MUSIC
ALBUMS
xample@mail.com
ARE YOU AWAKE?
PURCHASE VIA BANDCAMP
Forty one improvised ideas were tracked at Sound & Motion Studios, Cape Town by Simon ‘Fuzzy’ Ratcliffe on the 6th & 7th of December 2012. Two great days spent throwing down as many sounds as could be wrangled from our respective instruments of bass (double, fretless & electric), guitar (a few electrics, ebow & bouzouki) and drums - even adding in a little synth and theremin for good measure.
Temporarily shelved during the release and promotion of our previous album ‘Adrift’ - selecting, editing and overdubbing started and continued throughout 2015/16 by the drummer, in secret. It was in fact the sound of the little Korg synth and how we reacted and played to that which became the core sonic that guided the choices for this album. Something that sounded fresh within our creative collaborations over the last twenty-four years.
The first eleven tracks were shared with the guitarists at some point, who reacted strangely in favour despite this deception. Joy, celebration and then a few more years work. We added two overlooked wild-cards, two short ‘palette cleansers’ and a bunch more overdubs (including some brilliant sax parts by Luke Townsend). We then mixed the hell out of it, lost all sense of direction, mixed it again (and again) and then finally took it back to its home at Sound & Motion to be mastered.
Throughout this lengthy birthing, the music has kept its head above water, insisting that it be thrown out into the world.
Released April 10, 2020
Benguela are Brydon Bolton, Alex Bozas & Ross Campbell.
Recorded at Sound & Motion Studios, Cape Town by Simon ‘Fuzzy’ Ratcliffe. Assisted by Matt James.
Selection, editing, samples and additional recording throughout 2015/6 by Ross Campbell.
Additional recording in 2017/9 by Benguela, except all sax parts by Luke Townsend.
Mixed by Brydon Bolton, Dave Langemann & Ross Campbell.
Mastered by Simon ‘Fuzzy’ Ratcliffe.
Cover photography & design by Ross Campbell.
Band photography by Liam Lynch.
Thanks
To Barbara Fairhead for her support, making the recording of this album possible. To Matt & Fuzzy for being brilliant in studio and to Luke for his inspired and generous contribution.
To Dave Langemann for the strategic loan of his ears when days were dark and friends were few. To Liam, Xavier at Bibliophilia and Rouleaux at Permanent Record.
Forty one improvised ideas were tracked at Sound & Motion Studios, Cape Town by Simon ‘Fuzzy’ Ratcliffe on the 6th & 7th of December 2012. Two great days spent throwing down as many sounds as could be wrangled from our respective instruments of bass (double, fretless & electric), guitar (a few electrics, ebow & bouzouki) and drums - even adding in a little synth and theremin for good measure.
Temporarily shelved during the release and promotion of our previous album ‘Adrift’ - selecting, editing and overdubbing started and continued throughout 2015/16 by the drummer, in secret. It was in fact the sound of the little Korg synth and how we reacted and played to that which became the core sonic that guided the choices for this album. Something that sounded fresh within our creative collaborations over the last twenty-four years.
The first eleven tracks were shared with the guitarists at some point, who reacted strangely in favour despite this deception. Joy, celebration and then a few more years work. We added two overlooked wild-cards, two short ‘palette cleansers’ and a bunch more overdubs (including some brilliant sax parts by Luke Townsend). We then mixed the hell out of it, lost all sense of direction, mixed it again (and again) and then finally took it back to its home at Sound & Motion to be mastered.
Throughout this lengthy birthing, the music has kept its head above water, insisting that it be thrown out into the world.
Released April 10, 2020
Benguela are Brydon Bolton, Alex Bozas & Ross Campbell.
Recorded at Sound & Motion Studios, Cape Town by Simon ‘Fuzzy’ Ratcliffe. Assisted by Matt James.
Selection, editing, samples and additional recording throughout 2015/6 by Ross Campbell.
Additional recording in 2017/9 by Benguela, except all sax parts by Luke Townsend.
Mixed by Brydon Bolton, Dave Langemann & Ross Campbell.
Mastered by Simon ‘Fuzzy’ Ratcliffe.
Cover photography & design by Ross Campbell.
Band photography by Liam Lynch.
Thanks
To Barbara Fairhead for her support, making the recording of this album possible. To Matt & Fuzzy for being brilliant in studio and to Luke for his inspired and generous contribution.
To Dave Langemann for the strategic loan of his ears when days were dark and friends were few. To Liam, Xavier at Bibliophilia and Rouleaux at Permanent Record.
ADRIFT
PURCHASE VIA BANDCAMP
Recorded live at The Alexander Bar on 13 Nov 2012
by Christopher Tuck.
