Hot on the heels of the highly popular and critically acclaimed vinyl version, Factory Benelux will soon release a 19-track CD edition of the classic debut album The Return of The Durutti Column by The Durutti Column. This new version includes all 9 tracks from the first Factory Records pressing (the sandpaper sleeve) plus the six tracks which formed side two of the rare second pressing. Add in the Martin Hannett 'Test Card' tracks from the original flexi and Madeleine and Lips That Would Kiss from the original Factory Benelux 12-inch single and you have quite a package.

The cover art is black Dufy version and the CD booklet includes photography by Daniel Meadows, and the extensive liner notes feature words by Vini Reilly, Martin Hannett, Tony Wilson, Peter Saville, Daniel Meadows, John Brierley, Bruce Mitchell and members of Joy Division (who famously help glue together the original sandpaper sleeved album).

FBN 114 CD 'The Return of The Durutti Column' is out on 5 May 2014. For more information (including on how to order) please visit factorybenelux.com.

Tracklisting

1. Sketch for Summer
2. Requiem for a Father
3. Katharine
4. Conduct
5. Beginning
6. Jazz
7. Sketch for Winter
8. Collette
9. In 'D'
10. Lips That Would Kiss
11. Madeleine
12. The First Aspect of the Same Thing
13. The Second Aspect of the Same Thing
14. Untitled
15. Jazz
16. Sketch for Winter
17. Collette
18. Beginning
19. In 'D'

Labels: Factory_Benelux, John_Brierley, Peter Saville, The_Durutti_Column, Tony_Wilson

Factory Benelux has lined up a new album of remixes by Mark Reeder, the ex-Shark Vegas Berlin-based musician and producer. Featuring his work for a varied selection of artists including Blank & Jones, Bad Lieutenant, Westbam, Koishii & Hush, Marnie, Sam Taylor Wood / Pet Shop Boys and Crépuscule act Marsheaux, the aptly-titled Collaborator is out on CD on 19 May 2014.

Several tracks reflect Reeder's early influence on the electronic/dance direction taken by New Order after 1981 given that they feature his friend Bernard Sumner. There's two Bad Lieutenant singles Sink Or Swim and Twist of Fate, plus tracks by Westbam, Blank & Jones and Corvin Dalek (this last one intriguingly being an early version of Crystal). Completing the connection, Sumner also produced You Hurt Me by Shark Vegas which appears here in its Radio Edit version. The FAC number for that single, 111, provides the FBN number for this album.

Completing the overall package there's great cover photography is by Katja Ruge.

More info and how to order via factorybenelux.com.

Tracklisting

1. Bad Lieutenant - Sink Or Swim (Rettungsring Radio Remix)
2. Marsheaux - So Far (So Close Remix)
3. Corvin Dalek w. Bernard Sumner - Crystal (Original Demo Mix)
4. Koishii & Hush w. John Taylor - C'est Tout Est Noir (Black Night Remix)
5. Blank & Jones w. Bernard Sumner - Miracle Cure (Genussmittel Remix)
6. Blank & Jones w. Anne Clark - The Hardest Heart (Hardest Soul Remix)
7. Marnie - Sugarland (Sweet & Sticky Remix)
8. Queen of Hearts - Neon (Electrically Excited Remix)
9. Sam Taylor Wood w. Pet Shop Boys - I'm In Love With A German Film Star (Stuck in the 80s Remix)
10. Westbam - w. Bernard Sumner She Wants (Old School Remix)
11. Die Unbekannten - Radio War (Re-tuned)
12. Bad Lieutenant - Twist Of Fate (Synth of Fate Remix)
13. Shark Vegas - You Hurt Me (Radio Edit)

Labels: Bad_Lieutenant, Bernard_Sumner, Blank_and_Jones, Factory_Benelux, Mark_Reeder, Marsheaux, New_Order, Pet_Shop_Boys, remix, Shark_Vegas, Westbam

Big news this week has come out of Kooky Records Towers with long-awaited details of the much-delayed new version of Chronicle by The Durutti Column. We will defer to Phil for all the details but, in summary, the new version, which is now titled Chronicle LX:XL will be released on 19 April 2014 (Record Store Day) in a 2CD deluxe package.

