A dynamic collaboration between This Heat/Massacre legendary drummer Charles Hayward and the Dungeness improvising sound duo Harmergeddon of Polyphoniefae and Nathan Greywater, who use photophonics, electromagnetic fields and consumer electronic junk to create detailed and interactive sound environments that propel Hayward into exultant rhythmic territory.
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Sample The Album:
Charles Hayward-drums
Nathan Greywater-photophonics, electromagnetic fields, consumer electronic junk
Polyphoniefae-photophonics, electromagnetic fields, consumer electronic junk
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UPC: 5024545898019
Label: God Unknown Records
Catalog ID: GODUNK 068LP
Squidco Product Code: 29544
Format: LP
Condition: New
Released: 2020
Country: UK
Packaging: LP
Recorded at Lewisham Arthouse, in London, UK.
Charles Hayward says "This record is a head to head between HARMERGEDDON and me. I first heard Harmergeddon 8 or 9 years ago and was instantly tranced out by their sound and their intriguing attitude to time, which operates at a different, alien register, almost like a Jackson Pollock canvas or Wiley Coyote running off the edge of a cliff. Ever since forever, before the words, I love when pure sound occupies the centre stage, removing emotional signs so that there's room for the audience to engage creatively; playing with Harmergeddon and their sound made me change my way of working, my way of playing the drums, another zone where time is prime, beat fracture and tempo shift. Another zone.
We'd been talking about making something together for a while and I jumped at the chance when the opportunity finally came along to record with Nathan and Fae at my space in Lewisham Arthouse. We took a couple of days and recorded several hours each day. They work in the dark because the lights give too much hum, it's a very nice atmosphere before the sound even starts. It was great to do.
Then Nathan took away the recording and did his strange magic with what we'd made. They sent me sections they liked, I'd listen and suggest edits and mix details. Sometimes it would be 2 steps forward, 1 step back. Some details took much longer than others. I'd already encountered Nathan's unusual angle on recorded sound when he mastered my solo record Begin Anywhere in the most arcane and invisible way, so subtle it's unreal. It's the same again with Versus, so hopefully you'll get more and more from this record the more you play it."
Harmergeddon says "They split the atom, but we stuck it back together again!
We've known Charles for a while now and had the great opportunity to tune into his creative space, seeing and hearing various collaborations and solo projects over the years as well as jamming with him on occasion, we're always entranced by his seemingly effortless navigation between the autonomic and the cerebral, it makes sense but it also feels right and it's happening right now.
We feel this collaboration resulted in a record that was like organised chaos, a blend with depth beyond it's surface. Texture framed by grid, glaciers and landmarks, mirage and desert, light and sound, existing on one plane with all the contrasts bouncing off of each other like a good conversation.
During one of the recording sessions, Fae recalls feeling the synchronicity between her performance and Charles', looking up to expect to see him watching her movements in order to predict where we were going next only to find him there with eyes closed, picking up on the flow like it was obvious, intuitively navigating the space between perception and gesture like it was brushing his teeth in the morning.
This discourse between the three of us felt like a good model to bring forward, because if structure and chaos can get along, it bodes well." "-God Unknown Records
"Harmergeddon is Nathan Greywater and Polyphoniefae, Dungeness based a/v performance art duo formed in South London in the autumn of 2010.
Their live show blends sound and light in a feedback loop using photophonics (sound carried on light beams), electro magnetic fields and consumer electronic junk, taking Industrial from its scrap metal past to the electronic fallout of late capitalism with a basis in improvisation and psychedelia. The result verges on sensory overload.
Since their inception they have played internationally in venues as diverse as a cave (Grobbia Artist Residency 2017, Italy), a forest (Ambiosonic 2016, France), a moving train (Resting Place, Platform-7 & Dawn Cole) and the legendary MS Stubnitz. They played Splice Festival 2018, streamed live to Montreal for Sight & Sound 2016 and Winnipeg for the Winnipeg Underground Film Festival 2017 (in collaboration with Guillaume Vallée). Recently they supported This Is Not This Heat for their ultimate European Shows at The Albany, Deptford.
