Brian Grainger Appreciation Thread

I've only recently discovered this artist's vast array of music (why has it taken me so long to bump into his stuff!?), and so far I am extremely impressed, especially Brian's work under the Milieu pseudonym. I wanted to create this thread to generate some discussion over his music and I was wondering what are people's favourite releases from him? I'm sure most of the BoC fans here can relate to his music.

There are some tracks getting a lot of replays from me - I need to spend more time listening to releases all the way through but so far, the stand out tracks under the Milieu pseudonym for me are:

Acid Fried Skate Rink

Blackwood Moth

Pileus

Forest

Summer Honey

Summer Vacation

Daisy Scrapbook

Sun Dress

Pillow Whiter

Pinwheel Carousels (what a track)

But I know I have barely scratched the surface...

The music is very well produced - surprised the likes of Warp haven't snapped him up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Oph1C6vKd8

You are aware that he is a frequent poster here, right? I am sure he appreciates the appreciation thread.

  On 8/31/2011 at 11:09 PM, azatoth said:

You are aware that he is a frequent poster here, right? I am sure he appreciates the appreciation thread.

Yes I am aware of that fact

yes yes, brian grainger makes pretty awesome musics. I fully agree with that.

milieu would be my favorite all time moniker but lately, the coppice halifax stuff has been pretty much on top. one of the last album (the one with "monoaxial" split) is absolutely great: http://coppicehalifax.bandcamp.com/album/abx10

the coppice tracks on this album are fucking amazing. and he even did a remix of one of my track on my latest release which is an honor ! but really, his discography is too huge to be described in this single post.

props to brian !

Wow, thanks guys. I'm posting in a thread about me! How surreal.

Really happy to hear my work is being enjoyed, always. CH is probably my favorite project, personally, if I had to pick one out of the whole lot.

Thanks to Bread for all the kind words and also thanks to Mathieu for the continued support!

Btw Mathieu I just sorted out that "Night Cruiser" sample pack for you. Will send it over soon.

the dubby stuff of late is sounding great too.

  On 9/1/2011 at 6:25 AM, Mellow U said:

Btw Mathieu I just sorted out that "Night Cruiser" sample pack for you. Will send it over soon.

niiiiice. thanks / will keep you updated.

milieu / coppice halifax makes good music to listen while working at the office.

I have a lot of his earlier works... some newer ones as well. I love the Phe_ release, and it was a good cause too. I'm happy and honored that he has graced me with a remix (as Coppice Halifax) on a TBA remix compilation.

Thanks guys! I have to concur that I have indeed become obsessed with dub techno in the last two years.

Also, for what it's worth, most of the Milieu tracks Bread posted are very emblematic of my early sound, which I don't really do anymore...mostly because I did it to death for a long time. These days, Milieu sounds more like this:

[youtubehd]TydoZvServI[/youtubehd]

Anyway, in any case it is always quite nice to hear that my older work is still being appreciated by newcomers...that really says a lot! Thank you.

very nice. neon 900 is even better

great guy, great music. i could speak volumes, too busy turning the volume up.

  On 9/2/2011 at 11:16 PM, Benedict Cumberbatch said:

very nice. neon 900 is even better

Awesome!

  On 9/2/2011 at 11:22 PM, Luke Fucking Hazard said:

great guy, great music. i could speak volumes, too busy turning the volume up.

Thanks Luke. Now get the fuck over to my house!

Mad love and props for lyf dood. :w00t: :emotawesomepm9:

  On 9/4/2011 at 8:21 AM, Atop said:

Mad love and props for lyf dood. :w00t: :emotawesomepm9:

I can't get enough of his music lately. Pawleys Island and Enjoy Your Stay At The Holograph Lounge are truly classics in the making. I can't wait for some Milieu braindance on vinyl.....pretty pleaazze

Pawleys Island is the only thing of his/yours I have so far but it's the shit. Def one of the best ambient techno albums I've heard in an age.

Pacific Opal Hex... Yo!

Agreed. If I had any complaint it would be that I often find myself really getting into a track and then not being able to remember which it was. Then there's thousands of tracks to sift through to find the right one.

But seriously, the guy is as great as his music. He and his wife are very warm, welcoming people.

I know Brian has something against it, but my favorite album is Brother. I tend to like stuff that has some sort of darkness to it, and man oh man do I love that album.

The scope of his work is unbelievable, I even have a thing for his very old lo-fi guitar tracks. I don't know how much he shares that, but it's incredible and I recommend anyone who might be interested to bug him about it.

