We asked Glasgow based artist Tom Scholefield (aka Konx-Om-Pax) to tell us about himself, his work and what we can expect in the future….

“I’m an artist and director based in Glasgow, I like to keep things fun and colourful as possible. I don’t like to rush.

Things got interesting for me around the time Jamie Lidell spent the night in our spare room a few years back – a pissed up conversation about cats and animation led me to spend 6 months creating the music video for “Yougotmeup” from his Multiply release on Warp.

Around this time Matt Pyke (Universal Everything) got me on board for Advanced Beauty I created a surreal wonder through a floating fantasy island with music by Freeform.

Since then I’ve occupied myself across many different platforms of the art and design world, designing sleeves for the likes of Hudson Mohawke (Warp), Rustie (Wireblock) Oneohtrix Point Never (No-Fun)… and directing videos for DFA Records in New York. Just recently directed the forthcoming debut music video for Hudson’s Joy Fantastic which will be out very soon!

I’m currently planning the launch of my new studio/label – Display Copy, first release with be “Optimo Tracks” from an a/v installation at the Sub Club last year, featuring a remix from No-Fun boss Carlos Gifonni. Just recently started concepts for artwork on a forthcoming release on Mego, all I can say is Stephen O’Malley from Sunn O))) is involved.. it will be killer.”

, No-Fun

Jamie Lidell – Yougotmeup (Warp Records) from Konx-om-Pax on Vimeo.

Advanced Beauty from Konx-om-Pax on Vimeo.

Capracara – King of the Witches (DFA) from Konx-om-Pax on Vimeo.

Our friends at We Fear Silence have put together another killer line-up of all thing bass to push London’s Corsica Studios Funktion 1 Soundsystem to the max on February 6th. We have got a pair of tickets to give-away. Simply e-mail info@bleep.com and state what city Shackleton now lives in…

More information about this and other We Fear Silence events here.

Bleep.com is an online music store. As a retailer of music and media from some of the worlds best independent record labels (predominantly electronic music), Bleep has developed over it’s 5 year history culminating in the merging of Bleep.com and Warpmart.com earlier this year.

There are 2 positions that are available.

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Label Relations

Bleep is looking for a bright, enthusiastic intern to join the team for a minimum of 2 days a week for a minimum of 2 months to assist in content and label management. This will involve immersing yourself in the Bleep catalogue and assisting in ensuring it is cataloged and maintained to a high standard. All we require is a genuine passion for music and a desire to work in the digital sphere. However advantageous skills include, a high level of ability using computers including HTML/XML/CSS, a wide knowledge of music and attention to detail.

Applicants should send a C.V. and covering letter to info@bleep.com.

Travel expenses included
Based: Kentish Town – North London

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Marketing Intern

Bleep is looking for a bright, enthusiastic intern to join the team for a minimum of 2 days a week for a minimum of 2 months to assist with online marketing. This will role will be working with the marketing team, assisting with both the weekly running of the store and lending a hand with one off projects and features. We require is a genuine passion for music and a desire to work in the digital sphere. A successful applicant will be both creative andself-driven. However advantageous skills include, a high level of ability using computers including photoshop, illustrator and, HTML, and attention to detail.

Applicants should send a C.V. and covering letter to info@bleep.com.

Travel expenses included
Based: Kentish Town – North London

To get a sneak preview of Hudson Mohawke’s album, check out this free download of the Rising 5 track from the album. Don’t miss the chance to get the new HudMo album, exclusively packaged in a custom made buttertub, Hudson Mohawke t-shirt and limited edition vinyl sticker!!! … only available on Bleep.com.

We decided to catch up with the man himself to talk about his influences, what he has planned for, and just how and what he does does to create his own unique buttery sound.

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What’s behind the name of the new album, ‘Butter’?

I just wanted the title to reflect the production and I felt that word was the perfect description in so many different ways, whether you interpret it literally or you think of a more far out buttery concept.

It’s also partly just because I just really love short-bread.

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We heard a rumour that you were asked to put forward some tracks for Michael Jackson. Is this true?

well… it was discussed at one point…it was very much just in initial stages though… but who knows what could have happened if it panned out….quite gutted about that…I am working on submitting tracks for a few other major artists though

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In an ideal world, who would you like to collaborate with?
CeeLo, Grace Jones, Busta Rhymes, Tunde Adebimpe, Jay Z, Dexter Wansel, Andre3000, David Bowie, so many…

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How did you end up collaborating with Dam-Funk and what was he like to work with?

