Controp: Ghost Box is for people who won't admit to liking IDM unless it's coated in arch references to Sapphire & Steel and fucking Bagpuss
I'll admit this isn't exactly off the mark for me. I don't really care about the references, but Ghost Box has definitely been a big factor in making IDM palatable to me. There was a time when I ran away from IDM like the plague.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Tuesday, 29 May 2018 03:24 (six years ago) link
Piggybacking on the new Advisory Circle praise. Think it just might be the best on yet.
― afriendlypioneer, Tuesday, 29 May 2018 15:19 (six years ago) link
'Flight Capture' is a amazing.
― afriendlypioneer, Tuesday, 29 May 2018 15:24 (six years ago) link
So amazing
It’s like hold music from a distant star
― California scheming (Ross), Tuesday, 29 May 2018 17:49 (six years ago) link
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Tuesday, May 29, 2018 5:24 AM (fourteen hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Not a dig, but I genuinely do not get the mere mention of IDM in this thread, let alone Ghost Box making IDM more palatable. Unless you have a different understanding of IDM than I do (Aphex, BoC, Plaid, Black Dog etc), how is that even remotely close to Ghost Box's Olde English reveries and 'hauntology chic'?
― lbi's life of limitless european glamour (Le Bateau Ivre), Tuesday, 29 May 2018 18:00 (six years ago) link
Fair
― Ross, Tuesday, 29 May 2018 18:06 (six years ago) link
Side note my original point was this form of electronic music is as vital and inspiring as any classic idm
― Ross, Tuesday, 29 May 2018 18:07 (six years ago) link
I'd argue that there are pretty strong connections between Ghost Box artists like Advisory Circle and Boards of Canada in particular.
To make a little more sense of my comment, a lot of this comes down to my own personal biases against IDM, especially pre-2000s IDM. At the time, I was very wrapped up in techno, DnB, house, going to raves, dancing, etc. IDM came across as pretty nebulous and often haphazard, and I bristled at the fact that it claimed to be intelligent or dance music. Getting into Ghost Box lead to me being more willing to listen to non-dance oriented electronic music. I think I warmed to it because it came across as more intentional to me.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Tuesday, 29 May 2018 18:14 (six years ago) link
really liking the new advisory circle. it's fairly lonely sounding and not very sinister...also doesn't have as many samples from old hammer horror etc. which is a nice change.it kinda has an aquatic feel over all, good for the summer i would guess
― synonym toast crunch (Ross), Saturday, 2 June 2018 04:20 (six years ago) link
it's Balearic!
― A Box of After Dinner Comics Shipped to Your House Each Month (seandalai), Monday, 11 June 2018 11:53 (six years ago) link
Indeed. It’s easily in my top 10 now
― Slippage (Ross), Monday, 11 June 2018 19:36 (six years ago) link
New Jacco Gardner isn't on Ghost Box, but it should be:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjzdfTOCEhY
better artwork than their last few releases, too
― afriendlypioneer, Wednesday, 5 December 2018 16:15 (five years ago) link
Really enjoying the new Pye Corner Audio. The vocoder really threw me through a loop.
― afriendlypioneer, Friday, 22 February 2019 14:24 (five years ago) link
Not had a chance to process this yet but
Coming late Jan 2020, In Another Room is a four track 7″ EP by very special guest, Paul Weller. More on this and other 2020 releases here: https://t.co/ANmgyxZOEe pic.twitter.com/oHsFhgE3wa— Ghost Box (@GhostBoxRecords) October 25, 2019
― Jeff W, Friday, 25 October 2019 12:10 (four years ago) link
!!
In Another Room is a four track 7″ EP by very special guest, Paul Weller. On Ghost Box, Weller finds the perfect home to explore his interest in experimental tape music and early electronics. The four tracks here though are more than just experiments and build a subtly melancholic atmosphere from field recordings and melodic instrumental fragments.
― Le Bateau Ivre, Friday, 25 October 2019 12:16 (four years ago) link
o_O
― emil.y, Friday, 25 October 2019 14:40 (four years ago) link
to give him his due, this album cover was um, weller-head of the curve as far as retrospectral graphics go...
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81nmwXbjIDL._SX355_.jpg
― the creator has a mazda van (NickB), Friday, 25 October 2019 16:00 (four years ago) link
hmmm maybe - but that's mostly just a homage to the BBC Sound Effects library discs cover art, no?
The better antecedent for the new EP, I'd have said, is tracks on Wake Up The Nation such as "7&3 Is The Strikers Name" or the Broadcast-y "In Amsterdam".
― Jeff W, Friday, 25 October 2019 17:50 (four years ago) link
The Soundcarriers album is so good. I can't get enough of it.
― afriendlypioneer, Friday, 31 January 2020 15:21 (four years ago) link
Don't think I've listened to this one before
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Friday, 31 January 2020 15:37 (four years ago) link
Kinda sucks:
Unfortunately for contractual reasons to do with our current digital distribution channels, we will soon be closing the Ghost Box Bandcamp store. If you haven't yet downloaded your purchase or you'd like to buy any of the other Ghost Box titles you have until 12th June.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 1 June 2020 17:25 (four years ago) link
Whoa, that's a bummer. Wonder that contract would require that move?
