Monday 6 December 2010

Fordell Research Unit


Just spent a pleasant while listening to the latest release from Edinburgh based dronesters Fordell Research Unit. The cassette "Heavy Petting" on the Krapp Tape label. It is hard to tell, time slips by whilst playing the cassette, but I think it is a C30.
I group FRU in with fellow Scots Nackt Insecten and Usurper and the At War With False Noise folk, their sound and approach is fairly similar. Think also Culver and Astral Social Club and you are in the right area.
Organic sounds, plenty of effect boxes looping keyboards and guitars (electric + acoustic), tape machines and lots of leads, that is Fordell Research Unit. No laptops or computer trickery (to these ears anyway). Good stuff.
Side A is the long track "Under The Black Church" subtitled "A Fucking Blatant Lee Stokoe Rip Off" has a looped acoustic guitar riff bouncing over and around a heavy rumbling church organ. Does it sound like Culver? (I'll have to dig some of their stuff out now)! Side B has three pieces. Reverb heavy electric guitar and stuff on "Schmeisser" brings in a Astral Social Club vibe. "Hot Chocolate Eucharist" could be a spoken word tape splice/collage or that could be the intro to the longer piece that follows. Uncertain now as the tape plays and I just sit back and enjoy. It all ends on a fine drone piece "(Aw)Kward". A good cassette and certainly one worth hunting down.
The only information I could find on FRU was the fact that they have a My Space page, but since that site went titsy skyward a few weeks ago (in the name of progression) I don't go to My Space no more.
I shall keep an ear/eye on Krapp tapes, if they carry on delivering the goods like "Heavy Petting" then they'll be a label worth following.

Fordell Research Unit join the likes of Bad Manners and U.F.O. in having an album called "Heavy Petting"....the power of google!

Pictures:
1: Heavy Petting sleeve, designed by Anna Copland.
2: One of FDU live.

1 comment:

  1. Steve, sorry to have to resort to this but I couldn't find your email address anywhere. Drop me a line on arsonaut[at]blueyonderDOTcoDOTuk and let's go for a drink and a chinwag soon.

    Joe

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