On this installment of the podcast, I dig into the sound work of Adam Bohman. Based in the UK, Bohman’s vast output traces back to the underground tape trading network of the 1980s. His artistic pursuits are quite varied, so for the sake of concision, I’ll quote Cafe Oto’s nicely written bio here that gets at the heart of his work and much of what we’ll be covering on this episode: 

Adam Bohman has been operating on the outer fringes of underground music for decades. Working with home-built instruments, found objects, tape cut-ups, collages, ink drawings and graphic scores. Favouring acoustic sounds over electronics, he explores the minute tendrils of sounds coaxed from any number of non-musical instruments and objects. He is a member of British experimental groups, Morphogenesis, The Bohman Brothers, Secluded Bronte, and The London Improvisers Orchestra. Adam’s music is unique and experimental, incorporating Fluxus japery, musique concrete, sound poetry and free improvisation.

This past month saw the release of the third installment of Adam’s Music and Words series that Paradigm Discs have been issuing that cover a range of his earliest tape recordings taken primarily from the 1980s, so it seemed like an ideal time to try to connect with Adam and fortunately over this past week we were able to make that happen. Adam joined me for a virtual interview while spending an afternoon at Clive Graham’s flat in London. Clive runs Paradigm Discs and regular listeners of the show may have heard the label feature that I did with him back on Episode #177, and you’ll hear Clive make a few brief appearances on this show too.

But on this episode, you’ll hear my interview with Adam spread out in a few different segments throughout, and you’ll also hear several tracks from the Music and Words releases, along with other solo and collaborative work that Adam has created over the years. I hope you enjoy this episode! Feel free to get in touch if you have any comments or questions. As always, thanks for looking and listening.

• ~Introductory Music: Adam Bohman “Burgundy Barrage” Last Orders (Mycophile Records)
• Adam Bohman “Parsnip Soup Surrender” Last Orders (Mycophile Records)
• Adam Bohman “If You’re Feeling Perky” + “Cauliflower Stomp” Bunhill Row (Paradigm Discs)
• Adam Bohman “Dry Rot and Artichokes” Various Pieces [1994 to 1996] (Scatter)
• ~Interview segment with Adam Bohman~
• Adam Bohman “At Home (Fishstock or Pussy)” Music and Words (Paradigm Discs)
• Adam Bohman “Troops Move Through the Undergrowth” Music and Words (Paradigm Discs)
• Adam Bohman “Waterfall Song” Music and Words 2 (Paradigm Discs)
• Adam Bohman “The Unfortunate Demise of Sammy Slug” Music and Words 2 (Paradigm Discs)
• Adam Bohman “Music for Metal Pipe and Guitar” Music and Words 2 (Paradigm Discs)
• ~Interview segment with Adam Bohman~
• Adam Bohman “The Yellow Rose of Zork” Music and Words 3 CD (Paradigm Discs)
• Adam Bohman “Brighton Pt. 1” Music and Words 3 (Paradigm Discs)
• Adam Bohman “Bitumen Sex” Music and Words 3 (Paradigm Discs)
• Adam Bohman “Banjolele Abstraction” Music and Words 3 (Paradigm Discs)
• ~Interview segment with Adam Bohman~
• The Bohman Brothers “Purely Practical” b/w “Western Omelettes” (Peripheral Conserve)
• Secluded Bronte “I’ve Got A Vehicle” Queen’s (Ffordd Allan)
• Morphogenesis “Stentor No. 2” Charivari Music (Paradigm Discs)
• London Improvisers Orchestra “Press Summary” (excerpt) Proceedings (Emanem)

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