Steven John Wilson's Blog, page 6

Announcing The Future Bites Tour

Every time I make a new album, it’s hugely important for me that it holds a unique place in my catalogue and won’t simply be more of the same. Moving into the third decade of the 21st century and my second decade as a touring solo artist, it felt like time to apply the same philosophy to the live experience. I want to challenge myself to create something that confronts my own notions (and hopefully the audience’s too) of how to present my music in a concert situation. This has become The Future Bites – a series of special events at larger venues, something on a grander and more immersive scale. I’m already hugely excited about them!

GET TICKETS – https://bnds.us/zbfxzn

The Future Bites – September 2020:

Thu 17th – Motorpoint Arena Nottingham, UK

Sat 19th – The O2, London, UK

Mon 21st – Zenith Paris – La Villette, France

Wed 23rd – Mediolanum Forum, Milan, Italy

Fri 25th – König-Pilsener-ARENA, Oberhausen, Germany

Sat 26th – Sporthalle, Hamburg, Germany

Mon 28th – Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, Holland

Weds 30th – COS Torwar Warsaw, Poland



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New music / reissue projects update

Recently things have been quiet in the way of new music from me – well I’ve been getting married and moving house! But I have also been very busy writing and recording a new album, as well working to finish the long-promised new no-man album, so quite a lot of new music is on the way. In the meantime there have been some reissue / archival projects in the works.

Now available and shipping are two of these; God – Panic Underneath the Arches 12 inch vinyl EP, and Bass Communion – Dronework (2019) CD.

The grandiosely named God was a collaboration between myself and singer / multi-instrumentalist Ford. We recorded on and off in the late 80’s and early 90’s songs in an “art-pop” style. I don’t know how else to describe it, but there is a sample track on the ToneFloat website: https://tonefloat.com/2019/08/14/steven-wilson-ford-god-panic-underneath-the-arches-ep-1987-1993/

God never released anything at the time, but 3 tracks have been remastered for release on this EP on ToneFloat. I’m very pleased with this one, the tracks still sound really fresh to me.

http://1185600.mijnwinkel.nl/TFEP192black.html

The Bass Communion disc is an update of a single very minimal drone track 20 minute EP recorded in 2003. This new CD edition expands it to almost 4 times its original length with 2 new versions and a remix by :zoviet*france:. Released on my own Headphone Dust label in a beautiful Japanese style gatefold mini LP sleeve.

https://burningshed.com/bass-communion_dronework_cd

Both of these releases are limited to 1,000 copies and have sold 75% of their pressings on pre-order, so get them while you can!

One more major project from the archives to come is the deluxe edition of Porcupine Tree’s album In Absentia, most likely early next year. For many (including myself) this was our best album, and the new edition will feature a remastered version of the album, 2 additional CD’s of studio material, and a blu-ray including a brand new feature length Lasse Hoile directed documentary on the album.

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New editions of Bass Communion – Dronework available to pre-order

Available for pre-order is a new edition of the Bass Communion album Dronework, release date 20th September. Dronework is a single 20 minute piece recorded in 2003 and originally released as a standalone EP. It was subsequently unavailable for many years until it was included as a digital download on the new Bass Communion Bandcamp page earlier this year. Now comes a reissue in physical form that expands it to almost 4 times its original length. The CD contains a remaster of the 2003 track, 2 new versions using the same source material, and a remix by the legendary British experimental / drone collective :Zoviet*France:. Meanwhile, a very small edition on the newly resurgent cassette format includes the 2003 version on side A, and another new interpretation on side B. This version is exclusive to the cassette and does not appear on the CD.⁣

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⁣The CD edition on my own Headphone Dust label is packaged in a beautiful Japanese style gatefold mini LP sleeve, limited to 1,000 copies, while the cassette version is on Canadian label Coup sur Coup Records, limited to just 100 copies.⁣

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⁣There will be a very small quantity of the cassette edition (only 20 copies of so) available from the Headphone Dust store through Burning Shed, but otherwise if you would like a copy you are advised to order directly from Coup sur Coup while you can.

