A Downwards Spiral
A look at one of the best and most influential British labels ever, and one that's recently celebrated it's 30th birthday: Downwards.
After my previous newsletter on Blackest Ever Black I wanted to take a look at another hugely influential and inspirational label - Downwards.
Downwards was born in the British Midlands back in 1993, making it over 30 years old which is an incredible feat for any label let alone one with such a singular independent focus.
Founded by Karl O’Connor and Peter Sutton out of the ashes of the short-lived Zeitgeist imprint (whose three releases included a 7” from Antonym, a Mick Harris side project and an album of sparse, experimental electronics from Mark Farmer, a possible alias of O’Connor & Sutton themselves?) Downwards would go on over the next three decades to release some of the most essential electronic music we’d ever heard.
Regis recently called Blackest Ever Black “the last great British independent label”, and although he asserts that “only a total simpleton would dispute it”, I’d say that does Downwards a disservice - now Blackest rests in it’s mausoleum somewhere on the South Coast Downwards has inherited that mantle - look back through their releases - and there’s thirty years worth, remember - and see if you can find a record that sounds dated. Sure, some of it sounds of its time, a product of the technology that was available to them, but you could play an early Surgeon or Regis record still today and it would sound current. There’s not many labels that can manage that, Chain Reaction perhaps?
“a few weeks later I saw The Stone Roses, it was the only band I’ve ever walked out of, it was that awful. I thought, well, if that’s the future, you can have it” - Regis
It’s tough for any label to stay relevant over a period of time, not least thirty years. Only with a real focus on what you’re releasing, and a belief in your music can you continue to succeed. So many labels take the easy route and chase successful records with what they’ve done before, but Downwards has never been about that - and it’s all the better for it. There’s as much of a thread of Some Bizzare running through Downwards as there is of Underground Resistance, and they’ve never been shy about that. Combining this radical, confrontational approach with the knack for gigantic sounding, original club tracks is what kept, and keeps it so crucial.
This thread means there’s more to Downwards than just Techno. Whilst most will know the label purely for O’Connor’s own productions as Regis, or the early tunes from fellow Brum techno head Surgeon (not to mention their incendiary British Murder Boys project) there was also the atmospheric post-punk of Tropic of Cancer, The Autumns and 80’s Cherry Red signees Eyeless in Gaza. A run of 7”s & 10”s in the 00’s & 10’s introduced Pink Playgrounds’s shoegaze and the more industrial leanings of OAKE which complimented long-time Downwards associate Fret or Regis more recent project as Eros. Over the past couple of years O’Connor has also released solo material from Anni Hogan - bringing the label full circle back to it’s Some Bizzare influences.
Downwards covers the entire gamut of dark heavy noise emanating from the UK. My friend Luke who writes the I Understand Substack (a must-read, if you ask me) wrote recently about one of the most overlooked records on Downwards (although truly, most of these records are overlooked by anyone other than real heads) Vivid Oblivion’s The Graphic Cabinet. I’ll let him do the talking on that one, but there’s a tonne of other records in the catalogue that didn’t get the love they deserved. Those 7”s & 10”s were collected on the So Click Heels compilation to mark 20 years of the label - and they’re as essential as anything released in the first two decades. The Vivids, The KVB, DVA Damas & others all opening a new chapter of the label, and that fast became one of my personal favourite Downwards releases. There were also represses of Karl’s earlier Sandra Electronics material and that Antonym 7” on Zeitgeist amongst others. Just last year a double cassette titled Spasms and Savagery marked the labels 30th anniversary.
Recently Karl has continued to evolve as a solo artist, releasing new material recorded in an empty, 2000 year old Greek amphitheatre, working with post-punk Goddess Anni Hogan (I’ve banged on enough about their Lou Reed cover, but will continue to mention it to everyone I speak to) and of course putting out that incredible last British Murder Boys album (album of the year?). Downwards itself continues a rich vein of form releasing a 30 year celebration cassette, amazing new music from Anni Hogan, a recent compilation including the likes of Bruce Gilbert and Kevin Drumm, and has just announced a first album in years from multi-faceted post-punk outfit The Wolfgang Press. Where does Downwards continue to go from here? Who knows? Where next?
I’ve put together a playlist of some personal Downwards favourites below, enjoy!
Careless Pedestrian
On to this weeks new music playlist then, here’s what I’ve been enjoying and enduring this week.
Koreless - Deceltica [Young]
It’s always good to hear new music from Koreless. It’s hard to believe that the Yugen EP is 11 years old now, it still sounds so fresh. That was one of my favourite records of that era. This new one gives be a bit of a clicksandcuts or Raster-Noton type vibe, and it’s none the worse for it.
11:11 & Lucky I’m Luke - SeDaTeD [Living Ornaments]
Got to shout out my good pal Ben Morris for the tip on this one - this is a new single (with an album coming soon) from the guy behind the production of those early Dizzee Rascal albums. Don’t go expecting grime, this is something well different and the first song puts me in the mind of some of Richie Culver’s work.
System Exclusive - Summertime [Terrestrial Funk]
Most people will pick this up for the street soul tracks on the A-side, but for me the real treat is the two mixes of Let’s Climb on there. Okay, they sound very of their time, but it’s always cool to see lost records come to light like this.
Bark Psychosis - Hex [Fire]
Think I covered this a few weeks ago when it was announced, but Fire have reissued Bark Psychosis 1994 Post-Rock pioneer Hex. Post-Rock Summer is real!
Kings of Tomorrow & Julie McKnight - Finally (Mochakk, Jay Mariani & Cesar Nardini Remix) [Defected]
How many more remixes of old house classics do we need? We probably didn’t need this one. The original is untouchable, and the Layo & Bushwacka mashup is a classic too, this just sounds like a pretty average house tune and robs the vocal of all it’s emotion. There’s a ten minute long extended mix, which should be up my street but I can’t be bothered to listen to it.
clipping. - Wriggle [Sub Pop]
Not sure how this passed me by, it’s been out since 2016 or so but got an expanded reissue a couple of years ago by Sub Pop. A hip-hop tune that samples Whitehouse’s Wriggle Like An Eel. Wonderful.
That’s it for now, back again next week. Thanks as ever for subscribing and sharing In Strict Tempo, I really do appreciate it!