Cerysmatic.Factory

Steve Martland Bursary Fund

2017-06-24T08:00:00.000+01:00

Sound and Music has launched a compelling appeal to raise £25,000 by July 2018 in order to create a much-needed bursary fund, in memory of the much-loved composer Steve Martland (1954-2013), offering financial support to young composers attending the annual residential Summer School for Young Composers.

Every year, 75 young composers aged 14-18 from all over the country arrive at the Sound and Music Summer School for a transformational week of music making. They learn from and work alongside a team of world renowned composers, professional musicians and experienced educators in developing their compositional skills, be it in writing for instruments, writing for film, writing for non-European instruments, writing for voice, or writing for a jazz ensemble. This is the only course of its kind in the UK and for many of the young people attending it is a truly life-changing experience.

For music to thrive in the future, there is an urgent need to ensure that the pursuit of music and composition as a profession is available to every young person who has the talent. Every year, at least a third of attendees at the Summer School need some level of bursary to be able to attend and in 2015 the idea of creating bursaries specifically in memory of Steve Martland was conceived, from which the current appeal has been born.

Steve's words feel more than ever relevant now: "Creativity is everything that is against what's going on in the world right now. It's to do with tolerance and understanding other people. With more creativity we wouldn't have these conflicts we're having. I know that's very idealistic, but if I didn't believe that I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing. It's about seeing the differences between people and celebrating them. That's what all music is about for me."

An exceptionally generous donation of £9,000 from Steve's publisher and friend Sally Groves, made in memory of her husband of Dennis Marks, has kick-started the appeal. Other supporters are now being sought to make the fund a reality.

The actual cost per pupil of attendance at the Summer School is £1,200, and the fee to parents (without a bursary) is £450. Donations received will go directly towards assisting young people to attend, and a fund of £25,000 means that Sound and Music can ensure the future of the Summer School’s ability to offer bursaries whenever they are needed.

More details and the facility to make a donation are available via soundandmusic.org.

Alan Goes To Moscow

2017-05-30T08:00:00.000+01:00

Here's a transcript of a full and frank letter from Alan Erasmus to his contact "Yuri" ahead of his trip to the USSR which was famously commemorated by the FAC 126 poster 'Alan Goes To Moscow'. It it is quite unusual in that its stated aim is to "... explain more fully Factory's philosophy, and methods to present our art and ideas into a morally corrupt market place."

"Sunday 9th September 1984

Greetings Yuri

My apologies for the slight delay, but here is the letter you asked me to send you, outlining (briefly) the areas for discussion on my visit to Moscow (23rd to 26th October).

1. To discuss the feasibility of the importing, and/or license, of Soviet cultural achievements in the areas of:-

a) Contemporary Music
b) Film
c) Classical Music
d) Video Recording

2/ To hold talks with regard to, (though not necessarily on a reciprocal basis) the licensing, and/or import, of Factory (F.C.L) productions to the U.S.S.R. in the areas of:

a) Contemporary Music
b) Film
c) Video Recording

During these discussions I will explain more fully Factory's philosophy, and methods to present our art and ideas into a morally corrupt market place. In the west we are treated with a grudging respect, (the Americans admire our honesty and commitment, but find it difficult to relate to, or deal with, what they call "A Marxist Communications Company") but they cannot understand how we continue to remain successful, (2 to 3 million pounds per annum, rising, and yet, do not advertise (no hard sell, or promotion), divide equally the profits (Factory's share is used to finance the making of more films and music, or to fund socialistically aware projects, and has no written agreement, or contracts with the workers it represents (for years we have trusted the people we work for and they have trusted us).

I sincerely hope it is possible to arrange the appropriate meetings during my visit to your country, and look forward with enthusiasm, to my stay in Moscow, and your reply.

Contra Mundi

Alan Erasmus"

A flavour of the label

2017-05-26T12:11:00.000+01:00

Factory was highly noted for the quality of its graphic design which featured on everything from badges to posters to the records themselves. Once you got past the outer sleeve of a record it didn't stop there though as these 12" and LP labels prove. Central Station's loud and brash design for Happy Mondays is in complete contrast with the Factory Classical branding developed by Peter Saville, Brett Wickens and others.

