12 October 2011
Shop update
The Cloudland Ballroom shop has been updated and copies of the new "Infinite Mind" cassette are now in stock. Price including shipping is £5.99 (UK/Europe) or £6.99 (USA/rest of World).
13 September 2011
Illusion Circles review
From Foxy Digitalis:
"Cloudland Ballroom is not to be confused with Cloudland Canyon. Although both artists are excellent they are very different. Whereas many scientists still believe that some asteroid hit the earth causing havoc and wiping out the dinosaurs, Cloudland Ballroom assumes you into its synthsplosion and rockets you into a cosmic euphoria. No deadly meteors of destruction in descent, but only rejuvenating ascension into the bliss of space. I love how these tracks defy gravity, communicate alien transmissions through electronics, and send you into a mysterious space travel of galactic proportions. What’s pretty awesome here is that these tracks aren’t just a form of escapism, but are meditative and serve as a vehicle for self-discovery. In our beings exists a microcosm, a cosmos all its own. Inside us dwells a community of cells and energy, living pieces that make up the whole puzzle that is you. Instead of blasting off into some far off destination away from everything you know, Cloudland Ballroom blasts you off inside yourself where everything is all very familiar but can be explored and revisited anew. See what really makes you tick, the community within that makes you you. This tape is an invitation to spaced out rapture but one that is localized right where your butt is parked. You are a whole new realm to realize. These tracks help guide you through the various synth work of starbursting oscillations, brilliant luminary frequencies, and lunar tonal radiations to see the universe active within. All that is way out there is way in here, you just have to fill your tank up with this Illusion Circles c40 and you’ll be ready for the journey. Have fun! - 9/10"
"Cloudland Ballroom is not to be confused with Cloudland Canyon. Although both artists are excellent they are very different. Whereas many scientists still believe that some asteroid hit the earth causing havoc and wiping out the dinosaurs, Cloudland Ballroom assumes you into its synthsplosion and rockets you into a cosmic euphoria. No deadly meteors of destruction in descent, but only rejuvenating ascension into the bliss of space. I love how these tracks defy gravity, communicate alien transmissions through electronics, and send you into a mysterious space travel of galactic proportions. What’s pretty awesome here is that these tracks aren’t just a form of escapism, but are meditative and serve as a vehicle for self-discovery. In our beings exists a microcosm, a cosmos all its own. Inside us dwells a community of cells and energy, living pieces that make up the whole puzzle that is you. Instead of blasting off into some far off destination away from everything you know, Cloudland Ballroom blasts you off inside yourself where everything is all very familiar but can be explored and revisited anew. See what really makes you tick, the community within that makes you you. This tape is an invitation to spaced out rapture but one that is localized right where your butt is parked. You are a whole new realm to realize. These tracks help guide you through the various synth work of starbursting oscillations, brilliant luminary frequencies, and lunar tonal radiations to see the universe active within. All that is way out there is way in here, you just have to fill your tank up with this Illusion Circles c40 and you’ll be ready for the journey. Have fun! - 9/10"
12 September 2011
Infinite Mind available now
"Following the recent release on Aguirre Records, "Illusion Circles", comes "Infinite Mind". This new release from U.K. based musician and visual artist James R. Moore, features two long-form tracks of blissed out driving new age excursions fueled by synthesizers. More focused meditative and mind relaxation tones sure to open those realms infinitely inside your mind. Moore is also behind Black Mountain Transmitter, who released the great notable "Theory & Practice" cassette.."
The album is now availble as a limited edition cassette (100 copies) from Sonic Meditations. Price is US $6, CAN $7, rest of World $8.
It can also be downloaded for £3 in a choice of MP3 320, FLAC, or just about any other format you could possibly desire from the Lysergic Earwax Bandcamp page.
The album is now availble as a limited edition cassette (100 copies) from Sonic Meditations. Price is US $6, CAN $7, rest of World $8.
It can also be downloaded for £3 in a choice of MP3 320, FLAC, or just about any other format you could possibly desire from the Lysergic Earwax Bandcamp page.
14 July 2011
Coming soon...
New Cloudland Ballroom album "Infinite Mind" on cassette from Sonic Meditations. Full details to follow.
Reissues on Lysergic Earwax Digital
Two out of print Cloudland Ballroom releases are available again as £1 digital downloads from lysergicearwax.bandcamp.com.
