if just today were to be my entire life

Seatown

2012-01-16T21:34:00.002Z

Matthew Shaw "Seatown" Excerpt by apollolaan

Released January 16th 2012 by Siren Wire Editions

præ - A self published book of photographs

2012-01-04T22:42:00.001Z

præ by Matthew Shaw | Make Your Own Book

Fluid - Radio review Lanreath

2012-01-03T22:40:00.003Z

Julian Cope live in Bournemouth 2011

2011-10-22T20:07:00.003Z

Norman Records review "Lanreath"

2011-10-22T18:42:00.000Z

Matthew Shaw
Lanreath

...according to our Phil on 20 October 2011.

We’ve had a few CD’s in lately by Matthew Shaw on labels such as Sirenwire and Sonic Oyster. Here’s one on his own label Apollolaan. Why have a label if you can’t release your own music eh? This is his ‘audio’ take on Lanreath which is a small Cornish village (population 514 in 2001) so don’t expect massive boom raves and that if you’re off there! This is a blissful sounding 47 minute drone piece which will evoke feelings of the countryside and the like as it’s got a pastoral vibe running through it... But that could be all the birds twattering on in the background which totally took me by surprise (I thought they were in the room....). It’s warm evocative drone music which is extremely well done. Having never been to Lanreath I can’t say if it would remind me of it but listening to this I’d be more than happy to pop down and mince about for a bit.

Matthew Shaw - Lanreath

2011-10-16T17:18:00.001Z

Available to pre-order now!

"Lanreath" is a brand new full length piece by Matthew Shaw. Released in an edition of 100 copies of pro manufactured cdr in a digipak cover.
"Lanreath" was recorded this summer in the small village of Lannreath in Cornwall. The cd is Matthews audio take on Lanreath, making music and using sound from the village itself. This release follows the likes of "Metherell" on Sonic Oyster Records, and also "The Four Zoas" on Siren Wire editions. Almost 50 minutes of music, a continuing exploration and meditation by Matthew on the sounds of a single place. Most of the sounds here we're created with guitar and also using processed and unprocessed field recordings. The photos that make up the packaging we're all taken on the days of the recordings.
"Lanreath is a small village containing some beautiful old buildings, a pub and small community shop. It formed the perfect bass to disappear into sound, to meditate on the spirit of place with excursions to the nearby Duloe stone circle for inspiration (and whatever else unknown and unseen) that may have influenced of affected the sounds and recording process"

get it here

Matthew Shaw "Lanreath" Excerpt by apollolaan

More footage from "synchronized international event FUKUSHIMA!" at the Nine Stones of Winterbourne Abbas in Dorset

2011-09-11T13:10:00.000Z

New from Apollolaan....Ashtray Navigations & Hakobune

2011-09-09T07:28:00.001Z

Ashtray Navigations "Outside Toilet Blues" by apollolaan
Hakobune "Between Equinox" by apollolaan
"It's been a little while now but we're very pleased to be back with not one but two CD pre-orders.

The first comes from Ashtray Navigations. One of our favourite bands here at Apollolaan, for years we have marveled at the genius that is Phil Todd, and this latest disk is pure brilliance!
It's taken a while to get this release together, all artwork is by Phil himself, pro printed artwork and pro pressed disks on cdr, on top of this there is an acetate front piece, each one done by Phil himself, making a very, very cool 3d image. It was worth the wait, here's what Ashtray Navigations have to say about it...

"we are expecting a new CDR entitled ELECTRONICALLY RECHANNELLED BAND AND STREET CHOIR from Apollolaan Recordings to arrive any day soon. This is sort of a live album, except there are tons of overdubs and half of it is from the rehearsal rather than the gig. All good rocking stuff though – want to hear us play our version of “Disco Duck” live at Dewsbury Socialist Club? You will, soon."
The second pre order is for a new full length from Hakobune. This latest album by Takahiro Yorifuji is a real gem, a perfect set of slow drone classics, you will not be disappointed. Plus this one comes in a beautiful digipak designed by Brian Lavelle with photos by Matthew Shaw. "
http://apollolaan.blogspot.com/

La Fête - trailer

2011-08-29T14:39:00.000Z

Poject Fukushima!

2011-08-16T20:28:00.001Z

Deadwood / Matthew Shaw "synchronized international event FUKUSHIMA!" by Dead Wood / Matthew Shaw

http://www.pj-fukushima.jp /en/815fes.html
Deadwood / Matthew Shaw
Monday 15th August 2011

An improvised performance by Deadwood / Matthew Shaw, a study in ArchaeoSonics, using the genius loci of this ancient site and the energy contained here to send a positive sonic message to Fukushima,

The recording will be recorded and any funds from the sale of music from this event will be donated to Project Fukushima!
credits
released 16 August 2011
All sounds by Adam Baker & Matthew Shaw

Mowing

2011-08-03T20:55:00.002Z

Look Busy

2011-06-19T13:55:00.002Z

Mug & Book

2011-06-17T10:05:00.002Z

"Destination Aleph Naught" compilation

2011-06-02T18:51:00.002Z

"Destination Aleph Naught" has been released today on the Fifth Compilation from Electronic Musik. The whole album containing 33 tracks by Matthew Shaw, Pangea, Noise Research, Ambient Fabric, Zreen Toyz, Sean Derek Cooper Marquardt and many others is avaialble for free download here

Listen to The Etheric Double

2011-05-30T22:38:00.000Z

Norman Records review "Goetheanum"

2011-05-19T18:28:00.001Z

...according to our Mike on 18 May 2011.