We were just fans of each others work and I decided to go to him with some tracks to try and involve him in the record. He was great to work with, amazingly humble and genuine guy, we’ll have some more joint goodness coming soon with any luck.

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From what we can hear your music has incredibly rich texture and multiple layers of sounds. Can you give us an insight into your technical process of making beats?

Its not a really complicated process, I keep it quite simple, nothing more than just whats flowing out of my head at the time, once I have 1 or 2 elements I kind of get an image in my head of where everything else has to sit on the track and from there it just flows. technically speaking, its all sequenced in fruityloops, I have a few keyboards, a piano and a load of drums and percussion instruments, and also just got a talkbox hehe. I used to be really into sampling but at the moment Im trying to kind of create my own samples, making sort of mini/condensed tracks playing all the parts and melodies myself and then chopping those mini tracks up as if i had sampled them off vinyl.
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Who are your top 5 producers of all time?

tough question…theres more than 5, but in no order, 5 of my classics; Quincy Jones, Just Blaze, Timbo, Premier, Neptunes…

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How do you feel your music, your aspirations and yourself as an artist sit amongst being part of Warp Records?

For me I think Warp is my ideal home, Its the only place I can get away with basically doing exactly what I want musically, right accross the board, and still know that the label will give me full support and artistic freedom or at least some good crit if its total shit heh. It’s also just a good home for the more twisted end of a genre and so while I sometimes think my my music doesnt necessarily sit with alot of their previous releases, it does definitely fit the principles and ethos of the label and I think that is more important. In terms of my aspirations Warp are right behind me and are helping to push me continually so that hopefully soon I’ll be able to do these collabs and everything else that only exists as a dream in my head at the moment, and even if i end up broke and homeless next year, I at least got to release a record on Warp and a couple of years back even that wouldve been a completely unrealistic aspiration for me, so its alll gooood!!

To coincide with Bleep’s feature on Touch, we caught up with founder, Jon Wozencroft, and asked him a few questions behind his “not a label” that has been releasing music for over 25 years.

Can you tell us why you started Touch?

In 1981, there was a spirit abroad, a brief moment where it seemed that it was possible to be pioneering, critically-engaged and popular at one and the same time (as opposed to populist…). History tells us that the year zero of Punk, 1976 into 1977, was when (musical) culture was transformed and new forms of distribution emerged. 1979 to 1982 was when this truly bore fruit, in terms of achievement… Closer, Metal Box, 20 Jazz Funk Greats… These records were in the charts. Inconceivable now.

Secondly, along with the emphasis on film/projections used by the Sheffield bands Cabaret Voltaire and The Human League, there was the sense that Post-Punk music was reconnecting with the sensory ambitions of the psychedelic era. We took the cue that this could be extended into a publishing platform that was expressly audiovisual.

The precedent of Factory Records and Industrial/TG was obviously a big influence. The first manifesto and ambitions of the embryonic Psychic TV project were a major spur to action, as was the example of the Residents and Ralph Records.

Are you quite dogmatic about what kind of music gets released on the label?

No, simply that the logistics of our organisation means that we don’t have the time to sift through demo tapes – as it says on the T-shirt, we are not a record label – but we are always open to new ways of thinking about sound and music, and at the same time closely involved with the development of the artists we do work with. We never passively process the finished projects we’re handed, there is always a good deal of collaboration involved. Curatorial listening gives rise to a certain method of art direction, we can’t explain how it works, it depends on each artist and their work.

You have openly talked of your admiration for artists such as Joy Division, Augustus Pablo, which artists outside of the Touch catalogue do you admire?

Very many – the dedication of Arvo Pärt, the jouissance of Jon Hassell, the pulse of Basic Channel (especially Rhythm and Sound), the intrigue of Wire (though gloriously they have become collaborators in various different ways).

Recently we have made contact with Eleh, whose work for Important Records has been a revelation. The kinship we have with Editions Mego and Sähkö represents just two examples of a shared ambition, though the end results are quite different.

Returning to the question, is it conceivable that Joy Division and Augustus Pablo will be considered along the same lines as Bach and Beethoven in 200 years time?

