Late Night Shopping

‘a comfort tool’

‘It’s rather a low-tech recording,’ said David Sylvian of Blemish, ‘although there are certain elements to the record which were developed with software, particularly Christian’s track [‘A Fire in the Forest’] and ‘Late Night Shopping’.’ The burbling electronic undertone and accelerating oscillations of the latter distinguish it from the Derek Bailey guitar improvisations that form the basis of the tracks either side in the album’s running order.

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Linoleum

‘fear, anger and paranoia’

In 1995 Trent Reznor’s Nine Inch Nails won a Grammy award for their live performance of the song ‘Happiness in Slavery’ as captured on Woodstock ’94. The category was ‘Best Metal Performance’. I’m not sure anyone watching the recording – with its military assault on the senses and body-surfing audience – would have seen a possible David Sylvian collaboration on the horizon for one of the musicians… but that was how things panned out. Chris Vrenna had been a performing member of NIN since 1989, contributing powerful drums to their hard-edged live industrial rock sound.

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