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⁣Track List:⁣

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⁣CD⁣

⁣Dronework (original) (20.16)⁣

⁣Dronework (:zoviet*france: 3pm mix) (15.37)⁣

⁣Dronework (2019 version 4) (15.52)⁣

⁣Dronework (requiem) (21.13⁣

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⁣CASSETTE⁣

⁣Dronework (original) (20.16)⁣

⁣Dronework (2019 version 3) (22.52)⁣

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God – Panic Underneath The Arches 12″ EP to be released on Tonefloat

Retrieved from the archives, ‘God’ was the collaboration between myself and singer and multi-instrumentalist Ford. We wrote and recorded on and off in the late 80’s and early 90’s, taking a cue from our shared love of the new wave pop of artists such as Talking Heads, Japan and Magazine. Whilst I was on a path to having a long-term career with No-Man and Porcupine Tree, and Ford moved into the world of acting, God never got around to making a record or playing any shows at the time. But now three tracks (two from 1993 and one from our very first recording session in 1987) have been rescued and remastered and will be released by Tonefloat (TFEP192) on the ‘Panic Underneath the Arches’ 12inch EP on September 27, in a strictly limited edition of 333 numbered copies on marbled vinyl and 666 numbered copies on black vinyl.

Pre-order here: http://1185600.mijnwinkel.nl/

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Voyage 31: The concert history of Porcupine Tree and Steven Wilson from a Dutch perspective

VOYAGE 31 chronicles the concert history of Porcupine Tree and Steven Wilson from a unique Dutch perspective. This deluxe hardcover coffee table book (160 pages) by journalist Wouter Bessels is written in Dutch, but will appeal to fans worldwide as it is filled with never before seen photographs and pictures of rare memorabilia. The limited and numbered edition of the book comes with an exclusive 7inch featuring a recreation of the rare SW ‘Cure For Optimism’ single (an alternate edit and mix of the version that later appeared on Porcupine Tree’s Recordings). More information and details: http://smarturl.it/pt-sw-voyage31

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Watch Jess Cope’s video for ‘Song of Unborn’

Watch Jess Cope’s beautiful video for ‘Song of Unborn’ below.

“I took Carl Sagan’s quote, “We are all made of star stuff” and based the film around that idea for Song of Unborn. Using abstract imagery and different styles of animation, the video represents the human form developing from the inside of its body instead of inside the womb. This is the first film that I have made with next to no narrative. I focused more on using the evolution of animation as a way to represent the evolving foetus in utero. The combination of space, sky, sea and fish just seemed to be the direction I wanted to take it. The paper cut out fish at the start represent sperm, the string rays are red blood cells through veins and the jellyfish are nerves. The whales represent the transition from gill-bearing aquatic fish that can only survive underwater to air breathing mammals that give birth to live young. It depicts the transition from a baby inside the mother’s womb to the birth and its first breath.

I enjoyed exploring new animation techniques and I am pretty pleased with the way this video turned out, but after experiencing the process of working with CGI I would undoubtedly stick to traditional, old school, hand made, in camera effects. My favourite scene is the space scene. I created it on a multiplane and poked millions of tiny holes in a piece of black wrap that sat at the back of the set. The space dust was created with talcum power on different layers of glass and the planet/egg was made out of a gel ball that florists use. The fish were made out of card and painted with metallic paint to catch the natural light. By using a real camera zoom it gave the magical illusion of depth and space.” – Jess Cope

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Tangerine Dream ‘In Search of Hades’ box set announced with new SW remixes

A major Tangerine Dream box set has been confirmed for release by Universal on 31st May. The 16 CD / 2 Blu-Ray set has been a long time in the making. Pre-order here.

Tangerine Dream were one of the true pioneers of electronic and ambient music and the albums they recorded for Virgin Records between 1973 and 1979 remain classics of the genre. ‘In Search of Hades: The Virgin Recordings 1973 – 1979’ is the definitive statement of this period in Tangerine Dream’s history, featuring newly remastered versions of the albums ‘Phaedra’, ‘Rubycon’, ‘Ricochet’, ‘Stratosfear’, ‘Encore’, ‘Cyclone’ and ‘Force Majeure’ all drawn from the original first generation master tapes.

My role was to create new stereo and 5.1 mixes of whatever could be found of the original album multitrack tapes, but that turned out to be only Ricochet and 2 tracks from Phaedra. However, a number of reels of unreleased music were also found, such that ‘In Search of Hades’ also includes a generous 8 CDs of previously unreleased material. Perhaps most notable amongst these is the previously unreleased full soundtrack to ‘Oedipus Tyrannus’ (75 minutes) recorded in July 1974. Extracts from these recording sessions have previously been included on Rubycon, Encore and the Virgin sampler album ‘V’, but the full 75 minute recording has for the first time been mixed in stereo and 5.1 for the box set.

