Featured Album

TOROIDH - Europe Is Dead TOROIDH is yet another musical outlet for Henrik Nordvargr, a member of MZ.412 and the now defunct Folkstorm. But while his previous projects churned out industrial and noise TOROIDH favour a more tempered approach split between passages of dark ambience and folk music.
The TOROIDH website explains that it is "folk music from the times when history was written in black and white and coloured in red". Naturally the impetus for this release, and indeed the entire Europe Is Dead trilogy are the opening decades of the 20th Century when Europe was ravaged by war, conflict and strife. On the evidence of Europe Is Dead TOROIDH will find immediate musical kinship with other militaristic outfits such as Der Blutharsch and Les Joyaux De La Princesse, though Nordvargr is keen to point out that TOROIDH finds inspiration in left as well as right-wing movements. Europe Is Dead is also characterised by a less bombastic and martial approach, preferring a more sombre and reflective atmosphere conveyed through dark ambience, spartan drum beats and acoustic guitars. Archive samples appear throughout Europe Is Dead invoking the ghosts of the past. At times it's almost drone like punctuated by effective acoustic songs, and the pounding of a drum. In the case of TOROIDH perhaps Death really is a drummer. With Europe Is Dead TOROIDH continue to release different versions on different formats. This Cold Spring edition of Europe Is Dead features a remixed and reworked version of the vinyl edition, previously issued on their own 205 Recordings label. In fact all TOROIDH releases appear remixed and reworked in both their vinyl and CD versions. Richard Stevenson met with Henrik Nordvargr to discuss his numerous projects and his current Europe is Dead CD. Many thanks to Richard and Henrik for granting us permission to publish this on Compulsion online. Within the Folkstorm interview featured in Spectrum Magazine Issue 5, you stated that Folkstorm would not slow down, but less then 6 months later you had declared this project dead. Had you already established the concept of Toroidh prior to the demise of Folkstorm? Also what are your current intentions with Toroidh in regard to how long you see it as a viable musical vehicle for your interests? Firstly, the reason for killing Folkstorm had nothing to do with the birth of Toroidh. The concept of Toroidh has been with me for a few years actually... The first idea was to make long minimal tracks based only on marching drums (similar to track 2 on the first CD), but as I started to actually record the material I wanted to push things a bit further, hence the use of real instruments and even some clear vocals. I think that I will continue with Toroidh since it has grown to be one of my most successful projects, both when it comes to sales and positive feedback. Can you give reasons to why you choose to quit recording as Folkstorm? The main reason was that I wanted to focus on MZ. 412...this reason seems kind of ridiculous today. I just cant keep myself out of the studio. But since I promised to quit Folkstorm I will stand by my word - there are still some releases on their way, but I do not record any new material. If you still want to hear me do some harsh chaotic noise I recommend Hydra Head Nine (me and S. Halibot). Likewise while Toroidh is musically far removed from the raw power electronics sound of what Folkstorm produced, do you see parallels in the ideas and concepts utilised in both projects? The only thing that Folkstorm and Toroidh have in common is the war-theme, otherwise they are very different. I am not familiar with the word Toroidh? What significance is held within this name? Nothing. You have stated that Toroidh (apart from MZ. 412) is your most ambitious project to date. How do you see the concept and sound of Toroidh being more ambitious then any other of your musical projects? Basically this means that Toroidh represents the music I personally like the most. Of all my projects Toroidh is the only one that I can listen to myself and appreciate as if someone else had made the music. This I have never experienced before. Also Toroidh is more "musical" than all my other work. One statement you have issued relating to Toroidh exclaimed: "With the atmosphere of early Laibach and LJDLP we are thrown back in to the time where history are written in black and white and coloured in red. More a reflection than glorification." Given Toroidh uses of themes and images that can be deemed as constituting a political lightening rod, was this the reason you felt it necessary to write this mission statement of sorts? Because it is the truth. I use political statements and imagery from all camps - both left, right and all in between to reflect Europe´s birth (and death), but as usual people gets pissed off because of the right-wing samples. I wanted to clearly state that Toroidh is not about glorification of anything - it is a reflection of times passed. As has been alluded to in the above question (and as was the case with Folkstorm), the titles and imagery inhabit a political sphere pertaining to the events of the early/ mid 20th century. This is clearly highlighted with another mission statement of: "Toroidh should be considered a timemachine - let yourself be swept back in time to the first decades of the 20th century when Europe was boiling with frustration..." Would you care to expand further on this? I partially answered that in my previous answer... it is a musical meltingpot of all camps - I have sampled Stalin, Hitler, Churchill and lots of other less famous politicians, agitators, pacifists, anarchists and "men of the street" in order to get the "total" feeling of the chaos that is (and was) Europe. Your first three releases "Those Who Don't Remember The Past Are Condemned To Repeat It", "Europe Is Dead" and "Testament" form individual parts of a triptych fittingly entitled the 'European trilogy'. Can you elaborate on the trilogy's concept? Do you have any conceptual ideas that will be encompassed within forthcoming Toroidh material once the above mentioned trilogy is completed? The "European Trilogy" is all based upon the chaotic 20th century - the world wars, the ethnic conflicts and the dream of a united Europe. The Europe that conquered the old world, and colonized the new, and that passed away with the Second World War.. What forthcoming Toroidh material will be about is still a mystery. Your first release under the Toroidh banner was the limited "Those Who Do Not Remember The Past Are Condemned To Repeat It" LP. This was then re-released soon after on CD format however containing different tracks and mix. Was the original intention to release it as an LP only? Likewise what was the reasoning behind the formats containing different music/ mix? All the Toroidh full lengths are released on both vinyl and CD, but they are all different versions. So in order to experience the "whole" album you need both formats. The reason for this? You have to work hard to get it all. In that Toroidh utilises dark ambiental type passages, intermixed with militant neo-classical sampling, guitars and others elements pertaining to the neo-folk scene, how much of a fan are you of the current output of the neo-folk scene? To some extent I like it, but I am more of a noisehead... I think that most "folk/neofolk/classical/whatever"-artists make some good tracks on each release but also a lot of crap - the productions are almost always unbalanced. There are so many pseudo-musicians that cant handle the keyboard/guitar, but still keep on trying...maybe it´s just me being picky since I have been around in this field so damn long:) On a number of occasions (both speaking to you personally and likewise your views put forward on e-list forums), you have stated that you have a general dislike for music recorded on computers. Therefore I assume that you still avoid the use of a computer with the creation of your music, however what methods production to you utilise to create Toroidh material? I record most of the stuff in our studio mostly using samplers, analogue synths, guitars and some snares. I then master and mix the recordings on a computer. The computer is very good when it comes to editing and mastering, but to use it to make music is bad. Especially when it comes to making noisy stuff - you just cant make a computer sound as a "real" distortion pedal!!! What I truly dislike is noisemakers who (most of the times) uses computers and ends up with badly looped noises and cheap soundcard crackle. I will not mention any projects, but there are lots of them out there. Nothing beats working with real instruments! Having had the opportunity to witness Folkstorm live twice prior to its demise I can personally vouch for the sheer physical intensity of the performance. Given that Toroidh differs drastically in musical approach to Folkstorm, is Toroidh a project you have any intention of thrusting into the live action arena? I don't think so... When I play live I like the physical and confrontational approach, and the music of Toroidh is more laidback but it all depends on the time and place of the arrangement. Given the sheer number of projects you have been involved in over time, there however has been a clear increase in the number of active projects you have in recent years. Could this be viewed in any way as a subconscious effort to tackle the prolific output of one particular Peter 'raison d'etre' Andersson?! (given the number of project names he operates under). Oh yes, it´s a competition... seriously. No, its just that I am very productive and collaborates with lots of people and to call it all Folkstorm, MZ. 412 or Toroidh would be evil... and I shouldn't take all the credit - I have worked with lots of talented people and without them and their guidance I wouldn't have become what I am today. Again we are at the conclusion of the interview. What can we expect from Toroidh in future and is there anything you would like to add? I will probably start working on new Toroidh material later this year, but first I have to join the rest of MZ. 412 to finish the Infernal Affairs boxset. That´s all I can reveal at the moment. Key resources 205 Recordings www.205recordings.com Buy from Cold Spring Records www.coldspring.co.uk
Chris Carter - Electronic Ambient Remixes Volume Three Chris Carter was one-quarter of the pioneering industrial outfit Throbbing Gristle. For Electronic Ambient Remixes Three he has returned to the original rhythms he created for that confrontational non-music group. The rhythms that appear on Electronic Ambient Remixes Three first appeared on such TG recordings as Heathen Earth, and 20 Jazz Funk Greats.
