Mount Vernon Arts Lab is a musical project of the Scottish musician Drew Mulholland, who has also recorded as Black Noise and N. Between 1996 and 2001, a string of
EPs
EPS, EPs or Eps may refer to:
Commerce and finance
* Earnings per share
* Electronic Payment Services, in Hong Kong, Macau, and Shenzhen, China
* Express Payment System, in the Philippines
Education
* Edmonton Public Schools, in Edmonton, Al ...
, singles, and albums were released. After this he continued to release material as Mount Vernon Astral Temple.
History
Taking inspiration from
Joe Meek
Robert George "Joe" Meek (5 April 1929 – 3 February 1967) was an English record producer, sound engineer and songwriter who pioneered space age and experimental pop music. He also assisted in the development of recording practices like over ...
, and from
Daniel Miller's work as
The Normal
The Normal is the recording artist name used by English music producer Daniel Miller, a film editor at the time, who is best known as the founder of the record label Mute Records.
Background
In 1977, Miller had split up with his girlfriend. A ...
, Mulholland began creating
avant-garde
The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...
/
post-rock
Post-rock is a form of experimental rock characterized by a focus on exploring textures and timbre over traditional rock song structures, chords, or riffs. Post-rock artists are often instrumental, typically combining rock instrumentation with ...
recordings in 1996, and soon found the support of independent labels such as Via Satellite and
Earworm
An earworm, sometimes referred to as a brainworm, sticky music, stuck song syndrome, or, most commonly after earworms, Involuntary Musical Imagery (INMI), is a catchy and/or memorable piece of music or saying that continuously occupies a person ...
, who between them issued a series of vinyl-only releases during 1997 and 1998.
[Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 880] Mulholland used a range of electronic and acoustic instruments including
Moog synthesizer
The Moog synthesizer is a modular synthesizer developed by the American engineer Robert Moog. Moog debuted it in 1964, and Moog's company R. A. Moog Co. (later known as Moog Music) produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 20 ...
s,
theremin
The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...
, and a specially-built unit which he calls a "Turbine Generator".
[ Pilkington, Mark (2007)]
Mount Vernon Arts Lab: True sounds of the underground
", ''Fortean Times
''Fortean Times'' is a British monthly magazine devoted to the anomalous phenomena popularised by Charles Fort. Previously published by John Brown Publishing (from 1991 to 2001), I Feel Good Publishing (2001 to 2005), Dennis Publishing (2005 to 2 ...
'', June 2007 The debut mini-album, ''Gummy Twinkle'', was issued in September 1998, featuring guest appearances from
Pete Kember
Peter Kember (born 19 November 1965), also known by his stage name Sonic Boom, is an English singer and record producer. He was a founding member, vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist of alternative rock band Spacemen 3, lasting from 1982 until ...
(aka Sonic Boom) and
Norman Blake of
Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in Bellshill near Glasgow in 1989. The group were founded by Norman Blake (vocals, guitar), Raymond McGinley (vocals, lead guitar) and Gerard Love (vocals, bass), all of whom shared ...
.
He then signed a deal with
Ochre Records
Ochre ( ; , ), or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colours produced ...
, who issued his second mini-set, a collaboration with
Adrian Utley
Adrian Francis Utley (born 27 April 1957) is an English musician and producer, and a member of the band Portishead.Jurek, ThomAdrian Utley Biography, Allmusic. Retrieved 31 December 2016
Career
Born in Northampton,Mejia, Paula (2015)In Search ...
of
Portishead, featuring a single 23-minute track, "Warminster".
A second mini-set followed for Ochre, this time recorded 100 feet below ground in the abandoned nuclear bunker at
Troywood.
A final album as Mount Vernon Arts Lab was released in 2001 on Via Satellite; ''
The Séance at Hobs Lane
''The Séance at Hobs Lane'' is the fifth release by Drew Mulholland (with collaborators), under the pseudonym of Mount Vernon Arts Lab. Originally released through Via Satellite in 2001, the album was re-released on the Ghost Box Music label in ...
'' was inspired by "Victorian skullduggery, outlaws, secret societies and subterranean experiences", and featured guest appearances from Blake, Utley,
Isobel Campbell
Isobel Campbell (born 27 April 1976) is a Scottish singer, songwriter and cellist. She rose to prominence at age nineteen as a member of the indie pop band Belle & Sebastian, but left the group to pursue a solo career, first as The Gentle Waves ...
, and Barry 7 (of
Add N to (X)
Add N to (X) were an English electronic music band formed in London in 1994. The original members were Andrew Aveling, Barry Smith (aka Barry 7) and Ann Shenton. Steven Claydon replaced Aveling in 1997.
After several releases on small labels, ...
).
It has been described as "a music distilled from the nuclear age".
[Domke, Graham]
Mount Vernon Arts Lab – The Seance At Hobs Lane
", ''MAP'' magazine Mulholland released further work under the name Mount Vernon Astral Temple, including ''Musick That Destroys Itself'' (2003), ''Bent Sinister By Sound'' (2005).
Many of MVAL's tracks are inspired by historical locations, and Mulholland has been described as the "godfather" of psychogeographic rock, and the inspiration for the
Ghost Box Music
Ghost Box is an independent, UK-based electronic music record label, launched in 2004 by graphic designer Julian House and producer Jim Jupp. Its roster includes artists such as Jupp's Belbury Poly, House's The Focus Group, and the Advisory Cir ...
record label.
