"The Faust Cycle" - World Premiere of new 15 hour radioplay on Soundart Radio

A new 15 hour adventure for radio from Ergo Phizmiz, supported by Arts Council England, Quay Arts and Ventnor Blog.

Premiering on Soundart Radio, 12-3am from 8th to 12th September

One afternoon Ergo Phizmiz finds himself lumbered into delivering a parcel to the house of legendary alchemist and necromancer Dr Johann Faustus who, since the events of some time ago for which he is renowned, has entered into a rather quieter life in a vast, labyrinthine house, with hundreds of lodgers running the gamut from artists, birds, bird-people, walking fictions, ventriloquists, a Cassowary, running chairs, walking gramophones, and myriad automata.

This enormous dream fable, told through speech, songs, collage and sound-design, is the result of over three years delving down various rabbit-holes, and features collaborations in a range of contexts with artists of many disciplines, including Jack Phoenix, Margita Zalite, Pete Um, Angela Valid, Bela Emerson, Martha Moopette, Amie Willingale, and Zenith Pitts.

In glorious radiophonic technicolour, it is a musical-comedy of disorientation and magick, somewhere between nightmare and the half-remembered childhood whimsy of an insomniac music-hall artiste.

Please note - "The Faust Cycle" is not, necessarily, suitable for sensitive ears at times, containing, as it does, some naughty words, some sexy references, and a healthy smattering of scatological excess.

If you just can't wait, you could do worse than head over and download the free album of instrumental music from The Faust Cycle, "Music From The House of Dr Faustus".

Soundart Radio : Transylvanian Recordings

The next two weeks of Ergo Phizmiz's show on Soundart Radio will be dedicated to recordings of folk music taken in Transylvania, Romania, during the Transymusic project of December 2007.

The recordings were taken on location around the Targu-Mures area of Romania, at Morisena, as part of Iuliana Varodi's Transymusic project.

On these recordings you will hear Ana Nicoara, Varga Iuliu, Barabas Ladiszlau, Demeter Panna Katalin, Mihai Sorohan, Asterix, Alan Marrero, Sebastien Tatar, Asterix, Margita Zalite, Stoica Matei, and the legendary Spoon Man. There are more - but we don't know their names!

You can hear the results of the Transymusic project, new compositions inspired by the Romanian folk music experienced and recorded, at the Transymusic Archive.

Ergo Phizmiz's Soundart Radio show broadcasts Thursday between 2-3pm UK time.

Now That's What We Pump At The Press Release...

We are delighted to announce the online-only, free release of a new album of covers of 1990s chartbusting, dancefloor filling smash hits, arranged for acoustic, electronic, homemade, and toy instruments, by Ergo Phizmiz & The Midnight Florists.

"Now That's What We Pump At The Party"

Following in the footsteps of the reviled, acclaimed, maimed and shamed Ergo Phizmiz & his Orchestra project (also available free), which covered the music of Aphex Twin, the entirety of the second Velvet Underground album, and a selection of 90s & noughties R & B classics for acoustic and toy instrument. This recording, however, moves on from the sound of the Orchestra project, moving into a more band-orientated sound, sounding something similar to strange manic jazz made by psychotic octogenarians on whatever instruments they could find.

For anyone with fond or hate-filled memories of such luminaries as C & C Music Factory,Dee Lite, Lou Bega, Culture Beat, or Snap, this album is for you. Hear Ergo & the Florists tear their way through "Rhythm is Dancer" like a party of wild banshees armed with ukuleles and box drums, or crawling across the bar-room Harmonium on an afterparty "Mambo No 5". Help us call "Mr Vain", complete with toy piano and the Monkton-o-phone, or simply put on your dancing shoes and begrudgingly admit that "Groove is in the Heart", which, hearts in the groove, the Midnight Florists plough through, group falsetti circling like vultures atop the corpse of that 'indestructable medium', the CD.

This album is the first release by the new musical unit The Midnight Florists. The group, on this release, is comprised of Ergo Phizmiz, The Travelling Mongoose, Monkton Wylde and Vulnavia Vanity, all of whom play all manner of instruments and contribute vocals to the release. Special mention should go to The Travelling Mongoose's newfound skills in very, very high falsetto vocals, at which he is an undisputed master.

Download, dance, and tell all your friends .....

Here be the link, on the marvellous WFMU Free Music Archive .....

http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ergo_Phizmiz/Now_Thats_What_We_Pump_At_The_Party/

Ergo Phizmiz & The Midnight Florists "Now That's What We Pump At The Party" - Out now!

The new album of covers of classic chart-busting 1990s dancefloor hits by Ergo Phizmiz and the Midnight Florists is out now. And it's M P Free!

Download it at WFMU Free Music Archive.

Ergo Phizmiz & The Midnight Florists "Now That's What We Pump At The Party" - New album imminent ....

We are delighted to announce the imminent online release of a new album of cover versions, from the 1990s, by Ergo Phizmiz and The Midnight Florists.

This album is the screaming successor to the Ergo Phizmiz & his Orchestra project, in which Ergo recreated the music of Aphex Twin, the Velvet Underground, and various nineties and noughties R & B classics. And, of course, the record must be free!

(Although a 10" one day would be nice ...)

The tracklist is:

"Groove Is In The Heart"
"Mr Vain"
"Blue (Da Ba Dee)"
"Gonna Make You Sweat"
"Mambo No 5"
"Rhythm Is A Dancer"

The album is arranged & performed by Ergo Phizmiz, The Travelling Mongoose, Monkton Wylde & Vulnavia Vanity. The elegant Mambo Rocher was away on some shady business trip, but may if time is on our side make an appearance on Blue (Da Ba Dee) along with a spatial gust performance from the good lady Martha of Moopette. Produced by Ergo, with thanks to the Co-Op bins and Vulnavia's astounding business acumen. Recorded at the Mechanischemusikabbinett, this last week but mainly the other day, 2009.

During the sessions Monkton's balls were cupped. But by whom?

And it'll be on this blog very soon..... next day or so is the theory..... tell all your friends and put on your dancing shoes.....

Ambiloop ...

Late night shenanigens with toys and a computer have suddenly become far more fun with marvellous little free piece of looping software Ambiloop ....

... thanks to Steven Streight for pointing us in the right direction ...

Nicolas Cage

To commemorate the impending viewing of the Nicolas Cage remake of "The Wicker Man" tonight (a long-term ambition only just being fulfilled), we are making public Ergo's 2008 Christmas present to Vulnavia Vanity (drummer of The Midnight Florists and designer extraordinaire, who knocked up the above eye candy), a short ditty dedicated to the life and career of the one and only good St Nicolas Cage.

Download it free at WFMU Free Music Archive.