This isn't a remix album in the traditional sense. The idea behind Chris and Cosey's Electronic Ambient Remix series is to manipulate sound pieces they had previously created; to remix and reinterpret yet retain the original spirit. Chris Carter has stripped the music back to its rhythmic foundation and subsequently added fresh layers of sound. In doing so TG's visceral wall of sound is replaced with something ominous, brooding and just as exciting. The flickering tones of Indisciplined, the swirling vortex of Heathen Mirth, to the bowel churning sounds of 'What Is Today'. 'Not On The Heals of Love' features electro shimmers, while an ice cold piano melody blows over bubbling analogue electronics on 'Someone Came Over Here'. Everything on EAR3 is reverberated, echoed and textured. There are a myriad of layers of sound to unravel. There are even bass shudders that can be felt just as often as being heard. Traces of those familiar TG rhythms can be detected especially within 'Convicting People', 'Not On The Heels of Love' and 'Hamburger Man'. One of the most fascinating things about EAR3 is Carter's ability to take TG's primitive rhythms and transform them into dark ambient and nightmare soundscapes. There's still a steady stream of TG releases today but Electronic Ambient Remixes Three is a necessary purchase that should appeal to those with a penchant for deep ambient soundscapes and TG aficionados alike. Chris Carter was kind enough to take some time out from working on the upcoming TG 24 hour boxed set release to answer some questions from Compulsion online. i) EAR1 remixed and reinvented your 1980 solo album The Space Between. Where did the idea to return to the original Throbbing Gristle rhythms originate for EAR3? Should EAR3 be regarded as a TG piece or a separate Chris Carter project? How did it feel returning to the old tapes? What sort of feelings did it rekindle: Fond memories? Critical eye? EAR3 is purely a Chris Carter release and the other members of TG have absolutely no connection with it. The only elements of TG I've incorporated into it are my own rhythms. I don't think Sleazy or Genesis are aware of its existence yet and although Cosey knew I was recording it she didn't hear it until I'd finished the album. I still have vivid memories and mixed feelings about my personal life and situation while recording those original rhythms and the recording of EAR3 was a decidedly egocentric process and in some ways also quite cathartic. The conception for EAR3 came about a couple of years ago while researching and compiling the parts for the first EAR release. In our archive we have hundreds of original Throbbing Gristle tapes and cassettes, if nothing else TG were fastidious documenters of pretty much everything we ever played or performed. While I was searching out my Space Between tapes I came across all my original TG rhythm tapes and loops. Hearing them again invoked some long forgotten memories and listening to them 'out of context' and in their raw state after 25 years or so was fascinating, even to me, as I'm so used to hearing them as part of TG 'tunes'. I was also pleasantly surprised how good they sounded, considering the basic gear we used to record with. I also think (I'm being totally conceited here) that they sound years ahead of their time and 'work' just as well now as they did then. Rediscovering those old rhythms planted the seed for the concept of an album of ambient TG tracks, in fact I have enough rhythms, loops and ideas for a second volume. So if EAR3 is received well enough there could be a follow up album. ii) Various items of old TG equipment was sold-off recently by Studio 47. Did EAR3 utilise a lot of new equipment? What's your preference regarding digital and analogue keyboards and recording? It's quite ironic because rediscovering the old TG rhythm tapes and recording EAR3 set off a whole chain of events (too convoluted and boring to go into detail here) but which ultimately resulted in my decision to finally sell much of the original gear used to make those rhythms. EAR3 took about six months to record and towards the end I was desperately trying to finish tracks before shipping gear to buyers or before they were due to turn up at the studio to collect stuff. My/our recording preferences are pretty mixed and extremely variable, using both analogue and digital side by side. We've been recording digitally for some time now, originally direct to DAT from the early 1990's then moving to direct-to-disc some years ago. I particularly don't care if I use real synth or effect unit or a software plug-in, if it gets the result I'm after I'll use anything. Although I have to admit to recently discovering the joys of recording on an Apple iBook laptop using just software, plug-ins and a pair of headphones. Until last year we were still recording with some analogue gear and instruments that we'd had since TG days. We had a big Roland 100M system, a lot of Roland analogue rhythm stuff, classic analogue effects and all sorts of analogue odds and sods. But once I had decided to sell it all I was shocked to discover how much it was worth. I had made a half hearted attempt to sell some of it a couple of years before but I backed out at the last minute, I nearly did the same again this time. When the crunch came I have to admit it was quite emotional seeing it all go through the door never to be seen or used by us again. We still have a handful of favourite rack effects, synths, samplers and drum machines but nothing more than 10-15 years old and nothing like the amount of gear we had a year ago. The only things we have left now from Throbbing Gristle are two of the original hand-built Gristleizer effects units and two of Cosey's guitars. iii) What do you think these remixes bring / add to the original versions? Hopefully a different perspective. EAR3 was like an experiment to see if it was possible to take an essence of pure TG and dilute it into a kind of electronic homeopathic ambient solution. It's a perverse deconstructive diversion, to take TG rhythms in completely the opposite direction than one would expect. If I record a second volume (and I would like to) any new tracks will go in an equally non-TG and hopefully unexpected direction (but not ambient). iv) Chris & Cosey received the remix treatment on Twist, and Chris & Cosey have undertaken remix work for other artists. TG have been sampled by Future Sound of London, covered by Spooky, and remixed by Andrew Weatherall. What do you think of the remix format? I like it a lot, when it works. Unfortunately 'remixed' can often mean shit made even shittier. Many of the now seemingly obligatory remixes are churned out as money spinners to a gullible fan base and just follow current formulaic and fashionable motifs. I think the most successful remixes are usually the most radical, where the tempo or structure of a song has been completely transformed, sometimes beyond nearly all recognition of the original. I've heard a lot of unreleased remixes over the years and the best ones are usually the mixes rejected by the record companies. v) There's still a steady stream of Throbbing Gristle material today. Vinyl reissues of First Annual Report and Grief being recent examples. Is the continued availability and reissue of TG material something you encourage? No and although the twats releasing all this stuff (and making a ton of money from it) will no doubt say otherwise we have never ever condoned bootlegging Throbbing Gristle material. As a result of the current glut of unofficial TG releases we have recently decided to resurrect the Industrial Records label later this year. Although we have successfully managed to stop quite a few bootlegs over recent years they are still surfacing on a regular basis. We are hoping that relaunching Industrial Records, with the financial help and muscle of Mute Records (now owned by EMI), we can stem the output of what are usually 2nd generation, inferior sounding releases. For which ironically we get all the flak for releasing, even though we've had nothing to do with it. Hopefully if all the material is available legitimately through IR and Mute there will be no point in bootlegging it. vi) Generic Terrorists is the title of one track on EAR3. Do you think people miss(ed) the humour in Throbbing Gristle? What's your most humorous TG anecdote? Do you feel you spawned a monster? Yes I'd say it's true to say many people completely missed the humour and irony in TG. Although it's also probably true that we didn't care anyway. Many hard core TG fans took it completely seriously, in the same way punks can be totally humourless. You only have to read 'The Wreckers of Civilisation' COUM/TG book to see how many different levels TG was functioning on. Throbbing Gristle was a multifaceted, many headed hydra, with a sense of humour and sharp teeth. There are quite a few humorous TG anecdotes (see: 'The Wreckers of Civilisation') but one of my favourite was in 1980 when we all went to Disneyland and some of our 'party' dropped acid. Needless to say a merry old time was had by all. Except for Genesis though, who went on the spinning Teacups ride and came off a nice shade of green and feeling extremely ill. vii) You're currently involved in compiling and producing a TG 24 hour live set? Could you tell us about this? Any news on the purported TG DVD? The TG 24 hour boxed set will be released as part of the Industrial Records relaunch in December. It's a pretty major release by any standards and is an updated version of the original Industrial Records 24 hour cassette 'attaché case' release. The box packaging hasn't been finalised yet but the remastering and individual covers are almost complete. The box will contain 24 remastered 'live' CDs, a new badge, sticker, embroidered patch, TG collage and an updated TG newsletter. It will cost in the region of £200 and