END OF 2010

For the last few months of 2010, we've mostly been working hard to get new material up to match fitness for the Three Trapped Tigers album, which we'll be recording from Jan 4th. Ultra excited about this, and 2011 in general for many other projects.

In between writing and rehearing, we played a few festivals, including End of the Road and Bestival in the UK, and some abroad - most notably Nowa Muzyka in Katowice, Poland. Excellent trip, featuring a personal year highlight: watching Autechre at midnight with only the moon illuminating the stage, crowd and dis-used mine surroundings. Add incredible sound and some of the most inspiring, uncompromising electronica I've heard for ages = perfect darkness! [Also had a brief chat with Mary Anne Hobbs from the side of the stage]. Check out this video from about 12:50 for our feature [amidst esteemed company!]:

TAURON NOWA MUZYKA KATOWICE from kuba kossak on Vimeo.

Other items of note from the past months:

Remixed The Temper Trap [out on 'Conditions Remixed']:

'Rest' The Temper Trap [Three Trapped Tigers Remix] by mattcalvert

Remixed our labelmates Gallops:
'Defbox' Gallops [Three Trapped Tigers Remix] by mattcalvert

Had the MA album The Last and my Bygones EP mastered by Peter Beckmann. [Both out in Jan/Feb 2011 respectively.]














Performed on Resonance FM in an electro-acoustic duo with Cake [Tom Challenger from MA]. Looking to make a duo album in 2011.

Performed with UNKLE/The Heritage Orchestra again, at the Union Chapel.

Played some jazzy guitar on Kylie Minogue's Xmas single. [Honestly!]

2010 Blog - Backdating

I've started this blog, so far as a retrospective - in photos, videos, tracks and text - of 2010 now that we're half way through it [Jan-June posts are under 'June'/'July']. It's been a productive time, and looks to carry on this way - if the rest of this year goes to plan we'll see a Typewritten EP and first Three Trapped Tigers album recorded, as well as the release of my Bygones EP and the MA album The Last. Thanks for taking an interest.

MAY/JUNE - MA ALBUM, BYGONES EP

Been a studio-based couple of months. The above screenshot is the kind of thing I've been looking at all year. We mixed the MA album over a week in May. Can't wait to show it to everyone. Props to Alex Bonney [Leverton Fox] for keeping the mix in check, and to Ben Lamdin [Nostalgia 77] for his engineering skills.

The Bygones EP was originally recorded back in April 2007(!). Betts did the drums at home one afternoon. The next day I drove to my folks' place in Devon and spent a few days in the spare room finishing it. Ben Trigg played cello on one track. At the end of May 2010, I added and replaced a few things but mostly the original recording is intact. I then mixed it with help from Alex again in June. Look out for late 2010 release.

FEBRUARY - MA.

With no money [or internet for all of February] I had no option but to stay home and work for a few weeks on the new MA album. The live parts were recorded on Dec 16th @ Fish Market studios, with Ben Lamdin engineering.

For those who don't know: Ma is led by saxophonist Tom Challenger [or Cake, as we call him] of Outhouse/Red Snapper. Before I joined, Ma had existed for some time as a trio with Ross Stanley on organ and Dave Smith on drums. They recorded a great album Jyketie in 2008 that sadly very few people have heard or probably even know about. They began to change direction when I saw them with Steve Arguelles guesting on live sampling [also a drummer, check his duo Ambitronix / his label Plush]. Ma had never sounded like a regular organ/sax jazz group but now they sounded even more original.

After seeing this I basically invited myself to join them around May 2009. I used to do live sampling with [TTT's] Tom Rogerson, it's actually how we started off - in a group with Cake too. The two Toms also did a really interesting duo record last year Cable Street Shorts [recorded at Urchin Studios].

MA is the one band I'm in where I don't play guitar. I did some synth stuff on the record, but otherwise it’s just live sampling/processing of feeds from Cake, Ross and Dave mostly using Ableton Live.

On the 20th MA did a gig for the Loop Collective's Loop Festival at the Vortex [above photo from soundcheck: Alex Bonney, who was also on hand to assist with live sound]. A few weeks later it got aired on Jazz on 3.

'Noir' - MA. [Live @ Vortex 20.02.10] by mattcalvert