Archive for the remote viewing Category

Kevin O’Neill- Omega 8 & A Hostage to Fortune CD-Rs

Posted in 1980s, 1990s, ambient, dark ambient, kevin o'neill, remote viewing, synth, uk on January 18, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s some goodies from the Remote Viewing files. Here we have two CD-Rs from Kevin O’Neill, one of the more prolific artists from the compilation. Kevin was also the man behind Network 23, the label who released both volumes of Remote Viewing. I’ll let John Costello’s own words tell a bit of Kevin’s story:

“Kevin founded N23 and as well as creating his own music he worked hard to promote independent electronic music in the UK. He played live at the UK Electronica in London in 1988 and organised this successful concert in his home city on March 18th the following year. The full billing was Kevin, Steve & Linda Hillman, myself and Greg Truckell. I’ll always be grateful to Kevin for liking my music enough to include it, as it’s a bit different from most synthambient and sequencer/progressive N23 artists.”

Fans of the Remote Viewing cassette, Costello, and various synth-heavy ambient acts (Deca, Tangerine Dream, Carl Matthews, Black Tape For a Blue Girl, Klaus Schulze, Coil etc.) will certainly find lots and lots to love on these two CD-Rs, which were graciously donated by Kevin. Omega 8 is a collection of tracks from the 1988 Omega cassette, with the final two tracks missing. A bonus track, “Islands Suite” appears in its stead. “Islands Suite” originally appeared on the Islands K7, while an edited version appears on Remote Viewing Volume 1, released in 1986. The second CD-R collects all tracks from 1993’s A Hostage of Fortune K7, though the title track appears in edited form from its cassette counterpart.

All in all, there’s roughly an hour and a half’s worth of incredible ambient music contained within! Here’s the info:

Kevin O’Neill- Omega 8 CD-R
1. Another Morning
2. Eye Of The Storm
3. Guernica
4. Blodwen (The White Rose)
5. Speaker
6. Prometheus
7. Islands Suite

Kevin O’Neill- A Hostage to Fortune CD-R
1. Indefinite Divisibility
2. P-M H
3. Piano No. 4
4. Flutecho
5. Tetapi Itu Kesenian (For Leif & Rukmini)
6. Reminiscence (For Michael Neil)
7. Ghosts
8. The Massing Of The Shades (For Norman Jope)
9. A Hostage To Fortune Pts 3-6

*download both here*

Many thanks to Kevin for his blessing in posting these! I’ll leave you with some amazing video footage of Kevin’s performance of “Island Sweet,” sourced from the infamous Network 23 concert in Cardiff, 1989. Enjoy!

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John Costello- Halflife K7

Posted in 1980s, 1989, ambient, cassette, john costello, k7, minimal, minimal synth, network 23, remote viewing, remote viewing vol. 2 on April 19, 2011 by Frankie Teardrop

I have a few posts in line that go hand in hand with the Remote Viewing cassette posted a few weeks back. The first of such posts is the second tape from John Costello, one of the standouts from that compilation. His track “Gormenghast,” which was recorded live in Cardiff, also appears on the b-side to this cassette, alongside two other performances from that particular show. The a-side features lengthy tributes to popular horror scores. Either way, you can expect the same great synth work and haunting atmosphere on both sides. Here’s the information:

John Costello- Halflife K7
1. Halloween Suite
2. Texas Chainsaw
3. Flame Patterns
4. Surface Tension
5. Gormenghast

*download it here*

John Costello is still making a plethora of music, spanning several electronic styles. You can check out some of his current work via Myspace.

Also, for those interested, there are some great live videos from the infamous Cardiff concert (March 18th, 1989) available via Costello’s YouTube channel. Click here to check ’em out (scroll down the upload list to view the performances), and expect some more goodies from the Network 23 crew to follow. I’d also like to thank both John Costello and label head Kevin O’Neill for all the info, support, and generosity over the past few weeks!

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Various Artists- Remote Viewing Vol. 2 K7

Posted in 1980s, 1989, ambient, cassette, experimental, industrial, k7, minimal, minimal synth, remote viewing, remote viewing vol. 2 on March 21, 2011 by Frankie Teardrop

This particular cassette comes on generous loan from Sean Mcbride, sole member of Martial Canterel and half of Xeno and Oaklander, two of the current synth scene’s most crucial players. For those who are unaware, the latest Martial Canterel record, You Today, has dropped via Wierd Records, and is quite the stunning piece of work. A modern classic, through and through. Pick up a copy here, if you haven’t already!

This cassette, upon hearing it, has quickly become an all time favorite. Released in 1989 on Network 23 (the first installment appeared three years prior, and has yet to be shared to my knowledge), this tape features an hour and a half of instrumental ambient and industrial works from several obscure artists. It’s a murky, unsettling, and highly atmospheric ride, without a single dud among the bunch. Many of the artists here appear exclusively among the series, while others have a few more scattered releases from around the same time. The standout for me is John Costello’s “Gormen Ghast,” which lifts off into minimal synth/dance territory after nearly three minutes of haunting atmosphere. There’s also an exclusive track by Colin Potter and a solid gem by Steve Hillman, to name a few. This is highly recommended for fans of Tangerine Dream, Coil, and John Carpenter’s film scores, but there’s a handful of great minimal synth gems sprinkled within. Dig it!

Various Artists- Remote Viewing Vol. 2 K7
1. Howard Ingram- Sacrestone 72
2. Michael Hines- The Spirit Of Radio
3. Greg Truckell- Mesh
4. Mangenta Mirror- NX-X1-11
5. R. N. Andrews- Chinese Dentist Time
6. Steve Hillman- Citadel Parts 1 And 2
7. Colin Potter- Malton
8. Kevin O’Neill- Lik Mai
9. John Costello- Gormen Ghast
10. What It Is- Rearing Pigs
11. Martin Coles & Rick Wernham- Object Detection
12. Rancid Poultry- Controlled Exposure
13. Peter Tedstone- Mystic Sequence
14. Tim Stebbing- Star City

*download it here*

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