Gavin Russom

I've always been a fan of Gavin Russom's work since he appeared on the scene with Delia as DELIA & GAVIN back in 2003 on DFA with the El Monte / Rise 12". In fact that, The Days of Mars LP and the Black Leotard Front - Casual Friday 12" have never left my record box since I got them. Deep twisting electronic music of the highest order. In fact the Days Of Mars LP is probably the reason we've released the Brain Machine LP as its the closed in musical terms to the Delia & Gavin sound recently. I remember seeing Delia & Gavin play to a tent of only a hundred or so people at around 5am at Benicassim a few years ago - the crowd were just waiting for a kick drum to emerge from the whirlwinds of synths that steadily built in momentum and intensity. But it never came. I heard that once they gave in and dropped a kick drum and the venue they were playing practically exploded. That may well have been their last gig together. Who knows. Like Donnie Darko a worm hole could have opened at precisely the point the kick drums first hit the speakers.

Anyways I am unsure of Delia's whereabouts but Gavin Russom has emerged again recently after some hard drive disasters (mental note - I need to back up my hard drive) with a new project for DFA called Black Meteoric Star. Two works have emerged mainly via the DFA filter that is Tim Sweeneys Beats In Space show (mental note - why does Tim never play Thisisnotanexit Records? Bah) called DEATH TUNNEL and WORLD EATER. Both 15 minute epic dancefloor destroyers that has seen Gavins relocation to Berlin (the other side of the wormhole?) discover the kick drums that have now emerged in the Black Meteoric Star sound. Maybe Delia is a drum machine. Head to the Beatsinspace archive if you want to discover their sound - a little searching and a little work and you will be rewarded.

Gavin though has recently emerged as a remixer of the highest order as he has remixed Berlin band PALMS (which I heard him play at a small club in East London and sounds like that really wild Killing Joke Floating Like A Leaf Remix that I can't remember the name of...). I'm not sure when this is coming out but mark it on your list of records to hunt out as it is rather special.

The other work is the Gavin Russom Remix of Peter Dundov which emerged last week on Music Man. On white 12" vinyl in a clear plastic sleeve with printed artwork it sure looks nice - and dam if it isn't one of the best things I've heard in ages. In fact I've stopped buying records recently (well the odd one here and there - the ones that stop you in your tracks - the classics - the goose bump ones - not the mountains and mountains and mountains of edits that appear to make up the new release section now) and this is worth every penny I spent on it. In fact it will probably be in my record box for the next few years. Absolutely IMMENSE it is. 14 minutes of twists turns and pure twisted electronic genius. I told my mate MOSCOW to buy a copy and he literally got on his bike and cycled into town to buy a copy as he was that blown away by it.

Anyways search it out. Its the record you should definitely buy this week if nothing else. Think of it as a little Christmas present for yourself.

As an aside I remember that there was supposed to be a follow up to Black Leotard Fronts 'Casual Friday' called Hey Coach. In fact I'm sure I saw James Murphy DJ and he played it. This might be a lie. Or a dream though.