Conemelt - Confuse And Destroy

Second Conemelt album, this time on Emissions, also from 1995, part two of your Ripped In Glasgow Xmas treats.

Two double albums in a year? How prolific is THAT??

Before I posted this up, I got in touch with Ashley and Nat from the band just to make sure it was OK to post it, and they were more than accommodating. Here's the conversation highlights, which I think make an interesting read. I'll go blue, Nat can go red and Ashley can go green:

I've just ripped and tagged up the Confuse & Destroy album but thought I'd run it past you before putting it up for the troops. What do you think? If you're cool with it I'll put it up soon, and do you have any comments or anecdotes about any of the tracks?

I hadn't listened to it for a while and had forgotten how good it was, especially the likes of Cuckoo Clock Rock, Espionage and BIG and Clever Track.

Anyway, lemme know what you think.

- moggieboy

Sounds good to me. I haven't listened to it for a while either.

Anecdotally, these tracks were all recorded at the old New Ground Records office that Ashley was renting behind Infectious Records - Tonbridge's dance music shop (from '92-'95) which was run by Spencer Vitnen - he is the man behind the voice that we processed on the Floating Bloke 12" - the 'bonus' track after Mandible Man....talking about mushrooms "tuned in fucking lovely"...a larger than life fellow, and very supportive.

Far better than 'Fuckers' in my opinion and maybe our best. Influences filtering through were more widespread from getting into electric Miles and digging on more contemporary artists like Basic Channel. Flashermac is a reference to Eddie Flashin Fowlkes for example. There's improvisation within the structure - Grant was employing random elements. Very much a case of getting the right take. A highly satisfying voyage of discovery, busy all the time with music... wonderful times...

Interesting - I can definitely hear the EFF on Flashermac.

It's true what Ash says about electric Miles and the Detroit stuff being major listening. Also at that time we were big into the first Shellac 7"s (referenced on the Floating Bloke 12") and the ongoing influence of industrial, T.G. etc. - you can hear that in 'Pushbutton Twist' which is from an older industrial tape that Grant made pre-Conemelt, when all was industrial in Southborough. But I remember Bitches Brew and Jack Johnson and other electric Miles being played a lot in the New Ground office as well as Eddie Fowlkes, Infiniti - Game One, UR, Parliament and lots of other Detroit stuff that Ashley was gobbling up and we were dead into. We tried to combine all those elements into our own thing...

Sounds like a winning combination.

I've just (last night) finished reading the Wreckers Of Civilisation TG/COUM book - insane stuff, TG are my gig of the year for 2009 though, a magnificent show at Glasgow Tramway.

Miles Davis though, wouldn't have guessed that one...

All of Confuse and Destroy was recorded live to 2-track tape. We used TDK SA-90 and then mastered directly from that.

A TDK SA-90?? Wow - that's lo-fi right enough, mind you at least you took the 'chrome' option.

Yeah, big TG fans. I've got my Sordide Sentimental 'We Hate You Little Guys' 7" close to hand as I type!

Aye? That should fund the reunion tour then...

What a nice bunch of guys. Compliments of the season to ya...



Conemelt - Confuse And Destroy
A1 - Misty Traincrash
A2 - Flashermac
B1 - Cuckoo Clock Rock
B2 - Joys Of Surface Noise
C1 - Big Up The Conemelt / Overbite Nightmare
C2 - Espionage
D1 - BIG And Clever Track
D2 - Motorskating
D3 - Pushbutton Twist

Buy it here