Hello all:

As happens from time to time, I’ve been neglecting this site for a while so there is a lot to catch up with.

Firstly, the first irr. live performance since 2019 took place at Xhurch in Portland on September 22nd. This was the first time my wife Tatyana and I have performed together in public — although there was a lead-up of several non-public performances at different Rock Creek electrical pylons, a bunker at Fort Stevens, and various caves, fields, wooded areas and Oregon beaches. Our show was created as an opening set for a Thomas Carnacki/Leila Abdul-Rauf event, and many thanks to all of them for inviting us to participate in this memorable evening and making it such a satisfying experience.

The audio recording of the irr. set has just been posted to Bandcamphttps://irrappext.bandcamp.com/album/xhurchless in advance of Bandcamp Friday tomorrow. Also included in the album is a composite of the best moments from the last two rehearsals before the show. I usually post a rehearsal just to show the variability built in to all of the performances, but there is rarely more than one public performance of any show so the rehearsals are the only other version to use.

Also newly posted is the related album ‘Xhurchless’. I had originally intended to do an extended and elaborated studio recording of the guitar loop section of the live show, but the recordings turned out a little goofy. While playing around with these results, I saw the potential of using them to create a very atmospheric, slowly-developing piece, so that is what I did. Some of the rehearsal recordings were also heavily modified and layered in.

Of course, the ‘NDAS Revisited’ monthly digital single for September has also been posted, which features the origin track for the ‘CTIoY&PREITMoGDoVC’ project in 2013, an otherwise unutilised collaborative piece using CMNR recordings (also from 2013), and — most exciting of all — some entirely accurate re-creations of entirely genuine ancient rituals from the lost culture of Doggerland, along with extensive notes explaining the provenance and process in making these recordings. SO don’t miss out on a useful trove of previously lost historical/cultural details.

The most important news (for me, anyways) was hinted at above: in August I got married, much to the astonishment of those who know me. Three years ago I met Tatyana, a fascinating person who is a vastly multi-talented graphic/video/audio/sculptural artist — and, most importantly, and amazing human being. I’d never planned on getting married, but it would have been insane for me to miss the opportunity to spend my life with this incredible person. Why she is interested in a clueless dufus like me, I’m not entirely sure… I just hope she doesn’t wake up to this fact any time soon.

All the best to all of you,

–msw