It's up. There's prop comedy, ironing up close, retro footage, awards and covert sandwich-eating. What more could anyone want?

Ahead of several releases going up on streaming services and keen to do some more video things, I have been working on a video (shot by Rob Quickenden) for Is It Too Late For Fan Clubs? which should go up very soon. Unless this whole thing turns out to be a setup for a very elaborate April Fools' Day post*?

In the meantime, here's another puppet having a terrible time (which is becoming something of a theme) and a short trailer (wish I still had some of those outfits)…

*It isn't, although I can be seen sporting some clown accessories in the main video.

There is now a video for one of the recent tracks I worked on with Simon Heartfield, for his release A Human Document (out now on Werra Foxma). You can read more about Simon's music on Resident Advisor and listen on Bandcamp.

Those of an electronic persuasion can hear You Live Alone, taken from Apophonia, on a new Beachy Head Radio Deck Chair mix below from Simon Heartfield. It's also features a collaborative track from Simon Heartfield's new release on it and something by 65daysofstatic, who I've seen play a number of times, including their live accompaniment and rescoring of the film Silent Running, which is well worth searching out (and may have filmic links to another song under the old CURXES name).

Keeping the collaborative spirit going, here's something new by Phantoms Vs Fire, which features some vocals from myself and many magnificent synth sounds. Listen below.

P. S. If you belong to the Neighbourhood, there's something for you already. You can download them from Bandcamp or through the main website.

P.P.S. No puppets were harmed in the making of this release (for that, you'll have to go over here).

It's out! Listening posts are on the website and over on Bandcamp. Also, following the Murder, She Wrote nod, here I am below, fighting with a puppet for your affections, with thanks to Rob Quickenden at Ford Lane.

Thrilled to see that all of the Cities and Memory field recordings and compositions (including my contributions Huygens and Ottawa Shortwave) are now permanently archived at The British Library as part of their Sound and Moving Image Catalogue! Read the full article at the Cities and Memory website. 📁

I was fully intending to make some equus puns, but it's even too hot for horse jokes. Instead, I will just share this new horse-themed album from Glass Grave, which I recently contributed to (Neighbourhood folks, check your emails/Bandcamp for a download code). 



Also, for anyone that owns a BLACK ARROW record, you might recognise the release imprint BLACK ARROW COMMUNICATIONS and the "BAC" logo, which is part-broadcasting icon and part retro airline graphic. What started as just a riff on the rocket and satellite theme has now gotten slightly bigger and, as a collective label effort, now encompasses a new project from Dom Deane, which I'm sure a lot of you will love if your heart is where the arp is. We have a makeshift website and newsletter, but have successfully avoided a podcast thus far (nobody wants to hear awkward mumbling on the radio, I'm sure).

If you can't stay cool in the sun, at least you can be cool checking out the stuff above. 😎

It appears that a whole month has gone by. Here are a few notable things that have cheered me up and cheered me on in recent weeks.

• Gaining some Electronic Ears to go with my electronic fingers.
• Ottawa Shortwave on CiTR 101.9 FM.
• The cloud that always has the silver lining.
• This International Women's Day mention.
• Oranges that look like other things.

To what does the mysterious title above refer?

It can only be a new show from blue star radio! Here, you can listen to my contribution to the recent Cities and Memory project, Shortwave Transmissions, along with pieces from Moray Newlands and Audio Obscura (and also music from Grouper and Mica Levi for good measure). Get ecstatic for static below. 👂

Broadcasts and radio seem to be a bit of a theme recently. First off, BLACK ARROW & ETHER/ORBIT were released together on cassette via The Dark Outside (normally broadcasting from the Galloway Forest) and now Cities and Memory has released a new project called Shortwave Transmissions (broadcasts from around the world), featuring my contribution, Ottawa Shortwave. 

You can listen to the entire release on Bandcamp and hear a special radio programme from its curator on Resonance FM (broadcasts from London). 

P. S. Given the recent news that Bandcamp have enabled queuing in their listening app, I've added all of the songs currently on the secret part of the site to Bandcamp as well so they're easier to play on the go. If you're interested in learning more, head this way.

Just a quick post to say thanks to everybody who picked up a copy of the recent cassette release of BLACK ARROW and ETHER/ORBIT from The Dark Outside. It was amazing to see 100 tapes sell out in under 24 hours and even more incredible that the obi edition was sold out by 18:01 (having gone up at 18:00)!

Appreciate all the folks who enthusiastically shared updates about it too and look forward to seeing those tapes in their new homes! If you do fancy sharing a pic, tag both @DarkOutside and @RobertaFidora (hey, that's me) on Twitter and I will DM you your corresponding Bandcamp codes - there will be one for each side as they're on Bandcamp as two separate releases. Any problems or questions about codes, you can contact me here.

Satellites of love to all. ❤️🛰️

What's that, you say? The splendid Dark Outside label is releasing BLACK ARROW and ETHER/ORBIT together on a special dual colour cassette?


That's right! Tapes will be limited to 100 copies, so make sure you set your alarm for launch and bookmark on Bandcamp ready for blast off tomorrow, Friday 14th January, at 6pm (Greenwich/Galloway Mean Time). You can also get an additional nudge via the mailing list, which is a good idea, as they often sell out quickly.