In addition to their live show they have also provided live visuals for Ben Vince, Lia Mice, Merkaba Macabre, A'Bear and Dronica Festival. They have shot and edited music videos for the bands Warren Schoenbright and Lofe and are currently running residencies as 'Welfare Unit' from their base by the Dungeness coast."
Artist Biographies
• Show Bio for Charles Hayward "Charles Hayward (born 1951) is an English drummer and was a founding member of the experimental rock groups This Heat and Camberwell Now. He also played with Mal Dean's Amazing Band, Dolphin Logic, and gigged and recorded with Phil Manzanera in the group Quiet Sun project as well as a short stint with Gong. He was a session musician on The Raincoats' second album, Odyshape, and on one occasion played drums for the anarchist punk band Crass. Since the late 1980s, Hayward has released several solo projects and participated in various collaborations, most notably Massacre with Bill Laswell and Fred Frith. In 1976, Hayward and fellow Charles Bullen began practising with bassist Gareth Williams under the name This Heat. They began to experiment with tape loops, found sounds and keyboards on several sessions (recorded from 1976 to 1978, but not released until 1979). Finally, in 1979, This Heat released their self-titled debut album. 1981's Deceit marked the final new album from This Heat, Williams leaving just after its release. While Bullen began working as a studio engineer, Hayward did sessions for Lora Logic, The Raincoats and Everything but the Girl before forming Camberwell Now with bassist Trefor Goronwy and tape manipulator Stephen Rickard. The trio released 2 eps Meridian, Greenfingers and 1 album The Ghost Trade through the Swiss Recommended label. When Camberwell Now disbanded in 1987 Hayward embarked on a solo career which has continued to the present day. He debuted with Survive the Gesture (1987), Skew-whiff (1989) Switch on War (1991) and My Secret Alphabet (with Nick Doyne-Ditmas) in 1993. 3 live albums recorded in Japan followed in the late 1990s (released on Japanese label Locus Solus). In 2003 Abracadabra Information was released and 2011 saw the release of ONE BIG ATOM In 1998, he joined Massacre with Fred Frith and Bill Laswell. Throughout the 1990s up to the present he has initiated a large number of events and performances, including the series Accidents + Emergencies at the Albany Theatre in Deptford, Out of Body Orchestra, music made from the sound of the new LABAN dance centre being built which was choreographed for the official opening, music for a circus (part of the National Theatre's 'Art of Regeneration' initiative), the full-on installation/performance Anti-Clockwise (with Ashleigh Marsh and David Aylward) for multiple strobes, maze structure of diverse textures, 2 drummers, synthesizers and your nervous system. Recent developments include the CONTINUITY evenings as part of Camberwell Arts. Over the past ten years Hayward has developed these attitudes and insights into a wide range of soundwork, both collaboratively and as a solo artist/performer. These include: 30 MINUTE SNARE DRUM ROLL, Zigzag+Swirl, a solo song set at the drums using a system of controlled chance electronics, beginanywhere a set of songs centred around the piano, collaborations with Laura Cannell, Thurston Moore, Keiji Haino amongst many others. Recent work with the Islington Mill crew in the project Anonymous Bash has led to new work with many younger players, including Harmergeddon, DATA QUACK and projects for an array of new record labels including Samarbeta, Care in the Community and Unknown Gods. He also releases material on his own label CONTINUITY..... His long term relationship with the Albany continues with a twice yearly series of performances, workshops and installation, sound is sound is sound which he curates on behalf of Lewisham Arthouse." ^ Hide Bio for Charles Hayward • Show Bio for Nathan Greywater Nathan Greywater is a sound artist based in Dungeness, part of the duo of Harmergeddon. ^ Hide Bio for Nathan Greywater • Show Bio for Polyphoniefae Polyphoniefae is a sound artist based in Dungeness, part of the duo of Harmergeddon. ^ Hide Bio for Polyphoniefae
10/2/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
10/2/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
10/2/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
Track Listing:
SIDE A
1. Amoeba / Reverse (10:51)
2. Grit / Salt (7:49)
SIDE B
1. Tubspin (4:05)
2. Vertical (3:00)
3. Helix (5:24)
4. Spellbright (7:25)
Vinyl Recordings
Rock and Related
Electro-Acoustic
Sound, Noise, &c.
Trio Recordings
Hayward, Charles
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