NEWS & OCCASIONAL BLOG
THE ALL NEW GRISTLEIZER
now available in Eurorack format!
The Grisleizer Eurorack
The latest evolution of the Gristleizer is into Eurorack format working with Future Sound Systems. Rather than try to cram everything into a large module they’ve broken it down into 3 components. There’s the TG2 Generator, TG3 Filter and TG4 Modulator. A 4th module has been added, the TG5 Pre-Amplfier which is inspired by Jonny Reckless’ discrete FET-based designs.
TG2 Generator
This is designed to replicate the original functionality of the oscillator section, with some interesting additions. Roy Gwinn’s redesign has stabilised the oscillator and features 1V/oct tracking. It can range from LFO frequencies all the way up into the audible range making for “a killer bass oscillator as well as a fully-featured LFO”.
The oscillator is based on a shape-variable ramp generator with similar functionality to the Korg MS. The shape moves from descending saw through triangle to ascending saw. It then goes into a wave folder which outputs both fold and pulse waveforms. The ramp is finally fed into a comparator for the clock output, the pulsewidth of which is set with the shape control. RRP £200 – more information
TG3 Filter
It’s a JFET-controller multi-feedback band-pass filter. Originally used mostly for some wah-wah effect the module adds Resonance and Register controls to the original circuit. The Register shifts the resonant frequency of the core itself. Push the resonance and it will start to self-oscillate. At the end of the circuit there’s a bit of drive to keep things meaty. RRP £150 – more information
TG4 Modulator
This is a JFET controlled, voltage-controlled amplifier. It was originally controlled by the oscillator to create tremolo effects. The TG4 can be controlled by anything so is really a regular VCA with some added features. The Bias control sets the initial control point, whilst an attenuverter allows for full control over how the amplitude is modulated. And there’s a Dirt control which balances the mix between the VCA’s clean output and the output of the JFET. This can bring in some really nice audio character. RRP £150 – more information
TG 5 Pre-Amplifier
Chris suggested that a pre-amp is a good thing to use in front of the other Gristleizer modules, and so the TG5 came into being. Based upon Jonny Reckless’ FET-based discrete amplifier circuitry, Roy Gwinn reworked it into a rep-amp with a high-quality VCA back-end which allows any external audio source to flow into your Eurorack. There are guitar and line inputs which go through the pre-amp and into a THAT VCA. There’a “Clean” output taken directly from this point. Otherwise, the signal goes through 2 more FET amplification stages and tone section, with Bite and Boost controls to give it some wellie. An RMS detector with sensitivity control is used as an envelope follower and gate detector. Access to the THAT VCA’s Gain control input allows the two Envelope outputs to be used as control sources for the pre-amplifier itself, turning the module into a dynamic compressor (Inverted Envelope) or expander (Normal Envelope). RRP £250 – more information
As you can read in the Mute press announcement (below) I have a new solo album coming out in the Autumn. It’s an LP of totally new material and my first in 18 years.
I began recording this new album (working title: Chemistry Lessons ’Volume One’) in 2010 thinking it would take about a year… then Sleazy passed away and I shelved it. A year later I picked up from where I’d abandoned it and began recording when I could. Which turned out to be in the spaces between dozens of live shows, countless remixes, recording as Carter Tutti and Carter Tutti Void and remastering and re-presenting our first five classic TG albums for vinyl. By late 2016 I had a complete and finished album which, at that point, no one other than Cosey had heard (endlessly as it happened (sorry Cosey)) and in a form I was finally willing to share… in this case with Mute.
My previous solo album for Mute was The Space Between in 1991, which itself was a re-release from 1980… some 37 years ago! To date, and not including the odd solo tracks, collaboration album, reissued or remixed LP I have only released four solo albums: Small Moon (1999) Disobedient (1998), Mondo Beat (1985) and The Space Between (1980). So considering how much recording I do - which is a lot, it might seem odd that I haven’t released more solo albums - a question I’m frequently asked. Naturally (obviously) I have accumulated dozens of hours of unreleased solo studio material over the years but due to the ever present and often concurrent and overlapping projects of TG, C&C, Carter Tutti and Carter Tutti Void (somewhere in the region of 100 albums!) I’ve never found the time to go through all those audio files and compile an album from them - even when I was recording for my new album - which I wanted to be a completely new project in its own right. In the past I have put a few experimental solo tracks up on Soundcloud but I’m pretty sure there may enough unreleased material for at least one other album in my archive - if only I had the time to compile it all. Now maybe that should be my next project?
UPDATE (posted Aug 2017) My new album will be released on Mute Jan/Feb 2018.
THROBBING GRISTLE AND MUTE RE-IGINITE THEIR
WORLDWIDE PARTNERSHIP
LISTEN TO THE THROBBING GRISTLE CATALOGUE ON STREAMING SERVICES
FOR THE FIRST TIME
Mute is pleased and proud to announce the re-ignition of its worldwide partnership with Throbbing Gristle. The first stage of this partnership sees the Throbbing Gristle catalogue available on streaming services for the first time. Over the course of the next three years, Mute will make all of the band’s classic catalogue available both physically and digitally whilst also making available long out of print and important pieces of work. The release pattern will also see some new box sets of previous unreleased material and imagery.
Listen to Throbbing Gristle on Spotify now: open.spotify.com/artist/1UYhxPY1oqFUg1HfF8nV3k
Throbbing Gristle, one of the most politically and sonically antagonistic bands of all time, have left an impact on music, culture and the arts that is immeasurable and still felt today.
Throbbing Gristle are Chris Carter, Peter 'Sleazy' Christopherson (who sadly passed away on 25 November 2010),
Cosey Fanni Tutti and Genesis Breyer P-Orridge.
Chris Carter releases a new solo on Mute in autumn 2017, his first solo album in 18 years.
Cosey Fanni Tutti releases her autobiography, Art Sex Music, published by Faber on 6 April 2017.
Genesis Breyer P-Orridge (PTV3) performs a reinterpretation of the soundtrack to Derek Jarman’s In The Shadow Of The Sun (originally performed by Throbbing Gristle) at Café Oto in May 2017.
COUM Transmissions were recently honoured with a retrospective of their work for Hull City of Culture 2017 proposed and co-curated by Cosey Fanni Tutti. The exhibition traced the radical art collective’s work from their formation in Hull to their termination at the ICA Prostitution show, which marked the beginnings of Throbbing Gristle.
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