News

Grace – EP | 10th August 2018

Tone 64D – 1 track EP – Download only – 18:39

Tracklisting:

1. Grace

Now available to pre-order on Bandcamp

Grace begins with a 12 string acoustic guitar fed into a modular synthesiser that spits out beautiful grains of sound that rise and fall like the sun. Textures build up and then slip away leaving a pipe organ playing and the church room recordings sonically revealing passing cyclists, rainfall and Cambridge bus station. It shimmers like an oscillating river until the strings fade and the final third section slips in and a deep organ tone leads the tapestry of sound into field recordings, strings and processed instruments. The contact mics on the organ pipes are heard, floorboards and unidentified human sounds appear and the alarm call of a blackbird seeps into the piece.

Simon Scott’s forthcoming new album, “Soundings” will be out later this year on Touch.

Written recorded, mixed and mastered by Simon Scott at SPS
in Cambridge. Strings performed and recorded in Glendale, California
by Charlie Campagna (‘cello) and Zachary Paul (viola and violin).
Pipe organ recorded at The Unitarian Church, Cambridge, UK.

Thanks to Charlie Campagna, Zachary Paul, Andrew Brown
and Jeannie Witty.

Published by Touch Music/Fairwood Music UK Ltd
Photography by Jon Wozencroft

New Album, New Remix & Other News | May 2018

“Slowdive have entrusted drummer Simon Scott to remix on our behalf as he has a flair for studio trickery and talents as an arranger and multi-instrumentalist. Following on from remixes for Ghostpoet, Slowdive and Cuts comes a new remix for Brooklyn artist Vorhees”

Vorhees ‘Black Horse Pike’ (25th May 2018)

Cuts ‘Dream Voyager’ (April 2018)

Slowdive ‘Sugar For The Pill’ (2017)

Ghostpoet ‘Woe Is Me’ (2017)

The limited edition album ‘Shape Memory’, a collaboration with Portland artist Marcus Fischer, is out now on 12k

FOLIO 002 | Various Artists/Jon Wozencroft – “Touch Movements”

76pp full colour book + CD
33 tracks – 78:59
Limited edition of 1000

Release date: 11th December 2017

Track listing:

Into the Open
Mika Vainio – Behind the Radiators
AER – Just Before Dawn
Bethan Kellough – Twelve
Wire – A Year A Second [For BCG]
London in a Week
Carl Michael Von Hausswolff – Sine Missing One
Chris Watson – Deepcar
Jana Winderen – Bronx Tunnel
The Magical Land of the North
Claire M Singer – Storr
Hildur Gudnadottir – Death 200AD
Three 20 – Four Twelve
Philip Jeck – Deed of Gift
Walking on Water
Simon Scott – Storm of the Fens
Eleh – Overt One
The Love Train
Russell Haswell – Demons
Heitor Alvelos – Expectant
I’m a Schoolteacher on Holiday
Johann Johannsson – Mingyun
Mark Van Hoen – Prescient
Fennesz – Paint It Black (remastered)
Sohrab – JV Dream
It’s Enough to Make You Weep
Strafe FR – Virgin
Before The Sea @ Falasarna
Jim O’Rourke – Despite The Water Supply
Situation Stabilised / BJ Nilsen – Atom Mother
Peter Rehberg – Cinecom
Gateway to the Garden
Oren Ambarchi – Testify
The Sound of Eleven

In a 24/7 world there is no greater challenge than “to be in command of one’s own time”. Is it true that the ability to download anything, at any moment, constitutes freedom? Has the ‘value’ of music, art and design been stripped bare? “I Google, therefore I am”…

Touch MOVEMENTS has been compiled over the course of 3 years. It is a response to many requests for Touch to publish a fuller account of Jon Wozencroft’s photography for the cover art of the project. The book follows the music, which was compiled step-by-step, like a jigsaw – there was not an “open call” to the artists, rather a sequential development which gives the CD a special narrative quality. And since our last Touch 30 compilation in 2012, the accuracy of the music has grown and rises to the challenge of what sound can do to transform perceptions about the immediate emotion of musical work and its more difficult, longer term evolution.

