Basic House is the solo electronics project of Stephen Bishop, a mainstay of
the DIY scene in the UK's North East and the brain behind the label Opal Tapes.
Bishop works with equipment both rudimentary and highly technical which become
aligned together without bias to create a singular sound that focuses on decay,
stagnation and apathy towards cliches within the current climate of electronic
music. Oats is his new full-length record with six deep compositions woven
together to create seamless transitions between them. ''AR II'' opens the record with
fragile and haunted electronics before developing into something almost melodic
with an imposing 4/4 kick. ''Child Confession'' follows with dead electronic hums,
whispered samples and a sluggish half-speed techno thud which gives way to a
collage of cruddy noise and scalpel-sharp bursts of clatter and a crude nonrhythmic
bass pulse before ending in the buzzing maelstrom of ''Interiors,'' which is
equal parts Florian Hecker and Andy Stott at his most visceral. ''Est Oan''
begins the second half of the record ominously with slightly absurd farmyard
groans that eventually melt into hypnotic machine music. The industrial lurch of
''B.G. Feathers'' is the closest Bishop comes on this side to hitting anything
resembling a groove and instead evokes the grinding power of Maurizio
Bianchi's best '80s material. Mastered by Stephen Bishop with vinyl cut by
Grammy Greg at Masterpiece. CD version contains 40 minutes of bonus
material, re-worked from previous cassette releases. Photography by Traianos
Pakioufakis.
TRACKLISTING
01. AR II
02. Child Confession
03. Interiors
04. Est Oan
05. B.G. Feathers
06. Dry Contract