"Weathered Well" is a travellers diary. The territory is. cyberspace. From his computer base-station in London, Locust Jacks into a new world of unchartered colours, aromas and textures where sound is a foreign domain to be explored and documented. It is the soundtrack to an epic drama, startling the senses with dark, booming sound like the echoes of empty rooms.
Seventies space-synth is fused with clanging Detroit techno. The influences clearly stretch from Can and Terry Reilly to Derrick May. "Moist Moss' and "'Still" are orchestral masterpieces-if falling snowflakes had a sound it might be this. The crystal clear waters become darker with "Music About Love' a murderous track which, played at 25k, could freeze frame your mind forever.
'Lust' is even more pagan.
This is electrodelica. Music for travel far beyond our
galaxy;quicker than the speed of light; for imaginary cities
and astral adventures. Sealed in a time capsule for
another millennium, future beings will be amazed by this
folk music of the Digital Age.
1994
Natural Composite
1995
Truth Is Born Of Arguments
Some people can and some people can't. Locust can. Fat crunchy beats smothered in tight delays and flanges, very slow and very demonic is about the size of things.
'Penetration' is a slow driving dub of distorted beats and echoed vocals, sounding as if it was recorded in an underground tunnel in bulgaria, a beautiful grizzly beat interfused with a repetitive and penetrating vocal drives the atmosphere along, creating a wild fusion of deep hardcore repetition and experimental noise.
'Saturated Love' is another slab of heavyweight distorted funky dub. Kinda Laurie Anderson meets King Tubby. Sound bite vocals trip us along, punctuated by tricky drum programming and added touches of distortion and spin backs. A rather neat package, very stimulating and refreshing to hear beats toyed around in such a manner.
Most wIll find this a tad on the darkside, but for the open-eyed, tired of unoriginal indle-grunge crap then Locust are a light-house to be guided by.
1996
No-one In The World (Remix E.P. 1)
1997
Your Selfish Ways E.P.
Morning Light
The opening chords of 'Definitely Maybe'. Tricky's 'Aftermath'. Now and again a record leaps out of the bass-bins and slaps you around the noggin with sheer God-given genius. In terms of effect, Locust's new album, Morning Light reminds me of my throbbing, slack-jawed astonishment at hearing Portishead for the first time. The two bands don't sound alike, mind, but along with Zoe Niblet and vocalist Craig Bethell Locust's Mark Van Hoen arrives armed with enough fractured techno rhythms and unforgettable choruses to become the next undisputed King of Bedsitworld.
Require a convenient pigeonhole? Cross Massive Attack with This Mortal Coll, then think again. Van Hoen weaves dark synths with slow, clanking beats, yet the melodies are inspirational, uplifting even. You'll simultaneously want to top yourself and rush up to a complete stranger and snog them senseless. Some find this effect disturbing. Clubbing bible Muzic magazine greeted Locust's last release with: 'Evil incarnate - Mark Van Hoen needs to get out more.'
'I'm fascinated with chart music being influenced by the avant garde, and mums being into records that sound like a Stockhausen composition,' retorts Mark, who spent his formative troubled teens in Worcester before decamping to London in the late Eighties. 'I remember 'Ghosts' by Japan got to number two when I was a kid. Everyone was whistling it in the streets, but really if you listen to it the music is insane, a collection of bleeps and noises.'
In short, if you like music packaged and predictable, shop elsewhere. Morning Light even features an extraordinary technold version of The Carpenters' standard 'No-one in The World'. You're not trying to tell me the Carpenters are cool, young man? 'Yeah, why not? They're part,of my childhood, what Mum used to play while doing the ironing. It reminds me of not having any worries.' Buy this record with money.
1997
The Girl With The Fairytale Dream E.P.
1998
No-One In The World (Remix E.P. 2)
1998
No-one In The World (Remix E.P. 3)
1998
All Your Own Way E.P.
2001
Wrong
Intriguing new release from Mark Van Hoen's Locust, Wrong is not, as the notes on the sleeve warn, a double album, but a twin CD format. Both CDs are designed to be played simultaneously, preferably in different rooms. CD1, or shall we, for our purpose, call it the main CD, contains nine delicately crafted songs, while the second presents a series of isolationist textural drones which, when listened to on their own, reveals nothing of the intrinsic beauty of Van Hoen's music. Entirely conceived around guitar samples and electronic structures, supporting the voice of Holly Ashton (main vocals) and Lisa Millet, the songs forming the backbone of this record are made of complex layers of sounds and vocals intricately woven together to the point where they sometimes form a single element. Miss AshtonÍs presence is essential to the general atmosphere of this album, pouring hot and cold on Van HoenÍs warped constructions, alternating between neurasthenic little girl and divine goddess, and constantly bringing a strange sexual underlying to the compositions. The appearance of Van Hoen himself on vocal duties on the beautiful Impossible Adventure, probably the most accessible song of the album, gives Ashton yet another chance to challenge him, this time on her territory. The sound constructions featured on the additional CD also give a rather interesting third dimension to the tracks. Whether played in perfect synchronicity or with a slight delay, this second part ensures a continuously renewed listening experience. Despite a handful of strong-minded moments, (Make A Difference, Believe In The One), Wrong is overall delicate, fascinating, and typical of previous Locust releases. Van Hoen develops further his particular blend of polymorph electronic structures that now can be traced in the work of bands such as Hooverphonic or even Goldfrapp. But the Locust mood is unique, and, with beautiful melodies, fine vocals and clever arrangements, Van Hoen's work is set to remain out of the ordinary. Wrong does not depart greatly from its predecessors. It however shows Van Hoen at his finest, most at ease with his increasingly mechanical sonic universe, which he counterbalances by allowing Holly Ashton a place of choice here. This is future pop!
Love the image in the back :D!!! Gonna go look for your latest work any day now :). Only have got your first born shining on the shelf...so hope to multiply soon :D x
Some of the key songs in my life are Locust songs..I could write a book about the year I was heavily listening to "Morning Light"..truly inspiring and life sculpting music..Thank you Mark..
I only heard "the girl with the fairy tale dream" from morning light. Thank you for posting the original(?) version. It is beautiful... The Locust sound is important for me.