further details will be posted on the Mute Records web site in June/July. Official TG DVDs will definitely see the light of day and Sleazy has recently been working on material for them but we have decided not to release anything until 2003. We'll be posting details about any forthcoming TG DVD releases on our web sites at the end of the year. viii) What's next for yourself, Chris & Cosey, and any other projects that you're working on? We recently finished a collaboration project with US band Mortal Loom, which should be released on their label at the end of the year. I've also done a couple of remixes for UK band nDot and we've recorded some new tracks for various compilations. I've been recording a series of tracks on my iBook while travelling (on a plane, in a hotel etc.). This also involved recording ambient sounds and effects on a DV camera and transferring the material to the laptop for audio manipulations and tweakery. Although I'm not sure how or when (or if) this material will be released yet. Cosey is currently involved in a long term project that began in May with a successful (and well documented) covert art 'Action' at Disneyland, an occasional and recurring haunt of ours. We have many other art and music projects either underway or waiting to commence. But our main project this year will be the starting of a brand new bone fide Chris & Cosey album, our first for many years. ix) And on a lighter note: TG predated punk, and while the Sex Pistols are regrouping to celebrate the Jubilee how will yourself and Cosey commemorate the Jubilee? Personally I think the Royal family should be eradicated and their wealth redistributed to the nation. But regardless of my personal beliefs it's worth noting that in this year of the Jubilee TG will be 'getting together' for a meeting at Mute Records in July. This will be the first time all four of us have been in the same room (or even the same city) for God knows how many years and will be a good a time as any for a celebration. Key resources Chris Carter www.chriscarter.co.uk Chris & Cosey www.chrisandcosey.com Buy online from CTI mail order ctimailorder.co.uk/ World Serpent www.worldserpent.com

Amenti Suncrown - Zenith Pitch In many ways Amenti Suncrown could be considered an internet phenomenon. The group met and formed over the internet; their debut release, Zenith Pitch, was created by swapping files back and forth; copies were distributed free to a number of web users who expressed an interest. Fortunately one of those 1000 copies wormed its way into the possession of Compulsion online, and we've become more than enamoured with their blend of strange electronics.

Zenith Pitch inhabits a twilight world of twisted electronics. Over the course of 70 minutes the solar trinity of Amenti Suncrown mix layers of electronics with erratic rhythms and synthesised samples. It's a heavily processed piece of work where fragments of sound are blurred, stretched and replayed into the melange of glitches, bleeps, electro rumbles and drones. Zenith Pitch is a shape-shifting soundworld that rarely maintains a stillness preferring its sounds to hang and dissolve into the ether. What makes Zenith Pitch so good though is its combination of acoustic and electronic instrumentation. On Ozone Flowers plucked Spanish styled guitar plays over backpedaling sonic wizardry, or on Deep Green Man a melodic flute dances over mammoth electronic shudders. Environmental sounds are contrasted with the unhurried pulse like beats and free-falling shards of sound on Dione (Questioned). At times Amenti Suncrown call to mind some of the stronger and stranger exponents of electronic musics. On the whole though Zenith Pitch is an ambitious piece of work and an audacious step for a debut but Amenti Suncrown pull it off more than convincingly. We met up with the three members over the internet, naturally, to discover more about Amenti Suncrown. i) Who or what is Amenti Suncrown? What does Amenti Suncrown mean to you? What does each member bring to Amenti Suncrown? RG: Amenti Suncrown is a trio consisting of Russell Goodwin, J.Paul Morton and Gary A. Ayres. Russ lives in Los Angeles; Paul and Gary live in Guernsey, Channel Islands, UK, though both Paul and Gary originate from Scotland. Paul and Gary have worked together on previous projects since 1998, but Amenti Suncrown was formed in the autumn of 2000 after Russ and Paul 'met' on the Internet. They quickly discovered common creative interests. Gary then joined the conversation, and the three decided to embark upon an online musical project based on their shared enthusiasm for creative sonic experimentation. GAA: The name Amenti Suncrown perhaps suggests the coming together of darkness and light. As for what we all bring….well, that's very subjective, but I'd say Russ brings enthusiasm, I bring scepticism and Paul brings balance! JPM: Amenti Suncrown are three people who are discovering that what they have in common are their differences, and that this is what makes it work. There are some occult overtones intended by the name, but for me it is a more poetic and surrealist thing that involves the idea of The Black Sun, of Jung's process of individuation, of lovely pagan sunny things... ii) What are the individual member's previous musical histories? RG: Music has always been a large part of my life. I grew up with a mother who was a Pastor of a Pentecostal Holiness church and used to play drums in church when I was just 10 years old. Back in the 80's I remember my mother burning records and playing them backwards in church saying they had satanic messages. I became quite obsessed with the whole idea of "Back Masking". When I was 14 or so I remember listening to a Flock of Seagulls tape I had and my tape deck had eaten my tape somehow; the next thing I knew everything started playing backwards. I remember the event quite clearly, because the lyrics were saying "Mama Mama I keep having nightmares" but backwards the very clear message played through my speakers saying "here comes Satan, everyone knew, they knew, they knew." I went through my entire cassette collection from Foreigner to Joan Armatrading, carefully duplicating the effect, and playing everything backwards. It was great fun! I used to find all the weird messages I could and cut them out of tapes and line them up on my floor then tape them together with scotch tape and wind them around the wheels of my TDK cassettes. This was the first "experimental" music I ever created. GAA: I've always loved music. When I was at school I studied flute according to the classical tradition, which I grew to progressively dislike. My teacher and I got bored with each other, but I think that was due to the fact that I found the tradition very closed and restrictive and so didn't develop as he would have wished. I then picked up the acoustic guitar (which I still play sometimes) but at the same time I was listening to music through the 70's and 80's which was full of analogue synth sounds that I would have liked to emulate but didn't have the technology to get anywhere near, so the guitar was never completely satisfying to me either. Throughout all this I would play the flute from time to time in a freer, more improvisational way. I enjoyed this, but didn't have the technology to record it. Then - as recently as 1998 - I met Paul, who was using an analogue 8-track at the time, in a very creative way. This was a dream come true for me. It was liberating to at last be able to record the kind of sounds I liked. Since then, he and I have both got into using computers, and of course have met Russ, resulting in Amenti Suncrown. The whole digital musical arena has been a tremendous - and very recent - initiation for me. JPM: I've been an obsessive collector of music since about the age of 12, but didn't start making music until my 20's when I met my good friend Jim McGrath in Glasgow, through T.O.P.Y. We put on a sort of multi-media performance in the Transmission Gallery as part of their Festival Of Plagiarism, using multiple 4-track recorders, mixers, video and slide projectors. It was a fairly crude affair, but apparently an enjoyable experience for all, including those who left because they said it was too intense! Later Jim and I, with our friend Kenny, became Abraxas. My involvement was fairly minimal, mostly due to my moving to the other end of the country. Abraxas put out a couple of CD's, which were distributed by WSD, and can to this day be found in bargain bins round the country! After leaving Glasgow, I bought a wee 4-track, followed by an 8-track, working mostly with loops made on an Amiga computer. I still go back to my old Amiga now and then. The hypnotic and hallucinatory effects of repetitive loops of sound still hold a great fascination for me. Gary and I connected through our shared taste in unusual musics, something which is understandably rare on the small Channel Island on which we live. Apart from Gary I don't recall ever having met another Current 93 fan here, though there may be some hiding in a cave somewhere. iii) Amenti Suncrown were formed over the Internet. Can you explain how this occurred? Why did you decide to collaborate together? RG: I was a member of the Coil List and noticed there were a lot of other musicians out there who wanted to share their work as well, so I started the Coil List Musicians Page. I met J.P. Morton on the Coil List and was really impressed by his work. He has a great ear for rhythms and I saw right away this was something my own work could benefit from. We thought it might be fun to collaborate on a piece, and I was then introduced online via email to J.P's musical partner Gary Ayres. After The first piece we created, Pollen, I realized I had been missing something in my personal musical experiments-working with these two Scottish guys has really brought the music to life I think. GAA: Yes, for