We were an electronic family. As children of a Radio Ham, my brother and I grew up surrounded by magic boxes full of glowing valves and high voltages, our ears thrilling to the ethereal sci-fi soundscape of the short wave bands. Hardly surprising, then, that we should both develop a fascination with audio, electronic music and recording technology.

One of those magic boxes was a half track mono Vortexion WVB tape deck. In the mid 1970s I used this machine to record a number of bizarre pseudo-musical cacophonies involving tape-loops, home-made oscillators and found objects. For these purposes, the Vortexion's most useful feature was a switch which turned off the erase head. This enabled me to overlay new sounds directly onto an existing track. The only problem was that, being mono, there was no other track to bounce to, thus no way I could overdub in sync with myself: I had to rely on the delayed output from the playback head. This is why most early tracks involve vague drones and random sounds. And, of course, as I would be recording over the original track every time, each new take was an irrevocable step; a one-off; no going back !

This set contains several examples of that work.  More will be added in due course...

HOW D'YE STOP THIS THING? - Sonic curios from the 1970s

Reverse tape-loop rhythm, churchy organ noodling ...and 50Hz buzz from the un-earthed tape deck.

Recorded 1974, using the Vortexion WVB

The Famous English Cricketer Sits Down To His Tea

Sibling to "The Famous English Cricketer" and made in a similar way.

Recorded 1974 using the Vortexion WVB

The Famous Australian Golfer Stands Up To His Wicket

Random bits of collected sound, spliced together with brutal carelessness.

Slight echoes (pun thoroughly intended) of Joe Meek's introduction to "TELSTAR" in these sounds.  Hardly surprising: they were made using similar techniques.

Recorded in 1974 using the Vortexion WVB

EDITED HIGHLIGHTS

Ever had a hangover?  Then you'll know just what I was getting at.

Oscillator clicks, bass guitar at two speeds and a starring solo part for the egg-slicer.

Created in 1976 on the Vortexion WVB, this recording has not
survived well, and still sounds rough after assiduous
digital cleaning.  ....Never mind !

Waking Up In The Morning And Not Feeling Very Well

A stereo recording, best heard on headphones.

1978 - A BBC radio announcer listing the cast of a radio play. This was made into a loop which was played backwards several times, each time with different treatments.  This is a slow-developing thing, and strangely hypnotic.

NOTE:  Owing to the number of overdubs involved in its creation, there is quite a bit of hiss on this recording, even after digital noise reduction.  You get used to it!

SEELIGRAM MAIRIM

The "percussion section" is me coughing, made into a tape-loop and played backwards at the wrong speed.

The Farfisa organ was modulated against a home-made square-wave oscillator to produce a throbbing drone.

The foreground instruments are an egg-slicer, played via an old tape deck with a wobbly idler wheel, and me blowing raspberries down a plastic tube.  Oh, we knew how to have fun in them days! :)

Running Over A Penguin With A Combine Harvester

Recorded in 1978 on a ReVox A77.

This track features one of the longest tape-loops I ever made (all round the room and out into the hallway), which was used to ensure that the mournful wailing sound came round very infrequently.  The tape-loop was played in from a half-track mono Vortexion WVB machine. This was overdubbed twice:  once at full speed and again at half speed. The other sounds come from a variety of metal objects being struck, with the resultant recordings played backwards through variously a waa-waa pedal, phaser and envelope shaper into a simple home-made mixer.

Ahh, we knew how to have fun in them days! ;-)

© Ken Cumberlidge 1978

At Home With The Electric Squirrels

Recorded 1975 on a half-track mono Vortexion WVB - each new layer added by turning the erase head off.

This is one of my favourite early things: a serendipitous cacophony involving multi-layered tape-loops and the playing of found objects ( LP rack...wire egg-slicer...etc ) with guitar pickups attached to them.

The result of this aural vandalism sounds like some bizarre industrial process is going on:  curiously reminiscent of the famous sound-effect from "The Man In The White Suit".

The 'explosion' about 1:30 in is the sound of a violently plucked Hammond Reverb Spring totally overloading the input stage of the Vortexion.  Happy days !

© Ken Cumberlidge 9/12/1975 

Alexander's Ragtime Bend

Recorded in 1974 on a half-track mono Vortexion WVB, each layer added by switching off the erase head.