Following Touch Folio 001 in 2015, this series is a dedication to finding new ways of audiovisual publishing, somewhere between the twin peaks of a jewel-cased CD and a lavish box-set. The two elements of sound and the visual work in parallel to create the idea of an “Ear-book”, whose interdependency reveals itself over time, and allows the richest of listening and viewing experiences. The music and the photography is fully annotated, alongside a rarely-seen manifesto by the Surrealist film-maker Jan Švankmajer which celebrates the spirit of the creative act.

Order FOLIO 002 | Various Artists/Jon Wozencroft – “Touch Movements” [76pp Book + CD] in the TouchShop

Touch Live at Iklectik | 23rd March 2018

Philip Jeck
Yann Novak
Simon Scott
Touch

iklectikartlab.com

A remix of ‘Sugar for the Pill’ from Slowdive, out now on Dead Oceans

Slowdive

Slowdive have a new album out on May 5th and Simon co-wrote ‘Falling Ashes’ with Neil Halstead and also two more tracks ‘Go Get It’ and ‘Slomo’ with all band members credited. The album features Scott’s drumming, MaxMSP textures, 12 string and 6 string acoustic guitar, percussion and electronics.

Here is a link to Pre-Order the album that is released on May 5th 2017: www.slowdiveofficial.com

Slowdive

STUK | Digital version now available

Cassette only – limited edition of 100 copies has sold out. The digital version is available here

“STUK is dedicated to the victims of 13.11.15. As the devastating and abhorrent news of the Paris attacks was breaking I took to the stage to perform with a sinking and heavy heart.” – Simon Scott, 21.01.16.

Recorded live at STUK Kunstencentrum, Leuven, Belgium on 13th November 2015. Room recording made on an Edirol R-09HR. Written and performed live by Simon Scott. 

The Spire Ensemble – Peace in D minor

a2938798922_10

scott – fennesz – matthews – singer – jeck – beaumont

theeternalchord.bandcamp.com/track/peace-in-d-minor

Spire Live at Union Chapel, London | 8th October 2016

Organ reframed at Union Chapel, London, is proud to present Spire live, the 17th in the series which explores the great instrument…

7pm-1030pm

Part One (7-845pm)

Charles Matthews from The Robertsbridge Codex (piano)
Simon Scott (organ and laptop)
Philip Jeck (turntables)
Charles Matthews plays Philip Glass: Music in Fifths (organ)

Interval – John Beaumont (voice)

Part Two (9-1030pm)

Fennesz (organ and laptop)
Charles Matthews – Stasis: Wastelands of Sleep from Andrew Glover-Whitley’s Symphony no.4 (organ)
Claire M Singer – The Molendinar (organ)
The Eternal Chord (organ) with John Beaumont (voice)
Charles Matthews plays Charles Camilleri (piano)

The Thames Estuary Festival | 2nd October 2016

Sound of the Thames Delta
1 – 2 October
11am – 6pm daily (followed by live music gigs till 10pm)
Southend Pier, Western Esplanade, Southend-on-Sea SS1 1EE
FREE, booking essential – Book here.

‘Southend’s never been a quiet seaside town, there’s always been too much music and entertainment going on for that. So when Rock n Roll came along, Southend rolled up its sleeves and gave the nation a special flavour of Southend Rock.’ Billy Bragg – narrator for Southend Rock, written and produced by Roger Deakin.
Acclaimed writer Roger Deakin (d.2006) best known for his ‘passionate, magical and meditative’ writing about nature (Waterlog, 1999, Chatto & Windus, Wildwood, 2007, Hamish Hamilton) also loved music. In 1992 he wrote, produced and directed a documentary for Anglia TV called ‘Southend Rock’, narrated by Billy Bragg which likens the blues sound, the flood plains and the pre planning law ‘shacks’ of south Essex to the Mississippi Delta, giving rise to the now well used term the ‘Sound of the Thames Delta’.