Central Station showed another side to their talents with the bright and bold FAC 228 for Karl Denver.

Meanwhile, the FAC 257 Getting Away With It label by Peter Saville Associates for Electronic retains only the typography from the sleeve artwork in a minimalist approach.

Duke Quartet: Hunting:Gathering

2014-08-20T19:52:00.000+01:00

Early heads-up for an exciting new season at Kings Place in London for fans of minimalist music. The 'Minimalism Unwrapped' season in Spring 2015 which will feature Steve Reich and also ex-Factory Classicalists The Duke Quartet playing Gavin Bryars, Max Richter and Kevin Volans.

Hunting:Gathering is in Hall One on Friday 22 May 2015 with tickets available now priced 9.50-29.50 GBP (including non-reserved Online Savers at the lowest price band) via kingsplace.co.uk.

Full programme

Gavin Bryars String Quartet No. 2 (1990)
Max Richter Infra 8 (2010)
Kevin Volans String Quartet No. 2 Hunting:Gathering (1987)

Steve Martland 1959-2013

2013-06-19T20:42:00.000+01:00

In celebration of the life of Steve Martland who sadly passed away on 6 May 2013 we present a full transcript of the Factory Classical promotional sheet for Steve which contains a mini-biography, a short piece by long-time collaborator Stevan Keane, Martland's own musings on Wolfgang and "The Critics" (plus a resumé of his output for the Factory Classical label).

Steve Martland

Steve Martland studied composition with Louis Andriessen in Holland and Gunter Schulier in the United States. His refusal to conform to the received stereotype of what a composer should be, and Martland's inclination to regard cameras as an invitation to strip, have raised more than eyebrows among classical critics. Similarly, his strong political views and outspoken criticisms of the British musical establishment hove made him a controversial figure.

Rejecting classical institutions (Martland has described the symphony orchestra as a mausoleum), he has chosen to work with such diverse artists as the post-punk band Test Department; the British jazz orchestra Loose Tubes; the Dutch street orchestra do Voiharding; the experimental Maarten Altena Ensemble and the ex-Communards singer Sarah Jane Morris, for whom Martland wrote the song cycle Glad Day. (Glad Day is available on CD single format by Factory Classical, Facd 306).

Drill, a work featured with Babi Yar on Martland's first recording for Factory Records (Facd 266), was choreographed by Graeme Murphy for the dance work Soft Bruising. It received its premiere at the Sydney Opera House. True Colour, an evening of dance and computer graphic art choreographed to Martland's music, toured Holland to great acclaim. His Re-mix won an international award after being choreographed by Aletta Collins for the BBC Dance House series. it follows the success of the Channel 4 commission Cult, a dance video filmed at Manchester's Hacienda club and screened In September last year. Other television projects have included the BBC commissioned Albion which, directed by Peter West, is a sustained attack on the cultural and social legacy of Thatcherism. Like Glad Day, and the video theatre work Terra Firma, Albion was the result of a collaboration with the writer Stevan Keane.

Steve Martland is a body builder.

Crossing The Border

The first recording of Martland's astonishing new composition for twenty-six strings, Crossing The Border was premiered on October 10th 1991 by the Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra In Gdansk, conducted by the composer.This album includes four other Martland compositions made available for the first time; Principia, American Invention, Re-mix and Shoulder To Shoulder.

The use of procedures found in earlier music, for example, the Baroque orchestration principle of instrumental families remaining in fixed groups, the medieval feature of repetition of melodic and rhythmic material, the locket techniques, the canonic and strict contrapuntal writing, the playing 'on' tonality, the rhythmic drive, and a preference for instruments and an attitude to performance outside the classical tradition, are all features common to the music on this recording. Anti-romanticism in concert with a self-conscious rejection of traditional classical ensembles is at the heart of the composer's musical/political stance.