On this super-limited cassette release, Matthew Shaw is credited as playing "guitar, piano, singing bowl and voice". Now I really couldn't tell you what a singing bowl is until today, but I looked it up and it's a type of standing bell/gong thing, apparently. Learn something new every day. This tape consists of quite sparse, minimal drones; quite unintrusive and relaxing stuff, much more on the twinkly ethereal side than the harsh and grating one. Cosmic as fuck, basically. To be honest I'm not hearing guitar, piano or voice on here, so I'm guessing that whatever he's done with those instruments has been processed and tinkered with until it's just texture on the ethereal smudge. Phil says that it sounds celestial, "Like the music of the heavens, if there is any". I reckon heaven's got some proper skronky synthpop vibe going on, though, with really filthy 80s bass with a total flappy filter on it, and everyone's totally getting their dance party on.

David Keenan reviews "Goetheanum" on Volcanic Tongue website

2011-05-15T17:26:00.003Z

Hovering edge-of-the-void style psychedelic drone from Matthew who runs the Apollolaan Recordings label and also records as Tex La Homa and Fougou with Brian Lavelle. Some of the mystery of Thomas Koner’s endlessly bleak gong works, aspects of the sidereal Masami Akita/Christoph Heemann collaboration, all rendered with a reverb heavy/ritual atmosphere that is almost Japanese. Music for guitar, piano, singing bowl and voice. Numbered edition of 50 copies.

Get it from Volcanic Tongue

Matthew Shaw - The Etheric Double

2011-05-14T19:13:00.001Z

Out now on Electronic Musik, available as a free download from here

'There are great Etheric currents constantly sweeping over surface of the earth from pole to pole in volume which makes their power as irresistible as that of the rising tide'

'The Astral Plane' C.W. Leadbeater

Recorded on location at Seatown, nr Chideock and Blandford Forum, Dorset using Korg Monotron, Organ & Voice.

No One Is Illegal

2011-05-01T08:00:00.000Z

Matthew Shaw - Goetheanum

2011-04-26T19:31:00.003Z

Matthew Shaw – Goetheanum
Two pieces for guitar, piano, singing bowl and voice.
Sonic Oyster Cassettes: Strictly Limited (numbered) edition of 50
Release date 9 May 2011… taking pre-orders now.

‘Goetheanum’ comprises two beautifully measured slices of drone as cosmic debris: true knowledge falling in and around infinite dimensions in its quest for spiritual wakening.

Two sides of the most haunting and affecting music you will hear this year. Not to be missed.

http://soundcloud.com/sonic-oyster-records/goetheanum-ii-edit
to listen to an edit of Goetheanum (side 2)

POSTAGE & PAYPAL INFORMATION - Cassettes - In the UK, please add 50p towards p&p for one cassette , £1 for 2 or more. Outside the UK, please add £1 towards p&p for one cassette, £2 for 2 or more. Paypal is preferred - the address is sonicoysterrecords (at) yahoo (dot) co (dot) uk. 
Matthew Shaw - Goetheanum II (edit) by Sonic Oyster Records

Maurice In The Morning Sun

2011-04-19T20:49:00.001Z

Maurice in the Morning Sun by apollolaan

Matthew Shaw "Barnoldswick Sunday"

2011-03-02T20:30:00.001Z

Uncut review by Atlas of Hearts by Richard Youngs

2011-02-21T21:15:00.002Z

Uncut review The Four Zoas by Matthew Shaw

2011-02-20T19:49:00.002Z

Our Love Will Destroy The World this Thursday

2011-02-08T21:02:00.002Z

With Michael Tanner and I supporting as Cat Lady

Apollolaan Soundcloud mix five

2011-02-05T20:37:00.001Z

Apollolaan Mix Five by Apollolaan on Mixcloud

David Keenan reviews "Atlas of Hearts" on Volcanic Tongue website

2011-01-16T22:32:00.002Z

Richard Youngs
Atlas Of Hearts
Apollolaan Recordings APANV-1
LP
£15.99

Massive new album from Richard Youngs, this time out on acoustic guitar, vocals and string drones. Taking a tangent from his singer-songwriter sides for Jagjaguwar, Atlas Of Hearts reflects more on the form of his earlier New Angloid Sound recording, with a complex, dizzy finger-picking style that is somewhere between Nic Jones, John Martyn and a more UK-centric Matthew Valentine. Indeed, in many ways this is Richard’s deepest pass through UK folk traditions, without ever sounding like a simple revivalist. Rather, he skews the melodies and instrumentalism to better reflect his own take on Angloid form, making beautiful expressive use of overlapping multi-tracked vocals that echo and bolster phantom melodies over tumbling acoustic guitars and even some restrained bursts of fat, almost Takayanagi-style fuzz guitar. No one has furthered British folk traditions in such a personal way as Richard and this is such a magical recording that it sits easily alongside his initial No Fans vinyl run. Beautifully presented by Apollolaan in an edition of only 250 copies with heavy 180g vinyl, insert and hard card sleeves. Highly recommended but better make it fast, this one won’t hang around for long.

