DJ Alex Corton – Good Looking Records

Good Looking Records

Nu Moon – Into Planet Tree EP

2002

We reach the end of another week of connecting some sort of spiritual and unquestionable link between the music that continues to astound, fulfill and inspire, to writing some of the shit that goes on in my head while listening to it. It’s Friday and it’s time to turn our focus onto this next EP.

    Of all the Good Looking Records EPs on my shelf that make up this block of yellow spines (plus that one blue one…thanks Blame), this one here was one I took a while to get hold of. It finally made it to me about 13 years back, and took me toward the completion of this EP series. At the time, it had soared up in price so when I had the chance to strike, it was like a mongoose to the king cobra. I believe it’s a bit more obtainable nowadays. The EP is one that has become a firm contender as an essential member of the family of releases in the series. 

    The last time that we reviewed the talents of Simon Murrell & Stephen Kite, was on GLR050 with ‘Submergency’ and before that, on GLR047 from 2000. This duo have a back catalogue that includes some mighty fine music, which leaves many of us in disbelief that there was so little material. Nu Moon had skills which saw them not just produce exquisite atmospherics, but they are one of the few artists to have a track on Deep Rooted, (Bukem’s Deep House section of the label, and one that’ll be in the blog at some point). We also have the joy of them featuring on one of the Studio X2 releases that are heading our way, soon.

    Artwork for ‘Into Planet Tree’ falls to Gareth Jones, who chooses this almost citrus plumage of color with that lemon and lime punch on the front cover. The image on the front cover may be tough to decipher, however once the gatefold is opened up you’ll work out that the F-14 Tomcat is where the picture lies. Is it a transformer Gareth? Ha ha.. those swing wings and the Airfix models of US fighter jets I built as a kid, pay there dividends identifying it. 

    The collage of grass and ocean, scoops in small cuts of that natural world and then the typeface is yet again superbly layout. Lower case artist name (and that cool Lotus badge style of “nu moon”) and the uppercase EP title. It’s the fine touches that make all the difference. Gareth mentions:

“Ah, my favourite ‘transformer model’ based artwork to date, can’t remember how that became a thing, but I decided on a concept that involved shooting said transformer model in the artwork department. If I remember rightly the building shot was from Nookie who had recently been in New York (guesses for what building…) And then the merging of the two, along with the ocean imagery. It’s quite out there, and the timing of the image was bizarre given the world changing events that unfolded around the time we did the artwork.”

Big shout Gareth!

   Side A has our first track and the title pays homage to the man behind the label. Danny Bukem. This is the second track by a Good Looking artist to pay their respects to Danny in titling a song after him. 10 points if you can name the other?… Yes, PFM ‘Danny’s Song’ on Logical Progression. Your 10 points aren’t getting you anything anyway, except a couple of claps. Were there any others?? I don’t believe so. Let us know if one slipped through the net. ‘Waltz For Danny’ slowly presses the brake pedal of life and draws to a cushioned halt, opening up the windows, the sunroof, then removing the whole body shell, as the waves of some other worldly presence, cover you in a way you’ll have never experienced. This track is a bloody crown jewel of music, for the expanding minds and the soothing soul. While keeping to a drum and bass tempo, it’s got all the flips and frolics of a track that you’d be accustomed to on the Earth compilations. The dense layers of pads and the relaxed guitar flicks serenade you in ways you’ll revel in. At around the 3/4 stage, the break fills in with more percussion, rounding off a fine piece of work. Nu Moon took the exquisite touches that they had built over the years and produced this pure beauty of a tune. An ode that Bukem must surely have taken to heart with some admiration. 

    On Side B is ‘Like This’, hitting that kick drum and assorted plethora of percussive variants in style. Once the track kicks off, it’s that bassline that swallows so much of the sweet musical gravy. The ebbs and flows of ‘Like This’, carry you into the depths and forests of the untainted miles clutching you to the cradle within the atmospheric clouds. This track proves yet again that the value and creativity of ideas in the scene during 2002 was at an impressive level. The music has always been there, no matter what the year. 

I have to give a big shout to both the Nu Moon boys, wherever and whatever they are up to nowadays. Hopefully one day they catch a strand of the love and respect that so many of us feel from their music, that they relight their passion by connecting again or diving into that attic for lost DATS. It’s a long shot but then again, 10 years ago, a lot of music and musicians we thought had been lost to the ages, have found a huge appreciation nowadays. The history books and musical journeys feed off those heroes of ours from yesteryear. Our wiser heads are screaming “Thank You!”

    That’s plate one rolled out. I hope you have a superb weekend and we’ll get the second plate reviewed, Monday. Be safe out there to my fellow Texans. The winter storm is lurking for this weekend. Get that music into your ears and leave the crazy outside. It’ll make a decent backdrop for the tunes I hope. 

   My blog is here if you are interested too. Then if you can’t drive anywhere, you’ll have lots of reviews to gander through. I’ll be writing more anyway. Catch me if you can! 

Big up to all!