....LUKEWARM OFF THE PRESSES... WHENEVER WE COME UP WITH SOMETHING VAGUELY INTERESTING
(AND MORE OFTEN WHEN WE DON'T)
JULY RELEASES UNVEILED
Here are the covers to the five vinyl releases we've got lined up for you in July - including FdM fans' favourite band (Sendelica) and favourite solo artist (Jack Ellister), Italian Hammond frenzy from London Underground, The Orb on our first 12" single, and the long-awaited return of the Soft Hearted Scientists - talk about vinyl overload.
MOON GOOSE ON PROG CD
The new issue of PROG includes a track from Moon Goose's new double LP 'Source Code' on its cover-mounted CD; a poor substitute for the real thing, of course, but a good starting-point for the unconverted
WHERE'S SEN3?
Ronnie Scott's on April 1st, just before SEN3 took to the stage to launch their new album (no photos allowed during the sets!)
...BUT AT LEAST I WAS ALLOWED TO TAKE PHOTO OF THEIR NEW ALBUM ON SALE IN THE FOYER
...even if it did turn out to be a crap photo. FdM on sale at Ronnie Scott's - who'd ever have believed it?
SENDELICA meet THE ORB meet SECRET KNOWLEDGE
FdM's first 12" single - and a meeting of at least three genres of music - a very special summer release; more news soon
MIND THE GAP
This summer we'll be releasing a double LP of classic, Hammond-driven rock by the remarkable Italian band London Underground - you won't want to miss it but you might as we'll only have 300 copies - more news soon
SENDELICA'S FOURTH AND FINAL INSTALLMENT
Pete, Lee, Glenda and co have recorded Cromlech IV for us - West Coast Wales meets West Coast USA in this final part of their quadrilogy (I just made that up - is it a word?) - more news soon
FdM's FAVOURITE SON
Fruits de Mer's club members recently voted Jack Ellister their favourite solo artists in the label's history - so it's a rather nice coincidence that he's been working on two, wildly-different, covers for a summer single - more news soon
THE RETURN OF THE SOFT HEARTED SCIENTISTS
Yes, those compassionate scientists have been back in the studio together for the first time in many a year to record two new tracks for a summer single on Fruits de Mer - more news soon
ACID REIGN OVER ME
Just heard that Icarus Peel's Acid Reign will be playing the Cellar Bar in Cardigan on August 1st - the evening before the 17th Dream Of Dr. Sardonicus begins - what a great way to warm up for this year's festival; more news asap
EISBERG - AND THEN THERE WERE 10
a tenth CD has been confirmed for the 17th Dream festival gooodie-bag - 'CQD' by Eisberg - work-in-progress from Jochen Oberlack's next album (the man behind Bellerophon Records); Jochen describes it as "Gravenhurst meets La Düsseldorf"! This has to be the biggest collection of free music we've ever put together for the summer festival.
PUT THE KETTLE ON
Astralasia's new double LP, 'A Different Kettle Of Fish', will be on sale in April - here's just a taster of what's in-store for you - available for pre-order now from the Fruits de Mer SHOP page (or from Heyday/Shiny Beast if you're not in the UK)
SEN3 AT RONNIE SCOTT'S
Good to see SEN3's support slots for Sly & Robbie at the start of April are now listed on the club's website - just to prove it wasn't all a big bluff!
ALL ABOARD THE THUNDERBOLT
Fruits de Mer and Megadodo Records are getting together again for a one-dayer in Bristol on November 2, featuring Tirna nOg, The Crystal Jacqueline Band, Green Seagull, The Past Tense and Jack Ellister, with DJ'ing by Marrs Bonfire.
It all takes place at the Thunderbolt pub and it's limited to 150 tickets. Everyone who comes along gets an FdM single and I'm sure both labels have a few exclusives for sale (as usual), plus a record launch or two. More details soon, but you can get in quick and buy your tickets
HERE
IT'S A SELL-OUT
The last ticket for the 17th Dream Of Dr. Sardonicus Festival has been bought, so it's another sell-out - this time with five months to go! Hope to see you there.
AN EVENING OF WORLD PSYCH III
Sendelica are returning to the Half Moon in Putney on August 8th, along with Ken Pustelnik's Groundhogs and Jack Ellister. I'm not sure whether we'll have got back from the 17th Dream Festival by then, so you'll be spared a Fruits de Mer stall, but you WILL get some great live music!
Buy your tickets
HERE
ELFIN BOW MEETS NIK TURNER
...on vinyl, anyway. This is just a sampler of some of the tracks to be found on the '16th Dream Of Dr. Sardonicus Festival Live' double LP - from solo acoustic to full-on spacerock, with all manner of things in between - all exclusive to this release. If you were there, you'll want a copy and if you weren't...where were you? Anyway, buy a copy and pretend - i won't tell anyone. And it's a must for Sendelica and Nik Turner 'completists'!