Norman Records review "Atlas of Hearts"

2011-01-16T22:32:00.001Z

Richard Youngs
Atlas of Hearts

Our album of the week (7th January 2011)

	Description:	LP on Apollolaan edn of 250
	Format:	LP
	Genre(s):	Experimental / Abstract
	Label:	Apollolaan
	Price:	£15.79
	Availability:	despatched in 2-5 working days (on average!!)

Add to cart

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Based on 1 review(s).

...according to our Brett on 06 January 2011.

Youngseh. I love Youngseh, me. I've been especially loving that Beyond the Valley of Ultrahits since Jagjaguwar did the world a favour and reissued it for those who missed out first time.. 'Radio Innocents', like - blinding! As far as the super broad scope of his various works go I reckon I'd describe this new one as mostly being somewhere between the near-conventional pop songwriting of that record and the experimental guitar-based folk of Sapphie but making heavy use of the multitracked vocals heard very prominently on the likes of Autumn Response. The result is completely hypnotic, beguiling and entrancing to my ears but, being very song-based, this isn't gonna be for anyone who's ever had issues with his vocal delivery which is definitely possessing of a peculiar quality, on the one hand there's definitely a sort of 'non-voice' thing to it but at the same time there are plenty of moments where to me he could almost pass for a classic folk singer, albeit an idiosyncratic one. Hopefully some of those doubters will see fit to give him another go with this one as they'll be missing out on a bit of a beauty otherwise..

Seatown January 2011

2011-01-15T23:58:00.002Z

Richard Youngs "What Day is this Day"

2011-01-01T00:53:00.001Z

Richard Youngs "What Day is this Day" by apollolaan

Atlas of Hearts by Richard Youngs

2010-12-21T22:27:00.002Z

"Haze I" by Richard Youngs

2010-12-19T19:35:00.001Z

Richard Youngs "Haze I" by apollolaan

"Atlas of Hearts" lp by Richard Youngs coming soon on Apollolaan

Dead Wood / Matthew Shaw - Shottsford Forum

2010-12-11T18:49:00.002Z

Deadwood / Matthew Shaw "Loaf" by apollolaan
Apollolaan

"Urthona" from The Four Zoas

2010-11-29T22:28:00.002Z

Matthew Shaw 'Urthona' by SirenWire

Coming soon of Siren Wire Editions

Space Weather - The Weather's Maiden

2010-11-25T11:00:00.002Z

apollolaan

Carol Anne McGowan - Songs from the Cellar

2010-11-19T18:23:00.001Z

apollolaan

United Bible Studies - The Gascoigne Observatory

2010-11-01T22:23:00.002Z

Out now from apollolaan

Metherell Review

2010-10-22T16:22:00.001Z

From Norman records...

	Description:	edition of 50 on Sonic Oyster Records
	Format:	CD

Based on 1 review(s).

...according to our Brian on 21 October 2010.

This is a really nice piece. 45 minutes of contemplative piano drones which have been recorded in such a way as to render them beautifully ambient. This manipulation removes the occasionally twee & annoying plink of the ivories and instead leaves us with just the sustained drifting waves of the notes in a gorgeous Brian Eno-esque fashion. With just intermittent chirrups of an evening bird chorus to enhance the mood, this is a true minimalist gem. It's a wonderfully emotive & ponderous music we've got here that will almost definitely enrich the lives of fans in awe of Celer's more cerebral works & latter-day Stars of the Lid. Very affecting indeed.

G L E A M I N G - Orgonon

2010-10-13T19:31:00.001Z

Available now from here

Metherell

2010-10-11T15:31:00.001Z

"Moss, Trees, Lichen, twigs, dead leaves, soil, insects, birds, the wind, the rain and sunshine. Bracken basks in the shade and reaches upwards and outwards. My vision of the horizon broken by forest, the silence broken by birdsong, space, peace and quiet but never complete silence. For now this is my home."

Matthew Shaw (Tex La Homa, Fougou, The Blue Tree) offers us a meditation on place; a quiet valediction to his beloved South West England.

'Metherell' is music born of a perfect moment, the repetitious swell and pitch of piano, our witness to the simple pleasures found in ancient woodland, seen through the half-light.

The reference to geographical place puts one in mind of earlier environmental music; the style and easy posture of the composition owes a quiet word of gratitude to Eno and Basinski. This is all for the good.

STRICTLY limited to 50 copies, 'Metherell' is available from the 18th October. The CDR release costs 5GBP and is available for pre-order now.

POSTAGE & PAYPAL INFORMATION - CDRS - In the UK, please add 50p towards p&p for one disc, £1 for 2 or more. Outside the UK, please add £1 towards p&p for one disc, £2 for 2 or more. Paypal is preferred - the address is sonicoysterrecords (at) yahoo (dot) co (dot) uk.

Hunebedden in Nederland

2010-09-28T21:06:00.008Z

After many trips to the Netherlands this time I really wanted to visit Hunebedden. My partner is Dutch and our Daughter half Dutch so with a love and interest of all things prehistoric this was a trip I was really looking forward to. I wasn't disappointed.