Popular forms of music certaInly have an influence on his work. Witness the simple verse chorus structure of Principia. Without imitating — and thereby eviscerating — jazz Itself, jazz (and pop) instruments are used simply for their sound quality. This music demands hair-raising rhythmic accuracy, the capacity to count irregular meters, the ability to play in unison, and, not least, the stamina to sustain an almost constant loud dynamic. It Is therefore no accident that Re-mix, Principia and Shoulder To Shoulder were originally written for radical Dutch ensembles. That these ensembles prefer to perform in venues other than concert halls is in keeping with the composer's own desire to extend the audience beyond a privileged elite.

Compositionally the string orchestra piece Crossing The Border is a response to the Chaconne In D Minor for Solo Violin by Bach, one feature of which is a constant acceleration of rhythmic activity over a steady pulse. The title Crossing The Border, however, reflects a preoccupation with the social function of the artist. For Steve Martland, all stages of composition— production, reproduction and consumption—are as political as they are inextricably entwined. His ideal: to make the world a better place.

© Stevan Keane, London, February 1992.

Wolfgang

The Steve Martland Band perform Mozart's Serenade in C Minor K388, Serenade in E-fIat Major K375, and Martland's distinctive arrangements of six arias from Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute, and The Marriage of Figaro. in the 18th century life for a jobbing musician was as financially viable as it is now. To supplement their lamentable incomes, orchestral players would often form 'Harmonie' (wind) bands. Like human juke boxes, they'd perform operatic hits outside taverns and at court dinners. With arrangements by contemporaries of Mozart, such as Joseph Tribensee and Johann Wendt, they played some of the best music ever written to an audience that would otherwise never have heard it.

Wolfgang is my attempt to do the same thing, but having looked at Tribensee and Wendt's adaptations I realised they now had nothing to offer. Wind players I spoke to agreed so I made my own arrangements of six arias from three Mozart operas. In the circumstances it seemed irrelevant to be faithful to the original instrumentation. Consequently, each aria employs a different combination of eight instruments Including cor anglals, bass clarinet and soprano saxophone.

I hadn't actually heard half the numbers so I made piano reductions of the full scores and then re-scored the material for the band. Simple string parts found themselves becoming fiendishly difficult bass clarinet parts and the original vocal parts were often split between several instruments. The stratospherically high horn parts in the first aria of the recording — La ci darem la mano — would have been unheard of in Mozart's day. But all in all, with not a single note changed or excluded, the Mozart style is maintained.

Steve Martland. London, February 1992

The critics

'He looks like a construction worker—but isn't. He could be a nightclub bruiser, until you speak to him. He might be in a band named Incendiary Devices or Waspish Malefactors, yet he's not. Martland is a classical composer.'

A girl having a sexual fantasy

'Martland has become champion for a new generation of composers out to change the classical world.' The Scotsman

'A major talent.' The Guardian

The catalogue...

'The coupling of works by Martland for orchestra and for two pianos must be one of the strongest New Music records of the decades'

The Independent (on Babi Yar/Drill)

'... the most exciting two piano work since Messiaen's Vision de L'Amen.'

Q magazine on Drill

'One of the most gripping works the post- minimalist aesthetic has produced.'

New York Village Voice on Drill

'Someone should Drill a large hole and bury Steve Martland and his so-called music now to save posterity the troubl& Letter to Classic CD

Factory

Babi Yar/Drill; A Factory Classical Album, Compact Disc and Cassette; Fact 266, Facd 266 and Fact 266c. Glad Day: A Factory CIasscal Compact Disc Single; Facd 306.

Crossing The Border

A Factory Classical Compact Disc and Cassette; Facd 366 and Fact 366c.

Wolfgang: A Factory Classical compact Disc and Cassette; Facd 406 and Fact 406c.

--

With thanks to Mark @ The Record Peddler for the Martland info sheet

FAC 318 Classics in Motion T-Shirt

2013-05-25T23:48:00.000+01:00

FAC 318 was allocated to the "Classics in Motion" Classical showcase event (featuring I Fagiolini, Rolf Hind, Graham Fitkin, Red Byrd, Steve Martland and The Durutti Column) to launch the second wave of Factory Classical CD releases (FACT 316, 326, 336, 346 and 356) at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London on 29-31 October 1990.