STAMP OF (RELATIVE) APPROVAL
While I'm still not 100% sure whether our April shipment of vinyl will be subject to customs duties as they find their way to FdM Towers from the Netherlands, at least the Royal Mail have announced their end-March price increases - and they're not too bad - at least if you're in the UK. The cost of a max 2kg parcel only goes up by 5p to £3, although letter and large letter rates go up by nearer 5%.
(I thought you'd be fascinated).
SPURIOUS TRANSIENTS JOIN THE DREAM
Late addition to this year's 17th Dream festival are Spurious Transients, who have stepped in for Babal - great to have them back!
JACK'S BACK!
Voted FdM's favourite solo artists by our club members, Jack Ellister returns to FdM in July with a new single - more news soon
MOON GOOSE 'SOURCE CODE' PREVIEW
here's another taster from their new double album, 'Source Code' - you need this!
ELFIN BOW - GIDEON COE AIRPLAY
Many thanks to Gideon Coe for playing 'Who Know Where The Time Goes' on his BBC 6Music show - personally I think it sounds best played at 45rpm, although his earlier 33rpm experiment was 'interesting'
MOON GOOSE ON CD
PROG magazine will have a track from Moon Goose's new double LP on their free CD as part of the issue on sale at the start of April (that's issue 97)
17th DREAM UPDATE
Unfortunately, due to illness within the band, Babal are not going to be able to play any more gigs this year and so will not be appearing at this summer's festival; we hope they'll be able to make it in 2020!
MERCY AND THE SEA EXCLUSIVE AT THE 17th DREAM
ANOTHER addition to the Fruits de Mer Records goodie-bag at this summer's 17th Dream Of Dr. Sardonicus festival - an exclusive version of the album 'Mercy and the Wild Sea', including bonus tracks not previously released.
More on this soon, meanwhile find out more about the album, click
HERE
PECCARY SPOTTED AT 17th DREAM FESTIVAL
one of the labels that are kindly providing CDs for inclusion in the bumper Fruits de Mer goodie-bag that everyone who comes long will get for nothing is Spotted Peccary, the US label that has been releasing ambient and electronic music for over 30 years (for instance, it's home to Craig Padilla, who also recorded a double LP for FdM and has recently contributed to the new Fellowship Of Hallucinatory Voyagers album).
Spotted Peccary have kindly delved into their back-catalogue and come up with a selection of CDs (see photos) - enough of them for us to give one at random to everyone at the summer festival - thank you!
CLICK HERE to have a listen to some recent releases from the label
ORB FOR ONE
Hard to believe, but a very special FdM release that's currently being worked on by Sendelica and Kris Needs for July will include two remixes by none other than Dr. Alex Patterson! It was The Orb more than any other artists who re-kindled my enthusiasm for music at the start of the 90s, so having The Orb on Fruits de Mer is - well, bloody amazing! Add that to The Pretty Things, Touch and Egg and my bucket-list is virtually finished (just Todd Rundgren to go!). More news soon...
AWARD WINNERS
congratulations to three winners of the FdM 2008-2018 awards:
Jack Ellister - favourite solo artist
Vibravoid - best single
Sendelica - favourite band
The photos show Jack and Vibravoid's Christian Koch showing off their trophies, while Sendelica's fish has pride of place in Pete Bingham's FdM cabinet!
SEN3 and FRUITS DE MER AT RONNIE SCOTT'S???
A new jazz-rock band, an album launch, FdM and an iconic London venue? Well, stranger things have happened, but not many, especially if you add in that SEN3 are going to be supporting Sly and Robbie. More information elsewhere on this site - look for 'SEN3'!
MEANWHILE...
Put a line through November 2 in your diary, FdM could well be visiting a town that's probably nowhere near you, along with some old friends. More news soon
SLIPMATS R US
Give your record-deck an FdM makeover with a pair of slipmats (I suppose that means you need two record-decks, or be really indecisive, to get full value); they are printed on both sides (so that means you need four decks - this is getting out-of-hand) and - if you're in the UK - can be bought right now from the FdM SHOP; if you're not in the UK, Nick Leese at Heyday Mail Order will be able to handle your order
NEW T-SHIRTS IN-STOCK
I've got a new supply of FdM 'crab' t-shirts - subtly and fashionably printed in black on grey, along with a short re-print of the 'Head Music' shirts that proved to be the most sought-after of the last batch of t-shirts we printed late last year. Do email me (fruitsdemer7@hotmail.com) if you can't wait to grab one or the other - or preferably both.