Blues From The Sun EP
"Flickering and fluttering tonal luminaries gambol through this morphing soundscape. Undertones shape shift against this pristine atmosphere—ranging from ebullient to despondent."
Cloudland Ballroom's debut release "Blues From The Sun" was originally issued as a limited edition C20 cassette on Sacred Phrases in June 2010.
Areal EP
"A series of transmissions that incorporate lunar meditations and sequencer-driven accelerations."
These tracks were originally released as part of a split cassette with Canadian band Sundrips on their Fadeaway Tapes label in November 2010.
Blues From The Sun EP
"Flickering and fluttering tonal luminaries gambol through this morphing soundscape. Undertones shape shift against this pristine atmosphere—ranging from ebullient to despondent."
Cloudland Ballroom's debut release "Blues From The Sun" was originally issued as a limited edition C20 cassette on Sacred Phrases in June 2010.
Areal EP
"A series of transmissions that incorporate lunar meditations and sequencer-driven accelerations."
These tracks were originally released as part of a split cassette with Canadian band Sundrips on their Fadeaway Tapes label in November 2010.
5 May 2011
Inscriptions sold out
The 2xC65 compilation Inscriptions Vol.1 (featuring a Cloudland contribution) is now sold out at Sacred Phrases. Copies may be available from the usual distros.
DDb Interview Series (1004) - Cloudland Ballroom
Cloudland Ballroom interview from Dumpster Diving Blog
1. Tell about your musical background. What music you were brought up on?
Country & Western, Mantovani and other easy listening was the music my parents played when I was growing up. I’m not sure how much of a subliminal influence that had on me...I didn’t start discovering my own sonic tastes until my early teens; I remember a music teacher at school playing a recording of Penderecki’s “Threnody For The Victims Of Hiroshima” which blew my young mind. I’m so thankful to him for that. Soon after I discovered an LP of “Ricochet” by Tangerine Dream in a local library and intrigued by the photograph of the Moog and the list of strangely named instruments on the back of the sleeve promptly took it out on loan. My mind was blown for a second time. This was around the mid-late 1980’s. Hearing those things was like finding the start of a trail of musical breadcrumbs which I began following and which I’m still following today.
2. Currently you have cassette-only releases and If I’m not mistaken the forthcoming stuff will be put out in tape format as well. Is it a coincidence or your preference?
Not a preference, more of a coincidence related to the type of music I’m making as Cloudland Ballroom. Certain sounds just lend themselves to the analog format, the medium suits the message. It’s all about creating a particular feel. When cassette releases are done well they are beautiful and there are some labels currently creating works of art within the format. My personal preference would be vinyl, I grew up listening to music on it and nothing beats the feeling of putting an LP on the turntable whilst fondling a beautifully designed 12” sleeve, it’s all about the total experience, which you just don’t get with an MP3 download.
3. I am in love with your project name. What does it tell about your music?
The name came from an album by Anthony Moore, “Pieces From the Cloudland Ballroom”. It’s just such an evocative name, it stuck in my head. The Ballroom was actually a real place, in Brisbane, Australia, an entertainment venue, which opened in the 1940’s. It was demolished sometime in the 1980s.
But I think my Cloudland Ballroom exists in some alternative dimension, or it’s like the haunted ballroom of the Overlook Hotel in Kubrick’s film of The Shining, except the one in my mind is populated by the ghosts of a future which never came to pass…
4. Do you have any prejudices in terms of music styles or maybe cover art? What will definitely put you off in a record store?
I have a very broad taste in music though naturally there are some things I’m just not very interested in. But I’d rather focus on the type of music and art that I am passionate about. Generally people spend too much time and energy being vocal about what they dislike and I don’t find that very interesting or constructive.
5. Tell about the future releases. Will the sound change somehow?
The sound is always changing. For me it has to, that’s just the way it is. I’ve never understood the type of artist who continues to plough the same furrow over and over again. I have a need to be constantly experimenting with sounds and ideas, when I get drawn in a different direction I have to follow. Currently I’m interested in mixing more organic sounds with the electronics, and that could be anything from guitar and piano to wind instruments or percussion. Also, I’ve been experimenting with very short, abstract pieces. There is a high chance that Cloudland Ballroom is going to mutate into a much different project in the not too distant future…
6.What equipment do you use in your music?
