Fruits de Mer Records: A Musical Adventure Beyond the Familiar
There have been quite a few Fruits de Mer Records releases arriving here, and rather than review each one separately, I wanted to bring them together. It gives me the opportunity to introduce some of you to a label that has brought an enormous amount of musical pleasure into my life.
If you have ever sat in front of your shelves thinking, “I don’t know what to play,” this might be the beginning of an adventure.
There is space rock here, psychedelic folk, hypnotic electronics, dreamy vocals and great waves of Hammond organ. You may recognise some of the reference points, but several of the artists could be completely new to you. That is part of the attraction. Fruits de Mer keeps introducing me to music I might otherwise never have found.
Physical releases made with care
One of the things I love about Keith and the label is the enthusiasm that comes through in the presentation. These records feel as though somebody has thought about the person who will eventually take them home, open the sleeve and sit down to listen.
There are booklets, lyric sheets, posters and coloured pressings. Several of the albums here have protective antistatic inner sleeves as well as their printed inserts. The details matter, and so does the quality of the pressings, which has impressed me throughout this selection.
Although this feature concentrates on vinyl, I must mention the CDs. As someone who celebrates music in all its physical forms, I really appreciate the attention Fruits de Mer gives them. The An Introduction to Sendelica set is a lovely example: booklets, sleeves and a presentation that gives the format the respect it deserves.
Man & Machine – Earthman
10-inch EP, orange vinyl — Friends of the Fish 94
Man & Machine is the solo project of Tom Roche, and Earthman is his first vinyl release. The six-track EP combines electronics and downtempo sounds, with both songs and instrumental material. Fruits de Mer has issued it on orange vinyl in an edition of 300 copies. [1]
There is something otherworldly about this music. The hypnotic quality may appeal to those who enjoy the more drifting, electronic side of Hawkwind, but there is a playfulness here too. It has been spending a lot of time on my turntable.
Roche’s stated influences include the Beatles, the Kinks, Pink Floyd, the Bee Gees and David Bowie. [1] You don’t need to hear every one of those names in the finished music to understand the spirit behind it: curiosity, melody and the pleasure of creating something of your own.
The 10-inch format suits it beautifully. It is a lovely little physical release, and an inviting introduction to an artist I am pleased to have discovered.
SisterLove – The Hypnotist
7-inch single — crustacean 104
Yes, I still play seven-inch singles. And this one has been played nearly every day.
SisterLove’s The Hypnotist has that wonderful ability to establish a groove and make you want to stay there. It is hypnotic, relaxed and gently psychedelic, with a spoken voice moving across the music. Turn it over and the instrumental lets you sink into the backing on its own.
It brings to mind the atmosphere of the BFI lounge in London: music that creates a space around you, something you can settle into and happily play again as soon as it finishes.
The recording originally appeared in 1992. SisterLove were Clif Brigden and Jeremy Leahy, and the voice sampled on the track belongs to hypnotist Barrie Konicov. It also appeared on the first Café del Mar compilation. Fruits de Mer’s edition brings the remastered recording to seven-inch vinyl.
That background makes sense when you hear it, but you don’t need to know any of it to enjoy the record. Sometimes a single finds its way into your daily listening and refuses to leave. This is one of those.
Pinhdar – Comfort in the Silence
LP, purple marble vinyl — Friends of the Fish 95
I have featured Pinhdar before, particularly A Sparkle on the Dark Water, and Comfort in the Silence has given me another reason to recommend them.
The Italian duo are singer Cecilia Miradoli and guitarist and producer Max Tarenzi. The label describes their music through trip-hop, darkwave and electronica; this nine-track album also features Lee Pomeroy on bass and mixing by Ian Caple. The purple marble vinyl edition is limited to 300 copies.
Those genre descriptions may help some listeners, but I find that familiar reference points can be more useful. If you enjoy Portishead, or the softer, dreamier side of Siouxsie and the Banshees, Pinhdar are well worth exploring.
Sue was sitting beside me while I was listening and picked up on the Banshees connection. That helped put into words something I was hearing: an atmosphere that is dark around the edges, but also floating and inviting.
The production gives the instrumentation room to drift around the voice. There is a lovely sense of space, and the record rewards sitting with it rather than trying to pin it down immediately.
The packaging is excellent too. The printed inner carries the lyrics, with a separate protective sleeve for the vinyl, and the smoky purple appearance is particularly attractive. More importantly, the pressing sounds fantastic.
