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brisk

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Posts posted by brisk

  1. Obviously I can't say how long it takes to handle the specific licensing/publishing side of things from his end.... And giving him the benefit of the doubt, that's most likely what is tying things up, since these are tracks already released on various other labels. Either that or feature creep kicked in and he keeps adding new music to it.

    But as someone who has released about 30 CD's in the last 15 years or so, it takes about 2 weeks maximum to get them pressed, from supply of DDP/artwork to receiving them on your doorstep. It's by far the easiest format to work with *assuming* you have everything finished and ready to go.

    Moral of the story is don't sell stuff online unless it's all finished, legally safe and preferably, already been manufactured. He's done serious damage to his reputation by promising things he clearly can't deliver on. 2 years since announcement and still nothing to show for it is downright amateur.

    • Like 1
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    Digital out now. 2xLP vinyl due around September.

    https://3six.bandcamp.com/album/cold-ecstasy

     

    Spoiler

    COLD ECSTASY is the new album by Dennis Huddleston AKA 36. Drifting within the gravity of the 90's UK hardcore sphere of influence, 36 transposes the sound of the past into a devastatingly emotional vision of the future.

    "I started going down the rabbit hole with my mini-album 'Weaponised Serenity' back in 2021. While that album was a kind of raw deconstruction of the 90s Jungle/dnb sound, this new one expands the zone of influence to include the entirety of music which was (and still is) important to me from this era. Especially on the happier side of the hardcore spectrum, which I feel was unfairly maligned at the time. I have no qualms whatsoever about admitting how much I enjoyed this music. The vibes are undeniable and I have nothing but respect for the producers who created them back in the day"

    The album has an interesting chemistry of seemingly opposite emotions, working in harmony to create a unique and deeply moving sound. From the halcyon-drenched optimism of the vocals, to the often overwhelming melancholy present in the instrumentals, it's an album which is difficult to describe in words, but makes perfect sense when heard. It's a sound that 36 has always aspired to achieve with his music, but the glow has never been quite as radiant as it is on this record.

    "In the 90s, I wasn't old enough to visit events like Ark or Dreamscape, but I used to buy all the tape packs from my local record store afterwards. It might seem strange as a young kid to enjoy music which was essentially so in the moment and tied so closely with drugs, but I just loved the sound and the vibes of the night still came through strong on my tape deck. I have these kind of ghost memories, as if experiencing that era through proxy. I wasn't there, never got to experience the sweat and ecstasy of the moment live, but simply hearing the music, the crowd, the MC's on tape... That was enough for me. Decades later, even these tapes have long since left my possession, so my memories of these records have drifted and distorted further, into a kind of ambient haze. What were once hyper-positive anthems are now broken echoes and the naive optimism has long since turned into a delicate, yearning melancholy. Maybe it was always like that?"

    In a time when nightclub venues are closing faster than they are opening, and political indifference has let an important part of UK culture fade away, COLD ECSTASY is a statement of intent. When the dancefloor turns cold and the vibes of the night have long-since dissipated into the ether of time (or worse, converted into a new IKEA showroom), then what remains of the energy that was once there? Hopefully you'll find some of it here, flickering in the darkness.

    ❤️

    • Like 5
  3. Substrata was the third studio album by the Norwegian electronic artist Biosphere, released 25 years ago by All Saints Records in London.
    In 2016, Pitchfork ranked it at number 38 on its list of the 50 Best Ambient Albums of All Time.
    Here are ten alternative versions picked from the Substrata recordings sessions that took place between 1995 and 1996.

    https://biosphere.bandcamp.com/album/substrata-alternative-versions

     

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    • Like 6
    • Thanks 1
  4. 36 - The Box
    6xLP Boxset

     


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    'The Box' contains the remastered albums Hypersona, Hollow, and Lithea, in addition to Orphans which is a curated selection of compilation tracks, most for the first time on vinyl, as well as arrangements exclusive for this boxset. Entire set spans across six vinyl records, housed in three gatefold jackets with their own unique artwork.

    ///////

    USA/Digital: https://pitp.bandcamp.com/album/the-box
    UK/EU/ROTW:
    https://www.juno.co.uk/products/36-the-box/886538-01/

    • Like 8
    • Thanks 1
  5. Thanks guys.

    Apologies in advance for the price on Juno. USA imports (which is where the label is located) are REALLY expensive now. We negotiated to have them as low as possible, but this seems to be the new reality of imports I'm afraid.