Fans will recall the first version of Chronicle was a special limited edition commissioned for the last "proper" DC gig at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester in 2011.

But hey, enough of me yacking, it's over to Phil Kooky Cleaver (no, him neither) for the full story...

... and for the pics check out the Durutticolumnist Tumblr for some lovely packaging tests.

Labels: Daniel_Mason, graphic_design, Kooky_Records, The_Durutti_Column, Trevor_Johnson

In a bizarre politics / football / post-punk funk crossover, former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has recommended A Certain Ratio's Si Firmi O Grido to Gary Lineker for the BBC World Cup Rio 2014 theme tune in a verified exchange on Twitter (see below).

Backed up with a classic video clip, Mr Prescott provides a compelling argument for the upcoming football fest and, according to Mr Lineker, the tune has yet to be decided so maybe this has some legs.

@GaryLineker Do you have a theme tune for your Brazil World Cup coverage because this from @acrmcr is ideal. Listen http://t.co/JvblCuIvl1

— John Prescott (@johnprescott) February 25, 2014

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, football, John_Prescott

Hip hop maestro Scroobius Pip and DJ partner Dan Le Sac present We.Are.Lizards at The Book Club in Shoreditch with special guest DJs the ACR Soundsystem featuring Martin Moscrop and Jez Kerr who will be fresh from their headlining gig at Under The Bridge the previous night. All this plus Destruction and We.Are.Lizards resident DJs.

Full details at the Facebook event but the headlines are it's free before 8pm and 5 quid after and on til 2pm.

The Book Club
100 Leonard St
London EC2A 4RH
[2 mins from Liverpool Street]

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, DJ, events, Jez_Kerr, Martin_Moscrop

MuirMcNeil, the typographic design company formed by Hamish Muir (ex-8vo) and Paul McNeil, has announced four new parametric typeface systems: Panopticon, Intersect, Nine and Interact. Each is available to download via muirmcneil.com and there are four very snazzy four large-format day-glo posters to complete the package.

Labels: 8vo, graphic_design, Hamish_Muir, MuirMcNeil, typography

Listen to a free preview of Trance taken from the disc two (live at the Melkweg) of Minny Pops' upcoming 2CD edition of Sparks in a Dark Room which is released by Factory Benelux on 17 March 2014.

'Sparks...' was the second studio album by , originally released by FBN in May 1982. The album on the first disc is augmented by bonus tracks include the non-album singles Time and Een Kus, plus demos and an EP by instrumental splinter project Smalts.

The second disc features an entire live performance recorded at Amsterdam Melkweg on 7 April 2012 on their 30th anniversary tour, with original members Wally Van Middendorp, Wim Dekker and Pieter Mulder and new guitarist Mark Ritsema.

More info and ordering details via factorybenelux.com.

Don't forget that Minny Pops will join Crispy Ambulance and Section 25 at the Ruby Lounge in Manchester for A Factory Night on Record Store Day.

Labels: Factory_Benelux, Minny_Pops, release, Soundcloud

Wrangler played selected cuts from their upcoming debut album at their packed out and rather groovy Servant Jazz Quarters gig in Dalston on Tuesday. 'LA Spark' is out on 5 May on CD, vinyl LP and digital download.

The 45 minute set concluded with a storming version of Cabaret Voltaire's Crackdown (see video below).

Labels: album, Cabaret_Voltaire, Stephen_Mallinder, Wrangler

'New Dawn Fades - A Play About Joy Division', the hit play from last year's Manchester Fringe Festival and Macclesfield's Winterfest written by Brian Gorman and Directed by Neil Bell returns for one night only at the Dancehouse Theatre on Saturday 8 March 2014.