FAC 318 was also issued to a 'Classics in Motion' T-shirt (in grey with black/yellow graphics), a poster and a leaflet; all with related graphics and "FAC 318" on them.

However, in typical Factory fashion, FAC 318 was ALSO later issued to the FAC 318 Flying Start exhibition stand...

Steve Martland

2013-05-07T17:59:00.000+01:00

It is with sadness that we report the death of Steve Martland, the composer and instrumentalist who recorded for Factory Classical.

Please see BBC News for full details.

Shakespeare: The Sonnets

2012-04-04T20:06:00.000+01:00

Robert Hollingworth, the Gramophone award-winning director of ex-Factory Classical ensemble I Fagiolini, presents a new collection of musical versions of the sonnets of William Shakespeare.

Out on the birthday of the bard himself - 23 April - these musical pieces were written during the time of Elizabeth I and re-imagined for the 2012 Diamond Jubilee year of Elizabeth II. Shakespeare: The Sonnets was recorded in London over the last 6 months.

The album is played on replicas of period instruments by some of the most highly talented and specialised musicians in the world. The harpsichords, virginals, lutes, harps and theorbos (no, me neither) can be yours for £10-20K (hey, it's cheaper than a Damien Hirst plastic skull!).

Watch a short YouTube video about the making of Shakespeare: The Sonnets.

Tracklisting

1. Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore (Sonnet 60)
2. Against that time - If ever that time come (Sonnet 49)
3. Who will believe my verse in time to come (Sonnet 17)
4. How oft, when thou, my music, music play'st (Sonnet 128)
5. O, never say that I was false of heart (Sonnet 109)
6. Love is too young to know what conscience is (Sonnet 151)
7. No longer mourn for me when I am dead (Sonnet 71)
8. Thou blind fool love (Sonnet 137)
9. Those lines that I before have writ do lie (Sonnet 115)
10. When I do count the clock that tells the time (Sonnet 12)
11. Shall I compare thee to summers day? (Sonnet 18)

More info at ifagiolini.com

Factory (Classical) Music

2008-09-09T08:34:00.000+01:00

Kings Place is the first new concert venue in London since the Barbican. It opens on 1 October and two of Factory Classical's most celebrated alumni are helping to launch proceedings.

John Metcalfe curates Beyond The Loop featuring The Duke Quartet, Max Richter and The John Metcalfe Band. There is a further performance by The Duke Quartet later in the year. Plus, Graham Fitkin (FACT 346 Flak) presents The Multiplier Series of concerts focusing on single instrumental timbres.

Sadly 'Factory Music' on 9 December has nothing whatsoever to do with Factory Records.

More info and how to book at www.kingsplace.co.uk.

--

Metcalfe: Beyond The Loop
Wednesday 1 October
Hall Two
Curated by John Metcalfe

"An extremely rare chance to hear three of the UK's most distinctive and absorbing ensembles and composers in one space. World renowned for their passionate dynamism, the Duke Quartet perform Steve Reich's iconic Different Trains, followed by pianist-composer Max Richter and ensemble playing his hugely powerful and haunting music from the acclaimed CDs Songs from Before and The Blue Notebooks, both on Brighton's seminal label Fat Cat. John Metcalfe's band, featuring outstanding musicians from the electronic scene, produce searing strings and beats coupled with electric intimacy and lush cinematica. Not to be missed."

The Duke Quartet plays Steve Reich's Different Trains
Time: 14:45

Max Richter plays Max Richter
Time: 16:00
[Max Richter, piano Louisa Fuller, violin Natalie Bonner, violin John Metcalfe, viola Chris Worsey, cello Ian Burdge, cello]

The John Metcalfe Band plays John Metcalfe
Time: 17:15

Unfortunately, Beyond The Loop is already sold out but check with the venue for returns.

--

The Multiplier Series
Curated by Graham Fitkin
Tue 28 October and Tue 16 December 2008
Hall Two
8.00pm
Ticket prices from 11.50 GBP

"Composer Graham Fitkin has put together a series of concerts focusing on single instrumental timbres, monochromatic if you like, eschewing necessary orchestration. Whether it's a string quartet, four pianos, two basalt stones or three accordionists, each evening looks at how multiples of similar instruments are a potent musical force."

