Latitude Information

"Mood Music to Perfection"

In every great musical breakthrough there's always the guys who rise to the top and the one guy who was there but never got the respect he deserved.

When the UK synth music movement began in earnest way back in the early eighties, it was pioneered by four people - Mark Shreeve, Ian Boddy, Paul Nagle & Carl Matthews, all possessors of the first cassette steps into the new musical arena. We lost track of Carl M somewhere down the line, until a recent communication went thus:
'Hi Andy, I don't suppose you remember or even heard my name Carl Matthews before, but I used do electronic Musicway back in the heady days...Paul Nagle gave me your email address, as we, that is Cumbria Electro Music, have released our 1st CD called "Latitude", on our CEM label.

Not remember you? How could I forget you........so I asked for a CD to review - and it's absolutely superb.

It begins with the five Congavata tracks and here we are in a mysterious eerie yet melodic and rhythmic musical universe thats a kind of languid ambient style of music with shuffling, busy electro-percussive rhythms, synth choirs in the distance, well placed samples, slowly swirling synth layers, and so well arranged as to be positively breathtaking, all the nuances and subtleties there for you to discover, sounding just superb. For the third track, 'Conflict', the rhythm is altogether chunkier and more solid, with a deep bass presence as soaring space synths roam over the horizon, the percussive presence is phased lightly, synths shimmer and shine, and it's all like a sort of darker ambient dub, almost classic Orb style in many respects, even reminding me a bit of the Ether Flyer CDEP I reviewed recently. 'Royal Guest' continues this feel with more melody and a string-like core, with more overt rhythmic layers than the main solid heart of the last track, but again, absolutely fantastic,the lead notes and chords so warm and almost hanging in mid-air.'Fly' is altogether a lot busier, with clattering electro-percussive rhythms as the motor that spurs on the rest of the electronic machine.
The thirteen minutes of Ku's two tracks is altogether beefier and faster paced, with more of that chugging techno quality to it, yet still retaining a heart of ambient electronics that winds in and out of the rhythmic framework as rhythms are built upon rhythms and the pace intensifies leaving 'Men From Atlantis' as a storming slice of techno-ambience that you'll want to play again and again. 'Time Travel' continues the theme but decelerates things and adds more effects and synth layers, in the process becoming even heavier thanks to its core beats.
The Takla Makan tracks from one twelve minute piece that is a mix of the ambient dub, pure ambient and swirling space synths, taking you on a journey that is truly exquisite, eventually opening out to an horizon of beefy sequenced beats, electro-percussive rhythms, cascading synths and swirling leads, a rich female vocal sample coming out of nowhere as the icing on the cake on a track that just takes you over from start to finish, and simply stunning in its approach, sound, arrangement and execution.
Finally a track from Vent (another Jonathan Sharp alter-ego) and this is awesome with its gradually accelerating percussive rhythms over an initially quite stark, almost eastern sounding chord sequence from the distant synths,as the rhythms clatter around the musical spectrum, eventually giving rise to a wondrous sequencer line, wordless female choral harmonies, space synth raids and swoops, and a piece that for all the world sounds like wonderfully mutated "Berlin School" as it then fades to reveal a new element in the form of a gloriously cool jazzy ambience, that is both languid yet stark and eerie at the same time, going through variations of the two styles as it travels to its near fourteen minute conclusion.
Altogether then, a triumph for the collective and an album that truly is a cohesive whole, one that you will want to play many times as it conforms to the roles of serious listening and mood music to perfection.

Andy G of Dead Earnest

!DSO Recommended!
English new electronic music experimentalist Jonathan Sharp returns with his own Cumbrian based label CEMusic (or Cumbria Electro Music!). This inaugural release features four artists (Vent is another Sharp alias) sharing the disc, with Congavata taking the first five tracks, Ku the next two, Takla Makan have one track (in three movements) and Vent just the one.

CONGAVATA
Carl Matthews' Congavata project is simple in essence but provides a strong opening. Sun and Sea in particular is a deft first track choice. Chilled electronica with a slight jazz tinge, Matthews has a knack of finding sublime, minimalist short loops, repeating them for six minutes and yet keeping you engaged throughout. His pieces conjure up images of unnatural landscapes awaiting cultivation from a civilisation of unknown origin. Boards of Canada seems to be a touchstone at times.

KU
Men From Atlantis is a pumping, bass-driven instrumental piece of tribal electronica that briefly reminds one of Juno Reactor's Shango album. The track title gives little away about the music. Occasionally, there's a muted, almost underwater tone to the mix, but other than that, there's nothing to link the two. Which is fine - cause what we've got is simply a great track. Time Travel neatly follows on - a natural successor - but lacks the a distinctive edge of its predecessor.

