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Transparent Sound suffered a massive blow when the record distributer for The Two Headed Monster (Intergroove) went bankrupt towards the end of 2006.
Much time, effort, and money had been put into the project, and there were many fragmented pieces to be be put back together. Orson Records were unable to release any further projects, and to make things worse, all stock of the back catalogues were lost.
Orson and Martin carried on gigging for a while, determined not to let themselves be brought down by the whole mess, but the day before Bloc 2008, as the duo were preparing their live set, Martin collapsed, and had to be taken for an emergency operation to save his life. He decided to stop working for a while, and during his convalescence, Orson decided to go to Los Angeles for a three week holiday.
Upon his return, a year and a half later!, he had played numerous gigs, including the Burning Man Festival, and written a solo album, Inverted Snobbery. The Album draws on his day to day experiences and inspiration from the people that he met and the places that he went to whilst living in California. and Inverted Snobbery is a complete change in direction and style for Orson, incorperating live field recordings from around LA. Its available to download from all major sites from September.
Martin has now made a full recovery, thanks to an electronic gadget which was inserted into his chest, and he and Orson have been working on a couple of tunes, and should be playing a few gigs again in the near future. A compilation of some of the best Transparent Sound releases will be forthcoming, and will feature an illustrated biography of some of the maddest moments from Transparent Sounds colourful past. The book will be illustrated by Andrew Rae, who has had a long connection with the guys. You can have a look some of his work at http://www.andrewrae.org.uk
Following the acclaimed "Cider Club EP" and The "Transparent Sound Remixes" Ep that has been blowing up dance floors around the world, Transparent Sound rework the classic Jaws theme tune into an acid house frenzy that will send shivers down the spine of even the tuffest lovers of the 303....
Meanwhile Orson has been busy in LA for the last couple of years , getting ready to re-launch the incredible Orson Records and also his brand new imprint - Label of Love. This new label is a collection of lots different styles, electronic music, and artists that have influenced Orson on his travels.
Both labels have strong releases lined up, with a release from Transparent Sound themselves doing the rework of the classic Jaws theme as well as working on their Illustrated Biograghy album with Andrew Rae towards the end of the year, the Biography will come in the formats of a Book, CD and DVD and a very limited edition signed Vinyl, Book and DVD set which will contain some of the best releases as well as new and exclusive material by the guys.
Orson Records is set to re-release the best of Transparent Sound back catalogue as well as re-releasing Point B's remix of the classic Freaks Frequency. The track has been re-edited into a DJ friendly version by the TS boys and is due for release as one sided 10" limited edition coloured and etched vinyl. plus other releases from Splatinum, Ben Samples, Fine Cut Bodies, Stylusbeats, Radioactive Man, Orson Bramley, Empty Orchestra and Two Dollar Hooker. Orson has been working with South London based band Two Dollar Hooker and has just completed the Breath So Near rework along side Orson Records artists Point B and Fine Cut Bodies. Its available on digital and vinyl release now.
THE TWO HEADED MONSTERThe Transparent Sound Recordings imprint championed the electro-funk beats of the late Nineties, their latest label Orson Records is a similar vehicle for todays experimental, electronic club sounds. And now with The Two Headed Monster they are pairing together Orson artists with like-minded, visionary producers and DJs for a wonderfully open minded snapshot of the music making clubbing in 2006 so life-affirmingly vital again.
In the clubs you're seeing an interaction between live acts and DJs, and the DJs themselves, by using laptops and programs like Traktor, Ableton and Final Scratch, are bringing in new technological elements to their sets, comments Transparent Sound's Orson Bramley on one of the key concepts behind the series. The Two Headed Monster is about trying to show the differences and similarities - between these things.
For the debut release in this series, Transparent Sound have hooked up with Fabric resident and long-time champion of cutting-edge, underground dance music, Craig Richards. Both artists have a musical admiration for one another that has grown dramatically over the last year.
I've got an interest in electro and more recently they've been making music which is deeper, groovier and more four-four based as opposed to the electro they used to do. So I guess we've both become a lot closer together in what we do" says Richards of his involvement. I put out one of their records last year, I play their stuff and we have a mutual respect for one-another, so it seemed like a good idea to work on something together.
Their contributions to the debut release for this project show how the boundaries are increasingly becoming blurred between sounds, styles and reference points: without less fickle media endlessly pigeonholing genres into safe, sanitised little boxes, each exclusive from the other, dance music has been given a new lease of life. And its all here.
Transparent Sound have put together a live studio mix that draws on the many weird and wonderful styles of music that are influencing their productions. From the driving bass assaults of Vintage and Proper Techno through to the more delicate, intricate rhythms of Variations Of An Attitude and Voyeur's Chance ,right through to the sublime Hell Bent and The Cider Club, its an engaging, melodic and dynamic set of tracks that although diverse, remain fluid and coherent throughout.
Craig's DJ mix, his first to be released in two years, is a deep, hypnotic collection of current favourites and rediscovered gems that never once takes its eye off of the dancefloor. Many of the tracks he's edited himself, and as well as this he's added a load of his own FX. Craig says "Its quite bouncy and groovy, and is probably closer to the first mix I did for the Fabric series than the Tyrant one from a couple of years ago. I tried to keep it moving around as much as possible, messing around with the tunes and sneaking in things that people wouldn't always expect."
The end result is a thrilling Trans Europe Express-way ride through the EUs most daring discotheques and illicit after-parties, and it makes for a devastating trip.
Orson Records was launched by Transparent Sound's Orson Bramley in 2003 as a means of showcasing new, undiscovered producers and acts as well as their own increasingly less straight-up electro tracks. With a growing catalogue of releases from Glasgow's Espion, The Artificial Arm (whose Welcome To Planet Funk was a highlight of the 2005 Pile-Up compilation, mixed be Belgium's Geoffroy and released on his Hi-Phen imprint), Point B and Transparent Sound themselves, the label is shaping up to be one of the UK's leading purveyors of modern electronic music for dancing
Words: Jason Riley
The Album is available now! If you've been unable to get a copy in your local record shop, go to the Exceptional Records web site, where you can buy it at the online shop. www.exceptionalrecords.co.uk
Sadly, the drawing competition has now closed. We'd like to thank every one who contributed, and made us laugh! View the winning entries here!