunt’s The Narcissist II, a twisted journey akin to a Andre 3000 side project but on a far more melancholy psychedelic tip.

Their live show has continued to evolve too. Whereas, they once donned bed sheets and played a kitchen, now the duo’s nodding silhouettes are swathed in dizzying strobes backed by the delivery of 8 subs and the flex of a bodybuilder.

This recording is a live bootleg recorded in late 2010, containing tracks from their releases on Hippos In Tanks and Hyperdub as well as unheard, unreleased material.

Posted at 20:19, 27th March 2012

ssaliva/cupp cave/squeaky lobster/sagat

Wavy Graves // 10.02.12 // #15 Ssaliva/Cupp Cave/Squeaky Lobster/Sagat

Ahead of the Vlek party at Stereo on Friday 10th February, we've got the whole rooster coming into the studio, combining their sensibilities for an electrifying wild spree of funky, esoteric party jams from the thrilling, innovative electronic record label. It's the first time in the UK for the label, so the radio show and club will be a celebration of what they’re known for: “thumping 909 beats, hypnotic analog basslines, and a touch of disjointed psychedelia to top it all off.”

Posted at 18:44, 4th February 2012

stefan blomeier / lotide / svetlana industries

Wavy Graves // 12.12.11 // #14 Stefan Blomeier / Lotide / Svetlana

Svetlana Industries

Firing their arrows from outside the walls, Svetlana Industries, founded in Belgrade by Toby and Andrea (aka Andrea 3000), became a bit of an anomaly. Built upon the bubbling community of artists emerging in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet states. Their enthusiasm to represent and amplify what was happening around them led to the inception of a label that wasn’t faceless, wasn’t centred in a specific location, nor limited to a specific style.

Svetlana’s extending roster is a different cut from some of their uber serious, uber masculine contemporaries - evident at their showcases and parties. The self-sufficient label keeps a steady flow, with a bunch a sweet records this year including BNJMN’s esoteric flavour on a house tip, Nightwave’s alluring combination of melody and clattering juke flex, and most recently 1000names compelling boogie.

Toby, who once worked as a music consultant for the British Council, talks about their recent relocation to London and unveils some plans for a new subsidiary label: Woetone.

Lotide

Hailing from Washington, this artist serves as an insight into the vibe of Svetlana’s new subsidiary label. After a little debate about the best length to make a mix, we settled on 20mins... he hit it exactly. Although, this dude has made 20mins feel like quite a journey - consider it an express service. One of the most curious mixes that have been sent this way, it takes in sample moments from ambient works, his own remixes and Otomo Yoshihide.

Stefan Blomeier

The cryptic synth-centric artist based somewhere between Denmark and Dundee makes some selections of 'inspirational tracks'. Expect a swash of early tape experiments, alt-synthpop and deep house.

Posted at 22:39, 13th December 2011