A very basic set-up; Korg synth, an old GEM organ/drum machine, a few FX , loops and cassette multitrack. That’s it. I don’t really use a computer much, mostly just for mastering the finished tracks.
7. What about touring? Any plans? Will you consider Russia and/or Ukraine as a place to come to play your stuff?
I’ve been asked to play live on a few occasions and I’ve so far refused. Hopefully this will change in the future when I can figure out how to technically present my music in a live setting. Currently working on it. If I do start playing live I’d certainly consider coming to Russia/Ukraine or anywhere else where someone would be willing to help me with the costs, feed me and provide a reasonably comfortable sofa to sleep on at the end of the night.
8. What inspires you most and what makes you feel cranky about music?
Again, I rather focus on the positives. There is too much good music which inspires me. I’m still following that breadcrumb trail from years ago and every so often, just when I think it’s reached an end I’ll stumble across something which takes me down another path and causes me to re-evaluate my ideas about music, what it is and where it can take me. I’m just thankful that after many years of listening to music I can still find these little glowing moments of epiphany. Long may they continue…
9. What about the process of writing and recording music? How do you make tunes?
I wouldn’t call it “writing”, more a process of discovery. My ideas come from experimentation and improvisation. I try and create each sound from scratch, playing around until something clicks, record, then find something complementary to that initial sound and so on. Recording is all done on cassette multitrack, which often forces me to accept mistakes and accidents as part of the working process. It’s just too much bother to go back and correct things on tape. Some of my favorite tracks have come from these happy accidents (or is it subconscious intent?).
10. Next question I will ask to every person in DDb interview series.
What have changed in independent music world with the developing and spreading of the Web? Any positive improvements? Any negative repercussions?
I’d split it 95% positive and 5% negative. The obvious thing is how it has allowed independent musicians like myself to get the music out there. The internet has fully delivered on the DIY promise of punk and the independent record labels from the late 1970’s on an epic scale. The means of production are now well and truly in the hands of the musician and I wouldn’t shed a tear over the slow and painful death of the “Music Industry”.
But, leading on from that, sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the endless stream of music that can be tapped into these days. The whole history of recorded music, only a click away. There is just too much available from the combination of online records stores/distros and labels, MP3 blogs, file sharing etc. I have hard drives full of MP3s and shelves full of CDs, tapes and records. Far more than I could ever hope to give my full attention to. Sometimes I feel a yearning for the days when I owned only a few albums and knew and loved each of them intimately. Even the feeling of anticipation, the thrill of trying to track down an album, spending months or even years attempting to hear something, that’s all gone now, replaced by instant gratification. I’m probably showing my age here!
11. Do you prefer to live in present time or you’re rather a long-term thinker?
I’ve always been and will continue to be an unrepentant daydreamer.
12. What are you dreaming about thinking about future?
I don’t think the future is going to be a very pleasant place to inhabit for many reasons. That’s a fear which possibly influences the kind of music I make as Cloudland Ballroom; but it doesn’t filter through as a dystopian sound, more so as a sound tinged with sad longing for a certain vision of the blissful utopian future we have been denied…
13. You also compose and release music under another moniker - Black Mountain Transmitter. How this project differs from Cloudland Ballroom aesthetic?
After years of being a reclusive bedroom musician, Black Mountain Transmitter was my first public project, born back in 2007. It’s a different beast to Cloudland Ballroom, darker, more abstract; a result of my years long diet of classic horror films, a love of the unknown and supernatural, fiction by H P Lovecraft and other Weird writers, the seeds sewn by that youthful acquaintance with the likes of Penderecki, soundtracks from old VHS “video nasties” and subsequent discovery of early Industrial and noise music.
I sometimes imagine the two different projects like Yin and Yang, opposing yet complementary. Dark and light, both those sound-worlds are part of me and I don’t believe in indulging one at the expense of the other.
BMT has been lurking in the background this past year whilst I’ve been working on Cloudland Ballroom material, but the stars are in alignment and I’ve been feeling the call again…I’m currently working on an album release for later this year, provisionally titled “Playing With Dead Things”. There are other ideas in the works too…
14. You run a small label Lysergic Earwax. How the things are going on the label?
What do you expect from it in the future?
