Derek Walmsley

2 months ago | thequietus.com | John Doran |Derek Walmsley

As the 70s turned to the 80s, echo chambers got bigger. Digital tech brought new clarity and definition to reggae, and the grit of roots music was left behind as Jamaican tastes moved towards the toughness and pressure of dancehall. The warmth of old analogue studios like King Tubby’s or Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s Black Ark was gone, but the processing power of the silicon chip meant sounds could bounce around the echo chamber to infinity.

Sep 10, 2024 | thequietus.com | John Doran |Derek Walmsley

Electronic music keeps evolving whether we are listening or not. Software synths and virtual instruments allow musicians to craft and control any conceivable type of sound; rare synthesizers can be played via easy to find emulators; sophisticated tuning software like Melodyne allows voices to be taken out of recordings and fooled around with in every possible way.

Jun 6, 2024 | thewire.co.uk | Derek Walmsley

June 2024 To accompany his report on the aims and activity of Notice Recordings in The Wire 485, Derek Walmsley compiles a playlist of standout tracks from the experimental cassette label's back catalogue Tape label Notice Recordings was started in Chicago, but over 15 years of releases has widened its scope to present improvised music and experimental sound activities happening anywhere in the world.

Feb 10, 2024 | theguardian.com | Derek Walmsley

The German band Can, whose former singer Damo Suzuki has died at the age of 74, were innovators in many ways, but particularly because the group harboured two of the most original rock vocalists who ever lived. While their 1969 debut album, Monster Movie, featured the machine-gun poetic stylings of American expat Malcolm Mooney, it was Japanese free spirit Kenji ‘Damo’ Suzuki, who appeared on three stunning studio albums between 1971 and 1973, who most completely embodied their adventurous ethos.

Sep 18, 2023 | thewire.co.uk | Derek Walmsley

September 2023 The 14 September edition of The Wire's weekly radio show on Resonance FM and Resonance Extra was dedicated to Finnish label Ultraääni, featuring music by Njihe, Isach Skeidsvoll, Elatu Nessa, and more Tuusanuuskat “Teelika Mentten” From Toiminnan Aattona (Ultraääni) Jooklo Sextet “LSD Mingus Post Blackout” From Oiro Pena/Jooklo Sextet (Ultraääni) Oiro Pena “Nimeton” From Oiro Pena (Ultraääni) Juuso Paason Tulevat Käsitteet “Sukpatch” From Early Hits (Ultraääni) Lightman “Forest...