Free Range things going missing...
Hello there! It’s Mof and you’re reading this because you very wisely signed-up for my Free Range mailer. If you’ve listened to the show, or indeed, been keeping abreast of such things, there’s going to be some changes at Mixcloud where they’re basically asking for money. We’re not mad about this - everyone’s gotta pay the bills - but it might mean things are a little different. Hopefully, it means no advertisements, but we’ll see.
I go into it on the show amongst all the fun music, but it’s not too intrusive, so don’t worry. Free Range isn’t going anywhere. We hope.
If you haven’t listened to the show yet, click here to go and listen to it.
TRACKLIST
Alemayehu Eshtete ‘Telantena Zare’
Im Ju-ri ‘이제 (돌아와주)’
Eliana Pittman ‘E Camarada’
Sir Victor Uwaifo ‘Ohue’
Shira Small ‘Lights Gleam Lonely’
Bill Fay ‘Omega Day’
Shintaro Sakamoto ‘Another Planet’
Lindsey Moore + Basil Kirchin ‘I Start Counting’
Cathy Young ‘Spoonful’
James Mason ‘Sweet Power Your Embrace’
Robohands ‘Nightshade’
Jorge Lopez Ruiz ‘Relatos’
Guinu ‘Electromandinga’
Ernest Hood ‘August Haze’
Laghonia ‘Someday’
The Grooms ‘I Deserve A Little More’
Esmeray ‘Ayrilik Olsa Bile’
Jimmy Castor Bunch ‘Space Age’
Gal Costa ‘Relance’
Gal Costa + Caetano Veloso ‘Meu Coracao Vagabundo’
Gal Costa ‘Sebastiana’
Gal Costa ‘Volta’
DRUM MACHINE JACKET
Got £800 to spend on a coat? Of course you haven’t. That’s absolutely insane amounts of money. However, it is nice to look at completely frivolous things, and this is one such item - a puffer jacket based on the Roland 808 drum machine.
Here’s a link, should you need it. Also, Drum Machine Jacket sounds like the name of a band who did a Peel Session in 1987.
NICE PIC
I went to a small exhibition of David Bailey’s photography in London and it featured this photo of Kate Bush which is really nice isn’t it? Also, this photo of Grace Jones, which is cool.
MUSIC AT WHAT COST?
Music is both an escape from the harsh realities of life, and a reflection of it. Music is expensive to make, and even more expensive to play live. No-one would argue the vast importance of music in our day-to-day lives, but increasingly, we throw less money toward it’s upkeep.
Are we reaching some kind of breaking point? Possibly. A report [link here] details the combined problems of Brexit, the cost of living crisis, energy bill price hikes, the cost of food and travel, the fact people are going out less often, and so much more, and how that hits musicians and their ability to work and live.
The charity Help Musicians has done a study, which makes for troubling reading. Half of the musicians surveyed said they are ‘very concerned’ they’ll leave the industry altogether, and that’s not to mention the increased pressure on venues themselves trying to put shows on.
Help Musicians CEO James Ainscough: “Musicians came into 2022 with quite an uphill battle - as they rebuild their careers, what they’re finding is not only rampant inflation driving up the cost of working, but also the whole other set of factors that have stacked against them: they can still get ill with Covid and have to cancel shows, audiences haven’t all returned to pre-pandemic levels, there are touring challenges thanks to the Brexit deal, which makes it harder to build your career with audiences outside the UK. All these things together create a really brutal environment.”
Hit that link above to read the whole thing. If we’re not careful, we’re going to end up with a music scene made entirely of posh kids who can afford to take a gap year, while everyone else will vanish into overworked and underpaid jobs, as Spotify royalties are insultingly small. We may well see bands removing themselves from streaming altogether to try and make ends meet. If you haven’t signed up for Bandcamp already, now would be a good time to do so.
NEW GRAM?
FOLK FUNK
There are loads of brilliant people making mixes online, and one of the best is Paul Hilliery, who does the magnificent Folk Funk & Trippy Troubadours mixes. They’re all fantastic, beguiling, gorgeous, strange and CLICK HERE ALREADY.
BAD MOVIES
I love movies that stink. I especially love bad movies made expensively in the 1970s, with lots of rayon, crepe, corduroy, big collars, flares, smoking indoors, sweet cars, stacked shoes, flippy hair and killer soundtracks.
While streaming services focus on things professionally made to try and force growth (urgh, growth for growth’s sake is so gross) and jam the algorithm, they’ve taken their eye off the ball with weird horror flicks, b-movies, and counter-culture gubbins made by enthusiastic amateurs.
You have to assume it’s pretty illegal to upload such films to YouTube, but some people are doing it and it’s very good that they are.
Go see what New Castle After Dark have to offer, and Out There Movies. All free. All fun. Catch them before someone tries to make them take the movies down.
DESSERT
Let’s finish this mailer with some lovely music. Very nice.
Look after yourselves. Love you. Byeeeeeeeeee.