I've been sending demos and oddities to The Dark Outside broadcasts for a number of years now and I always look forward to listening and taking part, so this is a really wonderful way to commemorate that. A little bird (possibly near a transmitter) told me that The Dark Outside celebrates its 10th birthday this year as well, so if you're partial to generating or absorbing noise, field recordings and music of a dreamlike nature, then keep a look out for a possible broadcast later in the year.

Speaking of commemorating things, BLACK ARROW made an appearance on this list of Stewart Lee's Cultural Year, commemorating a year of things listened to on a music-specific physical device. Good stuff. Keeping the turntable warm.

Well, back to it. These synth won't play themselves! Or will they? MIDI is a magical thing.

P. S. The thumbnail image of Angela Lansbury holding a cassette was found via the very enjoyable Museum Of Portable Sound page.

Just a short update, but wanted to share this playlist by an excellent, equality-championing organisation called The F-List, with thanks to them for featuring my remix of isvisible isinvisible's Luna Still. Watch below and read more about The F-List here. You can also find the remix over at Bandcamp. 🌝

Today marks a year since BLACK ARROW was released. This article from Mark Brown was something I read early on when researching more about it, which gives a good overview of the kinds of topics covered in the conversation with Marlene and probably best describes many of the ideas I wanted to explore further around this small chapter in the history of space and satellites. It talks about unrealised futures, the relief from several people who worked on it at pivoting to space-focused projects from missiles and the idea of quiet work instead of aggressive mythology building.

Worth mentioning perhaps that it's in a quiet time that I've written a companion piece to BLACK ARROW (this time focusing on Prospero) that I hope to be able to share soon before moving onto album pastures new. Additionally, working on music that's a bit different to normal has provided me with some really excellent samples to meddle with (thanks and sorry to Glass Grave whose guitar parts for those releases are being rinsed across the forthcoming synthier ouvre at the moment too) so expect to hear more noise in with future electronics!

There's still a free extract of BLACK ARROW up here if you missed it the first time around too, so grab it while you can.

P. S. The photograph is courtesy of the folks at The Needles Old Battery, who were kind enough to show me their High Down archives and files.

P. P. S. If, for whatever reason, you've always wondered what BLACK ARROW would sound like as test card music in a big band style, you'll want to see the latest goings on here.

Continuing the cosmos theme from BLACK ARROW (and the eagle-eyed may have already spotted it here, hence the post title), you can find my remix of Luna Still, a song from the forthcoming isvisible isinvisible album Moon-White Water. The remix combines the original synth textures and bloops with a vocal sample from something I haven't released yet, just to be incredibly mysterious. You can listen to all of the album remixes and bag yourself a very nice-looking cassette below.

Drooping fingers have assumed new forms and you'd better beware, because twisted techno terror is coming to get you. 

Have a listen below to the most recent tale from the crypt/soundtrack from the void, which includes my remix of Drooping Finger's 'Lurk'. All you have to do is say "SoundCloud" in the mirror five times. 

If you want to take the doom dancing a step further, you can also blast out some 'Beast Moves' via the monster mix below from DJ and producer Simon Heartfield.

Failing that, you can also get your Halloween playlist off to an early start by awakening the creatures lurking beneath the Glass Grave (spoiler alert: may contain melodica solos and distorted singing about cemeteries).

Enjoy, supercreeps!

Exciting to see the Cities & Memory #SpaceIsThePlace project receiving support from The Guardian, The Quietus, Bluedot Festival and even the European Space Agency. The long-running field recording project brought together artists from all over the world to rework sounds from space in celebration of the anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission and I contributed a track called ‘Huygens’ which uses an alien weather signal as its foundation.

The picture above is a small disc that was left behind from the Apollo 11 mission to the moon containing messages and sounds of goodwill from Earth. It has a fascinating story which you can read about here.

‘In Your Neighbourhood’ is released today and is the first single from second album ‘Gilded Cage’, co-produced with Deluxe Flamingos.

Available to download or stream now on Amazon, Apple Music/iTunes, Bandcamp, Google Play, Spotify and YouTube.

Here’s another view of the neighbourhood, put together by @zomtographer and myself for the opening titles of ‘In Your Neighbourhood’. Much like the Isle of Wight currently, it looks like it might be about to rain.

A few of the amazing props from the ‘In Your Neighbourhood’ video. To see them flickering in all of their bright and gaudy glory, you can watch the video via YouTube.

'In Your Neighbourhood’ is the first single taken from second album ‘Gilded Cage’ and the song is co-written with Andrew E. Wright, formerly of The Strange Death of Liberal England.

Obsolete technology, a puppet band and a familiar figure.

'In Your Neighbourhood' (6.10.2017) is the first single taken from forthcoming album 'Gilded Cage' (released digitally 20.10.2017).

Directed by Rob Luckins.

Somewhere between my time as an ugly duckling and black swan theory, I enjoyed my time as a beautiful flamingo, contributing to the new Deluxe Flamingos EP. 

It’s out now at all good Bandcamps. Don’t pay what you want, pay what you need.