Assistant Engineer: Mike "The Balls" Sims.
Mixed by Christopher Tuck.
www.darkpopchris.com
Released April 18, 2014
Brydon Bolton: Double Bass
Alex Bozas: Guitar and Korg Monotron
Ross Campbell: Drums
Cover painting by Hermann Niebuhr
Recorded live at The Alexander Bar on 13 Nov 2012
by Christopher Tuck.
Assistant Engineer: Mike "The Balls" Sims.
Mixed by Christopher Tuck.
www.darkpopchris.com
Released April 18, 2014
Brydon Bolton: Double Bass
Alex Bozas: Guitar and Korg Monotron
Ross Campbell: Drums
Cover painting by Hermann Niebuhr
BUSH RADIO LIVE
PURCHASE VIA BANDCAMP
Recorded on the 6th of October 2003 as part of Brendon Bussy's "Made up Sounds from the Then and There", which was very briefly a live monthly feature on Martin Sims' show 'ardkore on Cape Town's community station Bush Radio. The show got unceremoniously canned in early 2004. Martin made the recording, using three Sennheiser MD 441-U's through a Soundcraft SAC100 broadcast mixer direct to Minidisc.
Martin e mailed: "A stripped down Benguela improvised half an hour of the most hypnotic jazzy post rock. It was bass drum, snare, cymbal, guitar, stick bass and a whole colony of effect pedals operated by telepathic musicians. It was spectacular."
Released November 5, 2012
Alex Bozas: Guitar & pedals
Brydon Bolton: Stick bass
Ross Campbell: Drums
Cover shot by Alex
Design by Ross
Recorded on the 6th of October 2003 as part of Brendon Bussy's "Made up Sounds from the Then and There", which was very briefly a live monthly feature on Martin Sims' show 'ardkore on Cape Town's community station Bush Radio. The show got unceremoniously canned in early 2004. Martin made the recording, using three Sennheiser MD 441-U's through a Soundcraft SAC100 broadcast mixer direct to Minidisc.
Martin e mailed: "A stripped down Benguela improvised half an hour of the most hypnotic jazzy post rock. It was bass drum, snare, cymbal, guitar, stick bass and a whole colony of effect pedals operated by telepathic musicians. It was spectacular."
Released November 5, 2012
Alex Bozas: Guitar & pedals
Brydon Bolton: Stick bass
Ross Campbell: Drums
Cover shot by Alex
Design by Ross
BLACK SOUTHEASTER
PURCHASE VIA BANDCAMP
We spent a whole day in the studio improvising - just playing music together in Dan's amazing studio space. We then spent a year choosing, editing, adding instruments, mixing and listening back at Dirk's home studio, getting together a couple of times a week after-hours. Dirk really put in the lion's share of the work, meticulously EQing each instrument and gently chipping away at our resistance to add yet another layer of wildly distorted guitar. We thank him for his persistence.
Recorded at Sui Studios, Cape Town on the 9th May 2009
Recorded by Dirk Hugo and Dan Manojlovic
Produced by Dirk Hugo and Benguela
Mastered by Matthew de Nobrega at Timecode Mastering
Artworks and text by Zara-Moon Arthur
Layout and screen printing by Righard Kapp
Press:
"Benguela have recorded one of the finest South African albums of 2010. It's just going to take some time to digest it all. Black Southeaster is sprawling music for the adventurous mind." - Lloyd Gedye for the Mail & Gaurdian
"the new Benguela CD is stupendously good!" - Brandon Edmonds for Mahala
"The great strength of Benguela is that they never overcomplicate things, always keeping the music within the grasp of the listener. Spontaneous compositions that are as likely to be dark, dense and churning as ramblingly, languorously, billowingly atmospheric." - Richard Haslop for Audio Video Magazine
Released July 23, 2010
Alex Bozas: guitars, bouzouki, glockenspiel, synth & ebow
Brydon Bolton: double & electric basses
Ross Campbell: drums, percussion, water & frogs
Derek Gripper: viola on tracks 1 & 4
Gustavo Fasani: bandoneon on track 8
We spent a whole day in the studio improvising - just playing music together in Dan's amazing studio space. We then spent a year choosing, editing, adding instruments, mixing and listening back at Dirk's home studio, getting together a couple of times a week after-hours. Dirk really put in the lion's share of the work, meticulously EQing each instrument and gently chipping away at our resistance to add yet another layer of wildly distorted guitar. We thank him for his persistence.
