And the heat
And the light
And the flashing...

Andy Bell (Ride) returns with his first new music under his GLOK alter 
ego since 2019’s widely acclaimed debut album Dissident. Andy's original mix is backed by a remix from the Underworld/Underwater legend Darren Emerson. The 12" is strictly limited to 300 copies.

All tracks written and produced by Andy Bell
Mixed by Leaf Troup
Mastered by Lawrie Dunster at Curved Pressings
Artwork by Graeme Swinton at Actually

(p) and (c) Bytes 2021

GLOK - That Time Of Night

Andy Bell (RIDE) under his GLOK alter ego has delivered a stunning rework of the gorgeous title track taken from the second album by ambient-techno group Herrmann Kristoffersen. Andy has tapped deep into the dub at the heart of the original, with echoes of John Carpenter's soundtracks and his own extended electronic excursions under the GLOK moniker.

Gone Gold

Herrmann Kristoffersen - Gone Gold (GLOK Remix)

Released on March 10, 2023 (P) and (C) Bytes 2023

Three stunning remixes from Pattern Recognition, the 2021 album (and UK album dance chart #1) from GLOK, the electronic alter ego of Andy Bell from shoegaze legends Ride. The remixes were completed by different artists at different times, but these kindred spirits have produced a trio of tracks that come together with a righteous symbiosis that Lord Sabre himself would have revelled in. 

First up, Sean Johnston (A Love from Outer Space) and Duncan Gray (Tici Taci), in their Hardway Bros meets Monkton Uptown guise, deliver a monstrous dub version of That Time of Night. While the original was a luxurious electro groover, this remix will make speaker stacks crumble to dust with its immense bassline and seismic effects, while Shiarra’s intoned vocals seem to come at you from another dimension entirely.

Next up, Richard Sen returns to GLOK remixing duty, tasked once again with turning one of Andy’s sprawling 20-minute album openers (he did the job on Dissident last time out) into a relatively concise number perfect for the nation’s dancefloors and rave tents. Richard never disappoints and he repeats the trick by taking Dirty Hugs to the Krautrock-disco, setting some of Andy’s delicious guitar licks over a propulsive, hypnotic groove. 

Last but by no means least Tom Sharkett, guitarist with Manchester synthpoppers WH Lung, has channeled the ALFOS chug into his throbbing re-version of album closer Invocation. Tom has recently been signed to Optimo Music and his remix would easily slot into one of Johnny and Keith’s epic, eclectic DJ sets.

GLOK - That Time Of Night (Hardway Bros Meet Monkton Uptown Dub)

04 Seagoth - Internet Cafe

Reissue of the seminal EPs from SEM aka Damon Baxter (pka Deadly Avenger). Two 12s of tracks from the first big "electro revival" wave in the mid 90s, originally released on Electron Industries in 1995 and 1996. Thumping 808 beats, analogue synths, vocoders, B-Boy styling and sci-fi vibes. The tracks are available digitally for the first time ever.

Phox/The Demon

SEM - Area 5

Bytes are super excited to announce the reissue of the killer 1990s electro EPs by SEM (aka Damon Baxter, who would go on to record as Deadly Avenger). The original 12”s have been out of print since they were released on J Saul Kane’s Electron Industries imprint in 1995 (Phox EP) and 1996 (The Demon EP). They have never been available digitally. With the original masters M.I.A., the tracks have been lovingly remastered from vinyl by Keith Tenniswood, who as part of Two Lone Swordsmen (alongside the late Andrew Weatherall), knows a thing or two about producing top-notch electro music. The resulting eight tracks feel like they could have been recorded yesterday, but have also stayed true to the rawness of the source material. PREORDER NOW: bytes.lnk.to/PhoxTheDemon

PHOX/THE DEMON

SEM - Phox [BYTES26]

The new album by Minotaur Shock. Autumn 2024.
Written and produced by David Edwards.
Mastered by Richard Pike.
(p) and (c) Bytes 2024.

Minotaur Shock - Recognise You Anywhere [BYTES28]

RIDE’s Andy Bell, recording under his electronic alter ego GLOK, and the producer and Insult to Injury label boss Timothy Clerkin have joined forces for Alliance, a new seven-track album released by Bytes on November 8. The collaboration finds Andy and Tim with their freak flags flying, working in a freewheeling environment where nothing was off limits, with influences ranging from Death in Vegas and Boards of Canada to James Holden and New Order. “It’s a proper collaboration, where we both tried new things and nothing was off limits,” says Tim.

