New RMI Sessions: Gearing up for NEARfest
"We have been spending time preparing for Nearfest in our usual workspace The Greenhouse, where we can `grow' our ideas interrupted only by the spillage from next door's room of a truly pathetic version of `Teenage Kicks', and most entertaining tales from David, Greenhouse supremo and all round good guy.
We normally settle down to a day's work after some kind of deeply unhealthy but satisfying breakfast. Pictured below is Steve's Bacon, Sausage and Egg barm cake (with red sauce), hard won after approximately twenty minutes of detailed negotiations with the girl in the shop, who seemed not to know what she was doing there, or indeed that they even served coffee and made breakfasts. We can usually be seen hot footing it up a truly archaic and `wobbly in a scary kind of way' fire escape (or is that `scary in a wobbly kind of way' ?) and through the back door of our rehearsal complex, before the damn stuff we've bought gets cold.
Our room is long enough to accomodate drums at one end, keys and electronics in the middle and as many guitars as you want at the other end. The PA system at the bottom sends signals out to all in the area "Do not disturb, we're rocking all the way to the USA".
Aside from obviously playing as much as we can, we had an interesting diversion when a Midi Merge Box failed, causing us to lose nearly a day of preparation time as Duncan was forced to reconfigure the whole way our midi sounds are routed. Luckily I brought a good book, and finished it sooner than anticipated. Gary amused himself by dismantling one of his guitars completely to see if he could get it back together again. Still, some good work was done, and progress was made. Add to that, a couple of pints of Robinson's local bitter and some Fish and Chips for dinner and what more could you want?
As we leave on the last day, we come across a young band on the fire escape, enjoying a spliff or two, and no doubt chasing their own dreams of stardom in the rapidly fading edifice of a music industry. "Nice smell" says Duncan, "They'll never get on Top Of The Pops if they carry on doing that" I say. Maybe they are the guys who've been practising `Teenage Kicks' for the last month, in which case they really need to lay off it a bit. No one needs to hear that bloody song ever again".
 Rock 'n' Roll Breakfast |
 One Little Box Can Cause A Lot Of Trouble |
 Gary moving fast |
 Rock'n'Roll Dinner |
 Duncan's Right, He's Always Right |
 No Strings Attached |
 Steve Does His Best `In The Court Of The Crimson King' Impression |
 Relax Girls, He's Already Married |
 ...and This 'Un's Courting |
New RMI Sessions: Pictures Available
February saw Radio Massacre International engaged in recording their first film soundtrack, for City 21 created by the Knossus Project, and due for summer release. It's an organisation which looks at alternative global futures and passes on these ideas through education and film. We had a very rewarding time playing music in a different way, all specifically and newly composed for the project. We were aware that there will be speech over this music 90% of the time, and performed accordingly. We have presented the Knossus Project with 20 pieces ranging from 15 seconds to 23 minutes. These pics were all taken at the recording sessions at The Greenhouse:
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Thus spoke Steve: Lads, I'm sorry there's no blog but I just can't remember anything other than playing lots of music, drinking too much on an empty stomach, having a Chinese meal and being moved from our table but given bottles of Red Wine as compensation therefore getting more pissed, watching Boro in action, going to the Chinese chippy, and coming back to The Greenhouse and making more even more music but not necccccessarily in that order. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
March 16, 2008
New Download Album: Antisocial
Antisocial was recorded live at The Brudenell Social Club in Leeds in June 2005, and is released here for the first time. The title refers to the fact that we played at some volume, and for an uninterrupted hour and a half. The piece moved through several different sections which have been indexed and titled even though the piece is continuous. Other notable features of this performance were that one of Gary's speaker cabs had to be physically assaulted to calm it down, and Duncan managed to lose a filling mid-performance. The percussion set up included a baking tray full of pennies, all of which were subsequently donated to the Social Club's collection for much needed soundproofing.
Check the discography for the tracklisting or head on over to MusicZeit to download it!
March 4, 2008
And The Award Goes to...
