This week’s tape, ‘Sorry: Not in Service’ by The Electrocutionists was yet another head-scratcher.
It’s a new name to me and, at first, seemed to whiff of our friend Emil Hagstrom. But…on deeper listening it had a particular UK bent that threw off the hounds.
My first port of call for all mysterious tape matters are my fellow scribes and venerated tape-historians Luke Poot and Andy Jarvis.
At first the usually reliable duo drew a blank. But, dogged and determined, Andy cross referenced some Discogs data and finally hit jackpot
“The Electrocutionists released ‘Play the Truth’ on Betley Welcomes Careful Drivers (BWCD) in 1996 and lists Emil Hagstrom, David Hopwood, Phil Todd and Jasper Newes (aka Mark Reeve of OKOKO Society) as contributing artists.
The “Nautical Power Ballads” release (again on BWCD) in 1998 mentions Phil Todd plus David Hopwood again but this time also Keith Nicolay (from Post Prandials), Akifumi Nakijima (aka AUBE) and Simon DDD, of DDDD zine fame!”
The plot thickens…
As I’d recently been badgering Ashtray Navigations’ Phil Todd I thought I’d give him a little tickle to see what pops up. Ever the gentlemen he replied almost immediately.
“Electrocutionists was me and a guy named Captain Dave Hopwood. I have no idea of Dave’s current whereabouts alas. I’d get a bunch of people to send tapes of sounds plus some of my own and Dave would add mostly drums and do the final mash-up and mix. I’d almost forgotten about that project, but some of those tapes are probably pretty good.
I don’t think anyone in The Electrocutionists ever met in real life, it was all done via the mail.”
I get back to Phil thanking him for this clue and say it must have been a fun way to collaborate, pre-internet.
“Yes, I liked that way of working. Dave did all the assembly and mixing, so I didn’t hear it until it was done either. He always did a great job. I guess I was just the ‘organiser’, though I did contribute sounds too. And I did most of the titles/art too.”
So all this sleuthing puts me on the trail of Dave Hopwood and things warm up a little. I find a reference to David Hopwood as the guy who took the picture that graces the cover of The Fall – Live at Deeply Vale (1978) and references to his membership of ‘Bill Pod and The Stocks’ and ‘The Pranksters’ described as ‘great Rochdale bands’.
Dave also appeared to run the ‘Rong Wrong’ label, releasing at least one tape comp of Rochdale bands. I get very excited to I find a super-hissy song ‘Funky Mungbean’ by Bill Pod on bloody Spotify of all places; it’s a drum-led cacophony with terrible/beautiful trumpet not a million miles from Blowhole, but, unfortunately no trace of Dave himself.
I find a mention of the Electocutionists…
‘Acoustic improv and tape treatments, as atmospheric and ‘spiritual’ as you can get under the circumstances’ (Poissons D’Avril)
…from an old Betley Welcomes Careful Drivers catalogue.
But, what does this tape sound like?
‘Side A’ reveals a thirteen minute collage that starts with buffering, tidal noise slipping into gentle feedback peals. A rattling drum set vibrates all available membranes in the room as broken voices and gentle street noise are woven in. The first half of the side mixes dubby, fractured guitar-explore and a spoken-word recording. An English voice communicating in anxious riddles, ‘it’s real…the fever…forever naked’. The backing drums skitter in a pretty impressive jazz style; forever at ten-to-two. Around halfway through the proceedings the vibe gets darker and denser as electronic locusts rub their hind legs together with glee. Reverb-laden car parts are walloped for chops, the synth arpeggios are a little queasy, like greasy eggs. More street noise is unwrapped. If I’m not mistaken it’s Leeds Bus Station, smoke belching from the assembled coaches, impatient drivers thrumming coarse fingers on their steering wheels.
Post Prandials, sometime Electrocutionists (pic via discogs)
It’s time to flip the virtual tape to ‘Side B’. The bus station sounds continue and I start to wonder if this is a corporation bus-themed tape…I mean look at the artwork.
But, within seconds, the heavily reverb-ed percussion (dropped spanner, cymbal, petrol can dragged across a concrete floor) snap me back into focus. The drums free themselves from space-time, deeply slapping at will, clacking like dry twigs and also accompanying a brittle wooden flute and an occasional accordion. Overall this is a pretty classy side. The deeply –effected sounds have a gamelan quality, alien ‘poings’ and ‘bongs’ that get more tangled and meshed together as the tape continues.
Knowing what I know now about how these tapes were constructed the pairing down of inputs, keeping things relatively simple is incredibly effective. I find myself really falling into the echo canyon of percussion. And while I have no idea who is involved, who is guesting with Phil and Dave I’d put a couple of quid on Jeph Jerman’s mits being on this somewhere. The melt between ‘Hands To’ and ‘Blowhole’ being both environmental and concussive is hard to ignore.
Prove me wrong dear reader!
Whatever the provenance this is another great tape that first mystified, then delighted me. Get sparky for a dollar here…
https://unionpoletapes.bandcamp.com/album/sorry-not-in-service-up57
OR…you can download the whole damn Union Pole discography of 76 tapes for $5 here. Don’t be cheap!
It won’t surprise you to learn that I often make mistakes! Please leave a comment below if you spot a mistake in the blog or have a tale to tell to drive this Union Pole story forward. Everyone is invited on this ride.
2 responses to “The Electrocutionists – Sorry: Not in Service (UP57)”
-
Hi Joe
another belter from the archive = and great background story. Loved it and I will be trying to secure a copy. I think it signaled a nod and wink to TG around the time of their Heathen Earth performance…….. searched my TG stuff and found the Questioaire from 2nd Annual Report Q6 is the equipment your or do you share?
David
N-Aut tape archive
LikeLike
-
Thanks David – wise word as ever!
LikeLike
-
All my ideas are stolen 
Leave a comment