DEAD VOICES ON AIR
2oth Anniversary Series 7 Inch Singles

01. Simon Fisher Turner and Dead Voices On Air MzMzLaLaLa
tourette 025 - limited to 350 copies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This single is a double A side and is the first of the DVOA@20 series.

Side A is entitled, ‘MzMzLaLaLa for Peace,’ and Side A is entitled, ‘MzMzLaLaLa Sing-Song-Sing.’

Simon had a highly successful career as a child/young hopeful actor, appearing in movie and TV roles from Black Beauty, Tom Brown’s Schooldays to The Big Sleep (re-made with Robert Mitchum). Aged 17 he signed to Jonathan King’s UK Records and released the album “Simon Turner” in 1969. He then discovered tape recorders and ended up playing with the legendary Portsmouth Symphonia with musicians such as Brian Eno.

Simon first worked as a runner on the sets of films by Derek Jarman, before becoming Jarman’s favoured soundtrack composer. Simon’s association with Jarman was lasting and massively fruitful. “Caravaggio”, “The Last Of England” (with contributions from Barry Adamson and Diamanda Galas), “The Garden” (with the Balanescu Quartet), and “Edward II”, were amongst the most innovative film sound projects of the ’80s and early ’90s, most of them surfacing as CDs though Mute. His final film with Jarman was the powerful, poignant “Blue”, where a soundscape recorded by Simon at Eno’s country house, plus Jarman’s AIDs inspired spoken words, stood in for the visuals - only a blue screen was projected. Simon also worked under the name of The King Of Luxembourg and has collaborated extensively. He has released many albums and in addition to his work with Jarman has contributed to numerous other film soundtracks for directors such as David Lynch.

Simon and Mark Spybey first met backstage at a Can concert at the Barbican in London in 1999. They work together, in spurts and fits, under the name MzMzLaLaLa and this single is their first release. They recently played a concert in London together under a railway arch.

DVOA @ 20 Anniversary Series

Since leaving :zoviet-france: in the late eighties Mark Spybey has released fifteen albums as Dead Voices On Air. He’s appeared on over 80 releases in the past twenty years. When the late Michael Karoli, the seminal guitarist, put together a band in the late nineties to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Can, it was Spybey who he asked to help him.. He has made a career out of collaborating extensively with a wide range of musicians, film- makers and visual artists. He was a member of Download and formed Beehatch with Phil Western of Download and Reformed Faction with ex-:zoviet-france: members, including Robin Storey of Rapoon. Between 1992 and 2000 he lived and worked in Vancouver, Canada and has toured extensively around the world with a variety of collaborators including Karoli and Damo Suzuki of Can, The Legendary Pink Dots, Pigface, Michael Rother of Neu! and Dieter Moebius of Cluster. He’s remixed Neu! and Faust amongst others. His has worked with labels such as Kranky, Nettwerk, Soleilmoon Recordings, Invisible, Spoon, Scratch, Cleopatra, Lens and for the 20th anniversary seven inch single series, Tourette Records of Houston Texas.

Each of the singles in this series will feature a different collaborator, working with Spybey to create entirely new pieces of music. At the time of writing, artists that have agreed to take part include:

• Simon Fisher Turner of Mute Records
• James Plotkin, of Flux, Old, Khanate, Scorn
• Troum, Germany’s finest drone band
• Edward Kaspel, of the Legendary Pink Dots
• cEvin Key, of Skinny Puppy and Download
• Robert Hampson, of Main, Loop
• Robin Storey of Rapoon
• Jochen Arbeit, of Neubaten and Die Haut
• Dave Wright of Not Breathing
• Ryan Moore of Twilight Circus Dub Sound System
• Orbit Service, from Denver, Colorado

The sleeves are designed by David Babbitt with art commissioned by Paul Bilger. The final release will be housed in a commemorative box to house all of the singles.