all of us in fact… JPM: As I remember it, I sent Gary a link to the Coil Musicians page that Russ had set up, along with a mention that Russ's stuff sounded interesting. Gary liked it as well and proposed contacting Russ to suggest a collaboration. By then Russ had already voiced his interest in the music which Gary and I had submitted for the page. Now it turns out that our mutual enthusiasms for each others work have led to some very interesting developments! iv) Can you describe how Amenti Suncrown approach the process of songwriting? RG: Because we can't really sit down together, we each just do our own thing at home. We have no rules at all as far as the creation process goes. Whenever one of us comes up with something that we like-either a song or a fragment of a song-we'll send it along to the other guys, and let them take a hammer to it. This is not always easy! I'm often initially disappointed by the editing and cutting that gets done, but that's just because I'm so attached to my own work! Once I get over the shock, I usually find that they've really improved the track. Each of us cuts away some of the unessential ingredients, and then adds their own contributions. And because each of us have quite different and distinct musical tastes, songs can sometimes be changed quite radically by the time they've made the rounds. Gary came up with a voting method that we use to select which tracks make it on an album, where we each vote on the quality of a track. So only the ones with the highest score make it on a release, which means that the albums end up being much more of a collective project than it would be if we each picked our favorite tracks. GAA: Yes, there's often the need to let go of something one has lovingly created. And when I've sent something to the others, my heart is usually in my mouth when I'm checking my e-mail - I'm so scared they won't like it! The debate is often forthright but never acrimonious. However, it's not always a hammer that we take to each others' contributions - it's often a much gentler instrument. A paintbrush, for example. JPM: I think of our work as a pleasant kind of alchemy: one person creates something for transmission into the ether, from whence it gets snatched up by the other 2 guys, who then transform that creation into something else. The changes are sometimes extreme! But even very subtle changes can have a fascinating impact on the work. The process itself is endlessly inspiring, and the fact that you have NO IDEA what your creation will look like when it comes back to you gives the whole affair a nice air of mystery. Not being in the same room with the others-or even the same hemisphere! -can be very frustrating at times, but it keeps me guessing! v) Amenti Suncrown have exploited the potential of Internet technologies: utilizing email, audio files, Internet music players. In terms of composition, distribution, exposure has the Internet been a help or hindrance? RG: The Internet has definitely been the cornerstone of our operation. GAA: Agreed. It gives one the best of both worlds: the stimulation and cross-fertilization of working with the others, as well as the space to develop one's own ideas. The whole technology enables an approach which I think of as 'compositional'. I really like that, my earlier remarks about the classical tradition notwithstanding. JPM: The net has been essential in every aspect of Amenti Suncrown's growth. The limitations of its use have provided us with a process that we all seem to really like. And of course it has allowed our music to be heard all over the world before the first album had even been conceived. Much of the credit for that is due to Russ's skills in web-design. vi) How would you describe / categorise the sound of Amenti Suncrown? RG: I really have no idea what genre we're going to end up being stuck into. We're each just doing our own thing and letting it go where it goes. I suppose at the moment it might be considered experimental music. GAA: I also see it as quite eclectic - quoting from different genres, as it were, alongside its own unique personality. JPM: God knows! How about Snuffjazz? vii) What are each member's prime influences? Musically? Philosophically? Other? RG: Musically I'd have to put Joan Armatrading at the top of the list. I really don't know much of anything about new or experimental music. I really love Elton John, Iron Butterfly, Neil Diamond, Tiny Tim, Venom, and Danzig just to name a few. Just recently I've been really excited by Klaus Nomi, and Baby Dee. I don't read much, although this summer a friend gave me a copy of Richard Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy, and I can't seem to put it down. GAA: Musically (in loose chronological order): T. Rex, David Bowie, Debussy, Ravel, The Incredible String Band, Talking Heads, Brian Eno, Keith Jarrett, Arvo Part, lots of stuff on the ECM label, David Sylvian, the underrated Scottish improv trio Green Room and many pieces of obscure exotica - both ethnic and electronic - that I have copied over the years from friends' record and CD collections. Also, currently, some things that Paul has introduced me to: Lustmord, musique concrete (for example Parmegiani) and electroacoustic music. To name but a few, as they say. Philosophically: generally, I try to avoid overidentifying with specific belief systems, particularly those of an all-embracing kind, as they are all provisional and while some are useful, some are pretty dubious. I like Lyotard's definition of postmodernism: 'Incredulity towards metanarratives'. However, I'm quite drawn to Buddhism and Zen (which is scarcely a belief system at all), as well as systems theory, social construction theory and chaos theory. Even on the simplest level, there's quite a 'butterfly effect' in our working process. Other: Kandinsky deserves a mention, as does Miro. JPM: The work and attitude of William S. Burroughs, Current 93 in all it's guises, Coil, electroacoustic music like that of Bernard Parmegiani and Francois Bayle, "minimalism" from Steve Reich, Glass and Wim Mertens. J.G. Ballard, Max Ernst, Hans Bellmer, Georges Bataille, Surrealism and Dada in general, cinema. Lots and lots of influences, coming from all over the place. viii) Could you tell us about the forthcoming release, Golden Nadir? RG: Nadir is the point of the heavens diametrically opposite to the zenith. The title of our first album Zenith Pitch came about from a phrase from the book Diary of a Drug Fiend by Aleister Crowley. Golden Nadir is a far darker release than Zenith Pitch. As I contributed to the release I tried to find the beauty in the saddest times of my life. GAA: Its origins are more diverse than those of Zenith Pitch. Some of the tracks date from the period when Paul and I were using his analogue 8-track. These have a beautiful, grainy feel, like watching an old movie. Of these my favourite is The Tower, which features the laughter of my daughter Stephanie, who was five at the time. On the other hand, we have amazing material like Russ' sparse, electronic Tellurium, as well as his collaborations with David and Robert. JPM: It's certainly darker, and rougher round the edges. Again it has a range of styles: there's Russ's more recent minimal glitchcraft, dark enveloping soundscapes like Path Of The Mask, and then uncategorizable stuff like The Tower. ix) How do you think Amenti Suncrown will develop over the next 5 years? RG: It's hard to say, I might fall off the earth tomorrow. However, I do know that I intend to keep working with my two Scottish solar brethren until we all fall off the earth. GAA: Yes - who knows? But I hope that we manage to find opportunities to explore really interesting sonic possibilities, possibly in conjunction with other media, like film. JPM: I hope we keep traveling outwards in every direction, whilst going deeper inside in search of those beautiful sounds. ix) Rose McDowall and Robert Lee of Sorrow are to feature on a future release, and Current Ninety Three's David Tibet is to contribute artwork. How did these associations arise? How important are collaborations to Amenti Suncrown? RG: The association with Sorrow came about simply by being at the right place at the right time. Rose & Robert have been incredibly kind and supportive, and I'm still in shock at the idea of working with them! As for David's contribution, that was really the result of protracted begging! There really are no musicians I admire more than David Tibet. I'm also a huge fan of his artwork, and so when I got the idea of using his work for the cover of the next album, I just hounded him until he submitted! Now that he's agreed though, the heat is really on! I feel like the next album has got to be just perfect to be worthy of his amazing contribution. All such superheroes aside, we are very big on collaborations and collective music-making. We often collaborate with our close friends on individual tracks. My friend David Hazelton is present on a few of the tracks on our Golden Nadir release and on various tracks on the new project we are currently working on. There are quite a few special guests on our Golden Nadir release. GAA: I hope I'm right in saying that we strive to let guests influence the overall spirit of the music, rather than just play bit-parts, as it were. This will hopefully keep what we do fresh as we go along, by always taking on board new influences. JPM: Well, the Rose/Robert Lee connection came about from meeting Rose in London at the C93 gigs at the Bloomsbury earlier this year. Tibet's contribution came from the seemingly endless enthusiasm and energy of Russ. Collaborations give an interesting slant to things, other energies to play with. Our approach to all this so far has been so eclectic that we really have had no problems slotting other peoples' contributions into the whole. x) Will the members of Amenti Suncrown ever met face-to-face? Do you envisage a time when the members of Amenti Suncrown will meet to record or perform together? RG: We all just met for the first time in London in April and have just recently received an offer to play in California. For now we are quite content as we are and are having a great time watching this whole project develop. GAA: Having said that, Paul and I do sometimes record Amenti material together, as we live very near to each other. We then send the results to Russ for further development. And Paul and Russ will probably be working together soon in California. I'm looking forward to hearing what they send me! But this so far is the exception rather than the rule. Usually we collaborate online. JPM: We all met earlier this year, and got on like the proverbial house on fire! We also met John Siddique of Jowonio Productions and have a project with him in the pipeline. xi) Future plans? Anything else to add? RG: Just a warm thank you to yourself and all the other people who continue to help us out-especially the great folks at World Serpent and the endlessly enthusiastic people on the Coil list. GAA: I'll second that. JPM: There is a film being made for us (hopefully!)