Recorded at Sui Studios, Cape Town on the 9th May 2009
Recorded by Dirk Hugo and Dan Manojlovic
Produced by Dirk Hugo and Benguela
Mastered by Matthew de Nobrega at Timecode Mastering
Artworks and text by Zara-Moon Arthur
Layout and screen printing by Righard Kapp
Press:
"Benguela have recorded one of the finest South African albums of 2010. It's just going to take some time to digest it all. Black Southeaster is sprawling music for the adventurous mind." - Lloyd Gedye for the Mail & Gaurdian
"the new Benguela CD is stupendously good!" - Brandon Edmonds for Mahala
"The great strength of Benguela is that they never overcomplicate things, always keeping the music within the grasp of the listener. Spontaneous compositions that are as likely to be dark, dense and churning as ramblingly, languorously, billowingly atmospheric." - Richard Haslop for Audio Video Magazine
Released July 23, 2010
Alex Bozas: guitars, bouzouki, glockenspiel, synth & ebow
Brydon Bolton: double & electric basses
Ross Campbell: drums, percussion, water & frogs
Derek Gripper: viola on tracks 1 & 4
Gustavo Fasani: bandoneon on track 8
SUI / CHOP SUI
PURCHASE VIA BANDCAMP
The 6 original live tracks were recorded in front of 30 friends (and later mixed) at Sui Studios, Cape Town on 08/02/02 by Dirk Hugo assisted by Ramon da Silva. The set was completely improvised, and is presented as it happened with only a couple of small edits on tracks 5 and 6. Mastered by Dave Maclean and Dirk Hugo at Maclean Mastering. Cover painting by Charisse Gardiner. Design by Roxanne Spears.
These tracks were then sent around the world to be remixed by artists such as Burnt Friedman, Felix Laband, Paul Riekert and Goodmorningboy, making up the second disc Chop Sui.
Press:
"This year the Open Record label almost single-handedly made me believe again (and this time I pray it’s forever) that there was a place in formal release schedules, no matter how small, for local music that did not toe the company line in any shape or form – the label’s exemplary flagship was this marvellous double by the Cape Town post-rock/improv/insert your own description here but for God’s sake listen to them trio who created stunning, ever shifting, ever evolving sonic land (and sea) scapes by the simple expedient of listening to each other carefully and responding intelligently (of course it helps if you play really well and have great ideas to burn) on Disc One, and then getting a gang of remixers with equally great, but radically different, ideas to render them completely unrecognisable on Disc Two" - Richard Haslop's Top 30 albums of 2003 (Roots To Fruits on SAFM)
"The latest from these capetonian rhythm rebels is a humdinger, a smorgasbord of beats, riffs, intense grooves, melodic signatures and musical textures, all carefully captured on one of the most atmospheric albums of the year." - Craig Canavan (27 Aug 03 Pretoria News)
"The improvised, six-song set of the first cd is prime Benguela: Atmospheric, sometimes creepy textures combined with inventive, serpentine rhythms in an ever-shifting miasma of sound that flirts with rock, jazz, and uneasy ambience". - James Garner (Sep 03 Big Issue)
"The excellent experimental trio Benguela has provided a right treat with its new double-album, Sui. The first set was recorded live and this recording was then sent to various remix artists whose interpretations make up the second set, Chop Sui. Each is superb; the first capturing the live wizardry of Benguela perfectly, while the second showcases some of the country's finest electronic talents including Felix Laband and Durban's Captain Asthma. Highly recommended." - Nashen Moodley (Aug 24 Sunday Tribune)
“Uit die tuisgebore Open Record-stal kan julle nou reeds die beursies oopknoop om die nuwe Benguela ("Sui") aan te skaf. Dis 'n dubbel-cd bestaande uit ses Benguela-snitte op nr.1 en (op nr.2) verwerkings van hierdie intieme, fluweelsagte groove tunes deur bekendes soos Felix Laband, Paul Riekert en DJ Opperman. 'n Skitterende cd.” - Die Burger 11/8/03 from Chutney De Ridder Se Pop'se Gedagtes
Released July 15, 2003
Brydon Bolton - electric upright bass
Alex Bozas - guitar & swivel chair
Ross Campbell - drums
The 6 original live tracks were recorded in front of 30 friends (and later mixed) at Sui Studios, Cape Town on 08/02/02 by Dirk Hugo assisted by Ramon da Silva. The set was completely improvised, and is presented as it happened with only a couple of small edits on tracks 5 and 6. Mastered by Dave Maclean and Dirk Hugo at Maclean Mastering. Cover painting by Charisse Gardiner. Design by Roxanne Spears.
These tracks were then sent around the world to be remixed by artists such as Burnt Friedman, Felix Laband, Paul Riekert and Goodmorningboy, making up the second disc Chop Sui.
