Touch Tapes

From the start Touch never considered itself to be a record label, but more an audiovisual arts publishers releasing anything that interested the founders: manifestos, literature, visual art etc. Jon Wozencroft speaking about Touch, *surface magazine, Autumn 2000: "When we launched it, we envisioned Touch as the world’s first 'audiovisual' label. We repeat, endlessly, 'Touch is not a Record Label!'. We depend more or less on a long-developed support system with the artists with whom we work and the key people who act as our antennae. It’s all based around collaborations. We publish music and artworks in small editions just as a printmaker or photographer might make an edition of their work to sell in a gallery. Except we have to put up with the vagaries of the distribution system open to us, and its perception of where we should 'fit' – or not."

In 2006, the label commenced its Touch 25 celebrations. Having survived for 25 years makes Touch one of the oldest active UK 'indie labels'.



Feature Mist 1982


A1
Vladimir Mayakovsky
Final Verse, "Last Poem"

A2
New Order
Video 586 - 1

A3
Soliman Gamil
The New Nubia

A4
Robert Wyatt
From An Interview

A5
Death And Beauty Foundation, The
Song Of The Houseproud Ghost

A6
Hanns Eisler & Vladimir Mayakovsky
Subbotnik

A7
Eric Random
Meets The Bedlamites In Cassette Conference



B1
Simple Minds
King Is White

B2
Tuxedomoon
Shelved Dreams

B3
Dmitri Shostakovich
Waltz From "The Bedbug"

B4
New Order
Video 586 - 2

B5
Flesh
Hesitate


First edition wrapped in a plastic bag with a A5 32pp booklet featured the work of Keith Breeden, Neville Brody, Panny Charrington, Malcolm Garrett, Hipgnosis and Ian Wright, with manifestos by The Death And Beauty Foundation and The Temple Ov Psychick Youth (written by David Tibet). Also published were The Rozztox Manifesto (by Gary Panter / The Residents), "Vladimir Mayakovsky" by Alan Reid, Norrie MacLaren's "Video Column", "The New Nubia", and Your Guide To Naming A Pop Group, "Nominal Success" by Shirley Ellis. A cassette-only edition was remastered in March 1986.




Meridians 1983


A1
Matador!
Nowever, Ornever

A2
AC Marias*
The Whispered Year

A3
A. McKenzie*
Sigil One

A4
Pascal Gabriel
Machu-Pichu

A5
Unknown Artist
Mother Earth Film Music

A6
Touch 33°*
Oral Tradition

A7
Graham Lewis
He Said "Argh..."

A8
John Foxx
The Quiet Man 4

A9
Simon F. Turner*
Wash


B1
A. McKenzie*
Sigil Two

B2
Current 93
Salt

B3
Touch 33°*
The Crucible

B4
Test Department*
Efficiency

B5
S/Z
Text

B6
Pathfinders, The
Long Shadows

B7
Not I
Diagnosis

B8
A. McKenzie*
Sigil Three

B9
Ludus
Corpse Candle



Meridians 2 (1983)


A1
Wendy Chambers
Star Spangled Banner

A2
400 Blows
399 To Go

A3
A Certain Ratio
Si-Femir-Ogrido

A4
Deux Filles
Airium

A5
Nocturnal Emissions
Body Count

A6
Jean Tinguely
Meta-Harmonie H

A7
Derek Jarman
Archeology Of Sound

A8
Matador!
Mother Earth Film Music


B1
John Foxx
The Quiet Man 3

B2
Bruce Gilbert
Children

B3
Virginia Astley
When The Fields Were On Fire

B4
Gorp
Give Me The Moonlight

B5
Pure (6)
Disconnected

B6
Touch 33
Ai

B7
Mulligan & N. Smith
Walk On By

Wrapped in a printed plastic bag with printed matters inside with contributions by Panny Charrington, Neville Brody & Chris Moretone, Graham Elliot, Russell Mills, John Foxx, Peter Saville, Tom Aldam, Wolfram Jacob, Caroline K, Mooie Charrington, Linder, Brett Wickens, Steven Appleby, Jon Barraclough and Malcolm Garrett & Roger Cleghorn.


