Space Museum new Single!

After a week off we are back with the announcement of a new release for September 11th from Space Museum. It’s a two track double A single called “Histamine/Excruciate”.

Histamine is a rhythmically challenging piece in the ridiculous time signature of 35/8 with sonic nods towards Jason Miles synth sounds for Miles Davis’ Tutu album and barking mad arpeggiators fighting to get out of their restrictions. It’s inspired by the ongoing battle against pollen during the summer months.

Excruciate is a little more conventional rhythmically but hops between genres with little regard for adopted norms. There’s a hint of dub in there somewhere. I suppose you can actually dance to this one. It’s a digital only release which was recorded at Half Edge Studios in Salford

What’s Coming Next in September?

A new solo project from Andy Missions of Inferior Complex called The Right Side of Reason
A collaboration between Paul of Filed Fangs and Andy of Inferior Complex with a remake of a track from The Right Side of Reason Project
A new album from Night Operations called Protocol
Another new album from Moff Skellington called Yeast
A new EP from Loop-Aznavour
September’s subscriber special will be a live recording made of The Junta in 2014 at the Crescent in Salford. This excellent recording was only his second gig and includes music from his debut album Art of Glass and a stunning interpretation of an EDM classic

Get Techno with The Junta!

Salford’s very own master of Techno returns on August 28th with a new EP and on September 4th with a full album.

The Junta is the alter-ego of Salford musician John “Monty” Montague.

Monty, aside from delivering electronica via The Junta also plays bass in Kit B and Positronik and is a DJ on Salford City Radio and can be seen DJing around Eccles on a regular basis.

We released a radio edit of the single from the new album, “Tech Noir” on May 9th. A remix EP featuring new versions of the song precedes the new album. Of this Monty says:

“Recorded during the wilderness year. Inspired by my favourite 80’s/90’s artists, I decided again to release another remix e.p.TECH NOIR this time, remixed by some very good friends of mine. SPACE MUSEUM, NIGHT OPERATIONS, and POSITRONIK. “FILM NOIR” is a fabulous mash of TECH NOIR and Positronik’s “SUPERHEAVY”, featuring the wonderful production of JEFF BLACK and the vocals of NATHALIE HALEY. And a little reunion for Positronik! Oh and I couldn’t resist a Junta Remix of my own in the form of the T-800 Mix as a homage to The Terminator.”

A week later a brand new album “J3” follows – we think it’s his best yet. Plans for vocal versions of a couple of the tracks featuring some special guests had to be abandoned due to the lockdown but we hope will emerge when things get back to normal. Of the new album Monty says:

“Recorded mostly between Feb and June 2020…idle hands and all that! Wanted to avoid doing a bunch of lockdown songs, because I thought there’d be a wealth of them. Though couldn’t resist throwing in MAN AS AN ISLAND. Can’t wait to actually take these tunes on the road…when Boris green-lights the venues again.”

All instruments and recording on these releases are the work of The Junta with mastering being done by Space Museum at his Half Edge Studios. 100% produced in sunny Salford!!

August is looking busy!!

Hello again…..

We hope you are all well and safe in these strange times

Fortunately, due to the magic of technology and forward planning we are able to continue to share new music with you.

We are extremely grateful for recent support via airplay and features of our releases and for the new subscribers who have joined us, and, everyone who has purchased music from the label. We were very pleased to see The Peer Hat reaching its fundraising target and we encourage everyone to check out the first compilation album from the venue. We have some exciting news about a further compilation from Nick, Dom and co which we are keeping close to our chests at the moment. With the closure of The Deaf Institute and Gorilla, Greater Manchester has lost two key music venues so it is vitally important we continue to support grass roots music.

We have two new releases and a reissue to share …..all digital only and available from August 7th. They can be found on Bandcamp and all of the major download and streaming platforms.

So, here we go again…….

sycloner – Running Interference EP

EP cover

From Brisbane on the gold Gold Coast, of Australia – sycloner band members have performed with everyone from Debbie Harry to The Sugarcubes and with good reason. Their spin on alt-pop gives way to energetic blasts throughout not only their career but also their latest EP.

Running Interference contains four tracks that set the record straight on alt-pop soundscapes. Fans will also appreciate that they have something to say on songs like “Awful” and “Worry Well”. Running Interference is reminiscent of existential anxieties found in earlier releases and buzzes with themes of loss, love, and self awareness. For fans of Kaiser Chiefs, Franz Ferdinand, and Stereophonics, sycloner brings wry humour and melancholy to the material, producing thoughtful soundscapes which reflect on the hard work of living well.

This fourth release is the follow up to 2019’s In And Of Itself but it’s far from their last. Currently, they are working on new material to be released in due time.

Filed Fangs – (I Am A) Utopian

thumbnail_(I am a) Utopian artwork on black2

With debut release “Calcify” getting the thumbs up from John Robb in Louder Than War and tin tin tin the emboldened Filed Fangs, Boz Hayward and Paul Morley, are back with a brand new track.