Sound of the Thames Delta, brings together musicians, writers, artists, film-makers and broadcasters to examine the relationship between place and music, at the end of the world’s longest pier in Southend-on-Sea.

Architecture, landscape, industry, politics, economics – what is it about the specifics of place that gives rise to unmistakable sounds and attitudes in the invention and creation of new sounds in music? Key figures from different music genres and subcultures that have grown out of the marshes of South Essex, spanning five decades, will form a series of panel discussions with live music, film screenings and guests from further afield.

What role do venues play? – resident DJs, on the spot photographers and those who were there, discuss Crocs, The Goldmine, Blow Up, Sound Systems, Junk Club and more.

Artists include: Karl Hyde (Underworld); John Fatman (resident DJ, Crocs); DJ Nihal (BBC Radio 1); Paul Morley (The North (And Almost Everything In It), 2013 Bloomsbury), Jeremy Deller (Our Hobby is Depeche Mode), Dave Robinson (Stiff Records), Pete Paphides (Melody Maker, Time Out, Vinyl Revival BBC 6 Music), Ruth Barnes (Radio 4, BBC 6 Music, Resonance FM), Zoe Howe (Looking Back at Me (with Wilko Johnson), 2012 Cadiz Music Ltd; Lee Brilleaux: Rock and Roll Gentleman, 2015 Polygon); Chris Watson (Cabaret Voltaire); Martyn Ware (Human League/Heaven 17); Dean Chalkley (Junk Club photographer) Derry Hall and Kenny Monrose (Southend Sound Systems); Lew Lewis (Eddie & the Hod Rods); Chris Fenwick (manager, Dr Feelgood) and more.

www.estuaryfestival.com/event/detail/soundofthamesdelta

FloodLines in The Wire

Read a review of his latest CD, Floodlines [Touch, 2016] in The Wire

floodlinesthewire

Live in Portland | 13th August 2016

8.30 pm $10
simon scott / ilyas ahmed / m. fischer

Leaven Community on N.E. 20th + Killingsworth, Portland, Oregon

Live in Copenhagen | 8th August 2016

De soniske felter mellem støj og ambient bliver udforsket i Cisternernes imponerende klangrum, når britiske Simon Scott spiller solo i det gamle vandreservoirs dyb. Simon Scott entrerede Englands eksperimenterende musikscene i shoegazebandet Slowdive, hvor han var bag trommerne omkring udgivelsen af det kanoniserede album ‘Souvlaki’. Siden har Scott spillet i en række bands som The Sight Below, genindtrådt i Slowdive ifm. bandets reunion og ikke mindst udgivet flere album i eget navn.

Den 45-årige Scott er en mester i at sammensætte store ambiente lydkollager, som både kan høres på hans egne udgivelser, på film og TV-programmer for BBC. Scott arbejder med monotoni og støj lige så vel som han inkorporerer naturlige lydoptagelser og organisk akustik i sine produktioner. Hans lyd passer derfor perfekt til de underjordiske katedraler under Søndermarken i Cisternerne.

Information
Venue: Cisternerne, Søndermarken
8. august kl. 20-22
Entré: 150 kr.

www.stromcph.dk/portfolio/simon-scott/

Simon Scott – Floodlines [CD & Download]

Available now! http://touchshop.org/index.php?&cPath=116

Touch Conference | April – May 2016

conference

A series of conferences featuring Touch artists on the west coast of America presenting and demonstrating their work to a discerning audience:

Touch (est. 1982) is one of the last surviving labels from the turbulent new wave period in London, which uniquely fused art, design and music. Hear artists from the label roster present and demonstrate their work to a discerning audience.

