eric random
ltm catalogue

Experimental multi-instrumentalist Eric Random released three albums and a slew of singles between 1980 and 1987, tracing a fascinating post-punk arc from art-bruit to esoteric jazz and funk inflections, and later exploring non-Western idioms with his group The Bedlamites. Hailing from Manchester, Random struck up enduring associations with Buzzcock Pete Shelley, Velvets femme fatale Nico and (most notably) with Sheffield avant gardists Cabaret Voltaire, with whom much of his early material bears comparison. For full biography click here. To purchase CDs click here.


SUBLIMINAL (1980-82) (LTMCD 2437) £10
Digitally remastered double cd set features the first three Eric Random singles on New Hormones and Les Disques du Crepuscule together with two rare compilation-only tracks for Touch and Plurex, with the 1982 album Earthbound Ghost Need on the second disc. All of which adds up to a total playing time of 105 minutes of sinister, somnambulent Random music. Guests include Steven Mallinder, Richard H. Kirk, Andy Diagram, Wayne Worm, Lynn Walton. Artwork based on original image by Claude Stassart. Full tracklist: disc one Fade In, Dirty Bingo, Call Me (Live at the Lyceum), Fade Out, Subliminal, 23 Skidoo, Skin Deep, Dow Chemical Co, In Cassette Conference, 6.55; disc two: Rubber Dabble Dub, Eastern Promise, Regret and Despair, Force Feed, Sense So Lightly, Bolero (version)

Reviews: "Born in Manchester, but a Sheffielder in musical spirit. While the likes of Dirty Bingo (with its spitting drum machines, heavily mistreated vocals and spidery guitar), or Fade Out (muffled, vocal intimations of some Big Brother in the offing) are faithful imitations of early Cabaret Voltaire, they remain immensely listenable. Furthermore, it wasn't long before Random established his own variant sound, with the nightmarish, full-frontal overload of 23 Skidoo a case in point. And CV would surely never have thought of conducting an exercise like Random's heavily messed but strangely faithful version of Ravel's Bolero. For those who enjoy wheeling around in the weightless past/future zone of early 80s Sheffield industrial, this set is mandatory" (The Wire, 10/05); "Turning the focus away from Random's relatively well-known role as a collaborator to his solo work is both a sharp way to recontextualize his work as well as a good excuse to reissue some intriguing songs. The nearest point of contemporary comparison to his debut EP might be the Durutti Column, in that it was Random, his guitar, beatboxes and multiple effects, and nothing more, but instead of Vini Reilly's reflective work, Random is far more direct and unsettling, distorting his vocals, adding dub-heavy basslines and creating auras of nervous tension throughout. The remainder of the first disc covers shorter tunes, though working in the same vein, from the murky and dub-heavy Subliminal and Skin Deep to noisier arrangements on 23 Skidoo. Earthbound Ghost Need, meanwhile, continues the partnership with Cabaret Voltaire, and both Kirk and Mallinder contribute to the six songs. Dub again is central to the woozy, hanuted feeling, but additions of Arabic and Middle Eastern instruments and arrangements hint strongly at where his musical goals would turn next" (All Music Guide, 10/05); "Using a variety of of tapes, ranging from CV-like voices to harshly metallic alloys, he achieves a sensurround effect that might have disturbing connotations, if it didn't have such a human base" (NME, 10/1980); "A record of incidental music for austere occasions" (NME, 06/1982); "A tasty album filled with chunky mind teasers and an audacious variety of music" (Melody Maker, 07/1982); "Production, arrangements and styles seem to take priority over songwriting, but Random is a talented artist" (Trouser Press)

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