Holy Tongue meets Shackleton - The Tumbling Psychic Joy of Now

The Tumbling Psychic Joy of Now, a ritualistic and expanding collaborative album between Holy Tongue and Shackleton, will be released by AD 93 on the 23rd August 2024.

Holy Tongue are a trio composed of Valentina Magaletti, Al Wootton and Susumu Mukai. Accomplished musicians in their own right, they combined to create psychedelic, free-form, high energy, spiritual dub-dance music across a trilogy of critically acclaimed EPs and their debut album Deliverance and Spiritual Warfare. Their high energy live performances invoke the experimental dub of On-U-Sound, the frenetic rhythms of 23 Skidoo, Liquid Liquid and ESG, and the spiritual energy of free jazz.

The trio’s dynamic collaboration extends in their meeting with Shackleton, one of the most original and critically lauded voices in electronic music. Shackleton has moved from the depths of the early 2000s dubstep underground to a diverse range of international collaborations and commissions over the last two decades. After honing his hypnotic beats on the cult UK record label Skull Disco, his unique rhythmic touch is now heard on some of the most adventurous and progressive projects that have emerged from the European dance scene in recent years. Shackleton’s work explores conceptual and spiritual themes with an emotional depth beyond most artists working in European dance music today, and his visions of inner space, apocalypse and dread are more timely than ever before.

This record was conceived after Holy Tongue and Shackleton shared a festival line up in Sweden. Holy Tongue were initially keen to get Shackleton to remix one of their existing tracks but they soon decided to have a project together and work on some fresh new music, allowing Shackleton to do something more creative with it in the studio. Thus Holy Tongue recorded a collection of raw material in the studio and sent it to Shackleton. The result is far more than the sum of its parts. A psychedelic, ritualistic, dub trip, oscillating between the maximal and the minimal, the internal and the external, the micro and the macro, ecstasy and agony, all the tumbling psychic joy of now. 

He's such a busy boy I have to pick and choose which Shack to buy otherwise I'd be skint.. probably gonna spring for this one tho, not too familiar with Holy Tongue but the drummer is fantastic, the label has a high quality mark-  should be good. 

Havent really got into last months collaboration with Six Organs of Admittance yet, gave it a couple of spins but didn't really grab me. He's been developing this sound for about the last 10 years now (kind of proggy, sludgy, almost Coil-like dub) and it was the first release that I felt was treading water or offering nothing new, hope this new one is more my cuppa tea.

sounding good. Salv would be loving this shit.

  On 7/8/2024 at 10:15 AM, Key said:

He's such a busy boy I have to pick and choose which Shack to buy otherwise I'd be skint.. probably gonna spring for this one tho, not too familiar with Holy Tongue but the drummer is fantastic, the label has a high quality mark-  should be good. 

Havent really got into last months collaboration with Six Organs of Admittance yet, gave it a couple of spins but didn't really grab me. He's been developing this sound for about the last 10 years now (kind of proggy, sludgy, almost Coil-like dub) and it was the first release that I felt was treading water or offering nothing new, hope this new one is more my cuppa tea.

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What would you recommend to a Shackleton noob ? (I bought the Perlon "album" in 2009 and thats it) 

  On 7/10/2024 at 9:59 AM, d-a-m-o said:

What would you recommend to a Shackleton noob ? 

I'd say that Music For The Quiet Hour was probably the beginning of his leftwards turn away from the classic dubstep sound (the Skull Disco stuff, 3EPs, Perlon, Pinch collab) so you'd probably want to start there to understand where he is now. Lots of bongo/hand percussion, lysergically churning background noise, noodly almost Terry Rileyish synth work.

Then I'd pick one of 'Devotional Songs' 'Sferic Ghost Transmits' or 'Behind The Glass' (theyre all the same quality) where he continues on with this sound but adds a lead vocalist, a different one for each release.

Then if youre still intruiged I'd go for one of the Tunes Of Negation records or Flesh & The Dream where he has carried on with this style but now with a settled lineup of bandmates, Heather Leigh on vox and a much more kind of live band/improv feel.

  On 7/10/2024 at 9:59 AM, d-a-m-o said:

What would you recommend to a Shackleton noob ? (I bought the Perlon "album" in 2009 and thats it) 

Three EPs is a good place to start. however if you haven't heard his early Skull Disco stuff you need to rectify that immediately, brother.

Samples for this other new album (!) are now on Boomkat - https://boomkat.com/products/jinxed-by-being

  On 7/10/2024 at 9:53 PM, Soloman Tump said:

Samples for this other new album (!) are now on Boomkat - https://boomkat.com/products/jinxed-by-being

This is really nice !

  On 7/10/2024 at 9:59 AM, d-a-m-o said:

What would you recommend to a Shackleton noob ? (I bought the Perlon "album" in 2009 and thats it) 

His collaboration with Scotch Rolex, Death by Tickling, is my favorite thing of his by far. Less quavery occult vocal stuff and more beats.

  On 7/10/2024 at 10:26 AM, usagi said:

Three EPs is a good place to start. however if you haven't heard his early Skull Disco stuff you need to rectify that immediately, brother.

 

 

 

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Listening to the whole Skull Disco disgog and this is straight fire !

Skull Disco was so influential.  

  On 7/12/2024 at 7:45 PM, Soloman Tump said:

Skull Disco was so influential.  

Crazy to think this will soon be 20 years old

  On 7/12/2024 at 7:45 PM, Soloman Tump said:

Skull Disco was so influential.  

that sound will never die in my musical world.

Under the water there are traps, hidden depths

Very exciting news, love Shackleton, love Al Wootton... feeling hyped!

  On 7/10/2024 at 10:25 AM, Key said:

I'd say that Music For The Quiet Hour was probably the beginning of his leftwards turn away from the classic dubstep sound (the Skull Disco stuff, 3EPs, Perlon, Pinch collab) so you'd probably want to start there to understand where he is now. Lots of bongo/hand percussion, lysergically churning background noise, noodly almost Terry Rileyish synth work.

Then I'd pick one of 'Devotional Songs' 'Sferic Ghost Transmits' or 'Behind The Glass' (theyre all the same quality) where he continues on with this sound but adds a lead vocalist, a different one for each release.

Then if youre still intruiged I'd go for one of the Tunes Of Negation records or Flesh & The Dream where he has carried on with this style but now with a settled lineup of bandmates, Heather Leigh on vox and a much more kind of live band/improv feel.

 

 

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Lots of great music in this list, 'Devotional Songs' reminds me of Coil, the two tunes of negation albums are excellent, sadly hard to find on vinyl... 

V much Looking forward to this. The new Shack & 6 organs of addmitance is really nice & the recent Al wootton stuff been amazing, I've been particularly enjoying these 2 which do sound quite Shackleton-esque! 

https://alwootton.bandcamp.com/album/albacete-knife

https://berceuseheroique.bandcamp.com/album/bht-008-al-wootton-lifted-from-the-earth

First listen, I like it a lot !

Yeah, unsurprisingly this is great.

Its like a fusion jazz record from 50 years in the future.

Really interesting and clever pitch shifting work going on with the saxophone and vocals, very woozy, & unnerving.

Took a few listens for this to click with me but really vibing with it now. Awesome stuff!