My label was originally started as a way for me to put out releases by Black Mountain Transmitter, starting with “redShift” in 2008. I wasn’t in touch with any other labels at the time and just wanted to have a go at doing it myself. So far I’ve done five limited edition BMT releases on Lysergic Earwax (all sold out) and managed everything myself from the handmade packaging to getting the stuff out in the post. Hard work and rewarding at the same time. Two of the albums were subsequently picked up for reissue by other labels; “Black Goat of the Woods” is now an official CD release on Aurora Borealis and “Theory & Practice” is coming out as a blue vinyl LP edition on Static Noise Audio sometime this year. I’m looking forward to that.
Currently Lysergic Earwax is on a bit of a hiatus while I’m working on stuff for other labels, but the website is still operational as a blog and shop. Someday I’d like to put out releases by other artists, but that is something I just don’t have the time or finances to do at the moment.
1. Tell about your musical background. What music you were brought up on?
Country & Western, Mantovani and other easy listening was the music my parents played when I was growing up. I’m not sure how much of a subliminal influence that had on me...I didn’t start discovering my own sonic tastes until my early teens; I remember a music teacher at school playing a recording of Penderecki’s “Threnody For The Victims Of Hiroshima” which blew my young mind. I’m so thankful to him for that. Soon after I discovered an LP of “Ricochet” by Tangerine Dream in a local library and intrigued by the photograph of the Moog and the list of strangely named instruments on the back of the sleeve promptly took it out on loan. My mind was blown for a second time. This was around the mid-late 1980’s. Hearing those things was like finding the start of a trail of musical breadcrumbs which I began following and which I’m still following today.
2. Currently you have cassette-only releases and If I’m not mistaken the forthcoming stuff will be put out in tape format as well. Is it a coincidence or your preference?
Not a preference, more of a coincidence related to the type of music I’m making as Cloudland Ballroom. Certain sounds just lend themselves to the analog format, the medium suits the message. It’s all about creating a particular feel. When cassette releases are done well they are beautiful and there are some labels currently creating works of art within the format. My personal preference would be vinyl, I grew up listening to music on it and nothing beats the feeling of putting an LP on the turntable whilst fondling a beautifully designed 12” sleeve, it’s all about the total experience, which you just don’t get with an MP3 download.
3. I am in love with your project name. What does it tell about your music?
The name came from an album by Anthony Moore, “Pieces From the Cloudland Ballroom”. It’s just such an evocative name, it stuck in my head. The Ballroom was actually a real place, in Brisbane, Australia, an entertainment venue, which opened in the 1940’s. It was demolished sometime in the 1980s.
But I think my Cloudland Ballroom exists in some alternative dimension, or it’s like the haunted ballroom of the Overlook Hotel in Kubrick’s film of The Shining, except the one in my mind is populated by the ghosts of a future which never came to pass…
4. Do you have any prejudices in terms of music styles or maybe cover art? What will definitely put you off in a record store?
I have a very broad taste in music though naturally there are some things I’m just not very interested in. But I’d rather focus on the type of music and art that I am passionate about. Generally people spend too much time and energy being vocal about what they dislike and I don’t find that very interesting or constructive.
5. Tell about the future releases. Will the sound change somehow?
The sound is always changing. For me it has to, that’s just the way it is. I’ve never understood the type of artist who continues to plough the same furrow over and over again. I have a need to be constantly experimenting with sounds and ideas, when I get drawn in a different direction I have to follow. Currently I’m interested in mixing more organic sounds with the electronics, and that could be anything from guitar and piano to wind instruments or percussion. Also, I’ve been experimenting with very short, abstract pieces. There is a high chance that Cloudland Ballroom is going to mutate into a much different project in the not too distant future…
6.What equipment do you use in your music?
A very basic set-up; Korg synth, an old GEM organ/drum machine, a few FX , loops and cassette multitrack. That’s it. I don’t really use a computer much, mostly just for mastering the finished tracks.
7. What about touring? Any plans? Will you consider Russia and/or Ukraine as a place to come to play your stuff?
I’ve been asked to play live on a few occasions and I’ve so far refused. Hopefully this will change in the future when I can figure out how to technically present my music in a live setting. Currently working on it. If I do start playing live I’d certainly consider coming to Russia/Ukraine or anywhere else where someone would be willing to help me with the costs, feed me and provide a reasonably comfortable sofa to sleep on at the end of the night.
