Established in 2000 Switchflicker has given voice to some of Manchester’s most esoteric performers, such as Divine David and Chloe Poems, whilst remaining tuned into new pop talent, including 2008’s surprise hit the Tings Tings, who launched their career at the label. Current signing Magic Arm is fast becoming one of the most talked about acts in the country; his debut album ‘Make Lists, Do Something’ was released in May 2009.
Co founder, Jayne Compton is joint music winner of the Best of Manchester Awards 09
Artists
Magic Arm
Magic Arm - who, in 2009, you will see erroneously described as a singer-songwriter; laptop-folk troubadour; and more - is otherwise known as Marc Rigelsford. Like Beck, Beta Band or Adem, Magic Arm is a sonically curious soul who fuses folk, rock and effervescent electronics. But, as reference points, none of those three quite hit the spot.
It helps that so little (outside of the Beach Boys and "early" McCartney) has obviously influenced the Magic Arm sound. You might expect him, given his love of bleeps and farty electronic squelches, to be a big fan of everything from Kraftwerk to Autechre. Not so. "Buying a Yamaha CS-10 in Cash Converter was the biggest influence on my sound," he says, dryly, before talking about his love of Gwen Stefani, Dizzee Rascal, Peaches and Gnarls Barkley. "I'm literally trying to write pop music," says Marc, "but it never comes out that way. There's always a dark edge to it."
Quite. On the album, Magic Arm's smart update of an old Leroy Carr blues song, 'Six Cold Feet Of Ground' (which he turns into a desperate, hurtling, computerised gabbled plea for forgiveness), appears alongside songs called, darkly, 'Sound Of The Night' and 'Rested Bones'. "What can I say?" says Magic Arm, trying to dodge the question. "I'm a moody Cancerian." Listen closely to the ostensibly larky singles 'Bootsy Bootsy' ("Inside everyone, I hear the end, and that's ominous.") and 'Widths & Heights' - a "bitter" love song - and behind that brash folk-pop exterior, there is clearly trouble at the emotional mill.
Whilst such ambitious projects often shine in the studio, on the stage many a 21st century one-man-band has come unstuck. Not so Magic Arm. Early solo performances led Samuel Beam of the much loved Iron & Wine, to hail Marc "the master of the loop pedal" and he wasn't wrong. More recently though Marc has abandoned this tricksy bit of kit and has been taking to the stage with a real live band. No longer focussed on layering up live-sampled layers of sound, the Magic Arm live show has a new passion and energy that give the songs a life beyond the recordings.
So much music is safe, predictable, a commodity, but Magic Arm is here to remind you that it can still be liberating, messy and powerful. Radio 1's Zane Lowe and Huw Stephens, and Marc Riley, are already fans. He has supported the likes of Beirut, Iron & Wine and James Yorkston. Steve Lamacq declared Magic Arm's Glastonbury festival debut a "highlight", while the Manchester Evening News have dubbed him: "The most innovative and sparkling new musician in the city."
"...the master of the loop pedal!"
- SAMUEL BEAM (IRON & WINE)
"This new band “Magic Arm” out of the UK. Incredible music. I dare you to tell me it sucks..."
- ED DROSTE (GRIZZLY BEAR)
"Make Lists, Do Something is absolutely fantastic"
- LAUREN LAVERNE 6 MUSIC
"Now and then, a record comes along which you can't ignore; a record which really does sound like waves of lysergic happiness lapping against your cerebral cortex."
- GUARDIAN GUIDE
Real Dolls
The first conception of The Real Dolls came a few years back from front man Rod Hotly. Inspired by a Frank Zappa interview in which the man himself expressed a deep fascination with the bizarre concept of cybersex and all the other freaky shit that came with it in the 80’s!
With tracks like My Bitch is Plastic, Trophy Girl, Control & Can’t Do Right they have put together an impressive catalogue of songs ranging from full on club anthems to sing along summer tunes. Playing high energy style shows as a band and also as a club sound system with peter parker aka Parkerton, a world class scratch DJ no less, sets them apart from a lot of groups and enables them to do what they love to do most in the world. They are a party band, they like to make you move and entertainment value is high on their agenda.