And Brian, I'm finally teaching this spring semester, so I'll be around Columbia more often. I don't know how many times I've said that to you in the past and failed to follow through, but there's no way around teaching over the next few months. We'll have to get up again. I'll be living pretty close to the zoo.

  On 1/2/2012 at 12:12 AM, GRVGLTCHR said:

I can't get enough of his music lately. Pawleys Island and Enjoy Your Stay At The Holograph Lounge are truly classics in the making. I can't wait for some Milieu braindance on vinyl.....pretty pleaazze

Wow, thanks man! I would love to have someone press some braindancey stuff of mine to that format - alas, all the scheduled Milieu wax is ambient work though. There IS however a decent bit of vinyl out under other names, if you're so inclined to check it. Here's everything I've done for the format thus far:

Milieu - Phosphene Weather LP

SEAS (Dub techno project with David Tagg) - Arctic/Blue Dub 12"

Brian Grainger - Highschool Guitar 12" EP

Teenager - Smiling Faces/Beautiful Places lathe-cut 8" EP

VCV (My drone band with David Tagg) & Shinobu Nemoto - Jovian Clouds LP

Brian Grainger / Biathalon - Backwater Fumes split 7"

Brian Grainger / Orick - Children Of The Hill split 2x7"

Coppice Halifax - High Hawaiian Fog LP

There's much more on the way too. A Coppice Halifax double LP, a Brian Grainger double LP, a vinyl reissue of the first Free Festival album (with Brian Ellis) and the second Free Festival LP as well. Also, a Free Festival 7" single with a Black Sabbath cover on it, a 12" of 100% analog techno under the name Bike and another ambient Milieu LP too. Most of, if not all of, this stuff should come out within this year.

  On 1/2/2012 at 12:24 AM, Cryptowen said:

Pawleys Island is the only thing of his/yours I have so far but it's the shit. Def one of the best ambient techno albums I've heard in an age.

Awesome! Thanks dude! Coppice Halifax listening repository here: http://coppicehalifax.bandcamp.com - knock yourself out!

  On 1/2/2012 at 1:54 AM, asymmetrical head said:

Pacific Opal Hex... Yo!

YO!

  On 1/3/2012 at 1:13 AM, umop_apisdn said:

Agreed. If I had any complaint it would be that I often find myself really getting into a track and then not being able to remember which it was. Then there's thousands of tracks to sift through to find the right one.

 

But seriously, the guy is as great as his music. He and his wife are very warm, welcoming people.

 

I know Brian has something against it, but my favorite album is Brother. I tend to like stuff that has some sort of darkness to it, and man oh man do I love that album.

 

The scope of his work is unbelievable, I even have a thing for his very old lo-fi guitar tracks. I don't know how much he shares that, but it's incredible and I recommend anyone who might be interested to bug him about it.

 

And Brian, I'm finally teaching this spring semester, so I'll be around Columbia more often. I don't know how many times I've said that to you in the past and failed to follow through, but there's no way around teaching over the next few months. We'll have to get up again. I'll be living pretty close to the zoo.

Aww, what a nice post. Thanks a lot man. We should definitely get together once you're settled, although you may just want to meet me here since as of April, we'll have a little Grainger to take care of...if all goes well between now and then. And yes, I still can't listen to more than two or three tracks on Brother. Bah!

That's great news, man! I know one of the last time we spoke (whether IRL or online I can't recall) you mentioned the two of you were trying. Congratulations and best wishes.

  On 1/5/2012 at 3:24 AM, umop_apisdn said:

That's great news, man! I know one of the last time we spoke (whether IRL or online I can't recall) you mentioned the two of you were trying. Congratulations and best wishes.

Yeah, it only took five years! Thanks a lot though, it's simultaneously exciting and terrifying.

I was listening to your album & I drawed you some fan art

(I want to do one for every track eventually)

  On 1/7/2012 at 3:16 AM, Cryptowen said:

I was listening to your album & I drawed you some fan art

 

 

(I want to do one for every track eventually)

HOLY CRAP THESE ARE AWESOME

Dude what an honor! No one has ever done this before!

I'm a big Milieu fan too! My favorite album is "New Drugs For Nuclear Families Of The Seventies" on the i, absentee label. I wish I could get my hand on the CD copy of this album, unfortunately it's sold out so I just bought the mp3s... Slowly I'm getting into his newer album "Reverb Microcoma [Expanded]", there's some very good tracks there that caught my attention. And the release with Fieldtriqp and Mrs Jynx is just amazing!!

I think I'm gonna give Pawleys Island a spin now cause of this thread