Press:
"This year the Open Record label almost single-handedly made me believe again (and this time I pray it’s forever) that there was a place in formal release schedules, no matter how small, for local music that did not toe the company line in any shape or form – the label’s exemplary flagship was this marvellous double by the Cape Town post-rock/improv/insert your own description here but for God’s sake listen to them trio who created stunning, ever shifting, ever evolving sonic land (and sea) scapes by the simple expedient of listening to each other carefully and responding intelligently (of course it helps if you play really well and have great ideas to burn) on Disc One, and then getting a gang of remixers with equally great, but radically different, ideas to render them completely unrecognisable on Disc Two" - Richard Haslop's Top 30 albums of 2003 (Roots To Fruits on SAFM)
"The latest from these capetonian rhythm rebels is a humdinger, a smorgasbord of beats, riffs, intense grooves, melodic signatures and musical textures, all carefully captured on one of the most atmospheric albums of the year." - Craig Canavan (27 Aug 03 Pretoria News)
"The improvised, six-song set of the first cd is prime Benguela: Atmospheric, sometimes creepy textures combined with inventive, serpentine rhythms in an ever-shifting miasma of sound that flirts with rock, jazz, and uneasy ambience". - James Garner (Sep 03 Big Issue)
"The excellent experimental trio Benguela has provided a right treat with its new double-album, Sui. The first set was recorded live and this recording was then sent to various remix artists whose interpretations make up the second set, Chop Sui. Each is superb; the first capturing the live wizardry of Benguela perfectly, while the second showcases some of the country's finest electronic talents including Felix Laband and Durban's Captain Asthma. Highly recommended." - Nashen Moodley (Aug 24 Sunday Tribune)
“Uit die tuisgebore Open Record-stal kan julle nou reeds die beursies oopknoop om die nuwe Benguela ("Sui") aan te skaf. Dis 'n dubbel-cd bestaande uit ses Benguela-snitte op nr.1 en (op nr.2) verwerkings van hierdie intieme, fluweelsagte groove tunes deur bekendes soos Felix Laband, Paul Riekert en DJ Opperman. 'n Skitterende cd.” - Die Burger 11/8/03 from Chutney De Ridder Se Pop'se Gedagtes
Released July 15, 2003
Brydon Bolton - electric upright bass
Alex Bozas - guitar & swivel chair
Ross Campbell - drums
DIGITAL INABILITY
PURCHASE VIA BANDCAMP
Digital Inability' was culled from around 20 hours of material recorded at various venues in and around Cape Town between july '98 and jan '01 on various formats and by various kind hearted souls (namely Mike Abbott). Most of these tracks were then surgically edited - a nip 'n tuck operation to rid ourselves of waffle per se. To the uninitiated this may sound like cheating, but believe me it was necessary. Benguela's waffle content is gross and it's self indulgence beyond compare - we thought of editing as a kind of mercy killing. The songs were also strung together to imitate how we normally move from where one idea left off to another in a live situation. Poetic this may sound, but in reality shoving two songs together is more akin to continental drift and the formation of the Himalayas and should be practiced only under supervision.
Press:
"Benguela's sound is an atmospheric, uncompromisingly adventurous fusion of constantly shifting elements..". "Allow Digital Inability to work it's magic, and you won't be able to get enough." - James Garner (Dec 01 Big Issue) 8/10
"It (Digital Inability) is so far from shit it might even be considered music, a rare thing in our tiny musical landscape. The coolest laid back hipster muzak ever." - Gordon Glyn Jones (April 02 Get Out)
"The trio then weave their music through a nest of samplers and pedals at their feet to create a sound that is altogether bold, exciting and unique. These guys are cult." - Ami Kapilevich (June 02 SACityLife)
"Spine chilling. The combined forces of the Benguela threesome create heart-core, deep listening music that bestows the ultimate respect on the listener by allowing them to wander freely through the sound field without prescribing a melody or beat to them."
"Digital Inability is a victory of improvisation and experimentation." - James Webb (Dec 01 SL) 5/5
"Listening to jazzy post-rock improvisational trio Benguela's latest album is like reading the Kama-Sutra while watching Mulholland Drive - a melding of the cerebral and the visceral." - Miles Keylock (Aug 02 GQ) Album Of The Month
"Soos wat die koue Benguelastroom met mening maar sonder vorm aan die Weskus vloei, so improviseer hierdie drie musikante van Kaapstad op hul tweede CD, Digital Inability. Ross Campbell sorg vir 'n deurlopende struktuur op tromme, met Brydon Bolton wat wys hoe veelsydig die kontrabas kan klink. Alex Bozas bespeel sy kitaar op byna elke manier, behalwe die gewone manier. Die musiek is eksperimenteel en goed vir meditasie of as klankbaan. Geleidelik klink Benguela al meer soos die meer inheemse musiek, te danke aan hul improvisasie." - Faan Herhold (April 02 Die Burger) 3/5
"I have been listening to your CD top volume in my car for the last few weeks, it is wonderful meditation stuff, sort of trance without techno - a new concept!" - Koos Kombuis via email
Released December 7, 2001
Brydon Bolton - double bass
Alex Bozas - guitar
Ross Campbell - drums / samples.