Trying lots of different ideas, sounds and styles, often live and swingin’ either way they remain unafraid to lay it all on the line for the audience and the moment. The Realdolls fuse Punk, Electro, Surf and Hip Hop to make Pronk! _or sex punk_their own brand of music.
It’s all about gettin’up and gettin’ down in Manchester.
Peter Parker AKA Parkertron
After coming third at the UK DMC championships Peter Parker, or Parkertron joined Rae and Christians live band where he met Bassist and future band mate in Fingathing, Sneaky.
The Fingathing trio rose to notoriety in the UK and then worldwide for pioneering the art of the DJ/Live/Video combination. The bands use of unique comic book style imagery by Chris Drury, Parker’s razor sharp skills on the turntables/MPC drum machines, and the irresistible sound of Sneaky’s stand up Double Bass propelled them forward to acclaim across the hop hop/ beat driven musical world with an identity and style that was unmistakably their own.
Through Fingathing, Parker enjoyed a great deal of success, touring the world playing mind boggling and high energy shows, ripping up the turntable and MPC in an improvised and freestyled environment along with Sneaky, creating a one off show every time.
Renowned club DJ Peter Parker is now a member of Real dolls. However, as well as being primary beatmaker for Fingathing and more recently Realdolls he is also making solo music as Parkertron.
The work with the Realdolls has seen him branch out way further into the history of club music and beyond, accepting, and being influenced by, a much wider variety of styles as yet unheard with Fingathing. The combined production work along with Real Dave from the Dolls has created a fresh, high energy form to provide lyricist and frontman Rod Hotly with an excellent platform to express himself, along with Japanese/Manc cohort Yo-Yo and the incredible voice of VEBA.
Manchester takes on the world in the form of Real dolls.
Parties
Club Brenda
Club Brenda may be super-hip, but they’re also super attuned to the sounds of the Manc DIY underground. We’re not just talking bands and musicians, but a whole network of artists, photographers, film-makers, designers, poets and general boho creative types. Staging many of their events at the uber-hip Islington Mill venue in Salford, Club Brenda are the night who put the ‘arty’ into the party – their nights offering a glittering culture clash of great music, stellar DJs and cutting edge art and design.
Having first started in 1999 – as an avante garde performance night at Star and Garter – Club Brenda is fast approaching a decade of fantastic partying and subversive art thrills.
Pronk
PRONK is a brand new event to be held at the Deaf Institute on the last Saturday of every month. The music policy is strict; all DJs have to destroy the dance floor. That is, to get totally Pronk !
The magic PRONK ingredient can be found in many styles of music ranging from Baltimore bass and grimey hip hop through to dance hall and dirty old rock n roll…the secret is in the mix.
Resident DJ’s Peter Parker aka Parkertron, the ‘No fakin’ boys and Manchester’s freshest upstarts the Murkage Cartel will be on hand to test each monthly guest, as to just how Pronk they can get?
First off we have invited DJ Woody aka crowhead (Friends and Family) to come to the fore. With his debut LP about to drop on ATIC records he will be eager to please.
Each month will also showcase the talents of a different artist who will design a new logo and flyer for the night. They will have their work included in the backing visuals projected on stage first up is ME AND MY PEN mr Daren Newman putting his take on how Pronk should look. Each event will have sporadic hosting from real dolls own Rod Hotly and Yoshi who will also perform exclusive material live on stage.
Expect GOOD music expect a GOOD time expect to get PRONK !
Apologies for being spammy, but just to let you know that myself and
the Pope proudly announce the release of my second album, Murder Music (featuring David Hoyle and Pianofingers),
out now on Cherryade Records.
