A to Z: A is for Astral Social Club

This is the first of a new (ir)regular series as I dip into The Untied Knot’s CD/vinyl/mp3 collection and dig out some firm favourites from A to Z.

A is for Astral Social Club

If you’ve never heard one of ASC’s brilliant and bizarrely-named ecstatic electronic noise collages you’re missing a treat. Neil Campbell’s genre-defying sound pile-ups range from warped ADD undanceable beat driven work-outs to shimmering multi-core power drones. I hesitate to use the term psychedelic because of the inevitable peace and love connotations but listening to this music is probably the closest to an aural hallucinogen I’ve ever got.


 

Campbell is a stalwart of the UK underground and I first ventured upon his music whilst he was at the helm of Vibracathedral Orchestra where the drone aesthetic was in strong evidence. Ever-evolving, he split from them in 2006 to proceed with this stellar monikered largely solo project. The chance to experience Astral Social Club live at the kind of volume that carries you into a synaesthetic maelstrom is one not to be overlooked and has been documented previously by me here.

Recommended releases:

Neon Pibroch (Important Records)