Digital Inability' was culled from around 20 hours of material recorded at various venues in and around Cape Town between july '98 and jan '01 on various formats and by various kind hearted souls (namely Mike Abbott). Most of these tracks were then surgically edited - a nip 'n tuck operation to rid ourselves of waffle per se. To the uninitiated this may sound like cheating, but believe me it was necessary. Benguela's waffle content is gross and it's self indulgence beyond compare - we thought of editing as a kind of mercy killing. The songs were also strung together to imitate how we normally move from where one idea left off to another in a live situation. Poetic this may sound, but in reality shoving two songs together is more akin to continental drift and the formation of the Himalayas and should be practiced only under supervision.
Press:
"Benguela's sound is an atmospheric, uncompromisingly adventurous fusion of constantly shifting elements..". "Allow Digital Inability to work it's magic, and you won't be able to get enough." - James Garner (Dec 01 Big Issue) 8/10
"It (Digital Inability) is so far from shit it might even be considered music, a rare thing in our tiny musical landscape. The coolest laid back hipster muzak ever." - Gordon Glyn Jones (April 02 Get Out)
"The trio then weave their music through a nest of samplers and pedals at their feet to create a sound that is altogether bold, exciting and unique. These guys are cult." - Ami Kapilevich (June 02 SACityLife)
"Spine chilling. The combined forces of the Benguela threesome create heart-core, deep listening music that bestows the ultimate respect on the listener by allowing them to wander freely through the sound field without prescribing a melody or beat to them."
"Digital Inability is a victory of improvisation and experimentation." - James Webb (Dec 01 SL) 5/5
"Listening to jazzy post-rock improvisational trio Benguela's latest album is like reading the Kama-Sutra while watching Mulholland Drive - a melding of the cerebral and the visceral." - Miles Keylock (Aug 02 GQ) Album Of The Month
"Soos wat die koue Benguelastroom met mening maar sonder vorm aan die Weskus vloei, so improviseer hierdie drie musikante van Kaapstad op hul tweede CD, Digital Inability. Ross Campbell sorg vir 'n deurlopende struktuur op tromme, met Brydon Bolton wat wys hoe veelsydig die kontrabas kan klink. Alex Bozas bespeel sy kitaar op byna elke manier, behalwe die gewone manier. Die musiek is eksperimenteel en goed vir meditasie of as klankbaan. Geleidelik klink Benguela al meer soos die meer inheemse musiek, te danke aan hul improvisasie." - Faan Herhold (April 02 Die Burger) 3/5
"I have been listening to your CD top volume in my car for the last few weeks, it is wonderful meditation stuff, sort of trance without techno - a new concept!" - Koos Kombuis via email
Released December 7, 2001
Brydon Bolton - double bass
Alex Bozas - guitar
Ross Campbell - drums / samples.
SPUTNIK
PURCHASE VIA BANDCAMP
Recorded live at Sam's Restaurant, Windhoek, Namibia in Sep '97 with a Carol mic to a tape deck. For some reason the sound at Sam's was quite special and the girls from Namibian Air who came to dance each night for two weeks felt it. These songs became favorites at gigs - for not long after we lost the ability to recall anything specific and ignored the crowds pleas for something familiar. Zvi Gorlic was the man who owned Sam's and who's tv we blew up and who's Jack Russels are named Rocket and Sputnik.
Released January 1, 1998
Brydon Bolton - electric fretless bass
Alex Bozas - guitar
Ross Campbell - drums
Recorded live at Sam's Restaurant, Windhoek, Namibia in Sep '97 with a Carol mic to a tape deck. For some reason the sound at Sam's was quite special and the girls from Namibian Air who came to dance each night for two weeks felt it. These songs became favorites at gigs - for not long after we lost the ability to recall anything specific and ignored the crowds pleas for something familiar. Zvi Gorlic was the man who owned Sam's and who's tv we blew up and who's Jack Russels are named Rocket and Sputnik.
Released January 1, 1998
Brydon Bolton - electric fretless bass
Alex Bozas - guitar
Ross Campbell - drums