-a handmade cameraless film which I'm really looking forward to seeing and contributing to. As well as the work with Jowonio that I mentioned. And I need to learn how to use these bloody computer things a bit better. I would like to add a big thank you to all those who have helped us and given us such positive feedback and enthusiasm. Key resources Amenti Suncrown http://www.amentisuncrown.com Thighpaulsandra - I, Thighpaulsandra For years Thighpaulsandra has been an enigma. He's been Julian Cope's mohican haired keyboard player performing on most of the Arch Drude's output since Autogeddon. With Cope he formed the glambient supergroup Queen Elizabeth, filling their eponymous CD and subsequent Elizabeth Vagina CD with deep ambient drone. With Cope switching his attention to book writing Thighpaulsandra joined erstwhile Spacemen Three member Jason Pierce, in his space rock group, Spiritualized, initially as a replacement but now as a full-time member lending his keyboard wizardry to various Spiritualized releases including the Abbey Road EP and the Live at the Royal Albert Hall CD. He survived the Spiritualized schism and has contributed extensively to the forthcoming Spiritualized release with both his keyboard and orchestral scoring skills. In 1998 he contributed to Coil's (at the time) ultra-limited Astral Disaster vinyl release. He forged an immediate psychic kinship with John Balance and as a result was invited, and duly accepted, John Balance's invitation to join Coil as their permanent fifth member. "Pentagrammatical. Complete," commented Balance. He's since recorded with Coil on the two volumes of the Musick To Play In The Dark series. Last year he debuted with Coil at their magnificent Time Machines performance at the Royal Festival Hall, London, as part of Julian Cope's Cornucopea event. The night before not one but three Thighpaulsandra's (work that one out) joined Queen Elizabeth to perform Temple of Diana. On Eskaton, Coil's imprint, Thighpaulsandra released his debut EP, Some Head. Black Nurse unfolded through ambient drone, treated vocals, and touched upon world music in an almost 23 Skidoo fashion. Tudor Fruits, meanwhile, ranged from brass deconstruction, massed choirs to spoken words delivered in a random manner. Some Head was imaginative and confusing but gave scant indication of what to expect from I, Thighpaulsandra. Encased in a lavish fold-out sleeve with a robed Thighpaulsandra brandishing a magickal wand on the cover, and an insert that curiously resembles Crowley's ,"Four Red Monks Carrying A Black Goat" is I, Thighpaulsandra. I, Thighpaulsandra is a sprawling double CD set bursting with inspiration, ideas and versatility. It eschews genre categorisation and is a testament to the imagination and musical dexterity of Thighpaulsandra. A flickering guitar scale, and the operatic tones of his mother, Dorothy Lewis, opens the album amidst various tinkering tones and ambient drones. It's idiosyncratic, obtuse, and gives way to the rampant funk of The Angelica Declaration. With its abusive anarcho vocal over brass derangements and excited mellotron stabs it announces the arrival of Thighpaulsandra. It's followed by the electronic manipulations of Optical Black featuring a heavily processed John Balance vocal with oppressive keyboard flourishes, aggressive rhythms and deep bass. After the scratching/scraping strings, marimba and clarinet of Abuse Foundation IV, the first of several lengthy tracks appear. Opening with electro buzz it gradually seeps into the space rock of Michel Publicity Window, with funk guitar, bass throb and a Thighpaulsandra pop vocal (sounding not dissimilar to Cope) before dissolving in a haze of electro feedback. Terrible opens the second disc with the sound of lapping water (recorded by Cyclobe's Simon Norris), a piano and, a moody melodic vocal. We The Descending is another 'out there' pop song, all keyboard beats, soaring guitar fuzz and the occasional bleating sheep. Perhaps the squealing acid rock of Home Butt Club is an oblique reference to the Butthole Surfers. It's certainly as warped. Nestled between is the otherworldly minimal vapour trail of Limping Across The Sky, a sole Thighpaulsandra composition - that originally appeared on the giveaway Cornucopea CD. It then dissolves into the cosmic jam of Beneath The Frozen Lake of Stars with Cope's doubleneck guitar, a theremin and a full-on rhythm section. I, Thighpaulsandra straddles so many styles of music - experimental, krautrock, space rock, classical, jazz - but ultimately exists in its own universe. It's a shimmering kaleidoscope of sound, as unique as its creator. With Thighpaulsandra's use of Hammond Organ, Synthesizers, Vox Organ and such like it'll take a lifetime to unravel the layers of sound herein - that this review only hints at. Adventurous ears will delight in what Thighpaulsandra has created here, it is truly wonderful. There's little chance of there being a more adventurous CD all year. "A fanfare of trumpets herald my arrival," he boasts on The Angelica Declaration. Perhaps he's right. We tracked down Thighpaulsandra to ask him the following questions... i) On I, Thighpaulsandra you perform a varied amount of instruments, what's your musical background? Who is Thighpaulsandra? I come from a very musical family. My mother was an opera singer and my grandfather was a conductor. Two of my other grandparents were church organists. I used to attend weekly chamber music concerts with my parents up to the age of thirteen so I was exposed to a huge and varied selection of music. Pop music wasn't allowed in our house so the only time I got to listen to that was at school. I developed an interest in contemporary classical music from an early age and particularly Berio and Stockhausen. Although I loved Bach and a lot of 'classic' rock and pop I always tried to experiment and be more unusual in my own writing. Thighpaulsandra is a small Welsh boy. ii) You're a member of Spiritualised, Coil, Julian Cope's group, Queen Elizabeth? What made you decide to strike out on your own firstly with Some Head and now the double CD set, I, Thighpaulsandra? I like to keep busy. Although the groups I play in are varied and exciting in their own ways they also impose certain restrictions of style which I feel a need to transcend. I have interests that lie well outside the parameters of all those groups and there are plenty more left to explore. Having presented a broad outline of those styles on I, Thighpaulsandra I will continue to develop them on future releases. I also felt it was a good time to release some more challenging material. The music scene is very bland these days. iii) How would you describe I, Thighpaulsandra? Who do you think it will appeal to? Is there a message behind it? I suppose it's psycho-sexual space music. It's for people who want something more from music than the purée of the mainstream chart acts and the pseudo-intellectual smoke screen pedalled by the majority of the alternative music fraternity. Experimental music needs to be exciting. Four guys with laptops looking intense just doesn't do it for me I'm afraid. iv) I, Thighpaulsandra covers a broad range of musical styles from 'out there' pop music, space rock to improvised and electro-acoustic music, how did you compose it? Some of it was scored. Some of it was improvised and some pieces were formed from ideas and experiments that I'd had over the past two years. v) How long did it take to record? It features contributions from Julian Cope, Coil, Michael Mooney how did you get them to participate? I did some of the initial recordings with Malcolm Cross and Julian Cope at the start of 1999. I worked fairly consistently from then till its completion in October 2000. I work with Coil fairly frequently and Julian visits my studio about once a week so it wasn't hard to get them to collaborate. Martin Schellard, the new bass player in Spiritualized, lives close to my home so he came to play guitar and bass whenever I needed him and the other Germans, Hans-Jürgen Rausch and Butros Müller-Staal came over from Cologne for about a month. I don't see Michael Mooney much these days but we are still good friends and he's such an inspirational guitarist I had to get him on the album. vi) It's a disparate collection of groups you record with, how did you hook up with Julian Cope, Coil, Spiritualised and the Waterboys? I met Julian in 1987. I was working as an recording engineer at Loco Studios in Wales where Julian was a client. We got on really well and had a mutual interest in Krautrock. I moved to the USA but we met again in Wales in 1994 when we recorded Autogeddon. We've been working together ever since. John