TAKLA MAKAN
Takla Makan is Tony Allgood with sister Rachel providing moody female vocals. The twelve minute Sto Helit Trilogy is broken into three sections: Part One: Grandfather, Part Two: The Dark House, Part Three: Susan. Don't worry, this isn't pretentious as the title might suggest. In fact, this is quite firmly rooted in the earth. Takla Makan slide in nicely alongside Enigma, and the Rhys Fulber projects Conjure One and Delirium. And there's a real sense of carefully crafted structure to these twelve minutes too. Part One is most overtly Enigma with the shadowy ambient middle section perfectly reflecting the Dark House title. Finally, Susan is a refrain of Grandfather that develops into a sequel, with bell chimes, mellow beats and Rachel Allgood's neatly pitched voice.

VENT
Sharp's Vent project is an unexpected but entirely successful melange of chilled jazz drum and dub influences somehow blending with Magnetic Fields era Jarreisms and SF anime soundtracks. This ambitious shift occurs gradually over time (the track runs for over thirteen minutes in total) and never seems audacious. There's something decidedly effortless and logical to what Jonathan Sharp has done here yet the result is pure inspiration. O'Hare is the Cumbrian at his very finest. Clever, subtle, essential.

I've not heard anything else from CEMusic since this release. It would be a crime if this were the only entry into their discography. Music this good makes you glad to be alive. 8/10

Rob Dyer (12-04-04) DSO

A NEW CD proves that Cumbria is at the cutting edge of electronic music,
which may come as a surprise to those who thought electricity hadn't reached us yet.

When it comes to electro-pop, bands like Air have hogged the headlines in recent years. Their image is almost as persuasive as their sound. But it's time to raise the Union Jack and play an ambient version of God Save The Queen - four Cumbrian gadgies have created an album as cool as anything from the sunnier side of Europe.
One of these locals, Carl Matthews, was a pioneer of the UK synth-music movement in the early Eighties. He is now one-quarter of Cumbria Electro Music (CEM), a collective who have just released their first CD. Carl, who lives in a quiet Solway village, is joined by West Cumbrians Nick Smith, Jonathan Sharp and Tony Allgood, who lives in the Eden Valley.
The fab four met via the Internet three years ago. They create their music individually but meet two or three times a year to share ideas. Their CD, Latitude, features compositions by all four. One reviewer described it as "a mysterious eerie yet melodic and rhythmic musical universe...a triumph for the collective and an album that truly is a cohesive whole."
Carl describes his music as "progressive-ambient". Nick's is "techno-trance", Tony's "pure electronica" and Jonathan's "ambient". For those who don't know their ambient from their electronica, Latitude is a collection of mainly laid-back and chilled-out tunes.
For Carl, it's the latest in a long line of projects. As a teenager in Carlisle in the Seventies, he was one of the UK's first electronic artists. "I was always into German electronic music, when none of my friends were," he says. "I always wanted to do my own stuff." He started with a reel-to-reel tape recorder, moved to four-track and had several releases on the Mirage label to critical acclaim. These days, Carl creates his music on computer. "We're all trying to portray our feelings through music," he says.
The collective's next project is a CD called Stone Circle, inspired by Cumbria's ancient structures. This is due to be released in early spring.
CEM's founders want to expand the group. "Any artist who lives in Cumbria and has an interest in electronic music is more than welcome to join us," says Carl.

For more information visit: www.cemusic.co.uk

Latitude costs 10 and is available from Omega Music in Brampton, Cosmic and Crystal Commissions in Maryport and Silica Discs in Workington. It can also be ordered from: www.cemusic.co.uk

Roger Lytollis

"Incredible evolutionary electronic compilation. 9/10"

Well, now this is an unexpected treat from the wildwoods of Cumbria, England. Jonathan Sharp (New Mind et al) and some friends of his have created a label for their rather eclectic electronic work. Four artists are featured on this disc (the first of a series, I am informed) and they run the gamut of what can only be called "electronic" music in the broaded, barest sense of the word.
Congavata take us out of the dock with five tracks of mangled beats, unearthly atmospheres and bizarre samples. I quite like the track "Stonehaven" because it is so leftfield in comparison to what I've heard in the so-called "intelligent" genre. Next comes KU, tracking in with two compositions of which both are great examples of ambience done tastefully and not aimlessly. I look forward to hearing more of what Nick Smith and Neil Riley do in the future. Takla Makan give us The Stone Helit Trilogy and I think parts two and three of this work "The Dark House" and "Susan" are excellent.
Closing out this comp is Jonathan Sharp's new side-project simply entitled Vent. Now, to understand this one epic track, you have to take each of the three movements. The first is perhaps his take on salsa or latin styled electronic music, I don't know but it's goddamned freakish, in a good way. The second movement is dark and droney and sort of reminds me of some of the work on Andrew Lagowski's "Ashita" album, but without the subconscious sub base. And the third final part of "O'Hare" bleeds off in strange, shifting uneasiness. That is the best way I can put it. This project harkens back to some of the Freezone work he did waaaay back in the early 90:s but with much more authority and risk-taking. Very brave and very original. Recommended.
If you can find this compilation, it will serve notice that there is a lot going on in England outside of the bland banality that is Warp Records. Hats off, gentlemen and thank you for such inspired, sonic experimental brilliance!

Peter Marks