One of several experiments in a similar vein.  Two home-made Astable Multivibrators forced to modulate against each other provide a backing drone for a gong ( a metal pan lid played back at half-speed ) and some jet-propelled organ.

Next time you visit the Scottish highlands, put this number on the car stereo and watch those heifers jive !

© Ken Cumberlidge 1974

The Dance Of The Long-Haired Highland Cattle

Recorded in 1977.

A pair of microphones set binaurally, into an AKAI stereo tape deck, while I make merry with a room full of found objects (including my alarm clock).

Recorded in one straight take, echo added and then the whole thing reversed.

© Ken Cumberlidge 1977 

It's A Grand Life In The Navy, Parts 1+2

Recorded 1979 on a ReVox A77

Farfisa organ and reverb spring are the only instruments here.

Played into an HH echo machine with a replay head which could be slid along a track.  Whizzing it back and forth while playing notes produced strange, high-pitched squealing sounds reminiscent of seagulls.

© Ken Cumberlidge 1979 

SEASCAPE

Recorded 1977, using a combination of a Vortexion WVB and a ReVox A77

This features two home-made oscillators, found objects and the plaintive honk of my very own invention:  the Sax-o-drainpipe.

Gradually winds itself to a screaming climax.  Enjoy!

© Ken Cumberlidge 1977 

Frolics In The Engine Room

This is one of my earliest efforts, recorded in 1975 on a half-track mono Vortexion WVB machine, each layer being laid over its predecessor by switching off the erase head.

A haunted thing, racked with melancholy, it is played entirely on the Stylophone 350-S (see picture).  A detailed description of this instrument can be found here: http://andymurkin.wordpress.com/2012/08/22/

TECHNICAL NOTE:
Alas, time has not been very kind to this tape.  However, rather than attempt to spruce it up, I'm presenting it in its original condition - tape hiss, drop-outs and all - as any attempt at digital "restoration" would destroy what little fragile charm it has.

© Ken Cumberlidge 1975

Psychotherapy Foxtrot

Recorded 1975 on a half-track mono Vortexion WVB

Something to take with you on your next trip to the isolation tank!

Apart from one reversed tape loop of guitar notes, the only instrument here is the remarkable STYLOPHONE 350-S (see picture).

Rather hissy and bearing the occasional drop-out, but apart from that the tape has survived remarkably well.

© Ken Cumberlidge 1975 

The Drift

Playlist 1:
HOW D'YE STOP THIS THING?
We were an electronic family.  As children of a Radio Ham, my brother and I grew up surrounded by magic boxes full of glowing valves and high voltages, our ears thrilling to the ethereal sci-fi soundscape of the short wave bands. Hardly surprising, then, that we should both develop a fascination with audio, electronic music and recording technology.

One of those magic boxes was a half track mono Vortexion WVB tape deck. In the mid 1970s I used this machine to record a number of bizarre pseudo-musical cacophonies involving tape-loops, home-made oscillators and found objects. For these purposes, the Vortexion's most useful feature was a switch which turned off the erase head.  This enabled me to overlay new sounds directly onto an existing track.  The only problem was that, being mono, there was no other track to bounce to, thus no way I could overdub in sync with myself:  I had to rely on the delayed output from the playback head. This is why most early tracks involve vague drones and random sounds.  And, of course, as I would be recording over the original track every time, each new take was an irrevocable step; a one-off; no going back !

Playlist 2:
A SOUND SPANKING
In 1981 I bought a ReVox G36 (all-valve predecessor to the A77) which could do track-to-track overdubs, and from 1981-84 I used this machine to record numerous songwriting demos.

Then, as it is all too fond of doing, life got in the way and the songwriting got shelved. The tapes lay in their boxes undisturbed until 2001, when I got my first computer and discovered the capabilities of digital editing.  I overhauled the G36, dug out the tapes (some of them by now rather fragile) and set about digitising their contents. The results were then re-worked as multi-track edits, adding new vocals and, in certain cases, a number of MIDI-synthesized instruments - all the ones I could never have afforded to own 20 years earlier. ;-)  These recordings are the basis of this set.

HOW D'YE STOP THIS THING? - Sonic curios from the 1970s

Steaming Audio