NEW 2CD by dave phillips: should a seeker not find a companion who is better or equal, let him resolutely pursue a solitary course; there is no fellowship with the fool / cicada trance (released by no part of it)

dave phillips' trajectory as an experimental recording artist began in the mid-80s, with a punk background that expanded to wilder and more nuanced territories as a solo artist.

having utilized field recordings, both raw and arranged, for over 20 years, not to mention his well-established work with bombastic body sounds, surrealist strings, and tribal percussion, phillips has honed his use of source material in a way that comes off more as a soldier's sense of duty than anything resembling a hobby. with "should a seeker... / cicada trance", he returns with two badly needed physical issues of integral field recording-based pieces that were previously only available for digital download.

"should a seeker..." was initially published as a digital release on the radical matters label in 2008. it is a structured arrangement of sounds with reptilian, amphibian, and insectan origin, remastered for physical release in 2023. for over 56 minutes, gurgles, primal roars, and screams from creatures of the night swirl in and out of the stereo spectrum in complex, yet somewhat rhythmic patterns, for an almost hyperreal effect.

the main insect featured in "cicada trance" is the first one that drew me to another world, through its sound. i imagine these singing ringing cicadas create trance states. like being high on life, ultimately immersed in the present moment: immersion - to be part of something. 

recorded in thailand, vietnam, indonesia and south africa between 1994 and 2015.

cicada trance is dedicated to the most important beings on this planet: insects.

should a seeker not find a companion who is better or equal... (xcerpt)

Odh'''h9h///...

Pdh'''h10h///,,,

An extract from 'Nohmega', one side of the cassette of unreleased recordings included in 'Châsse ∴', the triple boxed set of CD re-releases, released by VOD-Records in June 2025 (full track length 18:00)

Mastered for cassette by Sam Grant at Blank Studios, Newcastle upon Tyne

VOD-Records

Nohmega (SoundCloud Edit)

Panic Records & Tapes (1984-1990) was headed by Scott Marshall, who also founded Burden of Friendship, arguably Chicago's first noise ensemble. Many releases on the Panic label reflected the work of a collective largely anchored around their involvement with freeform radio station WZRD-Chicago. The WZRD control room was situated within the cavernous bowels of Northeastern Illinois University, and there were often longform sound collages from multiple staff members being bounced between studio A and studio B.

During these radio events, which came to be known as "Voidwatches", live instrumentation collided with other sources for four to six hours at a time, which sometimes included fireworks, power tools, or scrap metal boring holes into the floor and ceiling, not to mention different areas of the campus being patched into the on-air mix. Marshall was initially inspired by the childhood experience of watching avant-garde composer John Cage, with David Tudor, integrate a live "toilet feed" from a nearby saloon, into his performance on television's That Was The Week That Was show. This, Marshall says, was a main influence in instigating these unscripted cacaphonies on the radio.

He likens the WZRD environment at the time to that of a "1950s theatre happening", which may or may not have involved, at any given time, a rotating cast of Bill Meehan, Bob St. Clair, Doug Brown, Mark Giangrande, Jim Koehnline, Paul Rosen, Scott Sanders, Andy Jacobson, Kevin Coffey, Paul Silver, Jim Kube, Pete Wesley, Dave Purdie, Clay Grossman, Richard Theodore, and other guests. Passersby, staff members or not, would also drop in and out, to be mixed into the performances.

https://nopartofit.bandcamp.com/album/watching-the-void-a-smattering-of-panic-records-tapes

Nearer To Thee My Void, Am I (1984)

crypt

from I Became a Baby Again & the Universe Forgave Me (Personal Archives, 2017)

I Became a Baby Again & the Universe Forgave Me

from DECELEBRATE (Already Dead Tapes & Records, 2017; Personal Archives, 2018)

https://personalarchives.bandcamp.com/album/decelebrate

Speak But Not Have Love

At the end of 2011, Michael Thomas Jackson sent me a CD of source files he had made (titled "Moog and turntable, Nov and Dec 2011") for me to use as I saw fit. It was an unexpected but pleasant surprise, BIG thanks to Michael for this. I finally started working with the files a couple weeks ago, completing this first piece; "The Sky Is Glowing" of what will be a full release. FYI: I consider a full release to be about sixty minutes in length. I only used the files Michael sent me on this, modifying, editing and blendarizing them into the final form posted here. I hope you enjoy it. 
For those of you unfamiliar with Michael's work, I highly recommend checking him out.
Start here: http://www.microearth.com/jackson/


The Sky Is Glowing

20121129 @ The Croft, Bristol

SuperCollider and open walkman circuits

The venue walls were literally covered in large photographs of NYC.

In A Foreign Country But Surrounded By Photos Of Home

Experimental / Noise Label Founded In 2008.

Nearer To Thee My Void, Am I (1984)

NO PART OF IT