Monthly Archives: December 2008

“Sand” in Dusted Magazine’s best of 2008

Dusted managing editor Otis Hart has included Philip Jeck’s Sand among his 25 favourite albums of 2008.

Otis writes: “Mr. Jeck takes home the Robert Wyatt prize for oldest musician on a year-end list. The 56-year-old turntableplayer (emphasis mine) weaves a dense fog of samples and loops on his 10th album. No surprise there. But for one reason or another, Sand tugs at the heartstrings a little more than past excursions. It could just be the Emily Dickinson poem quoted in the liner notes. That’s the thing about Jeck’s nebulous compositions – they mold to our imagination.”

Touch Live at The Roundhouse | 16th May 2009

Touch presents, as part of The Short Circuit Festival:

Philip Jeck [UK] and the Gavin Bryars Ensemble [UK/FR] – The Sinking of the Titanic
Biosphere [NO] (Visuals by Jon Wozencroft)
Hildur Gudnadóttir [IS] & BJNilsen [SE]

In addition, works by Chris Watson and BJNilsen, with film by John Aitchison, will also be presented.

www.roundhouse.org.uk

Continue reading

Touch Editions Featured in The Wire’s Records of the Year 2008

Touch have three editions, Philip Jeck, Jacob Kirkegaard and Lawrence English, featured in The Wire’s 2008 Records of the Year lists.

Number 2 overall in the Top 50 was Philip Jeck’s Sand.

The Wire say: “The Liverpool based soundscaper has honed his turntablist montages to a consistently fine art. His eighth solo album may have contained few surprises, but Sand displayed Jeck on peak form, mysteriously allusive and gorgeously melancholic.”

Also in the top 10 Outer Limits Albums of the Year was Jacob Kirkegaard’s Labyrinthitis and, in the top ten Electronica albums of the Year, Lawrence English’s Kiri No Oto.

More about Philip Jeck’s Sand.
More about Jacob Kirkegaard’s Labyrinthitis.
More about Lawrence English’s Kiri No Oto.

Tony Myatt’s Chocolate and Coffee Cake

7oz plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoon cocoa power
5oz soft brown sugar
1.5 tablespoons golden syrup
2 eggs
140ml sunflower oil
280ml milk
For the ganache:
200g plain chocolate (less than 70% cocoa solids)
250ml double cream
1/2 tablespoon soft brown sugar
A dash of Kirsch
Ground espresso coffee

Preheat oven to 160˚C.
Sieve all dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Add other cake ingredients and mix together.
Pour into a lined baking tin (~9” diameter).
Cook for 30 minutes.

Break chocolate into small pieces. Place slightly less than half in one bowl, the remainder in another. Heat the cream to near boiling point. Pour half the cream into the bowl containing most chocolate. Return the remaining cream to the heat, add the sugar, stir until dissolved, then add to the other bowl of chocolate. Stir both mixtures until the chocolate has completely dissolved. Add a generous dash of Kirsch to the mixture without the sugar. Allow both to cool.

Cool the cake on a wire rack and then cut in half. Spread the sweetened ganache onto one half of the cake then generously dust the ganache with espresso coffee (use a tea strainer). Place the top layer on the cake and spread the Kirsch ganache on top. Dust the top of the cake generously with espresso coffee.

Tony Myatt’s 55˚ Turbot with Salsa Verde and Roast Potatoes

Turbot fillets for four
Salsa verde:
Large bunch of parsley
Bunch of basil
1 small tin of anchovies
3 tablespoons of capers
2 cloves of garlic
1 small shallot (or tablespoon of chopped onion)
25g white breadcrumbs
3-4 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
100ml of olive oil
Maris Piper potatoes
Olive oil
Salt

Peel the potatoes and cut into pieces that have large flat surfaces (cutting almost triangular shapes from the centre of the potato will help). Soak in a bowl of running water for a few minutes until the water is clear. Boil the potatoes in unsalted water for 8 minutes. Drain in a colander, then shake around the potatoes to break them up a little. Leave to cool and dry for a few minutes.

Place a roasting tray containing about 1 cm depth of olive oil into a 225˚C oven. When the oil is hot, put the tray onto the top of a hot stove and carefully add potatoes. Stir until they are well coated with the oil. Put the tray back into the oven for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are golden brown, turning the potatoes in the oil after 25 minutes.

When cooked, remove the potatoes from the oil and drain on kitchen paper, then add salt.
While the potatoes are in the oven, make the salsa verde.

Chop the shallot, parsley and basil, crush garlic and add to a blender with anchovies, capers breadcrumbs and wine vinegar. Blend, then slowly add the oil to make a smooth, thick sauce.

Poach the turbot in water kept at a constant 57˚C until the temperature at the centre of the fish reaches 55˚C.

Lift the turbot, drain and serve on a warm plate with generous helping of salsa verde on the side, a green salad and a few roast potatoes.

Fennesz Performing at Big Ears 09

Christian Fennesz will be performing live, alongside the likes of Philip Glass, Matmos and Michael Gira, at Big Ears 09. The festival, based in Knoxville, Tennessee, runs from February 6–8, 2009. Fennesz will be performing both solo and as part of a trio, Fennesz/Linkous/Minor.

Big Ears say: “For the first time, this collaboration between Christian Fennesz, Mark Linkous (Sparklehorse) and Scott Minor (Sparklehorse) will occur on US soil. Originally sprouted from mutual admiration, the three began collaborating in the early 2000’s while Sparklehorse was touring in Europe. Sparklehorse’s damaged pop songs and Fennesz’s guitar and laptop explorations might at first seem strange bedfellows, though upon further listen each artists interest in melody and aesthetic starts to seem much less distant. Lying dormant for years – this not to be missed live event will occur only at Big Ears 09.”

www.bigearsfestival.com