The way that people have been consuming music has changed greatly and rapidly in the last half decade. Do you feel that this has had an impact what you do and the music that Touch has released?

Of course. We are not only doing this for the way things are now… It’s attempting to have a long term view of this compressed time we inhabit.

Where do you envisage music as a commodity and music consumption going in the next twenty years?

Evan Eisenberg wrote a very persuasive postscript to his book The Recording Angel when it was republished a few years ago. It’s one of the best books ever written about recorded sound, first published in the late 80s. He postulates that soon, there will be a global jukebox where everything ever recorded will be instantly available – well, this isn’t very far off actually, but there’s still no way that The Hafler Trio or the first Eleh 12 will fit any compressed audio format.

What in fact is being proposed, is that music will become like air. This is an extraordinary ecological condition that nobody really talks about. Imagine… one breathes music… Well of course this has always been happening and in some senses it’s a return to the essential condition, sound being part of the lifestream, but the difference here is in terms of mental space and perception.

You can imagine in 10 years time there will be a levy on clean air, just like there’s a levy currently on gas, electricity and broadband. Broadband – therefore entertainment – will become free, and everything else will become more expensive. Music will be needing its own version of Greenpeace.

Can you tell us more about the background of using photography over typography for the sleeve art? Visually and musically, from Philip Jeck, Fennesz, Chris Watson, to your own photographs, there is a strong connection with the natural world, can you tell us more about this relationship?

This interview with Philip Sherburne hovered well around this question.

Of course there is much more to say in retrospect about the strange disappearance of graphic design and typography as a way of expressing artistic practice. Graphic design, curiously, seemed to burn itself out in the mid-90s… This thing about being popular and experimental at the same time was neatly assimilated into mainstream visual culture, from Raygun and MTV to the High Street.

Photography somehow is a rogue development of postmodernism. Something that is fascinating, for example, is how one can possibly be a bad photographer. Also, look at the way people exchange photos set against the way people exchange music. It’s a time-based question. You can look at a photo for a nanosecond and get something from it, but in spite of the compression and the random shuffle mode, a 3 minute song still takes 3 minutes to listen to.

John Peel on the other hand got so many records and tapes that he reckoned it took him 15 seconds to tell whether anything was any good. Or was it 7 seconds? It doesn’t matter. When you have so much music, you can hardly tell the Beach Boys from the Bay City Rollers, it’s as Paul Virilio wrote, an essential loss of perspective. Or according to Baudrillard, The Final Illusion. You could say that the sense of perspective pioneered by the Renaissance artists, exploded by the Romantics, split in 3 by the Dadaists, finally ends up in a black hole of pattern generation and repetition.

So much for futurism! The only reference left is the natural world. It is natural, whatever Virilio, Baudrillard and Dworkins or Darwin says about it.

Photographs are a vehicle. The first idea is to try and steer an obvious illustration away from the music. These two should be contrapuntal, counterpoints, not in any way to do with the music, as such. This much I learned from working with Neville Brody, Peter Saville and others. They never paid that much attention to the music, but made beautiful responses to it. The main chemistry I had to add was only my way of listening, I also suppose intuitively I was choosing an area that nobody had really highlighted on — I wanted to study a subject that wasn’t harnessed to digital upgrades, but reflected all of those conditions. The natural world offers a mode of visualization as if it could be a litmus test of inner space.

Over the past 25 years, we have seen independent labels come and go; distributors go bankrupt and we witnessed other huge changes in the music industry. Can you tell us what the key has been to Touch’s survival over the years? And where do you see Touch in the years to come?

The key to survival is an open mind… how can anyone have any idea what will happen next? I guess we survived because we got this early lesson, it’s not about following anything. To love what you do in a progressive way is the main thing… To be prepared to go against the grain.

As part of our special Glade Feature, we have decided to interview Ned Beckett. The man behind the Overkill programming at Glade Festival and the Littlebig artist booking agency that’s roster includes people like Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Autechre, The Field, Otto Von Schirach, Fuck Buttons and Mike Patton (to name a few).

B: How did you get into the music industry?

NB: Looking back it seems that i was always drawn to parties / events.. I started djing & putting on small events in my teens. I then realised that my uncle (Steve Beckett – co-founder of Warp Records) was involved in something very interesting.. I started making tea & answering phones for Warp in Sheffield.. and it went from there .. it was when i got my teeth into the live side that i really got hooked.

