Ghost Box Music
| Ghost Box Music | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Founded | 2004 |
| Founder | Julian House Jim Jupp |
| Genre | Electronic Ambient Musique concrète Library music Hauntology |
| Country of origin | UK |
| Official Website | Ghost Box Music |
Ghost Box Music is an English independent record label, established in 2004 by Julian House and Jim Jupp.
Contents |
[edit] Concept
The concept for the label was hatched by House and Jupp (who attended the same school[1] ) in 2003; a manifesto of influences was compiled, which included "music for schools, cosmic horror stories, library music, English surrealism, and the dark side of psychedelia".[citation needed] In 2004, the first The Focus Group and Belbury Poly releases became available on CD-R. House and Jupp have stated the purpose of the label was to create "not just a record label, but an imaginary world".[2]
In an interview with Cyclic Defrost, Jim Jupp commented;
| “ | Part of a theme that’s ongoing in all the Belbury Poly records, and I think all of the Ghost Box records (...) is a tradition of British science fiction, where you’ve got on the one hand the setting of a very traditional background, with very ancient things, but you’ve got this weird, cosmic stuff happening at the same time. A lot of old British sci-fi books – John Wyndham, for instance – have these really mundane, quaint little village settings, but all of a sudden something really freaky and cosmic appears in the middle of it.[1] | ” |
[edit] Aesthetic
Ghost Box had a defined aesthetic from formation; Julian House commenting:
| “ | ...the best way to put our stuff out was to start a label.. There was such a richness to the references we both shared, not just musical.. It made sense that we could put releases out which had this complete world attached to them.. A set of things united by a design identity, fragments of real or imagined books, collections of images, films, links... Something people can become lost in and want to be a part of.."[3] | ” |
Releases on the label (presently encompassing The Focus Group, Eric Zann, Belbury Poly, Roj and The Advisory Circle, and a rerelease of a Mount Vernon Arts Lab album) tend to share a common design aesthetic - all record covers so far have been by Julian House, with an acknowledged debt to the iconic design of sixties Penguin Books paperbacks[4]. There are shared elements in sound, too; Ghost Box artists tend to draw heavily on influences such as musique concrète, library music, and 1970s soundtracks. Several critics have noticed a melancholic or nostalgic element to the Ghost Box sound as well, prompting comparison to the shorter, 'interlude' tracks of Boards of Canada, or similar folk or psychedelia-influenced electronic musicians[citation needed].
[edit] Discography
- GBX001 Belbury Poly - Farmer's Angle (2005) 3" CD EP
- GBX002 The Focus Group - Sketches and Spells CD
- GBX003 Belbury Poly - The Willows (2005) CD
- GBX004 Eric Zann - Ouroborindra (2005) CD
- GBX005 The Focus Group - Hey Let Loose Your Love (2005) CD
- GBX006 The Advisory Circle - Mind how you go (2005) 3" CD EP
- GBX007 Belbury Poly - The Owl's Map (2006) CD
- GBX008 The Focus Group - We are all Pan's People (2007) CD
- GBX009 Mount Vernon Arts Lab - The Séance at Hobs Lane (2007) CD
- GBX010 The Advisory Circle - Other Channels (2008) CD
- GBX011 Belbury Poly - From an Ancient Star (2009) CD
- GBX012 Roj - The Transactional Dharma of Roj (2009) CD
- GBX013 The Advisory Circle - Mind How You Go (Revised Edition) (2010) CD/LP
- GBX014 Belbury Poly - Farmer's Angle (Revised Edition) (2010) CD/10"
- GBX015 The Advisory Circle - As The Crow Flies (2011) CD/LP
Seven Inch Singles
- GBX701 Belbury Poly and Moon Wiring Club - Study Series 01: Youth and Recreation (2010)
- GBX702 The Advisory Circle with Hong Kong in the 60s - Study Series 02: Cycles and Seasons (2010)
- GBX703 Belbury Poly and Mordant Music - Study Series 03: Welcome to Godalming (2010)
- GBX704 Broadcast and The Focus Group - Study Series 04: Familiar Shapes and Noises (2010)
- GBX705 Hintermass - Study Series 05: The Open Song Book (2011)
- GBX706 Johnny Trunk - Study Series 06: Animation and Interpretation (2011)
- GBX707 Pye Corner Audio with The Advisory Circle - Study Series 07: Autumnal Activities (2011)
Download only label sampler album
- GBXSAMP01 Various - Ritual and Education (2008)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Hennings, Emmy (2010-02-12). "Belbury Poly interview by Emmy Hennings". Cyclic Defrost. http://www.cyclicdefrost.com/blog/2009/04/12/belbury-poly-interview-by-emmy-hennings/. Retrieved 2010-02-19.
- ^ Petridis, Alexis (2009-01-30). "The Bellbury Poly: From a Distant Star, Various Artists: Ritual and Education". The Guardian. The Guardian. http://www.undomondo.com/2009/02/belbury-poly-from-an-ancient-star/. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
- ^ Interview with Julian House, Soul Riot
- ^ Norman Records review of various Ghost Box releases
[edit] External links
- Official site
- The Sunday Times article on contemporary electronic music, including Ghost Box and Belbury Poly
- A selection of images from projected Ghost Box films. Images by Julian House
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