In case you hadn’t already noticed, we’re rather partial to the output of London’s Blackest Ever Black label here at the Quietus, what with the last 18 months having seen excellent releases from the likes of Raime, Vatican Shadow, Regis, Black Rain and Cut Hands, among others.
BEB label head Kiran Sande took charge of NTS Radio for two hours last Friday as part of their Open Deck Sessons, and took the opportunity to piece together a range of music that accurately represents the aesthetic of the label. It covers sounds all the way from Felt, Marc Almond and Gareth Williams/Mary Currie (whose Flaming Tunes was recently reissued via BEB) to brand new music from Raime, Vatican Shadow, Regis/Ike Yard and classic dub and junglist material from Source Direct and Smith & Mighty. They’re all interspersed with snippets of film dialogue dealing with death, execution, orgasms, desire, doom, and other such subjects, all in a suitably humorous and hammy manner.
Click here to download the full session from the NTS website, plus read the full tracklist below.
As we’ve previously reported, the label are set to host a night at Corsica Studios on Saturday 13th October, which brings together one of the most formidable and eclectic line-ups the capital’s seen in a while, including Source Direct, Russell Haswell, Bruce Gilbert, Young Hunting, Slimzee, Vatican Shadow, Cut Hands, Black Rain and more. Click here for full details and tickets.
Blackest Ever Black on NTS Radio – Tracklist
Felt – ‘Space Blues’ (Creation, 1988)
Almost Cruelty – ‘Foetus’ (White Elephant, 1980)
Tod Dockstader – ‘Seance’ (Mordant Music, 2012)
Indifferent Dance Centre – ‘Flight & Pursuit’ (Recluse, 1981)
Human Flesh – ‘Saxual Intercourse’ (Insane Music, 1984)
Bronze Age – ‘Coupling Symbols’ (Bed Of Nails, 2012)
Tropic of Cancer – ‘Wake The Night’ (Sleeperhold, 2012)
Dalhous – ‘You Don’t Know What You Want, Do You?’ (forthcoming Blackest Ever Black)
Flaming Tunes – ‘Breast Stroke Dub’ (unreleased)
Gareth Williams & Martin Harrison – ‘Safe & Warm’ (unreleased)
Lifetones – ‘Travelling’ (Tone Of Life, 1983)
Officer! – ‘Life At The Water’s Edge’ (AAA, 1983)
Gareth Williams – ‘Nothing On’ (unreleased)
Pickle Factory – ‘Monument’ (Lessons About History, 2010)
Cleaners From Venus – ‘Tulkani (Monday Is Grey)’ (Man At The Off License, 1982)
Calendar Crowd – ‘Perfect Hideaway Dub’ (Romantic, 1982)
The Wake – ‘Favour’ (Factory, 1982)
The Vaselines – ‘No Hope’ (53rd & 3rd, 1989)
Smith & Mighty – ‘Brain Scan’ (Angel’s Egg, 2003)
Jon Brooks – ‘House Among The Laurels’ (Cafe Kaput, 2011)
Raime – ‘Soil & Colts’ (forthcoming Blackest Ever Black)
VVV – ‘Endless’ (Blast First, 1998)
Ike Yard – ‘Loss (Regis Version)’ (forthcoming Blackest Ever Black / Desire)
Vatican Shadow – ‘Jordanian Descent’ (Guantanamo Military Commissions) (forthcoming Hospital Productions)
Marc & The Mambas – ‘Black Heart’ (Some Bizarre, 1983)
Rufige Kru – ‘Dark Metal (Source Direct Remix)’ (Razors Edge, 1997)
