Somewhere In Between

From A Deep Time

My remix of psychedelic Phlegm by the amazing Jehst.

Listen to the original here:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs55n5_-2Vg

Show Jehst some support:
https://ynr-productions.co.uk/artists.php?artist_id=2&page=artists

Jehst has been my favourite rapper for a very long time. I was pretty stoked to find the acapella online and have the chance to hear his vocals on a production of mine!

[REMIX] Psychedelic Phlegm by Jehst

We will be recording our first album over the next year and we are making detailed demos so we can prepare well and make the album the best it can be. This is the first demo; band favourite 'Army of Swans'. Recorded and mixed by bassist Tom Le Cocq, written by Ask My Bull.

www.askmybull.com

Army of Swans DEMO

Something simple and close to my heart, to kick off the year in compositional comfort. When left to my own devices, I write a lot of this kind of thing. I decided to spice things up a little by adding some synth layers in the verse and chorus and playing the verse countermelody on synth too. 

The music was written and recorded in one day, but the lyrics and vocals took me most of the rest of 2 weeks. I really struggle with lyrics. Here I am going for a voice that is at once a bit abstract and poetic, but also quite rough and ready. I often aim for this kind of lyric, but I haven't yet put in the practice to really nail it. The vocal delivery was also challenging - I have had very little reason to sing in heavier styles since Luna Marada finished a few years ago. Another thing to work on this year.

Cracking!

This one started as a brief from Elliot Slater:
'In a forest where the sun is shining brightly through the trees you are stood in a small clearing, staring into the sky whilst lots of petals and blossom are falling down towards you.'

I have been really enjoying messing around with synths recently. The YouTube algorithms have been on point recently, recommending me plenty of epic synthesiser masterpieces from 70's Japan. At Christmas, I was asked to create my own take on the sound of Stranger Things (check out 'Weirder Items' on my soundcloud if you're interested), which was really fun. Slowly I am building up the skills to be able to make the sounds I imagine. I tried to incorporate some foley-style sounds too, for added nature. 

For the last few years I have been really inspired by the music of Loscil.  I tend to make music that has a clear narrative or is at least 'speaking' directly to the listener. Loscil on the other hand seems to be more about opening up spaces that the listener can inhabit. I know he isn't the first to do this, but he is the first to really grab my attention. He does it in a way that engages with my own musical creativity enough that I can really appreciate the difference of approach. Also his sounds are beautiful. Treat yourself to his album 'Plume'. This track is definitely not really in that style, but it is probably the closest I have got to it.

Dew, Care & Attention

This one started with some input from Joao Meirinhos, including the thumbnail picture...

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What does the sun sound like?

“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.”
- Philip K. Dick

“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” - Camus
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I definitely took this as somewhere to launch off from rather than trying to create a clear musical interpretation. Though the quote above is from Camus, the piece is more than a little Nauseous. My method for this track was to create material without constraint and gradually form it into a full piece over time. You could say that it coagulated.

Soul(sic)

This is an experiment for me. I am exploring distorted textures; trying to find the edge point where it is almost too distorted to be beautiful. It is also an exercise in attention and willpower; trying to find the sonic place where you can still focus on the world behind the noise, but you can be under no illusions about effort involved in this task. Everyone has a different limit for this, but I believe it is a skill worth developing.

Gently

This track emerged from my normal bass practice, which often involves playing 16th notes for a long period of time, making sure every note projects properly while varying dynamics, accents, harmony, muting, whatever. A few days ago this bass-line presented itself to me and germinated the song.

I have also been using more chaotic noise elements in my compositions recently. This tune was also good practice for finding, processing and arranging some noise.

I love writing really short songs - trying to condense everything the material wants to say down into the shortest time possible. Like classic pop music, or grindcore.

Noise To Know You

Recently, I have been trying to turn music making into something more like how painting is for me - less planned, not trying to understand everything, more based on process, function and adapting to what comes. I thought it would be interesting to overemphasise these aspects of music making for a while, as I have spent most of the last 6 or 7 years developing ways of working that are more structured, planned, deliberate etc...

I'll Paint You 'Me' Again!

For full release (free/pay-whatever) go to https://tomlecocq.bandcamp.com/album/water-is-attracted-to-water-ep

In Water is Attracted to Water, a scientist, two performers and a musician come together on stage to create a myth of water for the 21st century – to give as many answers as possible to the question, ‘What really is the story of water?’ We remember the floods, sing songs, tell stories about water science, and we do the molecule dance. 

This EP presents five musical compositions taken from Water Is Attracted To Water. ‘Name A Flood’ is one of the songs that we might want to sing on Water’s birthday.

The initial musical materials were developed by Tom through collaborative improvisation with the other performers. These early improvisations brought together text, sound and movement in activities that ranged from the dynamic weaving together of narrative flows to trying to make the sound of a leaky tap or exploring the how rain varies from country to country. The sonic textures and harmonic spaces opened up in these early sessions became the material Tom used to write the songs and create the sounds presented here.

In the show, the pieces are performed using just voice and guitar. For the EP these pieces have been  transformed into lush arrangements with further instrumentation. The drums on ‘Name A Flood’ were performed by Harry Summers. All other sounds were composed and performed by Tom Le Cocq, who also did the recording, mixing and mastering.

Drawing by Tom Le Cocq
Artwork by Amber Fern

Name A Flood//Water Day

¿¡FLAMBOYANT JAZZ-PUNK!?

A musical chimera that combines the visceral energy of punk, the danceability of drum'n'bass and the intriguing nuance of jazz: Ask My Bull is delightfully hyperactive and cinematically epic.

Fluorescent and flirtatious or blunt and vulgar; they crackle with an infectious energy that always sends a current through the crowd. Always primed for festival season, Ask My Bull has rocked many of the best, including Shambala, Boomtown, Bearded Theory, Beat-herder, Kendal Calling, Eden, Kelburn Garden Party, Nozstock and One Tribe/Audio Farm.

An instrumental whirlwind from Manchester; they often rock it as a 3-piece with experimental textures and heavy grooves from Molly on alto sax, Tom on bass and Harry on drums. The extended 5-piece lineup has Elliot join up front on tenor sax, and Nathan (aka Mango Thomas) joining on bass while Tom switches to guitar.

For people who like...
jazz, gypsy, ska | drum'n'bass, dubstep, jungle | punk, math rock, prog rock | video game music, film music | flamboyant jazz punk, party prog |

“Manchesters own sonic Chinashop spectacle ‘Ask My Bull’ turn energy dial to eleven” - Liverpool Noise

“The raw energy that they summon on stage is infectious and it imbues the amassed crowd with a feral community spirit which they use to dance themselves giddy paying tribute to the music gods in sweat. It is impossible to resist the other-worldy tug that is conjured by this frenetic and frantic music, once you give in and surge with the tidal force of it on the shore of the stage it is an experience like no other.” - whatculture.com