Doors open 7.15pm for the show at 8pm.

Tickets are available now via Ticketline (+ booking fee) and The Dancehouse Box Office for 15.00 GBP (10.00 concessions).

Labels: events, Joy_Division, theatre, Tony_Wilson

A reminder that A Certain Ratio play Under The Bridge, London on Friday 21 February 2014.

Tickets are available priced 20.00 GBP plus booking fee via SeeTickets and AGMP.

Ale-fancying FAC fans may wish to join Cerysmatic at the Bricklayer's Arms Yorkshire Beer Festival in Putney from 5pm.
Thanks to Mark for spotting the obvious date error in the previous post.

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, gigs

2014 is shaping up to be a big year for ex-Factory Records hitting the road and we summarise the key runners and riders.

A Certain Ratio play Under The Bridge, London on Friday 21 February (corrected!). Tickets are available priced 20.00 GBP plus booking fee via SeeTickets and AGMP. Ale-fancying FAC fans may wish to join Cerysmatic at the Bricklayer's Arms Yorkshire Beer Festival in Putney from 5pm.

A Factory Night on Record Record Store Day on Saturday 19 April 2014 sees the live return of Crispy Ambulance alongside Section 25 and Minny Pops (and not forgetting DJ FAC Col) at the Ruby Lounge in Manchester. Tickets for this one are available in person at face value via Vinyl Revival on Hilton Street in Manchester and online via TicketLine for 10.00 plus booking fee.

Further Crispy Ambulance gigs are set for Leeds and Bury later in the year as follows:

The Belgrave, Leeds - Saturday 26 April 2014 [Buy tickets]
The Met, Bury - Monday 25 August 2014 (Bank Holiday)
The Lexington, London - Saturday 6 September [Buy Tickets]

The original line-up of Northside has reunited and they have a full UK tour lined up as follows:

April 12 - Brixton Jamm, London [Buy tickets]
April 17 - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds [Buy tickets]
April 18 - The Venue, Derby [Buy tickets]
April 19 - The Cross, Birmingham [Buy tickets]
April 24 - The Classic Grand, Glasgow [Buy tickets]
May 3 - Club Academy, Manchester [Buy tickets]

Finally, Vini Reilly makes a long-awaited return to live action on 21 May as part of the Chorlton Arts Festival in Manchester. He will be interviewed by Dave Haslam and then perform live on stage, his first proper show since April 2011. Tickets are on sale now via WeGotTickets priced 9.00 GBP plus booking fee.

* or the alternative to the spectacle?

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, Crispy_Ambulance, gigs, Minny_Pops, Northside, Section_25, The_Durutti_Column, Vini_Reilly

Wrangler featuring Stephen Mallinder (ex-Cabaret Voltaire), Benge (John Foxx), and Phil Winter (Tunng) play the Servant Jazz Quarters in London's Dalston on Tuesday 18 February 2014 from 8pm.

Tickets priced a very reasonable 5.00 GBP are on sale now via Blood and Biscuits.

"Expect modular synths, old drum machines, and gnarly vocals."

Support comes from Ahma (Icelandic electronic improvisation) and Tom Rogerson (Three Trapped Tigers solo piano improvisation).

--

Servant Jazz Quarters
10A Bradbury Street
Dalston
Londond N16 8JN

More info at Wrangler Facebook.

Labels: Cabaret_Voltaire, gigs, Stephen_Mallinder, Wrangler

This Sunday night at Plastic People in London sees the celebration of the launch of new book DJ Culture in the Mix, one of the co-editors of which is Gonnie Rietveld (co-founder of Quando Quango). The event forms part of the regular CDR night and will feature several of the authors, such as Tim Lawrence, Chris Christodoulou, Simon A. Morrison and Gonnie herself. It all starts at 7.30pm and admission is free.

Read more about the concept and development of the book at 333sound.com and buy it via Amazon.com.

