Verses

Teardrop

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:46:08 -0500

http://www.facebook.com/bubu8bit

The A Forest

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:45:58 -0500

Rummaging around BandCamp tonight (January 4th) I seemed to fall through tunnel connecting me with 2006…

The A Forest are - I suppose - kind of seminal. At least in the sense that the collective acted as a starting point for countless groups which came after - at one point, it seemed as though nearly everyone in Dundee was either in it, knew someone who was in it or fancied someone who was in it.

Recording sessions with Robin Sutherland took place, but the album was shelved. Apparently the final mix made its way onto Bandcamp last year - grab the exotically beautifully ‘Polar White’ as a free download below, and then find the link to the full album after the jump…

&amp;lt;a href=”http://theaforest.bandcamp.com/album/polar-white” _mce_href=”http://theaforest.bandcamp.com/album/polar-white”&amp;gt;Polar White by The A Forest&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

http://theaforest.bandcamp.com/album/the-a-forest

<a href=”http://esperi.bandcamp.com/album/made-for-life-snowman”...

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 18:48:45 -0500

<a href=”http://esperi.bandcamp.com/album/made-for-life-snowman” _mce_href=”http://esperi.bandcamp.com/album/made-for-life-snowman”>Made For Life/Snowman by Esperi</a>

Samoyed - Malamute

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 18:10:53 -0400

So weird to see the press Samoyed is getting. I remember watching him cart his kit into Braes Downstairs to play a n_ilk show about eighteen months ago, battling the equipment to produce some crazy sounds.

Describing his music as ‘melty’ - clearly a man with a flair for adjectives as well as beats - Samoyed has taken his time but seems to be on the rise. Sonic Router are giving away a free cut, use the embed below.

Alex Charles

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:10:00 -0400

Time for another Verses single..

With the winding down of his 11 year old Thee Moths project (www.theemoths.co.uk), UK musician Alex Botten has ‘gone solo’ and started performing under (almost) his own name. More meditative than his previous work, the new sounds are concerned with building layered loops that, despite their complexity, evoke a sense of stillness in the listener.

alexbotten@gmail.com
www.alexbotten.co.uk

(Click the photo)

Reporter - Retrobit

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 17:13:00 -0400

Initially from the Highlands, Reporter ventured down to Tayside to study music at Perth College. Swapping jazz for electronics, he kept the downward tempos and unexpected melodies but added some beautiful loops.

A sometimes member of the Fence Collective, Reporter played two shows with Verses before departing the city of Dundee. Releasing some sparkling material, his final show in Drouthys saw the producer rip up the tempo for some unexpected motorik beats.

Until now, nothing official has been released some these sessions with Reporter presumably preferring to leave them on the shelf. Adding ‘Retrobit’ to his SoundCloud page, it’s clear that the influence of 8-Bit has seeped in - perhaps due to his role at Real Time Worlds (RIP)…

To download the cut for free click Reporter’s photo.

Ben Butler & Mousepad

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:27:48 -0400

Just back from a gig in Dundee’s Botanic Gardens..

The performers were Ben Butler & Mousepad and I can honestly say it contained some of the best music I have heard this summer. A two person set up, with a ferocious German on drums and a timid Scotsman on synths / vocals.

A wonderful venue and a performance which seemed to ripple with energy from start to finish. Apparently tagged as Skweee (instrumental Scandinavian hip hop doncha know) the genre name is essentially an excuse for some all guns blazing live-a-tronica.

Think the most far out moments of Holy Fuck condensed into just two people and you’d be close. Photo above and free download below…

Sherbethead

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:02:37 -0400

Everyone at Verses is a big fan of Sherbethead.

Sure, he’s young but his lack of years equates to never being forced into slavish adherence to the rulebook. A series of EPs have seen Sherbethead move from 8-bit to noise, woozy hip hop to psychedelia.

Commissioned to craft a number of remixes the young Dundee based producer obliged with typical creative frenzy. Under the chopping block:

Sarah Daly

Muchuu

Conquering Animal Sound

Grab the remixes for FREE via the Bandcamp embed below…

<a href=”http://thesherbethead.bandcamp.com/album/a-few-remixes” _mce_href=”http://thesherbethead.bandcamp.com/album/a-few-remixes”>A Few Remixes by Sherbethead</a>

Esperi + Jeffrey Lewis

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 14:10:17 -0400

The very lovely Esperi is supporting New York anti-folkster Jeffrey Lewis in London on August 2nd.

More info HERE.

As a primer for our London cousins, you can grab ‘My Tear Dissolved The View’ from Esperi’s SoundCloud.