Philip Jeck uses turntables and sampler to create a unique sonic improvisation, both emotionally captivating and technically involving.

Mark Van Hoen, with modular synth and software pushed the analogue/digital envelope to create damaged melodies, drones and dense claustrophobia.

Simon Scott explores the creative process of actively listening, the implications of recording the natural world using technology and the manipulation of natural sounds used for musical composition.

Daniel Menche – In a genre known for its randomness and chaotic structure, Daniel Menche has established himself as a musician with an uncharacteristic sense of focus and determination. Rather than creating “noise,” he strives for order and cohesiveness. Aural intensity is not a representation of confusion or the chaotic, but a concerted effort to provoke and stimulate the listener’s imagination by generating intensely powerful sounds and music.

Bethan Parkes – Her work spans across field recording, sound design, ambisonic composition and multichannel sound installation practices, drawing a focus on sonic spatial experience. Her works are designed to open out spaces with sound, exploring spatial aesthetics and the interactions between sonic and visually articulated spaces.

May 10th Dublab, Los Angeles

Philip Jeck
Touch

May 7th Chapel Space, Seattle

Philip Jeck
Mark Van Hoen
Daniel Menche
Touch

May 4th Holocene, Portland

Philip Jeck
Mark Van Hoen
Simon Scott
Daniel Menche
Touch

May 3rd Private location (invitation only), San Francisco

Philip Jeck
Mark Van Hoen
Touch

May 2nd The Gray Area, San Francisco

Philip Jeck
Mark Van Hoen
Simon Scott
Touch

May 1st Aquarius, San Francisco

Philip Jeck
Mark Van Hoen
Simon Scott
Touch

April 30th Volume, Los Angeles

Philip Jeck
Mark Van Hoen
Bethan Parkes
Touch

April 29th Aeterna Gallery, Los Angeles

Philip Jeck
Jon Wozencroft (photography exhibition)
Touch

(Jon Wozencroft will not be present)

www.philipjeck.com
www.markvanhoen.com
www.simonscott.org
danielmenche.blogspot.com
www.bethanparkes.net

Simon Scott Live in Cambridge | Bandcamp 3rd March 2016

spirelive

Now available on Bandcamp

Recorded by Mike Harding as part of Spire (see below for full programme details)

New CD review- “A remarkable aural pleasure”

‘Insomni’ reviewed in Chain D.L.K Feb 2016:

“Many tracks of this output, such as “Holme Posts” or “Fen Drove”, features environmental sounds in Cambridgeshire, where there’s the lowest point in Great Britain (if I remember well around 3 metres below sea level). A remarkable aural pleasure”.

http://www.chaindlk.com/reviews/?id=9100

Spire Live in Cambridge | 26th February 2016

5-9pm
5 Emmanuel Road
Cambridge
CB1 1JW

Directions

Performers:

John Beaumont
Marcus Davidson
Philip Jeck
Charles Matthews
Simon Scott
Claire M Singer
The Eternal Chord

This concert will be recorded and the entry fee guarantees you a free copy of some of the recordings [wav files]. Which tracks we make available will depend on the quality and suitability of the recordings, of course…

More info and tickets and for full progamme click “continue reading…” below

Continue reading: Spire Live in Cambridge | 26th February 2016

Touch presents… Live at Cafe Oto | 31st January 2016

Café Oto Sunday 31st January 2016

featuring LA-based artist Mark Van Hoen, an interview with Tony Myatt by Jon Wozencroft, plus sound ecologist and Slowdive drummer, Simon Scott, following on from his album, Insomni.

Mark Van Hoen
Simon Scott
Tony Myatt with Jon Wozencroft

www.cafeoto.co.uk

Live in Cologne | 28th January 2016

kolnlive

Live show: Köln on Thursday 28th January and the following day a ‘Sound Ecology’ workshop on Friday 29th.

Details and tickets here: ambientfestival.de