[ Rogers, Jude (2008)]
A sonic postcard from the past: Jude Rogers on the ghost sounds of psychogeographic rock
, ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', 6 June 2008
Mulholland went on to become the composer-in-residence at
Glasgow University
, image = UofG Coat of Arms.png
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms
Flag
, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
's
geography
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...
department.
In 2009, Mulholland and Utley again collaborated, with a performance at the ''
Le Weekend'' festival in Stirling.
[Cooper, Neil (2009)]
Le Weekend
, '' The List'', 28 May 2009
Discography
Singles, EPs
*''Nova'' EP (1997), Via Satellite
*"Window" (1997),
Earworm
An earworm, sometimes referred to as a brainworm, sticky music, stuck song syndrome, or, most commonly after earworms, Involuntary Musical Imagery (INMI), is a catchy and/or memorable piece of music or saying that continuously occupies a person ...
– split with
Omit
Omission may refer to:
*Omission (Catholicism), a type of sin
*Omission (law), a failure to act, with legal consequences
*Omission bias, a tendency to favor inaction over action
*Purposeful omission, a literary method
*Theory of omission, a writing ...
*''Talvin Stardust'' EP (1997), Via Satellite
*''William Green'' EP (1998), Via Satellite
*"Imber" (1998), Earworm – one-sided 7-inch single, split with
Electroscope
The electroscope is an early scientific instrument used to detect the presence of electric charge on a body. It detects charge by the movement of a test object due to the Coulomb electrostatic force on it. The amount of charge on an object is ...
Albums
*''Gummy Twinkle'' (1998), Via Satellite
*''Warminster'' (1999), Ochre – with
Adrian Utley
Adrian Francis Utley (born 27 April 1957) is an English musician and producer, and a member of the band Portishead.Jurek, ThomAdrian Utley Biography, Allmusic. Retrieved 31 December 2016
Career
Born in Northampton,Mejia, Paula (2015)In Search ...
*''One Minute Blasts Rising to Three and then Diminishing'' (2000), Ochre
*''
The Séance at Hobs Lane
''The Séance at Hobs Lane'' is the fifth release by Drew Mulholland (with collaborators), under the pseudonym of Mount Vernon Arts Lab. Originally released through Via Satellite in 2001, the album was re-released on the Ghost Box Music label in ...
'' (2001), Via Satellite
[rereleased in 2008 on ]Ghost Box Records
Ghost Box is an independent, UK-based electronic music record label, launched in 2004 by graphic designer Julian House and producer Jim Jupp. Its roster includes artists such as Jupp's Belbury Poly, House's The Focus Group, and the Advisory ...
*''Musick That Destroys Itself'' (2003),
Eskaton
Eskaton is a defunct Vanity label, vanity record label created by Coil (band), Coil, exclusively for albums put out by the group and their friends. Its brother labels are Threshold House and Chalice (record label), Chalice.
The record label i ...
[as Mount Vernon Astral Temple]
*''Untitled'' (2003), Eskaton
*''Bent Sinister by Sound'' (2005), Further
– CDR-only issue, limited to 33 copies
;Compilations:
*''E for Experimental'' (1999), Ochre
Compilation appearances, split releases
*''Creeping Bent Singles Club 7"'' (1997), Creeping Bent – "Bad Vibrations" (Mount Vernon Arts Lab deconstructed by Scientific Support Dept.)
*''Just Like Jeff'' 7-inch, Boa Records – "Sky Men" (
Electroscope
The electroscope is an early scientific instrument used to detect the presence of electric charge on a body. It detects charge by the movement of a test object due to the Coulomb electrostatic force on it. The amount of charge on an object is ...
with Mount Vernon Arts Lab)
*''After Hours'' (1997), After Hours – "The Mind Field"
*''Spooky Sounds of Now'' (1997), Vesuvius – "Scooby Don't"
*''Sunday 14 Sept.. '97'' (1997), Enraptured – "Automatic Frequency Control"
*''Electronic Lullabies'' (1998),
Creeping Bent – "MV 3"
*''The Battle of Bosworth'' (1998), Trunk – "Electroluminessence"
*''Bentism – The Underground Sounds of Creeping Bent'' (1999), Creeping Bent – "Remix" (remix by Scientific Support Dept.)
*''271199'' (2000), Ochre – "Abstracts"
*''Infrasonic Waves'' (2001), Ochre – "Broadcasting"
*''The Electronic Bible Chapter 1'' (2004), White Label Music – "Hobgoblins" (
Coil remix), "The Hackney Homonculus" (as N)
*''Not Alone'' (2006), Durtro/Jnana – "The Postal Workers Night Out"
[as Black Noise]
*''Electric Brain Storms Vol.1'' (2008), The Pod Room (podcast by
Future Sound of London
The Future Sound of London (often abbreviated FSOL) is a British electronic music duo composed of Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans. They have been described as a "boundary-pushing" electronic act, covering techno, ambient, house music, trip ho ...
) – "Mv3"
*''
Ritual And Education'' (2008), Ghost Box – "The Black Drop", "The Submariner's Song"
*''Infrasonic Waves Volume III'' 7-inch EP, Ochre – "Broadcasting"
Notes
References
External links
Mount Vernon Arts Labat Discogs.com
{{Authority control
Scottish post-rock groups
Scottish electronic rock musical groups
Ghost Box Music artists