Cult With No Name composes film score

Varyingly described as 'clever, subtle, sophisticated', 'simply unforgettable' and (their all-time favourite) 'the anticoldplay', it’s fitting that London duo Cult With No Name have now turned their attention to cinema, for their first DVD release. And it’s even more fitting that the German expressionist classic gets the CWNN treatment.

Released in 1920, and directed by Robert Wiene, 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' remains one of the most influential films of all time, it's dark imagery and surrealist set design subtly, and usually not so subtly, constantly referenced in film and music for generations to come.

Cult With No Name’s compulsive and compelling soundtrack extends their ability to instantly create evocative moods over 51 breathtaking minutes. As the bleak story unfolds, each piece seamlessly drifts and merges into the next, along a journey that takes in warm ambience, nerve-shredding distortion, popular (and maybe even unpopular) song, and vast, expansive futurist soundscapes. It's a story of magic, murder, mystery and ultimately, madness.

Lightwerx (a division of Trakwerx Records) proudly gives you Cult With No Name's 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'...and invite you to think outside the box.

Lightwerx: Georges Melies

Lightwerx: Georges Méliès is our homage to the groundbreaking French film director, Georges Méliès (1861-1938). Containing 15 magical short films with original scores from Trakwerx artists such as Jo Gabriel, Tommy Santee Klaws, Jackson Del Rey, Gods Of Electricity, 17 Pygmies, Cult With No Name, Meg Maryatt, Lea Reis, Sparkle Girl, Stephan Graham, Kulfi and Smoldering Ashes, you will hear wildly varying musical interpretations from noise, alternative, experimental and progressive to hip hop and Americana.

Visit our last.fm page to hear audio samples and learn more. A few of the shorter videos will be uploaded to last.fm over the next couple of weeks.

To purchase the DVD go to our MMG, Inc. Shop. $9.95 plus shipping.

Call It Folk writes about The Outlaw

Music blogger Call It Folk writes about the 17 Pygmies new release "The Outlaw J.D. Ray".

From Blackwater, TN, comes a new CD release from 17 Pygmies, a group fronted by J.D. Ray, in various incarnations, since 1982. J.D. of 17 sent over some songs from their newest concept project "The Outlaw J.D. Ray". Jackson Del Ray and his posse use post-civil war folk music and pre-WWII blues as the backdrop to a story of ambition, deceit, and of course love lost and found (you know, basic tragedy stuff) and of course, redemption. Released on the indie label Trakwerx. Meg Maryatt sings heavenly on Captured in Amber, add slide guitar and some tender banjo background for an obvious pick for CIF. Like the songs on Tom Russell's concept album, "The Man From God Knows Where", these songs stand on their own despite being part of larger story. This is great Americana. Among other film score projects, 17 Pygmies perform a tune called Stay With Me, a Jackson Del Rey score set to the 1918 silent film "Tarzan of the Apes", based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' story, directed by Scott Sidney.

Captured in Amber   I Know My Train's A-Comin'   Trakwerx   Listen/Buy   MySpace

Lucid Culture Reviews The Outlaw J.D. Ray

Lucid Culture posts the first review of 17 Pygmies "The Outlaw J.D. Ray"

Thank you Alan Young, for listening, understanding us and for such an insightful review.

Trakwerx releases 5 new projects

Trakwerx continues to forge ahead with new releases from Smoldering Ashes, 17 Pygmies, Jackson Del Rey, Cult With No Name and a very special DVD release from the Trakwerx Collective.

Immediately available for review (and purchase) are songs from 17 Pygmies new CD release The Outlaw J.D. Ray which is based on a story about a man wrongly accused of a crime who decides to go on the run, and all the while questioning the meaning of life. Other projects will be available online within the next couple of weeks as we gather all the artwork and music for all to see and hear.

