The small village of Tyneham, on the beautiful Isle of Purbeck, in Dorset, was once a thriving little community – that is until the British Government requisitioned it for training manoeuvres and other ‘strategic purposes’ in the run up to WWII. This was supposed to be a temporary measure, but the area remained in military possession long after hostilities had ceased, causing distress among former inhabitants, many of whom were farmed out to prefabs in nearby Wareham and Swanage. 

Tyneham was characterised by its red telephone box, a tiny parade of shops – Post Office Row – and a grand country pile which stood about half a mile away from the village: Tyneham House. The army removed the building’s oak panelling and ornate decorative details and promptly set about using it for target practice. So great was the shame expressed locally about the damage inflicted upon one of Dorset’s grandest houses that the powers that be decided to grow a copse around the remains of the structure to give the impression that it was no longer there. Despite this, a substantial part of the structure remains intact, including its Saxon hall. 

Land access around Tyneham was opened up in the 1970s, but admission to the house remains strictly verboten. Those who’ve been found around the premises, especially anyone wielding a camera, have felt the full weight of military trespass law. Tyneham today is regarded as a nature reserve by some – as a national embarrassment by others. It’s still a political hot potato, in Dorset at least.

The pastoral, wistful yet ineffably disquieting music of Tyneham House is made by artists who have previously graced Second Language releases, but who wish to remain anonymous here, save for their eponymous title. The musicians are happy, however, to let it be known that these recordings have been around for some years (many of them complied from old cassettes) and that they take inspiration from the 1960s/’70s/’80s work of the Children’s Film Foundation – a body who really ought to have made a film about this mysterious West Country curio. At least now we have its endlessly poignant soundtrack. 

This release was beautifully illustrated and printed throughout by award winning artist Frances Castle of Clay Pipe Music.  The cassette of bonus material : A: A School Holiday, 1977 
B: May Day, 1981.

This is SL015/Pipe003

www.secondlanguagemusic.com
www.claypipemusic.co.uk

Tyneham House (bonus cassette tape)

Covers of every song from Pete Astor's 'Songbox' album (Second Language, 2012).  CD now deleted but available on all good digital platforms.  For more info on 'Songbox' go here : http://www.secondlanguagemusic.com/SL012.html

Pete Astor 'Songbox' covers

A compilation of some of our favourite tracks since our inception in 2009.  Have we missed anything? 

www.secondlanguagemusic.com

Second Language Music 2009 - 2024 (work in progress)

The new album, out now on Second Language Music.  www.secondlanguagemusic.com

There's not just a brutalism about Cumbernauld, the Scottish "new town" in North Lanarkshire, developed ostensibly to catch the population overspill from neighbouring Glasgow in the 1950's but also a melancholy, almost tangible banalism.  According to brothers Phillip and Peter Walker, collectively operating under the moniker of P60, the lack of any discernible activity, cultural or otherwise, has resulted in a "blank society" which practically revels in its stagnance.  "If you Google images on Cumbernauld," says Phillip, you'll notice a distinct dearth of people in the photos.  Everyone just stays at home watching tv." But look very closely and you'll notice that something is happening behind the concrete and steel facade.  

 “We got into this by default," says Peter. “Our uncle Jim, died about 5 years ago and they found all these old synths and stuff in his attic which obviously, he’d never used. Some of them were wrapped up in bin liners and bits of carpet so the rain wouldn’t get at them.  Nobody wanted them so at first I thought let's just stick them on eBay or something."

Phillip, however, had other ideas. “I used to be in a band (the equally reclusive Glasgow post-punk outfit, Knives Replace Air) which was all guitars but I knew we could do something if we applied ourselves. It’s taken 2 years to actually start making tunes we’re happy with.  Before, it was just press a key, twist some knobs and see what comes out.  We’re still not exactly Depeche Mode.”
  
It’s this rudimental, even naïve approach to their somewhat rusty analogue palette that makes P60 stand out.  As Phil says, “Most people with a few synths and a drum-machine would go, ‘Let’s make dance music’ but between us, we literally have no interest in club culture.  We’re much more interested in the voice of the instruments." 