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London Chamber Music Series
Sun 2 November 2008
The Duke Quartet + Tom Kerstens
Hall One
6.30pm
Tickets 16.50 GBP, Saver Seats 9.50 GBP

"The Duke Quartet is joined by guitarist Tom Kerstens in a concert of bowed and plucked string music. Britten's last quartet is followed by the Quintet by Cuban composer Leo Brouwer. Schubert would have often heard his lieder played on guitar by friends in the private house concerts in Vienna: his famous 'Death and the Maiden' Quartet based on the lied of that name, completes the recital."

I Fagiolini gig

2008-01-03T13:30:00.000+00:00

I Fagiolini, the former-Factory Classical vocal combo, play at Manchester's Royal Northern College of Music on February 19th 2008.

The Renaissance and contemporary solo-voice ensemble, described by RNCM as "early music megastars", will perform their latest programme of 16/17th Century music by Claudio Monteverdi entitled Flaming Heart.

1000 albums to hear before you die - parts 2 & 3

2007-11-20T08:43:00.000+00:00

The Guardian's 1000 albums to hear before you die continues with parts 2 and 3 covering the letters 'D' to 'M'.

The FACts are:

The Durutti Column 'The Return of the Durutti Column' (1978)

"Former punk turned avant-garde jazz-classical guitarist Vini Reilly and veteran jazz drummer Bruce Mitchell were one of music's oddest but most inspired couplings. Their Factory debut combines fragility, melancholy, birdsong and electronic effects to produce soundscapes of breathtaking, fragile beauty."

ESG 'A South Bronx Story' (2000)

"A compilation that shows how three sisters from the Bronx in the early 80s tried to play slick funk but ended up sounding like a wonky African-American version of Joy Division. With congas. It nevertheless sounded hypnotically brilliant, and set the template for every subsequent strand of mutant disco and punk funk."

Happy Mondays 'Bummed' (1988)

"The work of two drug-addled geniuses - frontman Shaun Ryder and Factory Records' resident producer, Martin Hannett - this second Mondays album bettered most of the Madchester explosion it preceded. Bummed is a record of thrillingly raw white-man funk, built on menacing grooves, surefire pop hooks and Ryder's surreal drawls."

James 'Stutter(1986)

"Before Madchester, and before the Horlicks rock of Sit Down became ubiquitous, James were an invigorating prospect: a folk-pop band apparently engaged in a bout of pro-wrestling with their instruments. Their debut album clangs like a grand piano tumbling downstairs - leaving singalong melodies in its wake."

Joy Division 'Closer' (1980)

"The arrival of Joy Division's second album in the aftermath of Ian Curtis's suicide brought with it a shadow of death that disguised Closer's expressions of life: the clattering energy of Atrocity Exhibition, the metallic pop of Isolation and the virtuosity of Curtis's baritone. Still, its final songs, The Eternal and Decades, are untouchable in their manifestations of abject despair."

Magnetic Fields '69 Love Songs' (1999)

"Stephin Merritt's meticulous modernisation of the Great American Songbook is an absurd folly - a giddy explosion of wit, whimsy, inspiration and ambition that is matchless in its achievement. Every imaginable romantic experience is refracted through every imaginable genre of music, with moods and sounds glittering like mirror-ball lights across a disco floor."

--

Special mentions for 808 State's excellent Ex:El (on which Bernard Sumner guests on vocals) and the ground-breaking 'My Life in the Bush of Ghosts' by Brian Eno and David Byrne. Peter Saville designed the cover and he talked about working with Eno on that project in the recent Creative Review blog interview.

The Golden Age of I Fagiolini

2007-09-19T13:57:00.000+01:00

Rian Evans in The Guardian reports on a recent concert by one-time Factory Classical artists I Fagiolini at St George's, Bristol.

Just the fax

2007-05-27T22:13:00.000+01:00

Manchester International Festival Director Alex Poots talks to Matt Keating in Saturday's Money Guardian about five men who have inspired his artistic view, including Tony Wilson.

