In stock
CD
Colin POTTER
“We Couldn’t Agree on a Total”
This is the 100th release by ICR. The first was the compilation LP ‘We Couldn’t Agree on a Title’ in 1981. Back in those days, I never imagined – no, wait – that’s so long ago, I really can’t remember what I imagined. I know that I did think Integrated Circuit Records was a good name for a label that was ‘integrated’ (?!) and vaguely electronic. Which is why it’s now called ICR, much less of a mouthful. But it is slightly surprising to have made it to 100 releases, although I doubt we’ll make it to 200, which partly explains the title of this CD.
3 tracks totalling over 74 minutes, 2 were recorded live at London's Cafe Oto. The third is a studio mix of the music I played live a number of times, but never managed to get a decent recording.
Colin Potter, London 2023
Cover artwork of performance confusion by Jonathan Coleclough,
Review by Frans de Waard, Vital Weekly :
In 1981, Colin Potter released a compilation LP, 'We Couldn't Agree on a Title', the inaugural release on Integrated Circuit Records. 'We Couldn't Agree On A Total' is the 100th release, but it's not a compilation. To celebrate this milestone, Potter selected two live recordings from his concerts at Cafe Oto in 2018 and 2016 and one studio piece of something he played live a couple of times but never managed to get a great recording of. The cover shows Potter and a plethora of instruments; I am sure this photo is some construction of various images, but it's an impressive display of gear. Next to playing as a musician, solo and with Nurse With Wound, Potter runs the ICR studio, so I am sure he knows all about gear, cobbling these together and making them sound simultaneously, with Captain Potter at the controls. The mixing board is the big audio canvas to paint sounds, add effects, change frequencies, and do whatever people do behind big mixing consoles to produce great music. In the April 2018 concert, Potter goes for a take on cosmic music, with arpeggios and rhythm in slow motion, and once that train leaves the station, it majestically rolls about. It has that cosmic Krautrock idea, and it works very well. In 2016, he did something similar, but the arpeggios come in later here, and it takes some time to get there. Potter needs some time to get his stuff brewing from below the surface, but it erupts like a volcano with clockwork precision. In the studio construction, none of these arpeggios are rolling about but a slow melodic touch over drone-like synthesiser tapestries. Maybe also a bit on the cosmic side, but less urgent and more ambient. To me, it seems Potter exercises more control in this piece, whereas in the live pieces, he's wilder and lets things run wild. Two sides of the master, and while I slightly prefer the controlled constructions, it's a great release.
13,00€
In stock
LP
Colin POTTER
“A Long Time”
Released by the wonderful Polytechnic Youth, this is a selection of tracks made in the 80s for the two 'Recent History' ICR cassettes, which escaped in 1989. First time on vinyl (except for 'The State') with a wonderful cover by Jonathan Coleclough.
Rough Trade Review : This release is a collection of first-time-on-vinyl tracks from the 1989 cassette only releases Recent History Vols. I and II on ICR. 8 fantastic experimental, synth pieces recorded at his then home of Tollerton nr. York at various points between 1982 and 1989 and remastered by Colin in 2020. He says of this collection: “Over 30 years does seem like a long time, but in terms of how I worked then and how I work now, it seems even longer. The way these tracks were made feels like another world. Yet I’m still very connected to them and when I remastered them I was taken back to when I was exploring new equipment and ways of working. Primitive sampling and looping had arrived, to use alongside older analogue machines, guitars and early digital synths and effects processors. Happy daze……”
18,00€