B: What made you move from the UK to Berlin?

NB: Mainly because me and my lady wanted to get out of England for a while and Berlin was the one place we both loved. When i realised i could run Littlebig from there and save money it was a no brainer…. er.. and you can get a big bottle of beer for 40p…

B: What do you feel is the state of the live music industry at the moment and what challenges are you currently facing?

NB: In general the live industry is booming. As the recording industry hangs on for dear life, the live side has been growing rapidly. For acts that play live and tour, the fact that you can easily hear their music gives them quick & easy promo. But its a bit of a double edged sword .. without the record labels pushing high quality product, the challenge is ‘how do you promote the artists?’

Things change so quick in the live industry.. a band or festival can do well one year and then be gone the next. For us as a booking agency the challenge is maintaining a good network of trusted people (promoters / clubs / festivals etc) whilst promoting the acts we’re working with. Its really saturated out there now .. Compared with 5 years ago there are a swath of new exciting acts / bands / trends.. its Overkill!!

B: Tell us one of your favourite stories from a show or tour?

NB: hmmm.. On The Overkill tour in Nov 2006, Budapest, pre show. Wandering around with Shige (Scotch Egg), we spotted a ladies dance class in full swing.. mirrored walls and stockings vibes.. Shige rides into the room on a hobby horse that emits hi pitch 8bit horsey noises and starts doing insane japanese freestyle breakdancing at the front of the class.. and then profusely apologises and gives them all a flyer for the show. I’ve got it on film somewhere.. that whole tour was bonkers. (Bleep: we will be requesting for that video!)

B: You work with many artists who have reputations for being “aloof”. Do you consider your role to be the link between certain industry-shy artists and the industry who want a piece of these artists? How does this relationship work for all said parties?

Haha, yes, i’m the gatekeeper to the awkward little geniuses locked in their underground studios.. :0) you know, some of them have developed their own languages that revolve around complex musical scales. I’ve had to learn it so i can pass on gig offers. hhmmm….

I was lucky enough to get to know alot of the Warp acts through doing alot of work with them when i was at Warp, so i guess i’ve got an understanding of how some of them want to work and certainly what doesnt work.. thats it really.

You can catch Ned’s Overkill Tent at this year’s Glade Festival featuring Venetian Snares, Hudson Mohawke, Kid 606, Drums of Death, DJ Scoth Egg, Tim Exile, iTal tEK, Limewax, Milanese, Shitmat and Ned himself. Tickets are available to buy here.

For more information, click HERE.

This Friday, Bleep are throwing a party in London’s Cable club to launch the re-release of Robert Hood’s seminal Minimal Nation record .

With Robert Hood, Nathan Fake, Jackson and his Computer Band, Appleblim, Peverelist, Floating Points, Bullion all present, this is going to be one hell of a party! Tickets are available to buy HERE.

To find out more about Robert Hood on Bleep, including his Top 5 favourite records, click HERE.

We also have an exclusive Robert Hood mix recorded Live at FUSE. DOWNLOAD HERE

We decided to speak to the man to get a better idea of what helped create his sound that ended up influencing so many… you might be a little surprised at the results.

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BLEEP: To what extent did growing up in Detroit influence your music?
RH: I’m a product of the civil rights movement, so I grew up on the politically charged sounds of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, the Motown sound. Certain DJ’s like The Electrifying Mojo, Martha Jean “The Queen” & the Big Soul Rocker (Claude Young’s father) shape my musical perception.

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BLEEP: How did you become, alongside Mike Banks and Jeff Mills, part of Underground Resistance?
RH: I met Mike Banks through Mike ‘Agent X’ Clark. I played him a demo and he liked the drum programming particularly. Soon after I met Jeff Mills. I became part of UR as ‘The Vision’ in the form of MC / Artist.

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BLEEP: After listening to ‘Nighttime World Vol. 1′ and ‘All Day Long’, one can here a ‘jazz’ element to these records. What kind of music influences the Robert Hood sound?
RH: Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd, Jean Luc-Ponty, Hiroshima, Wu-Tang Clan, A Tribe Called Quest, Human League, Chic, Fishbone, Heaven 17, to name a few.

BLEEP: As a pioneer of ‘minimal’ techno, was your sound born from limited studio equipment or a reaction to the sound of the time?
RH: I never felt it was necessary to have a lot of equipment. I’ve always believed it’s not what you have but how you use it.