Also newly mixed and included are 2 CDs worth of previously unreleased pieces from the Phaedra sessions, and a 15 minute out-take from Rubycon. Finally, 3 London concerts recorded by the Manor Mobile are included in full (Victoria Palace Theatre in 1974, The Rainbow Theatre in 1974 and Royal Albert Hall in 1975).

The box set also features 2 Blu-Ray discs featuring the stereo and 5.1 remixes of ‘Phaedra’, ‘Oedipus Tyrannus’ and ‘Ricochet’ in high resolution, along with a 1976 German TV performance and BBC Old Grey Whistle Test broadcast of Tangerine Dream at Coventry Cathedral.

In Search of Hades is lavishly packaged with a hardback book featuring new liner notes (including some by myself) and rare photographs and memorabilia.

As a big Tangerine Dream fan myself, I’ve waited a long time for a definitive set covering their classic period, so of course was very happy to be involved in putting this one together. If you are a fan too please note that, as with many of these lavish box set editions, it’s likely to be strictly a limited one-off pressing run, so don’t hesitate to pick it up!

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New Bass Communion Bandcamp store now open

My Bass Communion project now has its own Bandcamp page, where much of the discography is now available to listen to and purchase digitally (more releases will be added soon). https://basscommunion.bandcamp.com

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Bass Communion, this is my ambient / noise / experimental project, which has been active since the mid 90’s, and now has 9 albums, several EPs, a box set, and a number of collaborative works to its name, across both vinyl and CD formats. Very rarely are synthesisers used, most of the source material comes from recordings of things such as percussion, piano, guitar, choir, and a lot of old 78 records! Many of the albums focus on one or two single sound sources, such as Molotov and Haze which uses only guitar, and Pacific Codex which uses only recordings of metal percussion. While a lot of the physical releases are still available to purchase from outlets such as Burning Shed, many others were small editions that have long since sold out, so the Bandcamp page makes the music more permanently available for those who wish to explore it.

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And so finally the To the Bone tour comes to an end…

And so finally the To the Bone tour comes to an end. 14 months and 145 shows performed to over a quarter of a million people in 33 different countries. Even though I’m ready for it to end and to get back to working on new things, it’s been a wonderful journey with some very special people. I gave up long ago telling the band they gave 110% after gigs, because they basically gave 110% at *every* show. So my humble gratitude to Adam, Alex, Craig, and Nick for playing the music with such dexterity, commitment and soul every night, for being such wonderful touring companions and for putting up with me! I wish them the very best with their next projects.

The show was also quite a technical feat to stage every night and behind every spectacular show is a spectacular crew. So I owe a massive debt of gratitude to Tonto, Ian Bond, Karma Auger, Dave Taylor, Tellson James and Dan Oswald for making the show look and sound as good as it did, sometimes under incredible pressure and limitations. To “Lord” Dave Salt for tour managing the mind blowing logistics of the whole thing (plus to Mike Scoble for stepping in when Dave wasn’t available) and to Adam Mussett (Europe) and Megan Harrell (America) for handling the merchandise. To all the bus and truck drivers; Darren, Anja, Elvis, Richard, James, Steve, James and Brad for getting us and the equipment safely to our destinations in all sorts of inclement weather conditions.

Finally in the “without whom” department, not present on the tour but just as essential to making it what it was, are my friend and fellow architect in designing the show, visual genius Lasse Hoile, and Jess Cope for once again creating incredible animated visuals.

And last but not least; if you came to any of the shows, then I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your continued support and enthusiasm for the music, you were a big part of this too.

Now I’m going home…. S xxx

Band photos by Diana Seifert

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Watch The Raven That Refused To Sing from Home Invasion

This week marks the sixth anniversary of the 2013 release of The Raven That Refused to Sing, an album that was in many ways my loving homage to seventies style progressive rock. To commemorate that anniversary here is the title track as taken from the recently released Home Invasion concert film, recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall last year, complete with Jess Cope’s brilliant animation. A deluxe 5LP vinyl box set of the soundtrack to the film will be released next month, including some bonus music not included in the film.

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