Alex recalls: "In my spare time I also managed a classical composer who was signed to a classics offshoot of Factory Records (Factory Classical). Prior to my first meeting with the company's founder, Tony Wilson, I'd phoned to say I needed a fax machine to help me work. Tony arrived wearing an Armani suit and trainers, and had a fax machine tucked under his arm for me. Evidently he had just ripped the Factory records machine straight out of the wall.

Tony cut through all the bureaucracy to find out what his artists wanted. In this instance it was just a fax machine, but I learned a lot from him, including how to help artists create an uncluttered area that allows them to work. I also learned his can-do attitude and easy approach to people."

Manchester International Festival 2007

2007-03-20T22:40:00.000+00:00

It's all gearing up for the inaugural Manchester International Festival as a big announcement is made in the MEN regarding the headliners for the event.

They report that "An important 'first' will be screenings of footage of The Sex Pistols and The Buzzcocks at their historic Free Trade Hall gig on July 20, 1976, filmed by music legend Howard Devoto and a friend. The film has never been seen before and documents a show that helped to cement Manchester's place in musical history, influencing the likes of Joy Division, The Smiths, Simply Red and The Fall."

The live bands announced by festival director, Alex Poots (who was once associated with Factory Classical) include Happy Mondays and The Fall.

There's also a big Manchester at MIPIM (big Cannes property bash) brochure which heavily features Peter Saville's Manchester graphic identity paper version of tonight's paper, but nothing is available online.

The Eye of the Fire @ Wigmore Hall, London

2006-12-06T17:41:00.000+00:00

The splendid surroundings of London's Wigmore Hall saw the reuniting of two of the founding fathers of Factory Classical, Rolf Hind and The Duke Quartet for a mixed programme of modern classical music.

The Eye of the Fire Tour, which also takes in Edinburgh tonight and Cardiff tomorrow, was conceived by yoga fan and spnm artistic director Rolf Hind. Hindu mystics believe that through meditation and yoga a "third eye" to a new level of consciousness opens up in the middle of the forehead and it also lends its name to a quite superb piece for piano quintet that concluded last night's performance. There was even a yoga demonstration as a prelude to the evening's musical entertainment.

Each movement was inspired by a different yoga position and also by the personal characteristics of the members of the Quartet. Louisa Fuller led the Dukes who produced some amazing sounds with all parts of their instruments and even whistling. The resulting music was reminiscent at times of the closing piece on Brian Eno's 'Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks' and even Talk Talk's 'Spirit of Eden'.

In his programme notes, Hind thanked "maverick impresario" Tony Wilson for getting his recording career started. Indeed it was Factory Classical artistic director John Metcalfe who brought the young Rolf Hind to the attention of AHW when the label was getting off the ground. Hind laments the passing of Factory Classical and notes that it wasn't until two years ago in Bromsgrove the he and the Dukes would actually play together (by some coincidence, when they did, it was for the premiere of 'The Eye of the Fire'.

Earlier on there were world premieres for new works by Naomi Pinnock, Shiori Usui and Philip Venables. During Usui's 'Liya-pyuwa, for piano quintet', Rolf Hind displayed his virtuosity by hitting and plucking various parts right inside the guts of the instrument. The mirrored lid craftily provided us with a view of proceedings. I would like to see the musical notation for those manoeuvres!

The concert was recorded for Radio 3's Hear and Now and will be broadcast on 24 February 2007.

The Return of Monteverdi

2006-11-24T14:06:00.000+00:00

In a bumper week for fans of Monteverdi there are three different releases featuring the work of the composer. I Fagiolini, the one-time Factory Classical artists under director Robert Hollingsworth, bring us 'Flaming Heart' (Chandos) which gets four stars and a favourable review by Andrew Clements in the Guardian. Irked purists might argue that this is not "their first Monteverdi disc" as this title belongs to Facd 316 'The Art of Monteverdi'.

