Just about a week back I wrote an extensive piece to the list on Surgeon
& Ruskin with some information on Ho and the Blueprint, Surface and Meta
labels. I think I'll reiterate, with discographies. Just to get some facts
straight.
Meta is Oliver Ho's own label, with nine 12" releases, one 2x12" and one
full-length. Ho's style is tribal-influenced, hypnotic, rhythm-based
techno with chopped up vocal and tribal chant samples woven in the
polyrythmics of his tracks.
Ho also started a label called Light & Dark a while back, with just one
release out this far, a rather twisted two track EP with long tracks
switching to dark and moody ambience at the middle after some serious
techno. The one that I like the least is the release on Drumcode, but then
again, that was countered by Ho as Life on Cosmic ID, more of his
trademark tribal techno.
META1 Oliver Ho - ``Chapter 1'' (12")
META2 Oliver Ho - ``Terra Incognita'' (12")
META3 Max Duley - ``Watch As We Now Drift'' (12")
META4 Oliver Ho - ``Metaphor'' (12")
META5 Oliver Ho - ``Rituals'' (12")
META6 Oliver Ho - ``Prima Materia'' (2x12")
META7 Oliver Ho - ``Evolution'' (12")
META8 Oliver Ho - ``Metaphysical'' (12")
META9 Oliver Ho - ``Nightlife'' (12")
META10 Oliver Ho and James Ruskin - ``Mutate and Survive'' (12")
METALP/CD1 Oliver Ho - ``Listen To The Voice Inside'' (2xLP/CD)
(CD has seven exclusive tracks, vinyl three)
LD001 Oliver Ho - ``Light and Dark Part One'' (12")
DC08 Oliver Ho - ``Chasm EP'' (12")
COSID002 Life - ``Now EP'' (12")
Max Duley is Oliver Ho's flatmate in London, a very nice bloke who runs
his own label, Arcane, with two releases out this far.
The Surface label is run by Richard Polson and Nick Dunton. The label
has seen eleven releases this far, most of them by Ho, James Ruskin and
Polson himself, with a Claude Young EP thrown in for good measure. The
style is quite similar to Meta releases, but with a distinctive touch that
sets the two labels apart.
SURFACE1 Oliver Ho - ``The First'' (12")
SURFACE2 Lysander Pearson - ``Displacement'' (12")
SURFACE3 Oliver Ho - ``Film'' (12")
SURFACE4 Polson & Ruskin - ``Institute For The Future EP'' (12")
SURFACE5 Claude Young presents Twine - ``Scarred EP'' (12")
SURFACE6 Oliver Ho - ``Becoming Inanimate EP'' (12")
SURFACE7 Richard Polson - ``Episode EP'' (12")
SURFACE8 Structure (Polson) - ``The Black Smoke'' (12")
SURFACE9 Abelde (Polson & Dunton) - ``EP'' (12")
SURFACE10 Oliver Ho - ``Dream Your Life'' (12")
SURFACE11 Various (Polson & Dunton) - ``Out-Takes'' (12")
Blueprint is James Ruskin's label, which definitely belongs in the same
category with Ho's Meta and Polson & Dunton's Surface: sometimes hard,
sometimes spacey, sometimes tribal and sometimes just that british techno
sound that I love so much. Outline is Ruskin himself, sometimes assisted
by Richard Polson.
BP01 Outline - ``First Contact'' (12")
BP02 Oliver Ho - ``The Gathering'' (12")
BP03 Outline - ``Examined Life EP'' (12")
BP04 James Ruskin - (untitled blue label, very ltd/ed)
BP05 James Ruskin - (no title)
BP06 Oliver Ho - ``Cosmetics'' (12")
BP07 Outline meets Surgeon (12")
BP08 James Ruskin - ``Transition'' (12")
BP09 Oliver Ho - ``Reincarnation'' (2x12")
BP10 James Ruskin - ``Prelude'' (12")
BP11 Oliver Ho - ``Entering The Plural'' (12")
BP12 James Ruskin - ``Prevention Beyond Cause'' (12")
BP13 (not issued, brits are superstitious :)
BP14 Oliver Ho - ``Awakening The Sentient'' (12")
BP15 James Ruskin - ``Divide Part Two''/
Oliver Ho - ``Tides (Unreleased Mix)''
BP16 James Ruskin - ``Cipher'' (12")
BPCD001 Oliver Ho - ``Duality'' (BP09 CD version w/extra tracks)
BPLP/CD01 James Ruskin - ``Further Design'' (2xLP/CD)
BPLP/CD02 Oliver Ho - ``Sentience'' (2xLP/CD)
BPCOMP1 Various - ``Encounters'' (compilation w/some unreleased)
Of course there are the two recent Ruskin offerings not on meta as well:
TRESOR145/CD James Ruskin - ``Point 2'' (2xLP/CD)
CODA1 James Ruskin - ``The Definition Of EP'' (12")
I've been planning to put this information up on the web for some time
(with track listings, cross-references etc.), but I just haven't found the
time. I spent copious amounts of money and time to hunt down the above
labels' releases, so I have done my homework on them.
The above is not much more than a couple of discographies, but that
should get anyone started on locating them. I had a hard time finding out
what was what - I had help from a couple of very knowledgeable and
close-to-the-source people. But there you go.
If you have any questions on the above, just ask. Maybe I'll get the
information online at some point if people pressure me enough.
Oh, and by the way - the above labels have websites as well. They just
don't have too much content - an e-mail address for each, but they aren't
too keen on replying (believe me, I've tried).
http://www.metarecords.co.uk/
http://www.meta-records.co.uk/
http://www.surfacerecords.co.uk/
http://www.blueprintrecords.net/
http://www.blueprintrecords.org/
http://www.blueprintrecords.co.uk/
(blueprintrecords.com was take by some Canadian hip-hop label :)
Cheers,
--
nuutti-iivari meriläinen gordon at diversion dot org
http colon slash slash www dot diversion dot org slash