NOW THE BRAINIAC 5 ARE IN THE BAG!
I've just heard that The Brainiac 5 are kindly letting us have enough copies of each of three of their albums to put one at random in each goodie-bag at the 17th Dream festival. Although most are on CD, they've even given us a few copies of 'Journey To X' on vinyl, which we'll dish out on a first-come-first-served basis. The Brainiacs formed about 40 years ago, recorded a debut LP for Reckless and then managed to split up before it was released; they re-formed as The Brainiac 5 a few years ago and are back recording and playing live (maybe we'll persuade them to play our summer festival one day!). Yes, it's just one more good reason to grab one of the last remaining tickets for the 17th Dream Of. Dr. Sardonicus festival.
APRIL DOUBLES - STILL £20 IN THE UK - inc P&P
I've been waiting on Brexit and on the Royal Mail 2019 price-hike before confirming prices for the April double LPs, but in the vain hope that no news is good news, I'm going to price these releases at £20 each - and that INCLUDES P&P if you're in the UK (which will in itself cost me the best part of four quid); I'm almost certainly going to have to increase prices (a little) for the July releases, so make the most of it!
ROB GOULD IS IN THE BAG
I can confirm a SEVENTH free CD album for the 17th Dream Of Dr. Sardonicus festival goodie-bag - it's a new compilation from Rob Gould, called 'Fungoid'. Rob has contributed to the goodie-bag in the past, but his most recent contribution to FdM was a remake of The Purple Gang's classic 'Granny Takes A Trip' for 'The Three Seasons' 3LP set.
One more good reason to book your ticket (I have it on good authority there are only 28 left to sell!)
ORB BLIMEY!
I find it hard to believe I'm typing this, but a very special FdM release that's currently being worked on for July will include a remix by none other than Dr. Alex Patterson! It was The Orb more than any other artists who re-kindled my enthusiasm for music at the start of the 90s after I more-or-less switched off in the 80s, so having The Orb on Fruits de Mer is - well, bloody amazing! Add that to The Pretty Things, Touch and Egg and my bucket-list is virtually finished (just Todd Rundgren and Pete Namlook to go!). More news soon...
THE GOLD FISH AWARDS
FdM club members have been voting in a set of awards to mark 10 years of my favourite record label. The votes are in and have been counted, but i'm going to stretch things out by anoouncing short-lists first, and winners later.
The shortlist for the 'Favourite Band' category is:
Sendelica
Vibravoid
The Chemistry Set
The shortlist for 'Favourite Solo Artist' is:
nick nicely
Crystal Jacqueline
Jack Ellister
The shortlist for 'Best Compilation' is:
Head Music
Side Effects
The Three Seasons
Goldfish
The shortlist for 'Best Album' is...
Tor Peders - 'Brev Från Ederstorp'
Fuchsia - 1st album (special edition)
The Chemistry Set - 'The Endless More And More'
...and the shortlist for 'Best Single' is...
July 'Can I Go Back Again'
Vibravoid 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida'
The Pretty Things 'The Same Sun'
THE THREE SEASONS VOTED 'BEST COMPILATION'
It was a real-to-head with 'Head Music', but 'The Three Seasons' just edged it
TOR PEDERS 'BREV FRAN EDERSTORP' VOTED 'BEST LP'
It has a close-run thing with the LPs by The Chemistry Set and Fuchsia, but Tor Peder's only album release won out - such a sad background to a wonderful LP
Over 40 different singles were nominated in the most open category of all, but Vibravoid's version of the Iron Butterfly classic - spread across two sides of a 7" - came out on top
more winners soon...
JACK ELLISTER VOTED 'FAVOURITE SOLO ARTIST'
congratulations to Jack, who has been a big friend of the label - on vinyl and live - for many years, as well as being a smashing bloke
one more winner soon...
SENDELICA VOTED 'FAVOURITE BAND'
Last, but not least, FdM's club members have voted our good friends Sendelica as their favourite band - greta news for the band responsible for so many FdM releases over the years and led by the mighty Pete Bingham, who makes Dr. Sardonicus' dreams a reality every year
THE EGO RITUAL - NEW EP
The Ego Ritual are going to be playing this year's Dr. Sardonicus festival - but you can get a feel for their music now by checking out their new CD
CLICK HERE for details
"...WISH US LUCK AS YOU WAVE US GOODBYE..."
God only knows what the outcome of Brexit will be, but it's creating some uncertainty over a couple of aspects of our late-April releases - will the pressings from the Netherlands get caught up in UK Customs? will I get hit with a big customs duty hit? I'm hoping for a touch more clarity in the next week or two, so I can confirm prices and a release-date for them.