The Autumn Equinox seemed like a good date to start my investigations into these monuments.
So where to begin when choosing the first Hunebed to visit? We opted for Great Borger, not only the largest but possibly the most famous and definitely the most visited. Very easy to find, with museum, gift shop, cafe and a very pleasing reconstruction of a hut built to represent how people would have lived at the time. This may all be superficial to the site itself but was sensitively done and helped with the educational side of things for Dutch school children and adults alike. The focus is on the Dutch language but their are translations into English among other languages. I think the visitors center had a nice feel and the National Trust could learn a lot about what the Stonehenge experience could be like with a similar approach.
So to great Borger itself. As Julian Cope wrote in The Megalithic European the Hunebed does remind one somewhat of a dinosaur skeleton. My first impression was a similar feeling to seeing those dinosaur skeletons in the Natural History museum as a child. Although there were many visitors on site we had the place to ourselves more than once during the visit. It's hard to compare the structure with anything I've seen in the UK, and the place felt different too. I spent some time walking around, looking at Borger from different perspectives, checking alignments, and also tried dowsing with interesting results. My One year old daughter finds the site of the Dowsing rods hilarious, as did some of the other visitors but the mother (not in law) had fun with them and was a natural!
I would say that this place does have a soul but you have to concentrate, and need to want to find it. A shorter visit might give you the same feeling as somewhere like Stonehenge, not in scale but in the feeling of being a tourist attraction as much as somewhere of great importance and interest. Don't be fooled though, tune in and you shall reap the rewards.

With a list of places to visit but without a whole week to dedicate only to Hunebedden the next place to visit was the Bronnegar complex.
This place is more remote, but still very accessible. This being the Netherlands I would suggest arriving by bike a good way to arrive. You wont be alone with this form of transport.
Bronnegar is made up of five Hunebedden in varying states of disrepair. At best with D21 you will visit a magnificent example, It's right next to D22 as well in a nice little semi enclosed area.

Both are intriguing in their own way. Both have Oak trees growing right next to them, at D22 the tree almost appears to have split the cap stone from one angle, in fact it's just up close but looks fantastic. At D21 the Oak tree is also right next to this very well preserved monument. While sitting there meditating on the place I found myself drifting and thinking about the trees. Of course they wouldn't have been their at the time the monuments were in use but there still seemed to be a great relevance to my modern perspective of the monument. I was thinking about a recent permaculture course I took, and about pioneer species, natural succession and Climax community, when the stable community that is reached and no further succession occurs. This seemed very relevant to me when considering these old stones and the people that put them there, coincidental? Maybe but still a beautiful vision of life beyond words and history.

The other three Hunebedden here are not in such good shape, at worse being quite ruinous, as a whole complex though the place is magickal, and far more that the sum of it parts. Viewed and experienced with an open and inquisitive mind Bronnegar is an essential place to visit.
I look forward to the other treasures that the Netherlands hold, until next time.

Alistair Crosbie - The Sleeping Grass

2010-09-12T13:43:00.000Z

Out now from apollolaan

Apollolaan Soundcloud mix four

2010-09-12T11:05:00.000Z

Apollolaan Mix Four by Apollolaan on Mixcloud

Excerpts from "Whale Heart, Whale Heart"

2010-09-06T10:42:00.001Z

Tex La Homa by greysparkle

Apollolaan Soundcloud mix three

2010-09-04T16:21:00.000Z

Apollolaan Mix Three by Apollolaan on Mixcloud

Apollolaan Soundcloud mix two

2010-09-03T11:08:00.000Z

Apollolaan Mix Two by Apollolaan on Mixcloud

Stormhat - Kabine

2010-08-28T19:01:00.001Z

Available now from apollolaan

Apollolaan Soundcloud mix one

2010-08-22T11:25:00.001Z

Apollolaan Mix One by Apollolaan on Mixcloud

Book of Shadows - Chichen Itza

2010-08-21T09:27:00.002Z

Now available from Apollolaan

Andreas Brandal - Sunken Gardens

2010-08-07T07:36:00.003Z

Avialable now from Apollolaan

The Driftood Manor - Found Photographs of Ancestors

2010-08-01T13:12:00.003Z

Out now from apollolaan

Terrascope review tex la homa

2010-07-12T08:50:00.001Z

Coming home from work after having a shitty day, feeling down, putting on the one-tracked CDr “Driebergen-Zeist” by Tex la Homa and the rest of the day was saved. Exactly what my inner tensions needed. 30 minutes of reflective, melancholy light, kind of accordion-drone. Those days, do I know it’s an accordion? No, it could be an electronic trick, but I don’t care, it’s mighty beautiful and rich in sound; wide chords flavoured with sampled voices, sounds, treatments and other stuff, just like spices here and there. Tex la Homa could also be recognised as Matthew Shaw, a guy involved in a lot of various collaborations in 230 Divisadero with Nick Grey, The Blue Tree with Andrew Paine, Fougou with Brian Lavelle, Cat Lady with Michael Tanner and Grand Feast of the Dead with Mark Fry. And if that wasn’t enough he’s also the head of Apollolaan Records. Anyone familiar with that label immediately realise we’re talking about a guy who care for quality. And he’s avoiding the narcissistic trap of releasing it on his own label. Find it here: www.sonicoysterrecords.blogspot.com

Terrascope

Cheer - Future Overtones

2010-06-27T21:54:00.003Z

apollolaan

Peter Delaney - Live in Amsterdam

2010-05-28T18:59:00.002Z

Out now at apollolaan

Black Tempest - proxima

2010-05-14T14:20:00.001Z

apollolaan

Stormhat - From The Moat

2010-04-29T21:15:00.002Z

Out now at apollolaan

Susan Matthews & Clutter - Silence Alight

2010-04-20T09:02:00.002Z

out now at apollolaan

Fougou 'Reversed Dreams of This Nature"