My Tear Dissolved The View by Esperi

Just discovered these… Aberlour / Dundee / London producer...

Wed, 25 May 2011 17:09:31 -0400

Just discovered these…

Aberlour / Dundee / London producer Samoyed made two remixes available as free downloads last December. Both are - predictably - stunning, with Samoyed effectively turning them into brand new tracks.

From his Bandcamp…

“two remixes based on tracks by other people mangled beyond recognition that I’m never going to see any payback on so you might as well have ‘em for free.”

Sherbethead

Tue, 17 May 2011 15:22:00 -0400

A young Dundee producer, Sherbethead kindly donated one of the stand out tracks to our inaugural compilation. A feverish imagination, his EPs range from sluggish down tempo work outs to near breakcore levels of frenzy.

Suitably impressed, Verses has stepped in to release a new free single. ‘Goodnight, Goodnight’ is woozy, deeply distorted and oddly moving. Centred on a vocal sample caught in a gale, the tumbling piano chords seem to add to the overwhelming sense of claustrophobia.

Trapped in a bee hive, drowning in honey…

Available as a free download, you can grab it by clicking the picture below.

Photo

Tue, 17 May 2011 15:17:44 -0400

Recommend...

Tue, 17 May 2011 15:16:07 -0400

Dundee article...

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 15:22:09 -0400

Starwalkers

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 15:54:04 -0500

Time for a new release…

Starwalkers are from Fife. There are two of them. When not working with the synth pop outfit Cruiser the pair like to make music on their own, which has taken them into strange places.

This new two track EP is a lovely slice of electronica which veers between lilting, beautiful ambience and all out noise. Patience is a virtue Starwalkers have learned well, with each track building softly, dragging you somewhere quite special.

The first in a series of exclusive download singles from Verses, the new two track EP is available free of charge.

To download, just click below…

(Art credit Anna Wilson)

Photo

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 15:50:35 -0500

Farewell... Findo Gask

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 14:15:26 -0500

Ah.. Findo Gask.

Four Fife kids exiled to Glasgow, Findo Gask made the kind of sublime, 80s inspired synth pop that La Roux can only dream of. Playing countless shows and releasing the odd single or two, the band have decided to split.

Which is a tragedy. Singer Gerard briefly launched the new group BABE, but after moving to France it seems that - at top dollar best - this is going to be one of those email collaboration deals.

As a final farewell, Findo Gask have decided to give away their final single. A nice gesture guys, but how about we you just stay together?

Grab it here…

http://findogask.bandcamp.com/

Of course, there is a Verses connection in all this. Wayyy before Findo Gask (and when he was still in Fife) Gerard formed Otterley with Dan. Dan then went on to record under the name Riot In Lagos, and kindly donated a track to the inaugural Verses compilation.

And there’s more… When forming BABE Gerard called upon the services of his ol’ chum Tom Ogden, who also appears on Verses.

So there we are.

Verses sampler

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:27:20 -0500

http://soundcloud.com/versesrecords/sets/verses-sampler

Thee Moths

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 18:22:07 -0500

For the past ten years Alex Botten has been wandering the musical universe as Thee Moths…

Late last year, Marchin’ On was lucky enough to help Alex organise a show in his former stomping ground of Dundee. Re-tracing his steps, Thee Moths settled into the Art Bar like it had never been away.

In case you missed it, Thee Moths have uploaded the show (and all the rest from the short Scottish tour) to ye olde interweb.

http://www.archive.org/details/LiveInScotlandNovember2010

While I’m here, it would remiss of me not to point out that Alex has several other recordings available for absolutely nowt. The ‘Folk’ EP was released on Dundee label Pet Piranha, and remains a personal favourite for its textures, imagination and early morning ambience.

http://www.archive.org/details/LiveInScotlandNovember2010

Tommy Sheridan

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 18:11:06 -0500

Inspired me at an impressionable age.

Not going to get too deep into this… but the worst Christmas headline in a while.

Verses

Teardrop

The A Forest

&lt;a href=”http://esperi.bandcamp.com/album/made-for-life-snowman”...

Samoyed - Malamute

Alex Charles

Reporter - Retrobit

Ben Butler & Mousepad

Sherbethead

Esperi + Jeffrey Lewis

Just discovered these… Aberlour / Dundee / London producer...

Sherbethead

Photo

Recommend...

Dundee article...

Starwalkers

Photo

Farewell... Findo Gask

Verses sampler

Thee Moths

Tommy Sheridan

<a href=”http://esperi.bandcamp.com/album/made-for-life-snowman”...