--

Sunday 9 February 2014
7.30pm

Plastic People
147 Curtain Road
LONDON EC2A 3QE

Labels: book, DJ, events, Gonnie_Rietveld

Peter Saville continues his collaborations with Anna Blessman with a new series of works which playfully subvert normal ideas about what constitutes a work of art. Small signs with legends such as "This exhibit has been temporarily removed and will be returned as soon as possible" and "Object removed for photography" become the artworks themselves.

Saville and Blessman's Art Accessories (along with some Saville solo work) will be exhibited in the upcoming Art 14 show at the Olympia Grand Hall in London from 28 February until 2 March 2014.

More info at paulstolper.com.

Labels: Anna_Blessman, art, Peter Saville

Peter Saville presents a new series of inkjet-on-paper editions via Paul Stolper, including the above 'New Wave Blue I'.

Labels: art, Peter Saville

Factory Benelux spoils us (again) with not one but two new T-Shirts featuring two of your favourite ex-Factory bands - Section 25 and Crispy Ambulance. The SXXV design is based on Peter Saville's legendary artwork for From The Hip whilst the Crispies design is from 'Live On A Hot August Night' (FBN 4) by Benelux design maestro Benoit Hennebert.

Both tees are high-quality Gildan models and come in all popular sizes (S, M, L, XL, XXL) via pre-order only and priced at 15.00 GBP inc Worldwide p&p.

More details and all pre-orders via factorybenelux.com.

Labels: Factory_Benelux, Section_25, T-Shirt

- - - -

08.03 | 09.03 | 10.03 | 11.03 | 12.03 | 01.04 | 02.04 | 03.04 | 04.04 | 05.04 | 06.04 | 07.04 | 08.04 | 09.04 | 10.04 | 11.04 | 12.04 | 01.05 | 02.05 | 03.05 | 04.05 | 05.05 | 06.05 | 07.05 | 08.05 | 09.05 | 10.05 | 11.05 | 12.05 | 01.06 | 02.06 | 03.06 | 04.06 | 05.06 | 06.06 | 07.06 | 08.06 | 09.06 | 10.06 | 11.06 | 12.06 | 01.07 | 02.07 | 03.07 | 04.07 | 05.07 | 06.07 | 07.07 | 08.07 | 09.07 | 10.07 | 11.07 | 12.07 | 01.08 | 02.08 | 03.08 | 04.08 | 05.08 | 06.08 | 07.08 | 08.08 | 09.08 | 10.08 | 11.08 | 12.08 | 01.09 | 02.09 | 03.09 | 04.09 | 05.09 | 06.09 | 07.09 | 08.09 | 09.09 | 10.09 | 11.09 | 12.09 | 01.10 | 02.10 | 03.10 | 04.10 | 05.10 | 06.10 | 07.10 | 08.10 | 09.10 | 10.10 | 11.10 | 12.10 | 01.11 | 02.11 | 03.11 | 04.11 | 05.11 | 06.11 | 07.11 | 08.11 | 09.11 | 10.11 | 11.11 | 12.11 | 01.12 | 02.12 | 03.12 | 04.12 | 05.12 | 06.12 | 07.12 | 08.12 | 09.12 | 10.12 | 11.12 | 12.12 | 01.13 | 02.13 | 03.13 | 04.13 | 05.13 | 06.13 | 07.13 | 08.13 | 09.13 | 10.13 | 11.13 | 12.13 | 01.14 | 02.14 | 03.14 | 04.14 | 05.14 | 06.14 | 07.14 | 08.14 | 09.14 | 10.14 | 11.14 | 12.14 | 01.15 | 02.15 | 03.15 | 04.15 | 05.17 | 06.17 | 07.17 | 08.17 | 09.17 | 10.17 | 11.17 | 05.18 | 12.18 | 01.19 | 08.19 | 09.19 | 10.19 | 11.19 | 12.19 | 03.20 |

- - - -