2010-04-05T12:05:00.001Z

FOUGOU: Reversed Dreams of this Nature - CDR (Ikuisuus, 2010)

1. Bicones
2. Ladram Bay
3. Oculus
4. Urnfield
5. The Sentinel Watches

"Truly an "underground" project, Fougou (pronounced "foo-goo") is a new venture by Brian Lavelle and Matthew Shaw which takes its starting point in the mysterious prehistory of Cornwall in the southwest of the British Isles, in particular that areas's enigmatic subterranean chambers known as fougous. Credible theories have proposed that the purpose of these chambers was ritualistic - as portals to elsewhere. The music of Fougou flows from that idea and is inspired also by the writings of British archaeologist and researcher, T.C. Lethbridge (1901-1973) along with other like-minded individuals. It is an attempt to capture the music of the earth and the stones, as well as the sound of the spaces between those stones.

Dense electronics, synthesizers, vocals and other elements combine to sinister and often startling effect in the music; and the importance of "location" plays a central role in Fougou, as field recordings from important sites such as Cerne Abbas, Cairnpapple Hill and Stonehenge lurk in the depths of the debut album, Reversed Dreams of this Nature. And although Matt and Brian's individual contributions to this disc were recorded separately hundred miles apart, the music has a naturally live feel which betrays its distant origins and creates something far greater - and deeper - than the sum of its parts.

Further recordings and live performances will happen in the course of 2010."

www.myspace.com/fougou
www.fougou.org

The Boleigh Working

2010-03-30T19:41:00.005Z

This had been a trip in the planning for many months. The only real plan though was to record in a Fogou. Boleigh Fogou to be precise.

Everywhere else we got to visit was a real bonus. What an amazing couple of days we had.

The trip began for me with a drive from Blandford Forum to Southampton Airport to pick up Brian Lavelle. We have become a pair of Fogou obsessive's over the last few months after choosing Fougou as the name of our band. We decided to spell the name Fougou after T.C Lethbridge and his spelling of the word. You're much more likely to see the word spelled Fogou these days though.
It would be fair to say that Lethbridge and the promise of seeing and experiencing a real life Fogou were the inspirations for the beginnings of our musical project.

Brian and I made the journey down to Boleigh Fogou. We met Rob at Rosemerryn, our home for the next few days. Rob and Laura are really lovely people and possibly the only people lucky enough to have a Fogou in their back garden. I would highly recommend staying here if you are thinking of visiting Cornwall.
Here is a link to their website http://www.rosemerrynwood.co.uk/

We stopped only to drop our bags in our rooms before heading straight out with Rob to see the Fogou.
Brian and I spent the rest of the afternoon recording in there and generally just taking it all in. The acoustics in there are quite unlike any place i have heard before. The dripping water adding to the sounds we made. Other ambient sounds such as the wind or birdsong are really reduced once you step into the fogou.

Boleigh Fogou is alive. There is no doubt about that. It is a living breathing entity. I have never in my life experienced anything else quite like it and the way I felt there.

We spent hours looking around the Fogou, sitting in the creep passage, experiencing dark, so dark that we couldn't see our hands an inch in front of our faces, and enjoying being there.
The first live performance Brian and I did as Fougou was in front of an audience of spiders, some of which were big enough to look us in the eye. With red spots on their backs, they were the only audience we could see but who knows who or what else was in there during the hours we spent in the Fogou.

On the Saturday we walked from Rosemerryn to The Pipers. Two enormous standing stones just a few yards down the road from our base. These stones are enormous and quite spectacular to see and be in the presence of.

Later we visited Tregiffian Burial Chamber. This lies on the side of the road and apparently used to extend through the road that so rudely cut it in half at some stage. It is impressive to see even now and has large Cup marks in one stone. I believe this is a replica, the original cup marked stone being in a museum somewhere. This stone also faces the wrong way now, originally having faced the dead inside the grave itself. There is also a cup mark on the capstone. Easy to find and well worth seeing if you are in the area.

The Merry Maidens. One of the best preserved and most complete circles I have ever visited was our next prt of call. Brian and I had the place to ourselves for over an hour or so and only saw a dog walker, a couple of girls living in the back of a van and an elderly couple during our visit. We recorded here using just singing bowls with the microphone in the very middle of the circle. I also used a pendulum in a dowsing experiment around the circle with interesting results. I had never tried this before but influenced by Lethbridge and with an open mind I gave it a go. I'm not sure what any of my results mean but it was a start.
The Merry Maidens on an early March morning in Spring were a real joy to behold.

On Saturday afternoon we drove over to Carn Euny and again we were lucky enough to have the place to ourselves for a couple of hours. So we visited another Fogou, and took in the whole place, which is simply incredible to see. How on earth this place has survived so long is amazing to think about. The Fogou here is quite different to Boleigh. Bigger and more extensive but more sanitised and museum like in its reconstruction and preservation. Even so this is still a fascinating and compelling place to be.