Electronic Best Overall: Radio Massacre International “Rain Falls in Grey” – This is not pure electronic music, it is psychedelic space rock. However, I was so impressed with the musicianship, the passion, the boldness, and the overall sound of it that RMI totally won me over with an album that I frankly didn’t expect to like all that much.(Phil Derby).
For more information, head on over to ElectroAmbientSpace.Com!
February 15, 2008
Signal To Noise
Our friend Darren Bergstein (see our 2007 tour diary) has finally come through with this article about us. It's due out via Signal To Noise on March 14th...but here is your chance to read it first! Click here to check it out!
January 15, 2008
Gaglairchives performance avaialble for download
Download Radio Massacre International’s 2 sets and interview for Gagliarchives Radio at Gaglairchives.Com. This occasion was our first with Cyndee in the same room as us, we hope you enjoy it.
January, 2008
Welcome to our brand new website!
Happy 2008 and welcome to the new website. Many thanks to Graham Getty for all of his sterling work over the last eight years or so and please welcome our new webmaster, Mike Ostrich.
Duncan's been a busy boy putting cool stuff up on YouTube. Check it out!
You can now download the very rare and out of print October Gallery album from MusicZeit. To quote MZ directly, "The original release was a single CDR, this Redux release is the complete concert spanning a double album. Resplendent with new artwork, you can now download this fantastic rarity in full lossless quality (as well as high quality MP3)." Enjoy!
RMI are featured with exclusive tracks on two releases from radio shows who continue to support the band:
Resonance: The Echoes Living Room Concerts Vol 13 features `Gibraltar' (11'05") recorded for Echoes in May 2006 and unreleased elsewhere. Head on over to the Echoes website for more information regarding this album.
Star's End 30th Anniversary 2CD set includes `Philadelphia Rain' (18'43") which is an unedited excerpt from our Star's End session in 2002. Head on over to the Stars End website for more information regarding this release.
December, 2007
Happy Holidays!
We arrived back safely from the USA a couple of weeks back, and all agree it’s the best time we’ve had. Thanks to everyone over there who made our trip so special with their generous help and great company, and hello to everyone who came out to see us play. We’re back in June for Nearfest, and hope to see you all again.
Season’s Greetings!
Steve, Duncan and Gary
November 22, 2007
Radio Massacre International on Echoes
Via press release:
Tuesday, November 30
A LIVING ROOM CONCERT WITH RADIO MASSACRE INTERNATIONAL
English Space music trio plays electronic music the old-fashioned way, with their hands
While most electronic musicians are wed to their laptop screens, Radio Massacre International plays their music on old analog synthesizers, keyboards and electric guitar. They've become the leading torch bearers for truly live space music, conceived in the moment, without preprogrammed sequences. We hear them create new music live in the Echoes Living Room. For more information, head on over to the Echoes website.
November 20, 2007
Radio Massacre International plugs into NFX
Via press release:
As one of the premier electronic bands performing today, England’s Radio Massacre International has a long history of playing "in the moment" and is capable of just about anything. After 15 years and more than 25 albums, the band is continues to look over the horizon to broaden their craft. Their latest release, "Rain Falls in Grey" (Cuneiform) is "a prog album for those who get itchy at the thought of electronic music." A tribute to former Pink Floyd leader Syd Barrett, the album shows them adapting to a rock band format using the spirit of Syd to channel one of the best albums in their catalog. Having first performed in the USA at ProgWest in 2002, the buzz resulted in three performances at The Gatherings Concert Series in Philadelphia. Their rendition of "Rain Falls in Grey," performed in November 2007 while at Orion Studios, left the audience stunned; unaware that such power could exist within electronic music. RMI uses an arsenal of analog equipment, ranging from Moogs to Mellotrons to sequencers to Fender Rhodes, to create their sonic blanket of sound. RMI promises to present a very special show to the NEARfest audience and we are very excited to feature them at NFX.
For more information, head on over to the NEARfest website.
Antisocial
|
"This is a live, previously unreleased, set from 2005 recorded at the Brudenell Social club in Leeds (UK). It has all the hallmarks of the classic RMI sound, and is yet another example of why so many EM fans have RMI on their “essentials” list...." |