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BLEEP: Which other producers, past and present, do you have admiration for?
RH: J-Dilla (Rest In Peace)

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BLEEP: How do you feel about the genre of ‘minimal’ techno as it is now?
RH: A lot of so called minimalist artists are jumping on the minimal bandwagon for the sake of being minimal. What’s lacking a lot of the time is the feeling, or the emotion.We hear a lot of slick production but not a lot of passion.

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Last week, we were giving away 2 pairs of tickets to our customers. All we asked was our customers to give their “Best of Bleep” Top 5 charts. Thanks to everyone that entered, we had a great amount of lists come through.

Here are the 2 winners:

James Reed, Manchester:

Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works
I have chosen this album of Aphex Twin (out of many good ones) due to it’s esoteric qualities. Some pieces are blessed with a power enabling one to reside in total presence, if but for a short time. Levels can be discerned in all the arts. Music is no exception. Undoubtedly, the resonance of tracks such as lichen and rhubarb, provoke an uplift in the human frequencies. The mental state need be relaxed, relaxed even more by the mysterious sounds. Stone In Focus is a meditative tool. A fine and pensive album.

Amon Tobin – Foley Room
Foley Room is a pleasant work of abstract audible art. The tracks are consistent and diversified. The instruments are many. The variations so too are. The pace is altered within songs regularly, allowing for difference. The creativity behind the music is groundbreaking. Recording sounds in public places and incorporating them within tunes. Nice bit of improvisation from Tobin.

Four Tet – Rounds
This album is a gem from Four Tet. Made with conscious effort and pure genius. Never ceases to impress. Never ceases to produce well. Unspoken and She Moves She are ones to listen to.

Boxcutter – Glyphic
This is very impressive music. He seems to clash together all sorts of genres, experimentalizing on dubstep and electronica. Bloscid is extremely well done. The drop is a marvellous one. Lunal is a good tune, which progresses very well.

Burial – Burial
Burial is a very unusual, well-respected producer. He is unfazed by fame, preferring to stick to his game untainted. Neither is he big-headed;, this can be discerned via his music. His music is most certainly a reflection of his deeper qualities and character. The theme is an eerie one, yet pensive all the same. The irregular drumbeats are unique in style. The sombre atmosphere is a scarce tweak to the usual tone. The somewhat distorted, rustic sounds are fine indeed. In all, very mellow, in-betweener music; doesn’t get you over excited, neither does it do the opposite. It keeps you centred, simple and abiding. A rare piece.

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Yarin Lidor, Israel

1. Happy Birthday! – Modeselektor
they chanced my life, this album inspired me to get back in the studio.

2. Polyfolk Dance – Hudson Mohawke
looking forward to his next releases, the guy is a genius!

3. Veckatimest – Grizzly Bear
the next big thing in love, addictive album indeed!

4. Drowning In A Sea Of Love – Nathan Fake
heart breaker sounds, emotional lava , it feels so fu*$ing good, I can cry and I can laugh at the same time.

5. Lamb’s Anger – Mr Oizo
There’s a lot of anger in this album, yet Mr Dupieux is one of my favorites producers, he taught me that even if you use Apple’s text to speech it can still sound dope more then you can imagine…

Sonar festival is looming on the horizon and Bleep is limbering up for a weekend to enjoy what is one of the best lineups of the year. Showcases from some of our favourite labels plus…

Orbital, Animal Collective, Mujava, RRIICCEE feat. Vincent Gallo, Richie Hawtin, James Murphy & Pat Mahoney, Jeff Mills, Moderat, La Roux, Carl Craig, Joker, Luomo, Martyn, Alva Noto, Agoria, Heartbreak, Busy P., The Gaslamp Killer, Mike Slott, Rustie, Bullion, James Pants… and loads more

The good people at Sonar have kindly offered us 2 pairs of tickets to this year’s festival. To win, we would simply like you to join the company of Thom Yorke, Four Tet, Mr Oizo, Martyn, Luke Vibert and and others to pick your Top 5 “Best of Bleep” chart.

Browse through the Bleep site and pick your 5 favourite albums. Either e-mail us personally at info@bleep.com or publicly submit on the wall of our facebook group with your answers, your name and location. We will post our favourite picks on the blog. One competition winner will be picked from entries we receive via email, the other from entries to our facebook.