    That aside, hope you all enjoy the record! It's just the start. This year is going to be absolutely bonkers if you dig 36 stuff ?

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    • Like 2
    • Thanks 2
  6. There's some beautiful moments in it, but they're fleeting moments with no real connection to each other. If I was to guess, this is a collection of 30-60 second loops that he has made/collected over the years (perhaps as prototypes for longer tracks that never materialised) and rather than using them for outros at the end of "proper" tunes like he usually does, he has made an LP-length collage of them, using the familiar vinyl crackle to separate each section. It's sort of a Burial ambient compilation, which is still cool, but it feels so fractured that it's hard to really connect with, because by the time you're invested emotionally in the tune, the next part plays which is totally different and takes you out of the moment. With ambient, being in the zone is crucial and getting pulled out of it is jarring as hell.

    I do see the "Chill Out" inspiration, but whereas that album flows seamlessly, this is way more awkwardly paced. It's still well worth a listen and as I say, there's some real gems in it (New Love in particular, and it's also the tune where the individual segments work best together) but sitting through 45 minutes to find the bits that resonate for 45 seconds or so will put me off future listens I think. I just kinda wish he developed it a bit more and it could have been something special.

    • Like 10
  7. I've seen this happen a few times now with quite a few artists I know over the past year or 2. There is practically zero oversight on these digital streaming platforms. Anyone can just make a Distrokid account and upload stuff onto an artists page, claim the royalties (however small they might be) with zero consequences for doing so. It's shit for James because he's not on Spotify to begin with, and you have to effectively opt-in to opt-out, which is another matter in itself. The other option is DMCA, which means giving up personal information to Spotify, which I would assume is the last thing he wants to do.

    It's a well known album at this point, so I'm sure with enough fuss on Twitter, it'll get the attention of Spotify and be pulled. But it'll happen again I'm sure, so it's a never-ending game of whack a mole.

    James has made his opinion on Spotify quite clear (and more importantly, actually stuck to his ideals and kept his music off there) which I respect 100%. But considering the album is on Youtube in its entirety (which pays even less and are arguably worse when it comes to looking after artists and creators) and has been utterly butchered by zoomer kids on tik-tok for the last 12 months, it might just be worth uploading it himself and giving whatever it earns on there to a dementia charity or something. Either way, this shit needs to change cos it's getting worse, not better.

    • Like 2
  8. It sounds like he's found his old GAS sample pack and made some new tunes with all the samples, then added a high-freq tone pulsing over the entire album. His 90s GAS material is so seminal, so it's always gonna sound dope, but yeah, it's a bit... Lazy? It works better if you consider it more like a GAS self-remix project. But as a new album?

  9. Thanks guys. It was a great livestream. Really enjoyed it! The chat went so fast, I had trouble keeping up with it all haha. Congrats to the people who got a copy of the smoke vinyl.. I think they sold out in about 2 minutes...

    Anyway, the black vinyl is unlimited and is available to order now, for Monday shipping:

    USA: https://pitp.bandcamp.com/album/the-other-side-of-darkness
    UK/EU/ROTW: https://www.juno.co.uk/products/36-awakened-the-other-side-of-darkness/812635-01/

    The 2xCD version is also available to pre-order now (shipping begins in March for this)

    USA: https://pitp.bandcamp.com/album/the-other-side-of-darkness
    UK/EU/ROTW:
    https://3six.bandcamp.com/merch/the-other-side-of-darkness-2xcd-expanded-edition

  10. 8 minutes ago, dcom said:

    I suppose you're referring to the Unreleased Works on his own label? I'm wondering where all the Rising High material he re-released have disappeared from his Bandcamp, Atmospherics and Unique used to be there, as well as some others - I've heard that Rising High ownership is still actively enforced in relation to e.g. Black Dog Productions EP and Balil's Parasight, which had to be dropped from Trainer due to licensing issues - there was a 4xLP/3xCD test pressing with the Rising High material included, but never released.

    Yep! He re-recorded the DAT's I believe and plans to have it all fully remastered. They sound really nice.

  11. BTW, James is sitting on an absolute treasure trove of Influx/Cybertrax stuff from the early 90s. Literal albums worth of unreleased material and completely re-mixed versions of the Rising High records. It's incredible stuff. Hopefully he finds a label willing to release it all as a boxset, cos it needs to be heard.

    Oh and here's the limited edition transparent smoke vinyl (only 100 copies of this were made, because the plant is having severe difficulties sourcing transparent vinyl now)

    The main run itself will be black.

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    • Like 2
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