Searing synths kick things into a mesmeric melange of layered sounds and powerful beats – like Saturday night in the post punk grunge disco with pulsing strobing sounds revolving around your head-space as guitar riffs worm their way into your subconscious mimicking and adding to the penetrating lead sounds as chanting half-heard vocals float at the edge of things.

This second track confirms our expectations of this talented pair and we are excited about receiving future material from them.

Moss Skellington – The Lump (Expanded)

Moss Skellington The Lump

Just under four years ago we released singles and an album by Ian Moss and Moff Skellington under the collective name of Moss Skellington. Wider digital distribution of these releases was lost when we changed our distributor so we have taken the opportunity to reissue them as one package with a new distributor – an expanded version of The Lump album.

The combination of Eddodi and Manchester’s post-punk legend makes for a unique and compelling sound – the singles Boomerangs/Body Bad and The Wickedest Man In The World/Boys from the Bible Stories together with the original album gives you a complete set of the collaborations.

Moss (Hamsters, Four Candles. Cosmic Panthers, The Parasite, 2 Lost Souls) and Moff’s fecundity is legendary with both separately releasing many items in 2020 alone – this new package of sounds adds to an already immense body of work.

What’s next……

August is looking busy with the following new releases planned

Staggs return with their last release (or is it?) – The Death of Staggs
Matthew Hopkins release a new single – Love Don’t Do Logic – with another new one to follow in September
Our subscribers will receive a unique collection of Adventures of Salvador’s Early Singles and EPs
Yes….. another new album from Moff Skellington – A Slapstick Life
In anticipation of a new album in September The Junta releases the Tech Noir Remixes featuring contributions from Night Operations, Positronik and Space Museum

Our Seventh Birthday

We started all this in a mill in Stockport in 2014 – as we enter our seventh year we celebrate by releasing something by the two co-owners of the label. It’s free but if you want to give us some money it will help us keep the label running. Subscribers get a copy automatically!

Many thanks to everyone who has supported the label since we started especially DJs, Bloggers and Journalists who have featured what we do. Also thanks to the venues who have allowed us to share our music/artists on a live stage. Special thanks to all the artists who contribute to the label – we couldn’t do it without you!

We’ve a lot more new music coming your way so stay tuned!

SM HTB

Newsletter 45 – Space Museum, June Gigs, Subscriber Service, Forthcoming Attractions….

Hello and welcome to the latest newsletter from German Shepherd Records

SPACE MUSEUM

7th June sees the return of Space Museum with a mini-album called “Nightmare on Glitch Street”. After a couple of years off concentrating on other projects label co-owner Bob Osborne returns in his Space Museum guise with a predominantly instrumental album. Exploring Asian beats and adopting Stockhausen influenced sound design this latest collection stretches the edges of modern electronic music. The sole vocal track features the other label co-owner Ian Moss with a tongue in cheek homage to Jim Morrison.

This is a digital only release

Find more about Space Museum with details of the back catalogue at this page

JUNE GIGS

June is going to be a busy month for German Shepherd artists with a range of great gigs in the calendar

The month kicks off with our Cambridge contingent in the shape of Umbrella Assassins (Rebel Arts Stage) Bouquet of Dead Crows (Portland Ballroom Stage) and Keltrix playing Strawberry Fair, Midsummer Common, Cambridge on 1st
Inferior Complex have a busy month playing Bandstand, Eastleigh (2nd) The Alexandra, Southampton (7th), The Red House, Yeovil (8th), Angola ’76, Shaftsbury (15th), The King Charles, Poole (22nd) and are back at The Alexandra again on the 28th.
The Junta makes his first visit to Sheffield on the 5th at West Street Live and supports the visiting Lucky + Love at The Peer Hat on 24th.
Adventures of Salvador kick off a milestone month with a gig at the Liverpool Fringe Festival with Matthew Hopkins on the 13th, launching their new album “Welcome To Our Village” on 21st June with a celebratory gig at the Castle Hotel, Manchester on 28th with Electric Cheese and Umbrella Assassins.
The Parish Church Fire will be appearing at The Eagle, Salford on 7th with Four Candles, Emily Oldfield and a DJ set from Stephen Doyle
Keltrix play Cambridge Pride” at Jesus Green on the 8th
The Mind Sweepers will be supporting JD Meatyard at Leith Depot Edinburgh on the 15th ….tickets are £5 with £1 going to local homeless charity.
The summer solstice will see Weimar play The Eagle, Salford with up and coming band The Ombudsmen
Dominic Carlton Jones is the featured artist at Cuckoo Calling, Bury New Road, Prestwich on 26th
Mark Corrin’s new project Elastikbande play The Old Abbey Taphouse, Manchester on 28th

Flier 2

The German Shepherd Records subscription service is gathering pace with new members joining regularly. This unique offer allows fans to enjoy everything the label releases over a 12 month period for only £40 with a release every week this is a huge bargain. As well as regular releases subscribers will get over 120 back catalogue releases, 10% of all merchandise and exclusive content. Exclusive content released to date includes….