Balance was a Cope fan and after attending a London show got in touch with me through my manager. I bought Horse Rotorvator when it came out but had not kept up to date with Coil till I met them in 1997. John and I immediately made a psychic link and we have been very close friends ever since. John and Peter are superbly creative beings and are a constant source of inspiration. I was asked to join Spiritualized because Michael Mooney who used to play for Julian had joined Jason's group. Kate Radley had decided not to take part in the forthcoming tour so I was asked to step in. I had a week to learn the set and get myself to Chicago. It was a tough call at first but I enjoyed it and feel greatly privileged to have been part of that incarnation of Spiritualized. Sean Cook and Damon Reece are one of the best rhythm sections I have ever played with. My work with Mike Scott was initiated by Mike's manager Philip Tennant who I used to work with in the 90's. Mike was also a Cope fan and had enjoyed my synthesizer and Mellotron work with Julian. It was a great experience working with Mike as he is a perfectionist and we share a similar sense of humour and interest in German history. vii) Lycra, fake fur - how do you account for your unique dress sense? It is as personal as one's love of fine cheese. viii) You have a reputation as a being something of a keyboard wizard, so the perennial keyboard question: analogue or electronic? By that question do you mean do I prefer electronic instruments or acoustic instruments or do I prefer analogue or digital synthesizers? I suppose my answer would be that I appreciate all instruments for their inherent strengths I would never use a piano sample if I had a piano available. I love to explore the individual character of each instrument. I have over fifty synthesizers but I spend an enormous amount of time learning the nuances of each one. It is very easy these days to buy a new synthesizer and use nothing but the factory presets. The first thing I do when I buy a new synthesizer is to erase all the factory presets. This way I am forced to learn the character of the instrument from the inside out. Similarly if I had to perform Mozart I would rather play a Blüthner piano than a Steinway but if I was to play Bartok the opposite would be true. It is the musician's responsibility to understand the character of each instrument. Analogue, digital, acoustic, electric or electronic it doesn't matter. Intent is everything. ix) Anything you'd like to add? Star-flower penis society. You know it makes sense. Key resources Thighpaulsandra www.thighpaulsandra.com Spiritualized www.spiritualized.com Julian Cope's Head Heritage Site www.headheritage.com Buy online from Threshold House mail order www.thresholdhouse.com

Cosey Fanni Tutti - Time To Tell Cosey Fanni Tutti - Electronic Ambient Remixes Volume 2 In a career that has seen Cosey Fanni Tutti being one-quarter of the highly influential (non) music group Throbbing Gristle, to representing the UK in various art exhibitions, and to even seeing herself emblazoned over the front pages of the UK tabloids for the Coum Transmissions exhibition, Prostitution. Throughout these years and during the formative stages of Chris & Cosey, the musical outlet she formed (with Chris Carter) after Throbbing Gristle's acrimonious split,

Cosey Fanni Tutti carved out an alternative career within the sex industry. Time To Tell documents this period of her life, a time regarded by Cosey as a voyage of discovery. Her initial step into the sex industry was to garner pure images of herself for mail art collages. Modeling for soft / hard core magazines lead to strip tease, stag nights, and porn films - even starring alongside 70s porn queen Mary Millington. Each level of the sex industry provided uncharted territories and posed new challenges. It's refreshing to find no real theory or strategy in Cosey's work beyond the desire to experience new and different challenges. Even her subsequent art actions, such as Pussy Got The Cream, which she was producing at the time, didn't impose interpretations on the audience. Time To Tell features music specifically composed to work in unison with Cosey's performance art work. It ranges from the soft, languid tones of The Secret Touch, featuring slow sensual movements in an almost aquatic like fashion. A constant analogue electronic pulse reminiscent of Throbbing Gristle forms the basis of the title track over which Cosey relates her experiences of modeling, dancing and art performance. Her soothing voice shifting between channels, from foreground to background, and, at times, frustratingly, in a voice that's just out of focus. Even Ritual Awakening is a sensual portrait with a sense of human frailty. Time To Tell is like an intimate snapshot of one chapter of Cosey's life. Interestingly in 1982 when Time To Tell was first issued (via Ian Dobson's Flowmotion cassette label), Cosey Fanni Tutti was still involved in the sex industry as a striptease artist. After several failed attempts by other labels in 1988 Conspiracy International reissued Time To Tell. Various editions exist: one including a set of 26 postcards, and an even rarer edition featuring a signed print. The fact that they now - if you can find one - command exorbitant prices on internet auction sites prompted Cosey to reissue Time To Tell in a standard non-limited edition, augmented by a previously unreleased collaboration with artist John Lacey. With the passing of time, Time To Tell has become an important document, as together with the extensive booklet, it provides Cosey's initial reassessment of her lifework. Like her own work Time To Tell has been a continuum, an ongoing work in progress, remixed, extended and in many respects the issue of EAR2 is another chapter. EAR 2 features various sound manipulations drawn from Time To Tell and "significant events from (Cosey's) personal life, art actions, musical compositions and personal statements". Deep ambient sound pieces, and barely audible voices surface providing a particlulary fine slice of electronica. Last year an article in UK broadsheet The Independent posed the question: Cosey Fanni Tutti - where is she now? Simple research would have shown that in the past year Cosey had been exhibiting work in Barcelona, London, and New York. As Chris & Cosey she performed live at the Union Chapel, London. Currently, Cosey is starting work on the new Chris & Cosey album. In fact, she's never been away at all. What follows is Cosey's response to the Compulsion online questions derived and pertaining to Time To Tell and specific to her experience in the sex industry. Special thanks to Cosey Fanni Tutti for taking the time. i) When and how did you get involved in modelling / stripping? Did you initially do it for money, art or personal reasons? At the time did you have any preconceptions, fears or prior knowledge of the sex industry? I got involved with modelling for sex magazines first because of my fascination with the sex industry and the images in the mags which I was using for collage material in my mail art. It seemed my collages would be more 'complete' and honest if the images included me in the real sex situation I was pillaging for my own art. From then on that whole art is life/life is art took a real hold because it was a different world to the art scene we were part of at the time. So I guess the reasons I entered the sex industry was for both art and personal reasons. To be perfectly honest I didn't consider the money aspect. My interest was purely in the 'doing' experience of it all. I had contact (through my mail art) with a girl in London who was already a model for sex mags and films. We nick-named her Nanny Rigby as she'd previously been a nanny. I got my contacts through her when we moved to Martello Street in Hackney. I had no real preconceptions of what it would be like other than seedy because that was the prevalent notion of the sex industry at the time. Nanny gave me advice as to what to expect, accept and reject. Then I forged my way through the various scenes within the underground/overground sex world. I never had any fears as such, just the nervousness everyone gets when they start a new job. I was just so excited about getting the first mag with me in. It took so long that by then I'd moved on from mail art to performance art so the initial motivation had been displaced by events. But that was fine because it didn't feel wrong. I was happy for the sex work and art to cross over as and how it did. I had a very different introduction to striptease. Inevitable really when I put together the links of the chain involved. I had met a couple when doing magazine and soft core work. She also did striptease and we talked about it, I went to see her act and got interested in the very different world of stripping. Later I met Lynn and her boyfriend who wrote for Forum and their own books. Lynn did striptease in pubs as opposed to stag nights. I saw another side to stripping that also appealed to me so I auditioned for the Gemini stripping agency. That was nerve racking! I had to do two topless dances on the stage of the Chelsea Drug Store in the Kings Road. Anyway I got the job. This was 1977 as I remember, post ICA. ii) In the Time To Tell booklet you mention that stripping was the most satisfying, as striptease featured your own personality and allowed a degree of artistic freedom. Which out of - modelling, striptease, topless dancing, porn films, stag nights - was the least satisfying, and why? Which was the most exploitative for the female and for the male punter? Without a doubt the least satisfying was the stag nights. I think you need to be in the position of the stripper to appreciate fully what it is to be the focus of such baseness. On occasions even the DJs, compares and comedians derided the girls. The worst were the police stag