― soaring skrrrtpeggios (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Monday, 1 June 2020 17:27 (four years ago) link
I'd like to know that!
― Le Bateau Ivre, Monday, 1 June 2020 18:52 (four years ago) link
New Belbury Poly is another winner.
― afriendlypioneer, Tuesday, 1 September 2020 17:49 (three years ago) link
New Beautify Junkyards album is luminous and wonderful and has luscious depths that are perhaps not typical of the GB catalogue - really satisfying
― technopolis, Friday, 15 January 2021 20:25 (three years ago) link
I saw this pop up today, excited to check it out
― Mr. Cacciatore (Moodles), Saturday, 16 January 2021 01:41 (three years ago) link
It’s fabulous.
― Jeff W, Saturday, 16 January 2021 18:42 (three years ago) link
I also didn't realize they had other releases besides The Beast Shouted Love. Guess I have a lot of catching up to do.
― Mr. Cacciatore (Moodles), Saturday, 16 January 2021 23:36 (three years ago) link
Was there ever any big announcement about why they shut down the Bandcamp page? I noticed that Soundcarriers just reissued their 2014 album on their own Bandcamp, with new cover art and everything.
― a superficial sheeb of intelligence (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Thursday, 3 March 2022 17:32 (two years ago) link
Soundcarriers re-released under a new label, right? I noticed that.
The new Pye Corner Audio is phenomenal. I can’t stop playing it. It’s a little more… fun and aggressive than usual?
― afriendlypioneer, Thursday, 3 March 2022 23:14 (two years ago) link
Yeah, Phosphonic, which must be their own label, since the only things listed on the label's Discogs page are their last two albums.
― a superficial sheeb of intelligence (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Thursday, 3 March 2022 23:16 (two years ago) link
There's a whole Large Plants album now, I notice! I thought "La isla bonita" was a little bit brilliant that one time but... I guess we'll see.
Meanwhile, I think I at least vaguely approve of this Pneumatic Tubes thingy after one listen.
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Tuesday, 26 April 2022 03:38 (two years ago) link
Kinda perplexed by what I've heard of Large Plants, it sounded like garden-variety psychedelic revivalism, there are dozens of similar bands knocking around.
― Maresn3st, Thursday, 28 April 2022 17:27 (two years ago) link
^ 'Perplexing' captures it. Perhaps the first Ghost Box release where I'll concede that there's a 0.00% chance I'd be listening to a full LP of this without the GB stamp of approval. (Not that I'm even disliking it especially, and I did get ridiculous mileage out of the Madonna thing as a novelty item.)
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Monday, 16 May 2022 10:49 (two years ago) link
New album from The Advisory Circle just landed. I haven't listened to more than a couple of tracks but it's lovely so far! Out on double 10" and CD.
I believe it's her first album release as Cate Brooks. Spotify still has her deadname :(
― The Ghost Club, Friday, 30 September 2022 09:34 (one year ago) link
Even more exciting news from the label:
Next month Ghost Box embarks on a series of complete album re-issues on vinyl and CD. Starting with GBX001 Farmer’s Angle, the EP by Belbury Poly that launched the label back in January 2005. It'll be followed in November by The Focus Group's Sketches & Spells and The Willows by Belbury Poly in December, with another re-issue every other month thereafter. Some of the early releases have never been revisited since their print to order CD-R originals, so it'll be a chance to fill the gaps in your Ghost Box collection.
I hope The Advisory Circle's Mind How You Go gets a reissue soon. Such a moody little EP, but prices on Discogs have been ridiculous.
― The Ghost Club, Friday, 30 September 2022 18:25 (one year ago) link
oh wow, have these ever been released on vinyl before? I'd love to own a vinyl copy of The Willows in particular.
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Friday, 30 September 2022 18:28 (one year ago) link
I'm pretty sure the earliest releases were only CD or CD-R on demand so yep, first time on wax I believe!
― The Ghost Club, Friday, 30 September 2022 18:43 (one year ago) link
Any chance they'll do that Broadcast & The Focus Group 7"?
― eatandoph (Neue Jesse Schule), Saturday, 1 October 2022 02:14 (one year ago) link
would love a copy of sketches and spells in any format <3 awesome
― brimstead, Saturday, 1 October 2022 14:53 (one year ago) link
Julian House's sleeve designs are so great that I'd want to get the reissues on vinyl, but I'm running out of space so will probably get the CDs :(
Just ordered four Ghost Box CDs including the new Advisory Circle, which is just so good. Lots of great 'BBC Radiophonic Workshop performs Kraftwerk' moments.
― The Ghost Club, Saturday, 1 October 2022 22:43 (one year ago) link
The new Belbury Poly is a nice change of pace, a full band affair plus poems by Justin Hopper, who was so great on the Chanctonbury Rings album. Ghost Box has really been on fire the last couple years.
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Thursday, 10 August 2023 01:04 (ten months ago) link