But why P60?  “Both our names start with P obviously but in one of the binbags with all these synths was a little black box held together with duct tape and someone’s Dymo’ed ‘P60’ on it.  There’s an input and an output and we’ve had it apart but we’ve still got no idea what it does!  It’s literally a little black box that does nothing.  It seemed very apt.  We aren't going to play live or have our photos taken.  We want to stay anonymous.  In the current celeb-obsessed climate, that's about as punk as I can imagine.”  

P60 'Models' comes in a semi-transparent glassine envelope with postcard, sanding disc, tachograph, hand-stamped litmus paper and electrical resistor.  Limited edition of 300 copies.  

This is SL031, the thirty-first release on Second Language.  For more info, contact : second-language@hotmail.com





P60 - Models

Adieu À L'Écurie - D.Rothon

Free to Second Language subscribers with Robin Saville's ‘Public Flowers' album came a bonus disc, 'Hybrids,' featuring 5 remixes of tracks from the album by Loscil, P.Manasseh, Dollboy, Clouds and Mugwood.   'Hybrids' since deleted but more about 'Public Flowers' here/buy : http://www.secondlanguagemusic.com/SL028.html

Tracklisting : 

1. A Fail All Girl (Loscil Flagra Flagri Mix)
2. Hilary And Dave's Piano # 2 (P. Manasseh Mix)
3. Bryophyte Society Annual Picnic (Dollboy Bones Mix)
4. All Who Are Not On The Rock Are In The Sea (Clouds Mix)
5. The Long Walk From Sallowes Church (Mugwood Hither And Zither Mix)

www.secondlanguagemusic.com

Robin Saville - All Who Are Not On The Rock Are In The Sea (Clouds Mix)

Future Conditional - Demolitions(feat. Bobby Wratten & Beth Arzy)

Cédric Pin/Glen Johnson - Prick

The new album, out now on Second Language Music.  www.secondlanguagemusic.com

There's not just a brutalism about Cumbernauld, the Scottish "new town" in North Lanarkshire, developed ostensibly to catch the population overspill from neighbouring Glasgow in the 1950's but also a melancholy, almost tangible banalism.  According to brothers Phillip and Peter Walker, collectively operating under the moniker of P60, the lack of any discernible activity, cultural or otherwise, has resulted in a "blank society" which practically revels in its stagnance.  "If you Google images on Cumbernauld," says Phillip, you'll notice a distinct dearth of people in the photos.  Everyone just stays at home watching tv." But look very closely and you'll notice that something is happening behind the concrete 
and steel facade.  
 “We got into this by default," says Peter. “Our uncle Jim, died about 5 years ago and they found all these old synths and stuff in his attic which obviously, he’d never used. Some of them were wrapped up in bin liners and bits of carpet so the rain wouldn’t get at them.  Nobody wanted them so at first I thought let's just stick them on eBay or something."
Phillip, however, had other ideas. “I used to be in a band (the equally reclusive Glasgow post-punk outfit, Knives Replace Air) which was all guitars but I knew we could do something if we applied ourselves. It’s taken 2 years to actually start making tunes we’re happy with.  Before, it was just press a key, twist some knobs and see what comes out.  We’re still not exactly Depeche Mode.”  
It’s this rudimental, even naïve approach to their somewhat rusty analogue palette that makes P60 stand out.  As Phil says, “Most people with a few synths and a drum-machine would go, ‘Let’s make dance music’ but between us, we literally have no interest in club culture.  We’re much more interested in the voice of the instruments." 
But why P60?  “Both our names start with P obviously but in one of the binbags with all these synths was a little black box held together with duct tape and someone’s Dymo’ed ‘P60’ on it.  There’s an input and an output and we’ve had it apart but we’ve still got no idea what it does!  It’s literally a little black box that does nothing.  It seemed very apt.  We aren't going to play live or have our photos taken.  We want to stay anonymous.  In the current celeb-obsessed climate, that's about as punk as I can imagine.”  