8. What inspires you most and what makes you feel cranky about music?
Again, I rather focus on the positives. There is too much good music which inspires me. I’m still following that breadcrumb trail from years ago and every so often, just when I think it’s reached an end I’ll stumble across something which takes me down another path and causes me to re-evaluate my ideas about music, what it is and where it can take me. I’m just thankful that after many years of listening to music I can still find these little glowing moments of epiphany. Long may they continue…
9. What about the process of writing and recording music? How do you make tunes?
I wouldn’t call it “writing”, more a process of discovery. My ideas come from experimentation and improvisation. I try and create each sound from scratch, playing around until something clicks, record, then find something complementary to that initial sound and so on. Recording is all done on cassette multitrack, which often forces me to accept mistakes and accidents as part of the working process. It’s just too much bother to go back and correct things on tape. Some of my favorite tracks have come from these happy accidents (or is it subconscious intent?).
10. Next question I will ask to every person in DDb interview series.
What have changed in independent music world with the developing and spreading of the Web? Any positive improvements? Any negative repercussions?
I’d split it 95% positive and 5% negative. The obvious thing is how it has allowed independent musicians like myself to get the music out there. The internet has fully delivered on the DIY promise of punk and the independent record labels from the late 1970’s on an epic scale. The means of production are now well and truly in the hands of the musician and I wouldn’t shed a tear over the slow and painful death of the “Music Industry”.
But, leading on from that, sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the endless stream of music that can be tapped into these days. The whole history of recorded music, only a click away. There is just too much available from the combination of online records stores/distros and labels, MP3 blogs, file sharing etc. I have hard drives full of MP3s and shelves full of CDs, tapes and records. Far more than I could ever hope to give my full attention to. Sometimes I feel a yearning for the days when I owned only a few albums and knew and loved each of them intimately. Even the feeling of anticipation, the thrill of trying to track down an album, spending months or even years attempting to hear something, that’s all gone now, replaced by instant gratification. I’m probably showing my age here!
11. Do you prefer to live in present time or you’re rather a long-term thinker?
I’ve always been and will continue to be an unrepentant daydreamer.
12. What are you dreaming about thinking about future?
I don’t think the future is going to be a very pleasant place to inhabit for many reasons. That’s a fear which possibly influences the kind of music I make as Cloudland Ballroom; but it doesn’t filter through as a dystopian sound, more so as a sound tinged with sad longing for a certain vision of the blissful utopian future we have been denied…
13. You also compose and release music under another moniker - Black Mountain Transmitter. How this project differs from Cloudland Ballroom aesthetic?
After years of being a reclusive bedroom musician, Black Mountain Transmitter was my first public project, born back in 2007. It’s a different beast to Cloudland Ballroom, darker, more abstract; a result of my years long diet of classic horror films, a love of the unknown and supernatural, fiction by H P Lovecraft and other Weird writers, the seeds sewn by that youthful acquaintance with the likes of Penderecki, soundtracks from old VHS “video nasties” and subsequent discovery of early Industrial and noise music.
I sometimes imagine the two different projects like Yin and Yang, opposing yet complementary. Dark and light, both those sound-worlds are part of me and I don’t believe in indulging one at the expense of the other.
BMT has been lurking in the background this past year whilst I’ve been working on Cloudland Ballroom material, but the stars are in alignment and I’ve been feeling the call again…I’m currently working on an album release for later this year, provisionally titled “Playing With Dead Things”. There are other ideas in the works too…
14. You run a small label Lysergic Earwax. How the things are going on the label?
What do you expect from it in the future?
My label was originally started as a way for me to put out releases by Black Mountain Transmitter, starting with “redShift” in 2008. I wasn’t in touch with any other labels at the time and just wanted to have a go at doing it myself. So far I’ve done five limited edition BMT releases on Lysergic Earwax (all sold out) and managed everything myself from the handmade packaging to getting the stuff out in the post. Hard work and rewarding at the same time. Two of the albums were subsequently picked up for reissue by other labels; “Black Goat of the Woods” is now an official CD release on Aurora Borealis and “Theory & Practice” is coming out as a blue vinyl LP edition on Static Noise Audio sometime this year. I’m looking forward to that.
Currently Lysergic Earwax is on a bit of a hiatus while I’m working on stuff for other labels, but the website is still operational as a blog and shop. Someday I’d like to put out releases by other artists, but that is something I just don’t have the time or finances to do at the moment.
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