Space Debris – Sighting
Triple LP, splatter vinyl, with a 20-page booklet — strange fish twenty eight
Space Debris were new to me. Then I opened Sighting, looked through the booklet and realised just how much there was to discover.
This is what I call a rabbit-hole band.
You know the feeling. You discover an artist, fall in love with what you hear and almost hope they have only made one or two albums. Then you find an extensive catalogue waiting for you. Suddenly there are gaps in your music library that didn’t exist yesterday.
Sighting is a triple-LP retrospective of the German instrumental band, compiled by bandleader Christian Jäger. The splatter-vinyl set includes a 20-page A4 booklet covering the band’s history.
For me, the attraction is the combination of space rock, progressive exploration, heavy passages and lashings of Hammond organ. There are guitar solos that seem determined to carry you to another planet, and extended pieces given the freedom to develop at their own pace.
If Hawkwind and Sendelica mean something to you, there are connections here worth following. This is music without any obvious barriers around it. The musicians have room to stretch, and as a listener you can go with them.
The booklet adds another dimension. Photographs and the band’s history help turn an unfamiliar name into a musical world you can begin to understand. You aren’t simply getting three records; you are being offered a route into a substantial body of work.
Highly recommended. Just be prepared to want to hear more.
Soft Hearted Scientists – The Phantom of Canton
Triple LP, coloured vinyl — winkle 62
Another triple album, and another release that needs time.
The Phantom of Canton is full of jangling guitars, pastoral passages, keyboards and psychedelic twists. There are moments that bring Pink Floyd to mind, but the pleasure is in following the music as it changes direction.
Nathan Hall describes the album as a loose concept exploring alienation, lost love and the personal cost of pursuing creative work, while retaining hope and joy. Fruits de Mer’s expanded vinyl edition spreads the original album over four sides, adding a sidelong suite and a side of instrumental mixes.
My copy comes on glorious blue vinyl, with a lyric booklet, imaginative imagery and a poster signed by a member of the band. It is a package that encourages you to sit down and spend some time with it.
That is also why some of these records have been on my review pile for weeks, sometimes longer. I have been playing them, and each listen changes my understanding of what is there. Sometimes I stop making notes because I simply want to enjoy the music.
With The Phantom of Canton, the acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards and changing textures give you plenty to return to. It doesn’t reveal everything in one sitting. That is one of its strengths.
Marianne Segal featuring Circulus – The Gathering
LP, green vinyl — crustacean 105
This is a very special record, and Marianne Segal’s voice is at the centre of what makes it so appealing.
Segal was the singer and songwriter in Jade, whose Fly On Strangewings appeared in 1970. The Gathering has its own earlier history: a version was self-released on CD nearly 20 years before this Fruits de Mer edition. The vinyl release has been remixed and remastered, with additional music and new artwork. [6]
The musicians include members of Circulus, Root Cartwright of Principal Edwards Magic Theatre and Bill Steer of Firebird and Napalm Death. [6] That is quite a combination to find on a folk-rock record.
The music has a lovely sense of warmth. There is folk, there is rock, there is beautiful guitar playing, and above all there are songs delivered by a voice I really enjoy hearing.
“Root People” is one of my favourite tracks. It is a particularly good place to begin if you want a taste of the album before exploring further.
The glossy sleeve, lyrics and background information make this a pleasure to handle. My copy also has a protective antistatic inner sleeve, and the green vinyl looks lovely. The edition is limited to 300 copies.
The thing that connects these releases is the invitation to listen with curiosity.
Some offer an immediate groove. Others unfold across six sides of vinyl and need several visits before you begin to find your way around them. Both experiences have a place in my listening life.
I remember bringing an album home on the bus, knowing I wouldn’t be buying another for a few weeks because I didn’t have the money. You lived with that record. You read the sleeve, played both sides and gave yourself time to discover what was there.
These releases bring some of that feeling back. There is plenty to absorb, and the physical presentation gives you a reason to slow down and enjoy it.
That is what I want to share through Now Spinning Magazine: the possibility that your next favourite record could be by somebody you haven’t heard of yet.
Visit Fruits de Mer, listen to the samples and follow whichever thread catches your attention. Keep your sense of wonder, and come back and tell me what you found.
Music is the healer and the doctor. Keep spinning those discs.
Explore the label: Fruits de Mer Records