Smoldering Ashes  Songs In The Key of Mountain Birds Blue

Jackson Del Rey continues to explore film scoring withTarzan of the Apes (1918), a silent, black and white action adventure film directed by Scott Sidney starring Elmo Lincoln, Enid Markey, George B. French and Gordon Griffith. The movie was the firstTarzan movie ever made, and is based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' original novel Tarzan of the Apes. The movie was filmed in 1917 in Morgan City, Louisiana utilizing Louisiana swamps as stand ins for African jungles. The movie adapts only the first part of the novel, the remainder becoming the basis for the sequel, The Romance of Tarzan. The film is considered the most faithful to the novel of all the film adaptations. Its most notable plot change being the introduction of the character Binns and his role in bringing the Porters to Africa; the novel brought them there through the improbable coincidence of a second mutiny.

More information coming soon regarding our Trakwerx collective DVD tribute to Georges Melies...featuring special guest artists who contributed to "13 Blackbirds/13 Lotus" mixes: Jo Gabriel, Lea Reis, and Sparkle Girl with new invited guests Tommy Santee Klaws, Kulfi and Stephan Graham.

To purchase CDs and individual downloads visit our MMG, Inc storefront

Visit our last.fm site to hear and see more!

Stay tuned...

17 Pygmies' response to Smoldering Ashes Video

"The Outlaw J.D. Ray" - to be released by the indie label Trakwerx - November 2009.

Sneak peeks coming soon. 

Smoldering Ashes Speak

Tory Troutman and Veronica Ashe post a video about their upcoming release "Songs In The Key of the Mountain Birds Blue"

cwnn vs doudou malicious

Remix of Cult With No Name's  "Down The Line" from "Careful What You Wish For" is released

MVD17.5 - Multi Vitamins

Release date: Oct 5th 2009

Doudou Malicious - Dedicated EP

Including remixes of tracks by : Cult With No Name, Jason Glanville, Samuel Knob, Tolga Baklacioglu

MVD17.5 aka “Dedicated” EP, announces the return of the head of Multi Vitamins records Doudou Malicious, showing off his remixing skills on 4 diverse producers.

Jason Glanville, Cult With No Name, Tolga Baclacioglu and Samuel Knob are the names of the artists that passed their tracks to Doudou and the result is twisting and glowing electronic excellence.

First comes the remix of Jason Glanville’s “N=31”. With acidic overtones and old school sequences, this is a crafted mixture of pure sound adrenaline that will stalk you.

Cult With No Name’s “Down the line” original track is remixed with an abstract approach of outrageous sounds that twist and morph all the way through the track.

“Frantic” originally by Tolga Baclacioglu is a strict and genuine remix with a musical sensibility and twisted irresistible vibes with a new approach towards the term “minimal” with eruptions.

Samuel Knob’s track “Chirimbolo” outbursts and screams for attention, as sounds fuse and become sbstantial, while rhythmical sounds appear on and off till its end.

“Dedicated” EP is for the crowd that’s dedicated to uncontaminated minimal techno lovers.

dso reviews Careful What You Wish For

"Careful What You Wish For" (Album, 2008) !DSO Recommended!

Trakwerx

Clever, subtle, sophisticated and yet simple at the same time, London-based duo Cult With No Name create thoughtful ballads and minimalist pop. Erik Stein and Jon Boux operate in an under-exploited field that was more bustling in the 80s and 90s than of late, when the likes of Scritti Politti, Talk Talk, David Sylvian and others carved out and filled a niche with an impressive cluster of albums. Although clearly drawing inspiration from such sources, CWNN's style has a timeless quality and is contemporary rather than dated.

Thankfully, and slightly unexpectedly, the vocals are never too angst-ridden; if anything they're too reserved. Stein does utilise plenty of variety of delivery and maybe tries a tad too much at times with the vocal inflection, his voice has enough distinctive qualities that he doesn't need to resort to such tactics. Besides, the 'twang' it introduces can occasionally be intrusive. Stein's welcome diversions notwithstanding, some of the style of songs are just crying out for something a bit more emotionally bare like David Sylvian's Brilliant Trees - sometimes draining but never melodramatic. I think this is within Stein and Boux's reach - I'd just like to see them developing that side further.