(ok, maybe not the biggest issue on any politicians' agenda right now, but I just thought I'd mention it)
WHAT A WAY TO SPEND AN AFTERNOON
Listening to the test pressings for all three sets of double LPs that are due out at the end of April. Astralasia's 'A Different Kettle Of Fish' moves from ambient soundscapes to throbbing, Eatern-tinged rock, Moon Goose deliver guitar-led instrumental rock with class, style and energy - can't wait to see them at this summer's festival - and being able to relive some of the highlights of last year's festival on vinyl brings the memories flooding back...from solo acoustic to full-on spacerock, what more could you want!?
ELFIN BOW AND GARY LLOYD ON BBC RADIO
Elfin Bow and Gary Lloyd have been talking to BBC Merseyside's Jenny Lee Summers about their new single 'Who Knows Where The Time Goes'
YOU CAN HEAR THE INTERVIEW HERE...about 30 mins in - it's really worth a listen and includes a live version in the studio of 'The Wisdom' by Elizabeth.
MOON GOOSE JOIN FdM
I'm really pleased to announce that Moon Goose will be releasing their debut album - actually a double LP - on Fruits de Mer, in late April. The title will be 'Source Code' and they've recorded four sides of great instrumental rock exclusively for this release (if you've already heard them through the free 2018 summer festival CD we gave everyone, or from their track on one of last year's members club CDs, you'll know what to expect - thrilling stuff!
SHINDIG REVIEWS OUR SINGLES
...with thanks to reviewer Chris Wheatley...
ELFIN BOW & GARY LLOYD Who Knows Where The Time Goes / The Wisdom ++++
NICK NICELY All Along The Watchtower / The Doors Of Perception +++++
THE CHEMISTRY SET Firefly / Sail Away ++++
"These three single releases mark the end of Fruits de Mer Records’ 10th anniversary year. There is something wonderful about this label, which keeps the multi-coloured flame of psychedelia alive via new releases and covers of classic and obscure ’60s tracks, reinterpreted by modern day artists that love and respect the originals.
First up is Elfin Bow, aka Elizabeth Kearney, with 'Who Knows Where The Time Goes’. Tackling any Sandy Denny tune is a brave move, but Kearney pulls it off with aplomb. Backed by The Scottish Session Orchestra, this is a delicate, heartfelt rendition with a beautiful and subtle use of strings. Shiveringly moving. The B-side is a re-imagining of Kearney’s own 'The Wisdom’. Kearney’s voice is embracing and affecting throughout.
Next we have nick nicely with perhaps an even more ambitious project, a reading of Dylan’s 'All Along The Watchtower’. nicely is a musician’s musician, cited as an influence by Bevis Frond and Amorphous Androgynous among others. Craft over commercialism is what you get and so much the better – 'Watchtower’ is a revelation. Walls of sound, backward reverbs, unexpected drop-outs, cutting guitar and unconventional sonic structures make for a compelling listen, which more than holds its own. B-side 'The Doors Of Perception’ is no less astonishing. A swirling mix of ’80s dance/house vibes and fuzzy psych. Nothing here feels derivative – indeed it sounds like the origin of all these things.
Last to hit the deck we have The Chemistry Set, children of the late ’80s neo-psychedelic movement and FdM veterans. 'Firefly’ is swaggering rock inked upon rainbow paper lanterns and set alight to drift up to the stars. The band display the same impeccable taste and knack for melding genres as the best of Robert Plant’s solo work. Indeed 'Sail Away’, with its Eastern percussion and sitar-like guitar, could comfortably fit on any of the latter-mentioned artist’s albums. It’s astonishing that this band are not more widely known."
MARK BARTON'S SINGLE OF THE YEAR!
Many, many thanks to Mark Barton for making Elfin Bow and Gary Lloyd's new single 'Who Know Where The Time Goes' his record of the year.
If I'd been through anything like what Mark's had to contend with in 2018, I'd have just told everybody to bugger off and leave me alone - so all credit to him for continuing to support new artists and new music throughout the year - here's to better health in 2019, mate As for the single being his top choice, as Mark reviews more records each year than most reviewers put together, it's pretty bloody impressive, I reckon!
CLICK HERE FOR ALL OF MARK'S FESTIVE 50
THE 17th DREAM COUNTDOWN BEGINS
2/3rds of the tickets are already sold and our much-appreciated sponsors Record Collector magazine are about to start their advertising support - better get your tickets sorted!
CLICK HERE FOR BOOKING DETAILS
SHINDIG's 8th FAVOURITE RECORD LABEL
OK, it's not exactly an Oscar but when you're a Villa supporter you take what you can get and Shindig! magazine has named us as its 8th favourite label of 2018