night gigs. In fact most of the girls would try and avoid doing them. I would say stag nights were dangerous even if we never openly said that to one another, it was an unwritten code that we never left one another alone at any time and we left the venue together. I have remained in the room while the other girl/s provided 'extra services' and maintained some sort of order as the men wait their turn. Such are the scenes behind the scene. I was lucky that I'd done soft and hard core films because it was a safer environment in which to take of the experiences that I did. There's a difference between being paid to have sex for a film and between the sex for sale involved in the stripping world which was more like prostitution. Your choices and options are limited to the demands of the 'client'. In the film and magazine work I learnt how to do what I wanted, even if it was from a previous bad experience. I wasn't forced to repeat it. That brings me neatly to your next question. The issue of exploitation in the sex industry over all would take me forever to discuss properly because I think it's very complex. When I was working it was women who were the most exploited, but things have changed somewhat since then. I absolutely detest the word 'punter'. I can't tell you. It makes me gnash my teeth. It's so unreasonably derogatory. iii) Knowing it was a personal investigation, did that provide a barrier so that you could say no, or at least suggest alternative options, whereas other girls who worked solely for the money perhaps found it harder to say no and under the circumstances were more accepting? How did it make you feel seeing girls being coerced into acts or working with girls that seemed to lack any self worth? How did you deal with that? Was there a sense of camaraderie between the girls? I obviously had a different attitude and approach to the stripping and modelling than the other girls. That was bound to be because I went into it with a defined and very different agenda to them. I can't think of any one girl who wasn't motivated by the money first and foremost. Admittedly as time went on they got dependent on the attention too. I think the girls who worked solely for the money were more accepting and some had a very practical attitude to what they had to do. Maggie would say she never paid any bills that could be paid in kind, even the fitted wardrobes in her bedroom. When one of the girls got her house safe robbed, she referred to the loss in terms of the number of blow jobs it represented, and how she'd have to do them all again. I thought that epitomised the difference between me and her as strippers. There were about 6 hard core girls with my stripping agency and each of them would request that I be the second girl for a stag night purely because I never did hard core with the guys, only lesbian acts with the other stripper. That way they could earn BIG money and they could take centre stage as the blue act. In the end I got request bookings for stag nights on the grounds that they wanted a 'class' act. How ironic is that? To refuse to play the game gains you status (of some kind) with both the guys and girls. So yeah, I suppose my motive for being there gave me options that paid off. There was great camaraderie between the girls in stripping and modelling. I guess it stemmed from an unconscious feeling of vulnerability and willing yet unwilling subordination. If you stick together you don't feel quite so bad about doing something that not only doesn't feel right but also fuels the fantasy of someone you wouldn't normally give the time of day. But we all talked about it and had a great laugh at the guys expense sometimes. Is that bad too? It was another defence mechanism. There was an instance during a stag night when a girl really didn't want to do any extra sex services. She was almost crying. There were 4 girls there including myself and the other 2 girls were writing up a 'shopping list' of who would give what to which guys. I just told her she could actually make the decision to say no, she had a choice like me. She refused and never did it again. In fact we would work together and do lesbian acts instead. A similar situation arose during a couple of hard core films actually. It's weird watching it all because I empathise with the girl yet I see the film director coercing her, her looking around for support or help. In those situations I and some girls would work out a compromise as to what we wanted to to to and with each other or the guys and present it in such a way that the director was happy to swap his request for what we wanted to do. I have worked with girls (and a transexual) who had no self worth at all. It becomes a self preservation situation at times because their attitude can be falsely taken as yours too, so I would often distance myself from them. In some of the London pubs it was really dangerous for girls like that because there were guys who would (and did) take full advantage. Some girls you could approach and steer them away from such destructive actions and we always tried. It was accepted that we all had trouble dealing with what we did and we supported one another in different ways. Them against us, even us against our own agency and some of the other girls too. It was a strange thing coming home to someone after all that has happened and they don't have a clue about what you have had to do to survive. The drives home late at night helped me assimilate things but the cocoon of 'home'was so welcome at times as was the fact that it was totally separate. I was lucky I had that, some of the girls didn't. They worked 7 days and 7 nights a week. iv) I understand you ceased your activities in the sex industry in 1984, after ten years or so. That's a long time. When did it cease to be an investigation and actually become enjoyable? Why did you decide to stop? What did your explorations in the sex industry teach you about yourself? I decided to stop because I had my son in 1982 and we had moved out of London to give him a childhood in the country. Besides those personal and practical reasons, there was my music and art. People at the pubs and stag nights began recognising me and booking me as 'Cosey' (I was called Scarlet). For different reasons it began to feel uncomfortable. At that time I was a three way personality, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Scarlet and mother. The time had come when I needed to be just Cosey and whatever that represented. I had exhausted the intial reason for entering the sex industry and I asked myself why I was continuing. If it was the money only then it was time to leave before I got totally dependent on it. I needed to refocus my energies on personal relationships, my music and art. Also I felt uneasy about my dear innocent child and how what I had done would affect him as an adult male. This came from my knowledge of some men's attitude to women who stripped or modelled for mags and films. Or maybe from a feeling that I was contaminating someone precious to me. Psychoanalyse that one! It's the reason I stopped stripping as soon as I knew I was pregnant. I'm still trying to figure out what I learnt about myself from all my exploits. I learnt something really obvious but something I think we tend to overlook. That is, to please someone else is not always the right thing for myself and when I do something that I feel uncomfortable with it can be a valuable experience in terms of it being an acknowledgement that the uncomfortable feeling was justified or not. It's when you repeat it knowing it isn't right that the damage is done. I learnt that I was in control of my sexuality and of the power of being a woman. I chose to enter the sex industry with my own agenda and to explore its reality. That entailed submitting, but not necessarily repetitiously, to what went on. How could I have got as near to the actual experience without being the stereotype 'model' or 'stripper'? Being Scarlet was a challenge and experience in itself that taught me so much about the sexual rapport between men and women and women and women. It's made me a stronger and more confident person. It's taught me social skills I would never have acquired had I not done it. v) Your experience within the sex industry was the cornerstone of the Coum Transmissions exhibition, Prostitution. The magazines featuring yourself were sealed in containers and could only be viewed one at a time and by request. Did you feel that such a presentation diluted the impact of the overall piece? Did the furore surrounding Prostitution overshadow the purpose of the exhibition? I believe you are working on a retrospective exhibition, Select Reflection, any news? I think by default, that the enforced boxed presentation actually enhanced the overall project in some respects. It placed the mags back in their worldly 'top shelf' situation and said so much about how the sex industry was regarded at the time. That is, something best not discussed, pushed out of sight. But it was bad in so much as the works weren't seen as 'artworks' and therefore not readily accessible to those who wouldn't find it easy to ask for access. The furore added and detracted from the purpose of the exhibition. It was itself a retrospective that had the adverse effect of relaunching COUM in a way. The hysteria rode rough shod over the purpose of the show. It wasn't sensationalist in intent. It was just a presentation of our work and a comment on the artworld and society's attitude to our bodies, sex and what is acceptable as art, performance. The underlying prostitution. Select Reflection is ongoing basically because it requires my reflecting and making sense of what I've done, who I've been and where and who I am now. I don't know yet! Thank goodness, that would be sooo boring. vi) What reaction did you get from your fellow Coum Transmission members/ Throbbing