Touch Travel (1984)


A1
Eithne Ní Bhraonáin*
An Ghaoth O'n Ghrian (The Solar Wind) (2:04)

A2
No Artist
Scene Two

A3
General Strike
My Other Body (3:40)

Vocals - Dawn Roberts Written-By - David Toop , Steve Beresford

A4
No Artist
Clockface

A5
Brian Gulland & Frank Ricotti
Journey (3:40)

A6
No Artist
Swastika Bells (0:28)

A7
1000 Mexicans
Trans-Astrakhan (Seeing The World) (6:30)

A8
No Artist
Bodytalk

A9
No Artist
Old Silk Route - Pig Slaughter (2:04)

Recorded By - Panny Charrington*

A10
3 Mustaphas 3
Bam / Tsifteteli (3:49)

A11
Quimantú
Interview With Sergio Avila / Demonstrating The Zampona (2:05)

A12
Unknown Artist
Yanomamô Shamanism (2:38)
is a field recording of a Yanomami shamanistic ceremony.
Recorded By - David Toop

A13
No Artist
Köln Peals

A14
No Artist
Old Silk Route - Mule Bells (0:45)

A15
Eithne Ní Bhraonáin*
Miss Clare Remembers (2:02)


B1
33*
Notes From The Underground (2:36)

B2
Andrew Poppy
But Does Winston Own A Straw Hat (Part 2) (3:37)

B3
No Artist
Scratch

B4
General Strike
Snowdrops (3:40)

Written-By - David Toop , Steve Beresford

B5
Quimantú
Despedida De Salta (3:59)

B6
Jon Keliehor - Percussion Research Ensemble, The
Trance Formations (4:24)

B7
Piedro Insipiedo
Creatures Loves Sun (2:29)

B8
No Artist
Corrugated Rain

B9
Cremation Gamelan
Fires In Peliatan (2:12)

B10
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
Tribal (6:06)

Performer [Invaders Of The Heart Are] - Dave Animal Maltby* , Lee Partise , Neville Murray , Olly Marland*

B11
No Artist
Mind The Gap

Wrapped in a plastic bag with printed matters inside featuring contributions by Peter J. Bach, Neville Brody, Mooie Charrington, Panny Charrington, Kasper de Graaf, John England, John Forsyth, Yvonne Forward, Malcolm Garrett, Carrie Greenaway, Mike Harding, Rob Keyloch, Ben Mandelson, Norrie MacLaren, Andrew McKenzie, Chris Moretone, Garry Mouat, Jill Mumford, Ben Murphy, Fachtna O'Kelly, Tony Reason, D. Styme, Sheila Rock, Kevin Ward, Damian Wayling & Jon Wozencroft.




Ritual: Magnetic North (1985)


A1
Regular Music
Purcell Manoeuvres
A2
Margaret Sambell
Metal Harmonica
A3
S/Z
Call It Power
A4
Gilbert And George
The World Of...
A5
Biting Tongues
Feverhouse
A6
Einstürzende Neubauten
Das Letzte Biest Am Himmel
A7
Stephen Kent & Eddy Sayer
Memory Ground
A8
Nocturnal Emissions
Um Eh Eh Eh
A9
Renaldo & The Loaf
Extracting The Re-Re
A10
Kill Ugly Pop
One Minute Of Pure Venom
A11
Strafe Für Rebellion
Rauparaha (Song Of The Maori Rebellion)
A12
Fast Forward (3)
Mamba
A13
David Cunningham
Two Different Places
A14
Touch 33
Cool In The North

B1
Residents, The
Theme For An American TV Show
B2
Gilbert And George
Shadowed Valley
B3
Camberwell Now, The
Daddy Needs A Throne
B4
Cabaret Voltaire
Diffusion
B5
Gregorio Spini
Passing Japanese For Monks
B6
Last Few Days
Too Much Is Not Enough
B7
Zazou Bikaye
Signorina
B8
Touch 33
Cool In The North
B9
Wolfgang Wiggers
Casting Of The Skin
B10
Val Denham & Andrew McKenzie
I Touched The Memory
B11
Gilbert And George
Another World
B12
Ricardo Mandolini
Canción De Madera Y Agua
B13
Greater Than One
Urban Psychology
B14
S/Z
Who Is The Author?
B15
Touch 33
Greenhouse Effect
B16
Silent Tongues
Sadhu Ritual Chant