"Prepare
yourself to be modestly outraged - McCabe is kicking against the
pricks, and declaring homosexual cliche's bankrupt" - Artrocker
"If you like punk, you'll love this. If you're queer and like punk,
you'll spunk your pants. Ste McCabe is authentic and brilliant." - Boy
George
Tickets SELLING FAST! £7 adv avaliable from (more on the door): wegottickets.com seetickets.com Ticketline Picadilly Records
Grouper (US) has her latest – Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill – of three albums on Type Records. She has also been involved in collaborative releases, contributing a track to Xiu Xiu’s Remixed & Covered and four tracks to a split release with Inca Ore. Her other contemporaries are Belong, Growing, Tim Hecker, Windy & Carl and Atlas Sound.
Jasper TX (Sweden), with a hefty back-catalogue of releases on labels such as Miasmah, and collaborations with buddy Machinefabriek, is an essential domestic appliance in the household of conceptual music. He is comparable to artists Fennesz, Sigur Ros, Múm and Tape.
Intricate and atmospheric songsmith, Danny Saul (UK) performs with different combinations of musicians, making each gig a unique event. His forthcoming release is "Harsh, Final", and he also performs with Greg Haines as Liondialer.
Fieldhead (UK) music delights in tape hiss, bleak landscapes and decaying analogue loops. He is also a member of The Declining Winter and Glissando. His debut album, "They Shook Hands for Hours" is released soon on Home Assembly.
Hey! :) We would be really interested too know which song out off the four we have got on our myspace you guys like best!! We are doing this because we want you too have a control over which songs we put in order on our up and coming E.P Leave us a comment Thank you xx
Just checking in to let you know The Shambolic will be playing at the N.E.C. Birmingham at Music Live - The UK's Biggest and Best Music Making Event 7-8th November.
Join us in The Surface Unsigned Bar on 8th November when we will will be playing acoustic.
A
4 track EP, titled Call Signs, it provides the perfect introduction to
the band prior to the release of their debut album, Grappling Hooks, in
early 2010.
Hexstatic the worlds greatest VJs, electro-breaks duo Stonephace (Portishead's Adrian Utley on guitar )
Glass Diamond a young band who is just throw punk, dance, experimental and electronic music all together, and smash them up.With VJ -Mash Cinema live A/V set,I'm sure you've never seen anything like it.
Advance limited DISCOUNT tickets for The VIDEOCRASH 4 / HEXSTATIC show for friends of the band GLASS DIAMOND only.
Trespassers William (Seattle, US) are the duo of Matt Brown and Anna-Lynne Williams. "Subliminally sublime and pragmatically perfect, you would have to possess an ashtray for a heart not to feel this coursing through your soul" (DSD Music Magazine). A new EP, The Natural Order of Things, is set to be released on Gizeh Records. They will make a church performance with special guests.
Glissando (Sheffield, UK) “have the kind of atmosphere that can captivate and relax in equal measure- never before has tranquillity sounded so urgent. While track lengths of over 10 minutes may fail to hold the attention of the ADHD sufferers among us, with patience it plays like a majestic dream. And it's one you'll never want to wake up from." NME
Operations (Chris Anderson) is a Manchester based conceptual music producer and sound artist. He performs and records with an array of analog synths and effects, reel-to-reel tape and casette players, and guitars. Followers of Tim Hecker, Slowdive, Fennesz, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Stephen O'Malley, Type and 12K Records will surely nod in approval.
Its been selling faster than we expected, and we currently only have around a quarter of our stock left - so we thought we'd better you all know that if you want a copy then now would be a good time to pick one up! If you buy it from the link above then you're buying it direct from us, the label aren't taking a cut - so its a bit like Fair Trade for struggling musicians.
International mail-order is available, just follow the instructions.
Thank you very much, and sorry for making a mess of your profile. If its any kind of consolation, we don't have a MySpace bot, so I'm leaving these comments the old fashioned way. Three -and-a-half thousand of them. My life is so exciting.
Hey My new EP magic of life is ready on my player with; Track1.Magic of LifeTrack2.EaRTrack3.Dang. They are coming soon on Plasticage Records. Enjoy them. Cheers. Garen.
We just thought we'd just drop you a heads up about some of the stuff we've been blogging about at IndieLab this month, hope you enjoy it. Keep us in touch with what your up to....
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