Gristle members when you decided to investigate the sex industry? Was it difficult to maintain a separation between the art world and sex world? It's quite strange that you crossed over from the art world to the sex industry which is the reverse from what others such as Annie Sprinkle, Annabel Chong have done. It must have been quite seedy then what's your impression of the sex industry today? I was modelling before TG was formed. At various times and by different people I was asked to stop, after their initial fascination had worn off. I refused because I didn't feel that I had fulfilled my potential with the project at that time. It had to be my decision to pull out the same as it was to enter. I never consciously tried to keep the art and sex world separate. They merged into one really. What I've seen of Annie Sprinkle's work I've really liked because of her warmth and directness.I never knew she came from the sex industry into art. That would explain why I found her work so 'unarty' and unpretentious. And apprenticeship in the artworld does tend to result in cold pretentiousness whereas the sex industry demands some degree of warmth and openess. The sex industry then was very seedy in some areas. I dare say it still is now but I think it has changed enormously. Now women choose it as their career. It's more open now. I wouldn't say it's less dangerous though. In fact I'd say it was dangerous to assume it's safe. And I mean safe in all meanings of the word. vii) What was the idea behind the CTI series of Electronic Ambient Remixes? Given that Time To Tell dates from 1982, it must feel weird revisiting that era, listening back to those pieces and remixing it for EAR 2, what memories does it rekindle? The ambient remixes were inspired by Chris and I using new gear and thinking it would be interesting to manipulate sound pieces we'd already created. Like an extension of when we recorded them. To reinvent yet retain the original spirit. At the same time we were invited to submit a sound piece for an exhibition at PS1 gallery in New York. A piece that was based on an important aspect of our individual history. Synchronicity. Hence the first Electronic Ambient Remixes were born. Chris's Space Between and my Time To Tell both contained so much of our personal and creative history they presented themselves so readily. I can't say I'm comfortable revisiting all that I've discussed because I haven't thought about it in the way people assume. I am who I am, I did what I did and never stopped to analyse it or I wouldn't have experienced things in the way I wanted to. It's only now because of interviews such as this that I have had to think about what it all means/ meant and how I feel/felt about it. And I still can't define my experience. But for me that's a positive thing. It leaves many stones unturned and things to explore. When I hear and see myself from that era, I'm not that person. I was someone else then, I was the person who was to become me as I am now. I said some really idiotic things back then but I can forgive my arrogance and naivety because it was part of the process. Key resources Cosey Fanni Tutti www.coseyfannitutti.com Cosey Fanni Tutti - Adult Site www.cosey-fanni-tutti.com Chris & Cosey www.chrisandcosey.com Buy online from CTI mail order ctimailorder.co.uk/

Sol Invictus - The Hill of Crosses Sol Invictus was formed by Tony Wakeford, several years after leaving the ranks of Death In June. In 1988 he began recording music again under the nom de plume Sol Invictus. In the course of 12 years Tony Wakeford has released around 15 albums as Sol Invictus, 2 as L'Orchestre Noir, and collaborations with Nurse With Wound's Steven Stapleton, the young composer Matt Howden, and the US artist Tor Lundvall.

Unlike the preceeding Sol Invictus recordings, on The Hill of Crosses Tony Wakeford has drawn upon a varied and select band of musicians on consecutive albums for the first time. As a result of the talented musicians surrounding Wakeford, The Hill of Crosses manages to explore other musical avenues whilst still embracing the minor chords associated with by Sol Invictus. Currently at Wakeford's disposal is Sally Doherty, acclaimed solo artist, member of Sieben and documentary music maker; Karl Blake of Lemon Kittens/ Shock Headed Peters fame; Matt Howden, solo artist and member of Sieben and Raindogs, recently nominated for Radio 3's Young Composer of the Year; and Eric Roger of Gaë Bolg. The sound of Sol Invictus is now a lush orchestrated unit of guitar, flute, trumpet, violin and bass. Wakeford's acoustic guitar remains the focal point of the music but it's the additional instrumentation that lends the music its richness and immediacy. Howden's soaring violin, Doherty's melodic flute, Roger's trumpet and Blake's rumbling bass that weave in and out of the musical tapestry. Tracks such as German Requiem with its sad trumpet calling and the swirling folk sound of Eve, where Wakeford and Doherty duet in almost call and response type lyric over Howden's incessant manic violin playing are excellent examples of Sol's mature sound. Several tracks opt for a more atmospheric approach utilising both melody and dissonance such as the opening Chime the Day which opens with a military snare, sympathetic keyboard, and massed choirs offset by the lyrics delivered by a young child. Likewise the traditional Lithuanian song, Hundreds, where Wakeford's deadpan vocal contrasts with Jane Howden's lush female vocal over a backdrop of searing feedback, bass throb and more miltary percussion. Wakeford has long been an admirer of hard-boiled crime fiction and it's perhaps his interest here that resulted in December's Song, a track that's akin to Mickey Spillane meets Portishead. It really does deserves the term folk noir, all late night jazz sounds with Doherty's sultry vocal. All the elements combine to great effect on the title track, The Hill of Crosses. It opens with Wakeford's morose vocal over faithful acoustic guitar, but as it reaches the chorus it's joined by a trumpet lament, shimmering violin, death knell chimes, giving way to a gallow march snare. It's a beautifully constructed piece singing praises to the strong Lithuanian spirit. The Hill of Crosses is an excellent and mature piece of work. For those new to Sol this is the perfect introduction, and for others it's an ideal time to reacquaint yourself with the interests and obsessions of Tony Wakeford. We roused Tony Wakeford from his sick bed (and a bout of bronchitis) long enough to ask him the following questions. i) How would you compare The Hill of Crosses with previous Sol Invictus albums? It has been described as a "fair balance between continuity and innovation", how do you view it? I think its less immediate, more of a grower. I listened to it after a break, and from my sick bed and was happy with it. I think it explores a few new areas. ii) The line-up of Sol Invictus has been constant for quite some time, how much is Sol Invictus still an outlet for your "interests and obsessions"and how much is it now a democracy? I notice Sally Doherty takes lead vocal on December's Song. Well I still view it as an outlet. I bring the ingredients to the feast, to use a spurious metaphor. But obviously the others all add much. I am very happy with the present line-up and the releases would be much the poorer without their help. I enjoy working with Matt in the studio. On December's Song, Sally was just the obvious choice to sing it. I think she did a wonderful job. iii) I'd describe December's Song as some sort of jazz folk noir hybrid, is this a fair assessment? The entire feel of the song is at odds with other Sol material. How did this track come about? Well it's more proof that when your fat and forty you start listening to Jazz. Seriously, I have listened to jazz for many years and Chet Baker is a favourite. I was listening to him a lot when I wrote December's Song. Although of course I am not comparing myself in any way. For a start I could never afford his smack habit. The "December" vocal melody line popped into my head and I took it from there. It's a strange interlude on the album but I found it refreshing to do. However, I fear it might lose me some brownie (shirt) points in the ever so talented white nationalist music scene. iv) The title track, The Hill of Crosses, and Hundreds (a traditional Lithuanian song) are inspired by Lithuania, in what way? How did your interest in Lithuanian culture originate? Well, in a very shallow way, as is the norm. I saw a documentary on how the peasant folk culture had survived the unpleasant attentions of Hitler and Stalin's wandering bands of tourists and I read up a little on the subject. Coincidentally, after the song had been written I found out that my wife was part Lithuanian. This explains her huge peasant feet and aversion to Cossacks. v) Matt Howden's already expressed an interest in remixing the title track, The Hill of Crosses. Remixing isn't something ordinarily associated with Sol Invictus, will you let him? Never! But when he gives me that lost puppy dog look I am putty in his gnarled northern hands or beer handles as they are known ooop north. vi) Sol haven't released vinyl in quite some time yet isn't The Hill of Crosses getting the vinyl treatment? It is. It seems enough people have nagged for us to take the risk. At least it will spur me into having to buy a turntable. Obviously, a lot will depend on how it does regarding future releases. I decided not to add any extra's on the vinyl release to the consternation of some. I don't really think its fair to make people buy it for the sake of an extra track. It should stand or fall as it is. I may think differently when I am crushed under the weight of unsold copies. Key resources Tursa Records - home of Sol Invictus www.tursa.com Buy online from Tursa Records www.clickandbuild.com/cnb/shop/tursa