While gathering ideas for the last project I referenced a batch of work completed by Kate Moross for
Simian Mobile Disco. Consisting of two videos - that appeared to link sound to shape-shifting geometry - plus an attractive album concept, these have paved the way for the creation of the the identities for the duo's Delicacies label and, a new experimental club night, Delicatessen.
In collaboration with Jack Featherstone [who works alongside Moross under the
ISO banner] it picks up on the act's concept for the linked projects with a rather unsettling series of imagery. The label itself will be releasing records/downloads where the name of each track comes courtesy of one of the world's more frightening gourmet delights while the club offering is an opportunity to try out more challenging sounds within a selection of venues. 'Aspic', '1000 Year Old Egg', 'Nerve Salad' and 'Casa Marzu' [a.k.a. 'maggot cheese'] have already been released and, for me, they fit with this visual work that appears to evoke that Victorian approach to the exotic and the extreme. In a way, it touches on the kind of aesthetic employed previously by Andrew Weatherall for Two Lone Swordsmen and Rotters Golf Club: suggesting something unsettling and a bit murky. Perhaps perfect for the exploration of off-kilter techno. While undeniably British.
I'm actually fascinated by the employing of a strong concept for the titles. As Simian Mobile Disco discuss in an interview with
Beatport:
"My personal favourite is Ortolan which is a French delicacy. It’s basically an endangered species of bird that is really small. Apparently, they are fattened up, drowned in brandy and eaten whole. The tiny bones cut the insides of your mouth, which is meant to be part of the pleasure. When you are eating it, you wear a cowl over your face to hide your shame from God…"