Where are they now file

2006-10-08T12:00:00.000+01:00

When invited to guest edit cerysmatic I hit on the idea of proactively contacting various ex-Factory people - both obscure and well-known - to find out what they are up to nowadays and to ask a few questions. I thought it would make a nice feature - a one-per-day 'where are they now file'. So popular was this idea that nobody replied to any of my emails.

Except one person: A heavily jet-lagged Hooky, in between dj-ing and touring, replied at 4am Friday morning.

Cheers H - trooper as ever! If this guilt-trips other interviewees into replying I will pass them on to John for publication. Otherwise, adios, and I leave you with news of another set of bloody cassette tapes...

M: What are you up to nowadays?
H: DJing, playing in the group occasionally, writing the hacienda book, doing my first mix cd as a dj, quite a lot really. Then tryin to juggle that with looking after my family.

M: How different is stockbroker belt to Moston?
H: I don't think you have to ask that do you? It's nicer surroundings. I suppose the nice thing about success is you can give yourself more space. People aren't as near you so hence don't bug you as much. It's a lovely place to live but my mates wont eat round here. 5 quid for fish and chips!

M: Best Factory moment?
H: Release of Unknown Pleasures.

M: Worst?
H: Never being accounted to for any record sales.

M: I hear you're doing some of the soundtrack to 'Control', but you're not doing covers. Are you looking at something similar to the Peter Saville soundtrack?
H: Yes.

M: I was recently played a bit of Joy Division with someone playing sax. Was that you (there was no bass playing at the time)?
H: Send me a copy of that - maybe the bastards were tryin to get rid of me!

M: Have you got the Lavolta Lakota master tapes?
H: No master tapes but I have the master cassettes. Do you want them?

M: Do I owe you any money for them?
H: Thousands.

M: Mars Bars?
H: Yes. The small ones are better and I have great fondness after using b.m. for the advert!

M: Any plans to do anything with the Hacienda Classics website?
H: Not at the moment i've not got the time.

M: Finally, Factory Classical. Any regrets?
H: Add it to the list: the factory boat, the factory car, the factory buildings, ikon, all the foreign factorys: benelux, usa, zimbabwe, australia, poland, they all lost thousands!

But the most important thing is we're still here!

Peace an love hooky.

Ditto moist.

Steve Martland / Endymion live @ Purcell Room

2006-07-07T14:07:00.000+01:00

On Wednesday, former Factory Classical mainstay Steve Martland played a rare UK concert at the Purcell Room (aka "the tomb" (c) Martland 2006) on London's South Bank. He was conducting the Endymion collective through a programme of original Martland and other pieces.

The small stage was filled with which he described as a "tomb" later) with grand piano, marimba, drums, electric bass, electric guitar, violin, trumpet, bugle, trombone, and 3 (count 'em) saxophonists.

Programme highlights included "Kick", originally written for Euro 96 (no idea why that was included ;-) though Martland made a cheeky comment that he was glad England didn't make it to the semi-final because there would've been a bit of divided loyalty from the audience, not least from your correspondent) and "Beating The Retreat", written as a response to the Criminal Justice repetitive beats legislation and commissioned by the BBC.

Martland does not play, preferring to compose for others. He also conducts in a rather athletic, dancing style. Indeed, during the talk which followed afterwards (unbilled, except for in th programme) it came out that he plays the piano badly and is a frustrated dancer. Apparently, he had wanted to become a dancer as a boy but, Billy Elliott-style, he wasn't allowed to by his dad(!).

From the beginning, the talk took on some quite serious overtones, touching as it did on death and life (in that order I think). Martland, now an Italian resident, bemoaned the UK's classical music establishment and explained why pop musicians should never be allowed to receive government subsidies (and why he's never got any either!).

And so may it remain...

DAT's all folks!