The attention to detail on the production side is a crucial element in ensuring that the often spare styling not only stands up to scrutiny but is a key factor in the overall success of the album. Instrumentally, a deftness of touch shows Boux and Stein understand that less is often so much more. There are some beautiful pieces of piano composition and performance such as with Feels So Good. When it's just a voice and piano (as it essentially often is) there's nowhere to hide either, and neither the composition nor delivery are ever left exposed as wanting. It's lyrically playful too, with the song titles in particular reflecting a very personal approach that's engaging rather than alienating.

Tuxedomoon's Blaine L. Reininger guests on You Know Me Better Than I Know Myself, his glorious violin work adding a serious touch of quality to the only instrumental on the album (and taking them closer to the emotional honesty I referred to above). Then there's the striking arrangement of The Stranglers' Golden Brown, a distinctive piano and vocal only interpretation. A bold statement that they pull off in remarkable style. The tone and mood captured on Careful What You Wish For really is something special and one this British act can be proud of. Now, where did I put that first album…? 7/10

Rob Dyer (August 2009)

See also:

Eclectica
Scritti Politti
Shreikback
David Sylvian
Talk Talk
Tuxedomoon

miuzik.it reviews CWNN's Careful What You Wish For

Cult With No Name - Careful What You Wish For - CD Capitolo secondo (che segue il debutto del 2007 “Paper Wraps Rock”) per i Cult With No Name, formazione inglese composta da Erik Stein e Jon Boux.

“Careful What You Wish For” si compone per lo più di ballate pianistiche ordinarie, mansuete,

avviluppanti, dalla consistenza pop, salutari come una passeggita in montagna: tracce come “Flying Ant Day”, “Feel So Good”, “Hands, Two, Touch” si ascoltano con grande tranquillità; “Context Is Everything”, “And Those Same Mistakes…”, “On The Fingers Of One Thumb”, “Bluff”, “Down The Line”, “Hurting The Ones You Love The Most”, “Soft Skills” lasciano intravedere screziature elettroniche ed input ritmici semplicistici; “You Know Me Better Than I Know Myself” è uno strumentale caratterizzato dall’austero violino di Blaine L. Reininger (Tuxedomoon); “She B.C.” viene baciata da un fluire chitarristico shoegaze; “Golden Brown” è la palpitante cover degli Stranglers; “You And Who’s Army” – la traccia più suggestiva dell’album – dischiude visioni e intimismi notturni. Sulla medesima lughezza d’onda di At Swim Two Birds.

(Trakwerx)

(3.5/5)

Massimiliano Drommi

- 19-8-2009 

Here's the google translation:

Chapter Two (which follows the debut of 2007 "Paper Wraps Rock") for Cult With No Name,

English training and composed by Erik Stein & Jon Boux.

"Careful What You Wish For" is made for mostly piano ballads ordinary, tame, enveloping, consistency pop, as healthy a walk in the mountain tracks like "Flying Ant Day "," Feel So Good "," Hands, Two, Touch you listen very quietly, "Is Context Everything, "" And ... Those Same Mistakes "," On The Fingers Of One Thumb "," Bluff "," Down The Line "," Hurting the Ones You Love The Most ""Soft Skills" give us a glimpse streaksElectronic and rhythmic input simplistic; "You Know Me Better Than I Know Myself" is an instrumental thrifty one Violin Blaine L. Reininger (Tuxedomoon); "She BC" is blessed with a flowing guitar shoegaze, "Golden Brown" is the throbbing of the cover Stranglers, "You And Who's Army" - the track more

evocative album - opens to personal visions night. On the same total length of At Swim wave Two Birds.

(Trakwerx)

(3.5/5)

Massimiliano Drommi

- 19-8-2009