The creep passage here is open to the grounds surface and the temptation to pass through it was too hard to resist. However, I chose not to go down the creep as presumably was originally intended. To do this would have had me spill out into a heap at the bottom covered in mud. Instead I decided to crawl upwards out of the main chamber. It was quite a squeeze, and I had to scrape my way though, catching my back on the stones above me before entering the light at the end of the tunnel and being free again.
Carn Euny is high up on a hillside but surprisingly secluded and sheltered from the wind, at least it was on this visit.

On the way back we had a good view of St Eunys Well . This was a nice spot but spoiled somewhat by a large metal grid.

Next was a visit to Boscawen-Un. We approached the circle and saw people in the circle. As we got closer it was clear that they were dowsing with rods. We entered the circle and I asked the man in front of me if he was having any luck with the dowsing. He told me "Yes, It's always good here, would you like to try?". To which I said "yes", and so it began. I walked towards the center of the circle from the large Quartz stone, I was told to slow down and hold my hands further apart, making sure that the rods pointed downward away from me slightly. Almost alongside the large leaning stone the rods both turned in my hands. How very odd, and very exciting this was. When I walked across the circle towards the leaning stone (now leaning towards the left) I experienced the rods turning to the left alongside this center stone., completely in line with it. I had other results too with the rods turning in towards certain stones at different points. The Quartz stone was quite different though with the rods just moving freely in my hands when I stood by it. Why? Was this some kind of mental suggestion? Or perhaps it's something to do with magnetism, my body the conductor and the rods the indicator? I'm not sure what it all means yet but something happened and despite common sense and a certain amount of skepticism I experienced results. Have I been reading too much Lethbridge or is this the beginning of something I should explore further?
I must say that I loved being in this circle, a fantastic place in so many ways.

Saturday ended with another visit in complete pitch darkness to Boleigh Fogou.

On Sunday morning the rain and mist had set in and enveloped the whole of the Land's End Peninsula.
Undeterred we decided to go and find Men-An-Tol.

Even though a nice lady walking her dog had pointed us in the right direction, we still missed Men-An-Tol completely at first.
So our next stop was at Lanyon Quoit. An amazing structure and shelter from the rain for a little while, then onwards…

Mud rain and mist, my friends, we feared them not.

Reaching Men-An-Tol was a joyous experience.
I first set eyes on Men-An-Tol on a postcard I received from Julian Cope / Head Heritage. It was printed with a black and white photo of Men-An-Tol taken by Julian Cope on one side, with printed news of a new band called Queen Elizabeth on the other. Years later I was there, looking at Men-An-Tol in real life.
Before too long I was crawling through the hole, the wind, mud and rain all cheering me on. And so ended The Boleigh Working.

Forthcoming gig...

2010-03-17T18:39:00.000Z

Spaceship

2010-03-14T10:11:00.002Z

apollolaan

Norman Records review Tex La Homa

2010-03-02T20:11:00.001Z

Driebergen-Zeist, by Tex La Homa (CD on Sonic Oyster)

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	Description:	Ltd CDr on Sonic Oyster
	Format:	CD
	Label:	Sonic Oyster
	Price:	£6.49
	Cat#:	SOR32
	Availability:	despatched in 1 working day

What you say about Driebergen-Zeist, by Tex La Homa

No-one has reviewed Driebergen-Zeist by Tex La Homa yet. Give us your opinion on Driebergen-Zeist by Tex La Homa.

What we say about Driebergen-Zeist, by Tex La Homa

This record left our Brett feeling happy.

More droneyness, this time kinda sounding like someone trudging through fresh snow while playing an accordion with near-infinite reverb. Now it sounds like a funny sort of siren or something.. Now someone opening and shutting a car door. Now some people talking about summat. Now we're inside a moving car and it's raining. So essentially you've got a tidy drone track augmented by a selection of processed field recordings which are currently making me feel like I'm on a stretcher being taken to hospital, woozily drifting in and out of consciousness. I don't know if I particularly want to feel like that but full credit is definitely due to Tex La Homa for doing such a fine job of creating such a strong narrative in my mind.. I'm sure you could probably pull a different story out of each listen of this if you tried. It's like buying several mind DVDs at once.

Het it Here

Gish/Perry

2010-03-01T15:20:00.001Z

Out now on apollolaan

A day out in Glastonbury

2010-02-20T19:09:00.001Z

Astral Social Club - Metal Oblation

2010-02-12T16:53:00.003Z

TexlaHoma - Driebergen Zeist

2010-02-12T07:00:00.002Z

TexlaHoma - Driebergen Zeist (SOR32)
CDR - Limited Edition Edition 50 copies £5.00

Tex La Homa is the songwriting and recording project of Matthew Shaw who also makes music with 230 Divisadero with Nick Grey, The Blue Tree with Andrew Paine, Fougou with Brian Lavelle, Cat Lady with Michael Tanner and Grand Feast of the Dead with Mark Fry.

Matthew also runs the label apollolaan recordings, releasing music by Kawabata Makoto, White Hills, The A Band, Andrew Paine, Plastic Crimewave, Plinth, Brian Lavelle, Directorsound & many others.

Recorded between December 2009 - January 2010 Texlahoma's 'Driebergen-Zeist' offers the listener a perfect distillation on a corner of a season - a valediction on mindfulness:

"Snow turned to ice, followed by Fresh snow. Ponds turned to ice,
children skating. Old years eve, fireworks, and a new dawn, a new
year, a new decade. A Birthday celebration, family, friend and
good times. A warning, a test warning, only to be used if something
really terrible happens…..but for now calm almost complete
silence, just the faint sound of accordion, children’s toys and wind
chimes. The birds and red squirrels searching for food in the
forest and gardens, a beautiful clear sky and the sound of
laughter. Then the train to the airport, and onwards to home."