Fifth issue of Touch magazine (112 p. with cassette, printed cardboard envelope) includes work by Assorted Images, Joseph Beuys, Neville Brody, Cabaret Voltaire, Camberwell Now, David Cunningham, Einstürzende Neubauten, Gilbert and George, Last Few Days, Leaving the 20th Century, Kill Ugly Pop, Ricardo Mandolini, Russell Mills, Regular Music, Renaldo and the Loaf, The Residents, Jon Savage, Robert Spridgeon, Ski Wisniewski, Strafe Für Rebellion, Trashmuseum and Zazou & Bikaye.

Limited edition of 3000.

A cassette-only version of the above was released in 1986 as: Touch: Ritual



Many Thanx to Alice Rabbit and Original Ripper for all of these.




Touch 33

Islands In-Between 1983



"This cassette covers only some of the cultural activity on Java and Bali, the best known islands out of the 13,700 counted by statisticians, so it is not intented to be in any way definitive. The selections are more like musical postcards of two cultures balanced between tradition and tourism".

"tape travel"

"legend: meridian 105º — 115º east"






Ritual: Lands End (1985)


A1
Ritual & Cross Purpose
Untitled
A2
Pink Elln
Lice Skitt Frog
A3
Nocturnal Emissions
Metal Frames
A4
Sudden Sway
A Short Jingle
A5
Praise Company
Untitled
A6
Elliott Sharp
Black Rain
A7
Greater Faith Cathedral Broadcast
Untitled
A8
Soviet France*
Ram
A9
Lol Coxhill
"3 1/2 4"
A10
Det Wiehl
Play Sandwich

B1
Satsumaimo Man (Hot Potato Vendor)
Recorded In Yoyogi Japan
B2
Suns Of Arqa
Sanskrit Hymn
B3
Graeme Miller
Ash Wei-Ei-Wah, Ash Wei-Ei-Wah (Invocation Of Past)
B4
Snake Charmer
Recorded In Pushka, Rajasthan
B5
Frank Ricotti
Pillow Under
B6
Gilbert And George
Twisted And Aggressive
B7
Regular Music
Music For Film
B8
Wolfgang Wiggers
Alluvium
B9
Gregorio (2)
Untitled



Narodna (1988)


A1
Ansambl Pece Atanasovskog
Postupano Oro
A2
Unknown Artist
Drmeš
performed by musicians from Zagreb.
A3
Dragoslav Aksentijevic Pavle*
Come All Ye Sons Of The Earth
A4
Ansambl Pece Atanasovskog
Zetovsko Oro
A5
Ansambl Pece Atanasovskog
Beranče (Berjaće)
A6
Unknown Artist
Vallje E Nuseve Me Sharki

Conductor - Qamili Vogël
A7
Unknown Artist
Dite E Zeze Ish Kone E Honja
performed by folk orchestra of Albania.
Conductor - Qamili Vogël
A8
Ansambl Pece Atanasovskog
Staro Tikvesko Oro

B1
Capella Ragusina
Himna Sv. Vlaha
B2
Dragoslav Aksentijevic Pavle*
Polieleos Servikos
B3
Dragoslav Aksentijevic Pavle*
Kratima Terirem
B4
Unknown Artist
Bells Of Chilander
B5
Unknown Artist
Himna Sv. Vlaha

Thanks to Dragoslav Aksentijevic Pavle and the Serbian Orthodox Church of Zagreb.



GLAS

Choral Music Of The USSR (1989)

In 1932, a group from the remote town of Pik Grandiosnyy, situated in the Vostochnyy Sayan near the Mongolian border, set out to escape the Great Famine and headed west. Having eaten their livestock, the villagers were forced to walk; the journey would take two years. This collection represents some of the songs they sang on their way.



Touch and Fuse is a 'best of' monograph anthologising Wozencroft's CD sleeves, posters (including unused sketches) and writings over the past decade; from Hafler Trio manifestos to Mika Vainio digipacs. Working as he does alongside a largely wordless musical medium, it becomes extra important for the package to speak its mind through the clothes it wears. Wozencroft is outspoken about the way media and advertising often reduce design packaging to "colourful foam", and he sets out to redress the problem.