“We didn’t discuss much in the way of direction,” says Andy. “I was having quite a creative spell at the time, to me it felt like making music was keeping me sane but when I think back, it was actually making me more insane, just in a different way.”

“It was all done remotely,” Tim continues, “firing ideas back and forth between 2020 and 2021 while I was in Amsterdam and Andy in London. I think people will probably think that I did the synths and Andy did the guitars, but we actually played a pretty equal amount of both! That’s one of the reasons I love it, it’s a proper collaboration, where we both tried new things and nothing was off limits.”

“I handed control over to Tim for the production side,” Andy reveals. “My role was coming up with, and recording, musical ideas — and playing on his ideas. I’m not entirely sure who played what on what tracks, it all goes into the Clerkin blender and amazing music comes out!”

Amazing is an understatement. The woozy ‘Empyrean’, which combines the analogue-decayed production of Boards of Canada and the ethereal vocals of ‘Xtal’ from Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works 85-92 with a fizzing behemoth of a synth line, is a fitting way to open the album as it was the first track they worked on together. “It’s basically a Timothy Clerkin remix of a demo I sent him,” Andy explains. “I can’t get enough of it. To me, it’s one of the best tracks I’ve ever been involved with since I started making music.”

Of ‘AmigA’, Andy says, “A few of the tracks led me into a kind of Pagan, pre-Christian headspace. ‘AmigA’ is kind of like an ancient prehistoric rave at a Stone Circle — I’m just gutted Tim took off all of my grunting noises!” This is proper head music, a thick swirl of pastoral acoustic guitars, Ghost Box-style vintage synths and angelic harmonies.

Tim got his friend Beth Jeans Houghton, aka Du Blonde, to provide vocals for ‘Nothing Ever’, which is a hit single in waiting. It’s a fuzzed-up, scuzzed-up, dazzling indie-dance banger, with Beth’s lip-curling vocal a perfect fit for Andy and Tim’s music.

There are echoes of Death in Vegas in tracks like ‘Scattered’ and ‘The Witching Hour’, where 1960s counter-culture rock mixes with psychedelic electronics. Fans of baggy will be at one with both of these tracks, where the sweat, throb and frenzy is reminiscent of live at the G-Mex-era Happy Mondays (circa-1990), with Weatherall and Oakenfold at the controls. Of the vocals on ‘Scattered’, Andy says: “I was just talking, I genuinely felt very scattered. I don’t know what to do when asked to provide vocals, I don’t see myself as a singer at all, so I thought I’d chat instead. It was very free and open, our freak flags were flying!”

And RIDE fans will be delighted as the future Balaeric classic ‘E-Theme’ opens with a guitar riff not a million miles away from ‘Vapour Trail’, underpinned by the laidback breakbeat that adorned many an indie-dance track in the early-90s, smeared rave synths and swooning vocals. It’s a moment of pure bliss and one for the 3am dancefloor.

GLOK/Timothy Clerkin - Empyrean

Bytes is proud to announce its first release of 2025 — In the Depths, the stunning debut album from Silver Y, aka Laura Caviglia, a self-taught multi-instrumentalist from Sicily, Italy. 

In the Depths revolves around the theme of identity loss (Rest Home, Shadow, Self), explores the various stages of coma (Stupor, Sopor), and culminates in death (In the Depths). Yet, contrary to what that might suggest, it is a more spiritual than dark album. The closing track, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, was conceived as a sort of prayer inspired by the Buddhist mantra of the same name.

“Its meaning invites us to understand the duality at the core of existence — an alternation of light and darkness that, if truly understood, can be experienced as complete light,” Laura explains. “This practice offers a way to find peace beyond suffering, and this is the invitation I want to extend to everyone through this album.”

Laura’s passion for electronic and ambient music started about 15 years ago, but it is in the past few years that she realised these were the genres that would allow her to find her personal language in music, express herself and experiment. “In this field, musical composition goes beyond harmonic, melodic and rhythmic choices,” she says. “It is the search for, or even the creation of, the desired sound that intellectually and emotionally stimulates me about this genre. This pursuit has led me to develop a passion for sound synthesis (and analog synthesizers) and sound processing during mixing. I believe I still have a lot to learn, and thankfully so.”