Driebergen-Zeist is now available for pre-order and will start shipping on 12 February 2010. The CDR release costs 5GBP.

POSTAGE & PAYPAL INFORMATION - CDRS - In the UK, please add 50p towards p&p for one disc, £1 for 2 or more. Outside the UK, please add £1 towards p&p for one disc, £2 for 2 or more. Paypal is preferred - the address is sonicoysterrecords (at) yahoo (dot) co (dot) uk. This is also the address if you wish to make contact for any other reason.

230 Divisadero - The Silent Watcher

2010-01-19T17:33:00.001Z

apollolaan

Driebergen-Zeist at the turn of the year.

2010-01-16T10:58:00.002Z

White Pee - Wing Off A Plane

2010-01-10T13:57:00.003Z

apollolaan

Happy Solstice from Badbury Rings

2009-12-21T09:36:00.002Z

psychedelic skies at Beech avenue

2009-12-13T22:08:00.003Z

One morning in December...

2009-12-09T12:50:00.002Z

Cat Protection League album

2009-11-25T16:03:00.002Z

'The Continuing Saga of the Visiting Kitten' is a joint release from Sonic Oyster Records and Dust... Unsettled.
Strictly limited edition of 100

The CD features new unreleased work by Richard Youngs, ILK, Brian Lavelle, Alistair Crosbie, Tex La Homa and Andrew Paine.

All sales will go directly to the ...Cat Protection League. We want to give the kittens a good Xmas.

Pre-Orders are now being taken. The cost of the CD is £5.00 plus £1.00 p&p (UK) and £2.00 (everywhere else).
Payment can be made on paypal sonicoysterrecords (at) yahoo (dot) co (dot) uk or brian (at) dust-unsettled (dot) com

Please specify the name of the album in the order.

We aim to ship the CD from the 7th December.
Please share this post - help the kittens!!!

The Blue Tree Out Now!

2009-11-22T21:54:00.002Z

The Blue Tree - s/t is out Now on Blackest Rainbow

Plastic Crimewave - Fire in the Whole

2009-11-13T20:15:00.003Z

Plastic Crimewave - Fire in the Whole out now at apollolaan

Beech avenue in morning mist

2009-11-10T21:31:00.002Z

Union St. Station

2009-11-04T10:43:00.003Z

Swans and a Heron

2009-10-29T08:49:00.002Z

Bang the Bore III

2009-10-26T10:48:00.003Z

I recently went to Band the Bore III in sounthampton.
This is how they described the music in advance...ashtray navigations
legendary and revered, with guitars, tape hiss and sundry knick knacks combining to form noisy, droning, dark and shiny psychedelia in its truest sense. one of the backbones of the uk underground for nearly twenty years with countless albums to their name.
www.myspace.com/ashtraynavigations

gokkun
no-input mixing board noise artist from bulgaria. piercing treble skree and low end hell. possibly the sound of a machine's brain
www.myspace.com/gokkuchan

mindfuckingboy vs kissmet
noise all the way from singapore. churn, fizzle, whine. the early earache discography being fed thru a regiment of distortion pedals.
www.myspace.com/mindfuckingboy

magical parents
silence, texture and drone from circuit bent electronics, feedback and processed guitar. Seth and Dan from Hunting Lodge aim to insult the memory of morton feldman.

duncan harrison & littlecreature
tape splurge drone and clang. vocal scrape trapped in a blanket of decay. billowing sheets of hum. in a shed.
www.myspace.com/duncanharrisonspace www.myspace.com/littlecreature

the owl headed killers
inbred bass and drums duo from deep in the new forest. doom laden bass and ultra drum pummel, plus amps amps amps amps amps amps amps amps amps amps amps
www.myspace.com/theowlheadedkillers

"Avalonian" by Brain Lavelle

2009-10-17T09:43:00.005Z

Available now from apollolaan

Astral Social Club at the Vortex

2009-10-14T09:10:00.002Z

Richard Youngs & Heather Leigh Murray

2009-10-13T19:20:00.003Z

Richard Youngs & Heather Leigh Murray Live at the Vortex

The Zero Map

2009-10-07T14:49:00.004Z

The Zero Map "Found on the Streets" out now on apollolaan

Still Light "Lything"

2009-09-29T10:55:00.002Z

Out now from apollolaan

News From Tili

2009-09-27T16:06:00.003Z

Lethbridge

2009-09-26T18:59:00.002Z

Morris Dancing in Sturminster Newton

2009-09-20T20:03:00.002Z

Punch & Judy

2009-09-19T12:53:00.002Z

New Terracope reviews...