2004-11-11T20:43:00.000+00:00

The first commercially available DAT releases were released by Factory Records - Fact 204d The Guitar And Other Machines by the The Durutti Column (also available on LP, cassette, CD, VHS video, CDV and 5-inch CD single) and Fact 200d Substance by New Order. Factory Records explains its fondness of shiny new DAT technology in this Q Magazine article (c. 1988)

"We find the British record industry's negative attitude to DAT release ludicrous and counter-productive," they say. "

1) The dangers of copying will only be fought off by a continuing attention to the fetishism of the artefact: the desire of the fan to possess not just a piece of music but a piece of the artist, by the purchase of the official item. Concentration on design, packaging, and the artist's role in this set of product imagery will inevitably render copying a minor irritation. Clearly, not to release on DAT will make DAT copying more - rather than less attractive, which is why we find the rest of the industry's Luddism so insupportable. The role of the artefact is clearly reflected in pre-orders for the new Durutti Column DAT of 1,000 together with CDV orders of 1,500, both figures way in excess of the number of machines that exist in the country.

2) Technology is a moveable feast. The unmatched sampling between CD and DAT, the imminent digitisation of Copycode and the development of one-copy systems will soothe all tears by the end of the year.

And 3) Quite simply, you deal with Digital Audio Tape by using Digital Audio Tape not by slicking your head in the bureaucratic sand of the BPI."

Read the full article here.

... those Factory DATs in full

Fact 200d Substance by New Order
Fact 204d The Guitar and Other Machines by The Durutti Column
Fact 220d Bummed by Happy Mondays
Fact 244d Vini Reilly by The Durutti Column
Fact 250d Substance by Joy Division
Fact 275d Technique by New Order

Factory Classical DATs were scheduled for release but there is no evidence that any were issued commercially.

Undone

2004-10-11T23:59:00.000+01:00

Many Factory projects were unfinished or unreleased (more on those to come) but some simply never got off the ground:

Fac 20 A Certain Ratio Too Young to Know, Too Wild to Care: A film, never made, which was to feature most of the Factory roster, but mainly A Certain Ratio and The Distractions attempting various forms of terrorism around Manchester, kidnapping Ian Curtis and blowing up Joy Division. (Soundtrack was to be by The Durutti Column). Shareholder's statement: "The film has become a video...has become a series of surrealistic sketches. Will change again. No date No time."

Fac 27 Sex Machine Alternative Sleeve: An alternative sleeve for Fac 17, but never issued/completed. This was an abandoned project for an alternative sleeve for Fac 17, but it was never printed. Fac 159 (Tim Difford's Fac Facts Booklet) states 'Cancelled Saville/Gretton revenge programme project for alternative FAC 17 sleeve. £200.00'. The Factory Shareholder's statement says: "£500.00. Rob's got it. Cancelled Saville revenge project for alternate Fac 17 sleeve."

Fac 101 (Tony Wilson's) Lofts: the visionary developer AHW's aborted plan to convert disused warehouses into loft apartments.

Fac 109 Caroline Lavelle Untitled: an unreleased 12" single. Caroline says: "I remember doing the Durutti Column and another few things for Factory and although I did undertake to do some recording under my own name I don't think anything came of it."

Fact 181 Bailey Brothers Mad Fuckers!: possibly the greatest unrealised project rumbled on from 1987 to 1992 and would have been a "youth exploitation" movie. Tony Wilson went to Hollywood to try to raise money for its projected £2.5m budget, an event which itself was Fac 221.

Fac 211 'Book of Ideas': mentioned in the Fact 400 Palatine booklet but never realised. Number also allocated to the Wired Joy Division documentary film.

Fac 237 New Order Here Are the Old Men: unreleased video concept whose proposed title plays on the title of the Fact 37 video by Joy Division.

Fact 254 Durutti Column Guitar One - House and Fact 264 Durutti Column Guitar Two - Acoustic: unreleased Durutti Column projects, presumably in the styles hinted at in the titles.

Fac 270 Various Artists Our Dance Days: a planned 1990 release to consist of Marcel King, 52nd Street, Section 25, and Quando Quango "House remixes" organised by Mike Pickering. The long lost never realised Factory Dance project in essence.

Fac 301 'First 50': a book to have been written by Ikon's Tim Chambers about the first 50 Fac numbers. Number also allocated to the Factory International Congress held at Mottram Hall, Cheshire.

Fac 342 Happy Mondays Charter Clinic

Fac 396 Two Guitarists Still Life: Unrealised Factory Classical project. The only missing piece from 226 to 406.