An album of Spoken Word performances by Ian Moss
An expanded version of Matthew Hopkins “Something” Single
A collection of radio sessions from Bouquet of Dead Crows
An expanded version of Sam Smith’s “Live in Manchester” album.
An expanded version of Auster Boys/Moff Skellington releases “Greetings from Abstercot UK”
An audio documentary on the making of Dominic Carlton Jones award winning debut album
and more

To subscribe all fans need to do is sign up at this LINK

FORTHCOMING RELEASES

We have the following new releases in the pipeline…..

14/6/19 – Umbrella Assassins return with a new single “Sweat it Out”
21/6/19 – Adventures of Salvador release their new album “Welcome To Our Village”
28/6/19 – Ian and Neil Moss release a follow up single “A Story”
28/6/19 – Lizard Brain release a fantastic remix of “Don’t Even Blink” – a track from their debut album
5/7/19 – The exciting new project from Ding and Moet Unseasonal Beasts will be unleashed with the release the first of three EP’s
12/7/19 – Four Candles release their third album “Nettle Rash”
19/7/19 – We re-release Moff Skellington’s “Gliding Through Stone” album

ub pROMO 2

Our 200th release

After two and a half years of operation Greater Manchester based not for profit label German Shepherd Records has reached the milestone of a 200th release.

To celebrate this auspicious occasion label owners Ian and Bob asked the artists on the roster to contribute material for a compilation album. As with previous milestone releases from the label all proceeds will be directed towards a charity, in this case the Salford based homelessness charity Coffee4Craig which is based in Weaste which is close to the German Shepherd kennel in Eccles.

The compilation contains seventeen tracks and consists of a wide variety of musical genres reflecting the eclectic release policy of the label. From the proto punk of The Get through the psychedelic disco punk grooves of the Screaming Collective, a massive piece of post-rock ambience from Issac Navaro, the alt folk of Keltrix, and the rock styliings of Berllin’s PrunX, amongst many others there is fascinating musical variety from all over the UK, and all the way from Berlin. We are very grateful to JD Meatyard for contributing a track from his new album “Collectivise”. There are brand new tracks, new versions of previously released tracks, and remixes!

The artists contributing to the release are

The Get
JD Meatyard
The Screaming Love Collective
m.t. scott
Issac Navaro
Moff Skellingon
The Junta
Space Mueum
House Mouse
Toska Wilde
Keltrix
Pearl Divers
Night Operations
The Electric Cheese
Bouquet of Dead Crows
PrunX
Dominic Carlton Jones

The stunning artwork for the release was contributed by Andy Quayle (Moff Skellington).

Sample track “Come On” from The Screaming Love Collective :

The compilation is released on August 11th and people are asked to pay £3 or more via Bandcamp. There will be wider distribution via Amazon, I Tunes, Spotify and many other digital platforms but the album will be priced higher through those platforms.

All profits net of distribution costs will be directed towards Coffee4Craig.

Reconstructing in a fluid universe

June 2nd sees the release of a new EP “Universal Fluid” by German Shepherd Records artist Space Museum.

The six song collection comprises collaborations with other artists from the label including:

Toska Wilde with Bruce from The Get

Moff Skellington

m.t. scott

Positronik

Bouquet of Dead Crows

Of the new release Space Museum reports the following:

“I hit a bit of a creative black spot with my own work so I decided to go back to my original methods and re-imagine the work of other fine musicians on the record label. This has resulted in an interesting collection of material across a variety of styles”

The set starts with a Toska WIlde composition and features the unique vocal stylings of Bruce from The Get.

There are two collaborations with Moff Skellington. Space Museum says “Moff had created some excellent rhythm tracks for use at the Smoked Ears Will Not Grow Back event earlier in the year. they were too good to ignore so I decided to explore options for making something new with them.”

The dark and sonorous voice of m.t. scott appears on the track “Andrew Revisited” which is a remix of the Scott composition “The Ballad of Andrew Trouble”.

Both Positronik and Bouquet of Dead Crows get serious makeovers the former being a massive dub reworking of the classic song “Save If For Me” and the latter by turning rock ballad “Like A Flower”into a lengthy ambient prog rock deconstruction.

The EP is released on June 2nd via Bandcamp, Amazon, I Tunes and Spotify and other well known digital outlets.

In forthcoming news releases from The Junta (Salford) and PrunX (Berlin) are planned for the following two weeks these will be followed by the second album this year from The Screaming Love Collective (Dumfries).

Iron Mouse & Space Museum debut with Treatments

Iron Mouse (formerly Ion-Morph) and Space Museum celebrate the next phase in their partnership with a five track EP “Treatments” released on February 12th. This is their first release under the new name.

The duo’s usual obsessions are in play with tunes about the treatment of mental patients, abusive patriarchs, religion, retro music and cover bands, and politics/duplicity, all wrapped up in layered post-rock electronica.

Here’s a video of lead track “Treatments”

German Shepherd launches with first release

German Shepherd’s first release is a collaboration between KP2 and Space Museum with special guest appearance by Steve and Laura from Monkeys In Love.