P60 'Models' comes in a semi-transparent glassine envelope with postcard, sanding disc, tachograph, hand-stamped litmus paper and electrical resistor.  Limited edition of 300 copies.  This is SL031.



Intervale

Deco Nude

Kronecker Product

From the album, 'Models,' out now on Second Language Music.  www.secondlanguagemusic.com

There's not just a brutalism about Cumbernauld, the Scottish "new town" in North Lanarkshire, developed ostensibly to catch the population overspill from neighbouring Glasgow in the 1950's but also a melancholy, almost tangible banalism.  According to brothers Phillip and Peter Walker, collectively operating under the moniker of P60, the lack of any discernible activity, cultural or otherwise, has resulted in a "blank society" which practically revels in its stagnance.  "If you Google images on Cumbernauld," says Phillip, you'll notice a distinct dearth of people in the photos.  Everyone just stays at home watching tv." But look very closely and you'll notice that something is happening behind the concrete 
and steel facade.  
 “We got into this by default," says Peter. “Our uncle Jim, died about 5 years ago and they found all these old synths and stuff in his attic which obviously, he’d never used. Some of them were wrapped up in bin liners and bits of carpet so the rain wouldn’t get at them.  Nobody wanted them so at first I thought let's just stick them on eBay or something."
Phillip, however, had other ideas. “I used to be in a band (the equally reclusive Glasgow post-punk outfit, Knives Replace Air) which was all guitars but I knew we could do something if we applied ourselves. It’s taken 2 years to actually start making tunes we’re happy with.  Before, it was just press a key, twist some knobs and see what comes out.  We’re still not exactly Depeche Mode.”  
It’s this rudimental, even naïve approach to their somewhat rusty analogue palette that makes P60 stand out.  As Phil says, “Most people with a few synths and a drum-machine would go, ‘Let’s make dance music’ but between us, we literally have no interest in club culture.  We’re much more interested in the voice of the instruments." 
But why P60?  “Both our names start with P obviously but in one of the binbags with all these synths was a little black box held together with duct tape and someone’s Dymo’ed ‘P60’ on it.  There’s an input and an output and we’ve had it apart but we’ve still got no idea what it does!  It’s literally a little black box that does nothing.  It seemed very apt.  We aren't going to play live or have our photos taken.  We want to stay anonymous.  In the current celeb-obsessed climate, that's about as punk as I can imagine.”  

P60 'Models' comes in a semi-transparent glassine envelope with postcard, sanding disc, tachograph, hand-stamped litmus paper and electrical resistor.  Limited edition of 300 copies.  This is SL031.



P60 - Broken And Unbroken

The Reception

Song A - G

pm sept2008 tribal Jam

Dcd with Jess April09 Demo-mix1

I Walked to the Station 8june09

Dcd Hurdy 4pile up track

dcd guitar demo 1

nightmare...

Part of new songA.G   FEAG FEAC

you'v never loved this city

Pity the Man 8june09

The Nightmare that you are Demo13mars09

From the forthcoming album, 'Not On The Radar (The Demos),' out September 26th 2025 on Second Language Music.  Pre-order here : https://www.normanrecords.com/records/210890-mark-fry-not-on-the-radar-the

Photo : Howard Holloway

Mark Fry - Rainbow Days (Demo)


The small village of Tyneham, on the beautiful Isle of Purbeck, in Dorset, was once a thriving little community – that is until the British Government requisitioned it for training manoeuvres and other ‘strategic purposes’ in the run up to WWII. This was supposed to be a temporary measure, but the area remained in military possession long after hostilities had ceased, causing distress among former inhabitants, many of whom were farmed out to prefabs in nearby Wareham and Swanage. 

Tyneham was characterised by its red telephone box, a tiny parade of shops – Post Office Row – and a grand country pile which stood about half a mile away from the village: Tyneham House. The army removed the building’s oak panelling and ornate decorative details and promptly set about using it for target practice. So great was the shame expressed locally about the damage inflicted upon one of Dorset’s grandest houses that the powers that be decided to grow a copse around the remains of the structure to give the impression that it was no longer there. Despite this, a substantial part of the structure remains intact, including its Saxon hall. 

