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Campbell-Mallinder-Benge \ Clinker [TWI 1256]

Crépuscule presents a brand new collaborative project by Julie Campbell (aka LoneLady), Stephen Mallinder (Wrangler, Cabaret Voltaire) and Benge (Wrangler, John Foxx). Titled Clinker, the first 800 copies of the album have been pressed in turquoise vinyl.

'The project began a couple of years ago,' explains Julie. 'Benge had these great sketches that were beats and synth patterns, so those were the starting point. I really went to town adding lots of guitar layers and experimenting with different sounds. On some tracks the guitar is deft and rhythmic, as if mimicking sequencer patterns. On others it's a deconstructed noise-based approach - scratching strings, making fitful, heavy chunks, howls and scrapings of noise and texture.'

Due to competing solo commitments for all 3 members the tracks disappeared into hard drive exile for a couple of years. Julie continues: 'Last year we revisited the mixes and Stephen added his trademark mysterious and menacing vocals. Now we find ourselves with a finished piece of work. I thought of the name Clinker as I love its meaning: "stony residue from burnt coal". This seemed liked an apt description of both industrial and creative processes, and a nice nod to the industrial North of England.'

Stand-out tracks include Camouflage and Condition Collapsing. 'I'd forgotten how liberating it is to play bass guitar on something,' enthuses Mal. 'It compliments Julie's beautifully angular guitar, and Benge and me ripping up live percussion onto the sound of machines... As a collection of tracks these benefited from a lengthy gestation, as they follow no particular trend and were allowed to twist and turn to develop a life of their own. After successive cycles we suddenly drew it all together so the tracks have a sense of completion and identity.'

'The real fun for me was during the mixing process when Mal and I looked at each other as the rawness of the tracks hit us on the big studio monitors,' adds Benge. 'We knew we had something untameable, and wanted to preserve that feeling of edgy rawness in the mixes.'

The cover image is by Julie, with overall design by Twilight. Vinyl edition includes digital copy (MP3).

The CD version features 4 extended remixes, 2 by Gabe Gurnsey of Factory Floor, and 2 by Pete Morgan (UXB).

Vinyl tracklist:

A1. Camouflage
A2. Monochrome
A3. Influx
B1. Signification
B2. Condition Collapsing
B3. Dereliction Magical

CD/digital tracklist:

1. Camouflage
2. Monochrome
3. Influx
4. Signification
5. Condition Collapsing
6. Dereliction Magical
7. Dereliction (Phase 1) (Remix by Gabe Gurnsey)
8. Dereliction (Phase 2) (Remix by Gabe Gurnsey)
9. Camouflage (Pattern 1) (Remix by UXB)
10. Camouflage (Pattern 1) (Remix by UXB)

Available on coloured vinyl, CD and digital (MP3 or FLAC). To order please select correct shipping option (UK, Europe or Rest of World) and click on Add To Cart button below cover image.

Or, you can order with the option of tracked shipping from our friends at Burning Shed (click here to order)

Reviews:

"A short, sharply-designed collection of tracks fermented over a few years, Clinker builds on Stephen Mallinder and Benge's previous work together in Wrangler and Creep Show, with Julie Campbell of LoneLady in tow. It's a febrile set of 6 songs, with much of it suggesting the anxious avant-grooves of groups like Bush Tetras and 400 Blows, re-tooled for 21st century precision production. Campbell's itchy, prickling guitar claws away at the slick yet sly surfaces of Camouflage and Influx, while Mallinder's vocals are as seething and dreadwise as ever. Tightly constructed, but rich with functional possibilities" (Uncut, 09/2021)

"Clinker is the progeny of another permutation of sound fuckers with Benge at the controls. It's a mini album, clocking in at a sprightly 25 minutes, but it fills the place with the reek of gasoline and the sickly pall of sodium lighting in its short occupation of your world. It conjures visions of decaying concrete flyover pillars, stained with the oxide of its iron trusses, and the empty spaces between them. This Ballardian grimness comes partly from Stephen Mallinder's voice. His distorted, disrupted evocations, contained in gaseous chambers of reverb and tape echo, are so identifiable with the Xerox aesthetic of early Cabaret Voltaire, and that sense of 1970s dystopia they evoked, that it's hard not to just, you know, go there... Clinker works because it makes features of its limitations - the signal path hisses of Benge's vintage synths, scrapes of plectrum on steel as Campbell's fingers worry at the strings, or the treatment of Mal's voice. Clinker? Corker, more like." (Electronic Sound, 10/2021)

"If ever a project seeking to bring together different musical parties had a good chance of success, Campbell Mallinder and Benge would be it. Julie Campbell's LoneLady has been at the very apex of the modern interpretation of post punk sounds since her emergence in 2009. Stephen Mallinder's pioneering works with Cabaret Voltaire, as a solo artist and also his more recent recordings as part of Wrangler with Benge and Phil Winter of Tuung are all highly revered. Benge has also recorded with the great John Foxx among others... On the CD we also get two extended remixes apiece of Dereliction and Camouflage, with Gabe Gurnsey and UXB (Pete Morgan) doing the honours on the former and the latter respectively. Dereliction (Phase 1) starts this part of the CD and here Gurnsey gently teases out the intro until the listener is left with an electronic spiral of sound. The voices wobble in and out as we are presented with a scant but very hypnotic musical landscape."

"On Dereliction (Phase 2) things shift up a gear and this mix moves towards a solid dance music direction, with just the right rhythm to make one want to get a groove on. We then come to the two Camouflage remixes Pattern 1 and Pattern 2 by UXB. Pattern 1 concentrates on seeking out the electro dance elements of the track and does this elegantly, with Pattern 2 having more of a chill-out feel initially. After this cool drones eventually lead to some thumping percussive beats. All these remixes here do well in zooming in on different emphasises to the original tracks and are different enough to add to the disc as a whole. In summary Clinker takes us on a musical jaunt that has as its basis some familiar themes from the makers’ past works, which are then warped into different and often alluring directions. It is a testament to the talents of all three of Campbell Mallinder Benge that this doesn’t feel like just a side project – it certainly isn’t a case of "this will do until the next LoneLady or Wrangler LP". The record carries a sense of commitment and completeness which is extremely satisfying and very listenable, as Julie, Stephen and Benge all step forward shine brightly. Clinker ultimately captivates." (Louder Than War, 03/2022)