2009-09-18T21:42:00.000Z

Oldman is a solo project by Charles Oldman (a.k.a. Charles Eric Charrier) plus additional musicians. Here is his new release, ‘Stay Gold’ on Apollolaan Records, a very limited hand-made release with a beautiful vinyl cut print cover. Seven long tracks between 6 and 15 minutes giving us more than one hour of music. The slow, dark-moods, and this kind of minimalistic piecebrings you to the eternal and more and more un-interesting question of what kind of genre it is. As with so many interesting musicians and bands it’s a genre of its own. Mainly built by some simple, but attractive bass-lines and drums, sometimes guitars, sometimes electronics and samples. Sometimes the beat stops, as in ‘ep’, and we get a soft, tense drone spiced with small electronic sounds, ending with the chord of an organ. Ambient spheres. Sunn O))) meets Cluster? Or maybe a little bit of Tah Mahal Travellers. The album has a rough and alert sound-picture I really like, a live-feeling.

Apollolaan Records has no web, but music can be ordered through their blog.

www.apollolaan.blogspot.com

Free form boogie blues, the Portsmouth Symphonia of rock? Call it whatever you want, here we have Chicago based Folk & Violence’ new release ‘Wolf Blues’. , a seven-headed monster of weirdness and joy. The albums only piece lasts for 30 minutes and brings you into various fields of AMM-like improvisation and free form expression,s taking off with blues inspired by Howlin’ Wolf (and of course the band’s singer is Little Howlin’ Wolf, a man with legendary street musician status in Chicago). It’s lo-fi, it’s live, it’s mad and beautiful.

This is another very limited handmade release from no-web label Apollolaan Records.

More Photos by Julian Hickman

2009-09-12T11:37:00.002Z

Photos by Julian Hickman

2009-08-31T12:02:00.003Z

Robin & I, Comic Book Style

2009-08-30T12:35:00.004Z

Book Of Shadows

2009-08-27T15:58:00.001Z

Out now on apollolaan

Wiliam Barnes statue, Dorchester

2009-08-24T08:16:00.002Z

Church at Blandford Forum

2009-08-21T16:35:00.003Z

Thomas Hardy's Grave at Stinsford Church

2009-08-18T17:33:00.002Z

Thomas Hardy Statue, Dorchester

2009-08-17T09:14:00.002Z

Maumbury Rings

2009-08-16T21:02:00.003Z

John Cowper Powys lived here...

2009-08-15T10:43:00.002Z

A band artwork and tape

2009-08-14T17:53:00.004Z

if just today were to be my entire life

Seatown

præ - A self published book of photographs

Fluid - Radio review Lanreath

Julian Cope live in Bournemouth 2011

Norman Records review "Lanreath"

Matthew ShawLanreath

Matthew Shaw - Lanreath

More footage from "synchronized international event FUKUSHIMA!" at the Nine Stones of Winterbourne Abbas in Dorset

New from Apollolaan....Ashtray Navigations & Hakobune

La Fête - trailer

Poject Fukushima!

Mowing

Look Busy

Mug & Book

"Destination Aleph Naught" compilation

Listen to The Etheric Double

Norman Records review "Goetheanum"

David Keenan reviews "Goetheanum" on Volcanic Tongue website

Matthew Shaw - The Etheric Double

No One Is Illegal

Matthew Shaw - Goetheanum

Maurice In The Morning Sun

Matthew Shaw "Barnoldswick Sunday"

Uncut review by Atlas of Hearts by Richard Youngs

Uncut review The Four Zoas by Matthew Shaw

Our Love Will Destroy The World this Thursday

Apollolaan Soundcloud mix five

David Keenan reviews "Atlas of Hearts" on Volcanic Tongue website

Norman Records review "Atlas of Hearts"

Richard YoungsAtlas of Hearts

Seatown January 2011

Richard Youngs "What Day is this Day"

Atlas of Hearts by Richard Youngs

"Haze I" by Richard Youngs

Dead Wood / Matthew Shaw - Shottsford Forum

"Urthona" from The Four Zoas

Space Weather - The Weather's Maiden

Carol Anne McGowan - Songs from the Cellar

United Bible Studies - The Gascoigne Observatory

Metherell Review

G L E A M I N G - Orgonon

Metherell

Hunebedden in Nederland

Alistair Crosbie - The Sleeping Grass

Apollolaan Soundcloud mix four

Excerpts from "Whale Heart, Whale Heart"

Apollolaan Soundcloud mix three

Apollolaan Soundcloud mix two

Stormhat - Kabine

Apollolaan Soundcloud mix one

Book of Shadows - Chichen Itza

Andreas Brandal - Sunken Gardens

The Driftood Manor - Found Photographs of Ancestors

Terrascope review tex la homa

Cheer - Future Overtones

Peter Delaney - Live in Amsterdam

Black Tempest - proxima

Stormhat - From The Moat

Susan Matthews & Clutter - Silence Alight

Fougou 'Reversed Dreams of This Nature"

The Boleigh Working

Forthcoming gig...

Spaceship

Norman Records review Tex La Homa

Driebergen-Zeist, by Tex La Homa (CD on Sonic Oyster)

What you say about Driebergen-Zeist, by Tex La Homa

What we say about Driebergen-Zeist, by Tex La Homa

Gish/Perry

A day out in Glastonbury

Astral Social Club - Metal Oblation

TexlaHoma - Driebergen Zeist

230 Divisadero - The Silent Watcher

Driebergen-Zeist at the turn of the year.

White Pee - Wing Off A Plane

Happy Solstice from Badbury Rings

psychedelic skies at Beech avenue

One morning in December...

Cat Protection League album

The Blue Tree Out Now!

Matthew Shaw
Lanreath

Richard Youngs
Atlas of Hearts