An introduction to the music of Philip Clemo, with excerpts from his three solo albums: Ambiguous Dialogues, The Rooms and Mesmer.

Philip Clemo teaser

The Place

I recorded this in 1993 in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. I leapt out of bed at around 5 am, hearing the state-controlled speaker system across the street burst into life with the morning's excercise programme. It was pouring with rain.

I started recording with my portable DAT recorder and then gradually realised that a small crowd had gathered outside to watch a stark naked foreigner at his hotel room window sticking a microphone out of the window. Embarrassing myself for my art, I guess.

I eventually used the recording on the track Place on my 2004 album Ambiguous Dialogues.

Viet Nam Exercise in Rain

These are fragments of pieces I created in the mid 1980s, mainly based on guitar work, often highly processed. They have never been released and never became finished works. They give an idea of some of my early ideas, well before my debut album, Inhale the Colours, which was completed in 1996.



Medley Three (from unreleased archive)

Unreleased and unfinished piece from The Rooms sessions in 2006. This piece was built on a rhythm track originally used in an older track of mine called Box In The Sun, written in the mid 80s. The newer piece is incomplete but we had some fun getting this far. Henry Lowther on trumpet, Kevin Pollard on keys, Simon Edwards on bass etc.

New On Old (unreleased)

A taster from the Dream Maps album, launch at Kings Place, London on 14th September with an 8-piece band including Arve Henriksen.

The contributors to this album:

Philip Clemo voice, electric & acoustic guitars, keyboards,
electronics, treatments, location sound recordings

Evi Vine voice
Arve Henriksen trumpets, voice
Byron Wallen trumpet, flugelhorn
Henry Lowther trumpet, flugelhorn (track 8)
Pip Eastop french horn
Oren Marshall tuba
Sarah Homer clarinet, bass clarinet
Clive Bell flute (track 8)
Kevin Pollard piano, vox continental, farfisa
Thomas Bloch ondes martenot, glass harmonica
Emily Burridge cello
Peter Gregson cello
B J Cole pedal steel (track 8)
Phil Wheeler electric guitar
Simon Hopkins electric guitar (track 8)
Simon Edwards electric bass, double bass, guitarrón, bass ukulele
John Edwards double bass
Nikko Grosz electric bass (tracks 1, 4)
Martin Ditcham drums, percussion, sound textures
Dirk Wachtelaer drums
Martin France drums

Mixed by Philip Clemo, with assistance from Phill Brown
Recorded by Phill Brown and Philip Clemo
Produced by Philip Clemo

'Dream Maps' preview (album release 9th Sep 2016)

Another unreleased track from The Rooms sessions. BJ Cole on pedal steel, Henry Lowther on trumpet/Flugelhorn, Kevin Pollard on Hammond, Dirk Wachtelaer on drums etc. Unfinished piece.

'FR' (unreleased)

Philip Clemo Jazz Now Interview 2016

Composer, Film-maker, Sound Designer, Installation Artist | TED Speaker, Visiting Lecturer

Philip Clemo

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