Land access around Tyneham was opened up in the 1970s, but admission to the house remains strictly verboten. Those who’ve been found around the premises, especially anyone wielding a camera, have felt the full weight of military trespass law. Tyneham today is regarded as a nature reserve by some – as a national embarrassment by others. It’s still a political hot potato, in Dorset at least.

The pastoral, wistful yet ineffably disquieting music of Tyneham House is made by artists who have previously graced Second Language releases, but who wish to remain anonymous here, save for their eponymous title. The musicians are happy, however, to let it be known that these recordings have been around for some years (many of them complied from old cassettes) and that they take inspiration from the 1960s/’70s/’80s work of the Children’s Film Foundation – a body who really ought to have made a film about this mysterious West Country curio. At least now we have its endlessly poignant soundtrack. 

This release was beautifully illustrated and printed throughout by award winning artist Frances Castle of Clay Pipe Music.  The cassette of bonus material : A: A School Holiday, 1977 
B: May Day, 1981.

This is SL015/Pipe003

www.secondlanguagemusic.com/www.claypipemusic.co.uk



A: A School Holiday, 1977

B: May Day, 1981

01 Dollboy - Dead Trumpets

02 Let's Wrestle - Tiny Town

03 Darren Hayman - The Ride

04 Comet Gain - Four Letter Word

05 Pete Greenwood - Slip Away

From the forthcoming album, 'I Feel Nothing Most Days,' out 26th April 2019 on Second Language Music.  Pre-order here : https://olivercherer.bandcamp.com/

Oliver Cherer - Weight Of The Water

This one has been a long time coming.  In 2014, debut album in the can, Silver Servants, a loose collective of Second Language artists, commenced work on a Winter-themed recording.  For one reason or another, what was meant to be one, gapless sonic tapestry, never made it to full fruition but you can hear the fruits it did produce, here on ‘Drifts & Flurries.’  With the creative success of the ‘Avenue With Trees’ album, we decided to take those Silver Servants tracks as a starting point for a new compilation, inviting old ghosts and new friends to contribute.

Mark Brend aka Ghostwriter, was one of the very first artists to release something on Second Language – ‘The Continuing Adventures Of The Strange Sound Association album,’ came out in 2010, when we were less than a year old.  His specially-commissioned work here forms pillars throughout this record, accompanied by Katie English (Isnaj Dui, Littlebow, Silver Servants).  The Declining Winter featured on our first ‘Music & Migration’ compilation from the same year.  Here, in true ‘Servants style, they collaborate with Clay Pipe fellow, David Rothon and Glen Johnson, a Servant, himself.

ISAN first featured on a Second Language compilation in 2011, if only for a minute (‘Minute Papillon’).  You can also find them on our second ‘Music & Migration’ compilation and the duo’s Robin Saville released his solo album, ‘Public Flowers,’ on the label in 2013.

Oliver Cherer (in his Dollboy guise) was also an early 2L attendee.  He’s omnipresent here, voicing Ghostwriter tracks, moonlighting as a Silver Servant and offering an icy take on Nico’s ‘Frozen Warnings.’  Newer to our fold are the London-based Japanese composer, Yumi Mashiki and Paul Tornbohm’s Alter Later project, voiced here (on a splendid Yazoo cover) by Amanda Butterworth of Mücha.  The French field recordist, Marc Namblard, exposes the secret sounds of frozen lakes, Scot electronicists P60 team up with Finnish guitarist, J. Luneburg for a secular dance and Sea Glass, formed from the ribs of The Leaf Library and Firestations, take on Movietone’s ‘Blank Like Snow.’ David Rothon offers a beautiful paean to the Welsh hill and battleground, Bryn Glas.  

‘Drifts & Flurries’ includes a bonus disc, ‘The Frosted Pane,’ by Johnson and the Bulgarian violist, Raisa Zapryanova.

This is SL042.

www.secondlanguagemusic.com

Sea Glass -  Blank Like Snow

Independent record label based in London.  2009 - present day.

Second Language Music

Pinned to spotlight