Laura is a singular artist whose emotionally affecting compositions reveal a vulnerability and an ability to make songs that throb with an acutely sensual and psychedelic intensity. During the composition process, Laura  listened to a lot of ambient-like music, such as Grouper, Biosphere, Ana Roxanne and the classic trip-hop shoegaze album Beat by Bowery Electric, as well as electronic projects like Rival Consoles and Kiasmos, and Italian electronic artists like Daniela Pes and Gold Mass. 

The album was composed on a set-up primarily consisting of three analog synthesizers and a drum machine connected to a sequencer, plus a MIDI keyboard used to add Arturia Mellotron and Solina sounds.  

For Laura, the live performance is an important moment of connection between the artist and the listener, and each of her live shows can be slightly different because she controls all the sounds in real-time. This also brings the risk of making mistakes, which makes the performance genuine and authentic.

“I live in a part of the world where music isn’t considered important,” Laura says. “Not only is it highly unlikely that your favorite artist will come here to perform, but even smaller bands rarely make the effort to visit. Once, I was complaining about this situation to a friend of mine who lives elsewhere, and he replied, ‘If you can’t go and listen to the music you like, then make it yourself.’ Alright, buddy!”

In the Depths is released on Bytes on April 23, 2025


In the Depths

Buy on Bandcamp

Silver Y - Rest Home

Taken from @FranzKirmann 'Madrapour' album
Out Now - https://bytes.lnk.to/Madrapour

Analog ambient piece Madrapour features melancholy drenched in reverb, fuzzy synthesisers and sometimes ethnic-sounding modular sequences. With hardly any beats, the “comedown record” favours drones and gorgeous textures and melodies with a certain cinematic quality.

_________________

Franz Kirmann
facebook.com/FranzKirmann
twitter.com/FranzKirmann
instagram.com/franzkirmann
_________________

Bytes
bytes23.bandcamp.com/
twitter.com/bytes93
instagram.com/bytes_label

More Info / Buy

Franz Kirmann - Neo Yoff

Herrmann Kristoffersen - Felicity

Premiering on Clash https://www.clashmusic.com/news/timothy-clerkin-remixes-gloks-projected-sounds

Dissident Remixed

GLOK - Projected Sounds (Timothy Clerkin Remix)

A Lily - Slept Through The Storm

BYTES09 is Sleep Through the Storm by A Lily (aka James Vella of @phantomlimb), released on October 16, 2020 on limited edition cassette and digital. Pre-order from Bandcamp.

https://alily.bandcamp.com/album/sleep-through-the-storm

“The Storm” in the title, Vella explains, refers to the dark period in human history that we are currently experiencing and the accompanying personal anxieties; “Sleeping Through” is surviving it, a moment of personal protection while the turbulence rages around us. It is neither ambient nor electronic music, instead Vella is exploring a form of analogue synthesis that balances light and dark.

The eight tracks were mostly built live, looping and layering a single performance, pushing repetition and patterns - exploratory, cellular variations on a theme, lyrical songs that say something without lyrics. For the most part, Sleep Through the Storm is an expression of sadness and lament, but it is proof that there can be harmony and consonance in misery.

Sleep Through the Storm

A Lily - Endless Jasmine

https://yoannpisterman.bandcamp.com/album/water-groove

Yoann Pisterman is a visual artist and multi-instrumentalist composer from the French Riviera who is now based in Berlin. Water Groove is his debut album (and the tenth album from Bytes), an impressionistic sound journey into waves, frequencies and electronic resonance. Yoann employs loops and repetitive patterns, interwoven between drones and melodic elements, to create magical, transportative music with echoes of the classic Japanese ambient and New Age music of the Eighties and the trippy Kosmische of 1970s Germany. It’s a tribute to some of Pisterman’s musical influences that, in his words, have “reached a cosmic sound quality”, such as Hans-Joachim Roedelius, François de Roubaix, Geinoh Yamashirogumi and Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Yoann Pisterman - Water Groove

Tasty electronic music. Est. 2019. Big up @the-ransom-note! Likeminded artists please send demos to bytesbytes1@gmail.com

Bytes

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