Good God Speed

All,

I last posted in January of this year. At that time I indicated I would not make any further posts until the Godspeed remix, reissue, redux (whatever) project was done.

I am happy to announce that this project is in its final stages, which means it is out of my hands. As I have mentioned, this project will be a triple tape release. There will be a reissue of a remix of the original Godspeed double tape, originally published in 1995 as Eunuch - 20.  This was ramon speed's last cassette release and there would be no ramon speed music published until Unread Records & Tapes release of the Effulgence and Alacrity - ep in 2010.  This remix, reissue, redux (whatever) will also include a third tape of extras, which is entirely previously unreleased material including original recordings, live recordings, radio performances and compilation appearnaces.  This material was all originally created fairly contemporaneous to the original Godspeed release. I am excited about this release. It will be published with a booklet with liner notes written by Simon Joyner and Unread's Chris Fischer, whose relentless pursuit of this project made it possible. We anticipate a release date of October 2012 and although it will be formally released in the unprecedented (for ramon speed) format of a triple tape, it will also be available for digital download.

It goes without saying that this project took a great deal of effort. Each song from the original Godspeed (save three) was remixed from original master recordings. The original masters for the three alluded to have been either lost or destroyed, so these songs appear on the release in the form of original mixdowns, made contemporaneous to the original release, but were not the final mixes for the release. Not bad for seventeen years later. Knew that I was hauling those old masters around for some purpose. In addition to the actual remixing, this project was very difficult because the original release, which was conceived as a whole cohesive piece back in 1995, trolls some of the darker times in the speed universe. Times that ultimately saw the whole speed joint shelved, tabled, abandoned (whatever) until it was resuscitated by Unread Records & Tapes in 2010.  Thus, an inherent problem existed in this project. It found me re-treading the speed burial grounds at exactly the time it was being brought back to life. However, as Fischer has told me, "let's bury these ghosts, good and deep...."   And so, that is what we're doing.  We are rendering to the past what is the past's.  Whether you are fond of the re-mixes or prefer the original, I think you will be impressed with the magnitude of this project.  The re-mixes tried to improve, technically, on the audio presentation of the original.  This is to say, I have tried to make it louder and bring it into sharper focus. In all events, I maintain that this piece contains some of the best material in the speed canon......for now.

What's next? There are two projects on the slate. First, I am finalizing the mixing for the "36,000 feet" cassingle, which will be released by Almost Halloween Records. This cassingle (also a new, but long overdue format for speed) features a re-imagining of "36,000 feet," from 2010's Effulgence and Alacrity - ep plus three.  All of these recordings come from sessions immediately preceding the sessions for that ep. Speed is backed, supported, assisted (whatever) by Wooden Horses, who is Jourdain LaFramboise, Ryan Anderlee and Erin Wolf.  I am excited about this release as I have been seeking to work with Almost Halloween's Luigi Aht Falagario for some time. I understand that these will be released, as has become Luigi's custom, with individually hand-drawn covers.

Following the Almost Halloween release, speed is retreating to the basement to record the twelve or so songs that have been written during the long slog that has been the Godspeed project. This will be the first new material  since the Effulgence and Alacrity - ep and will hopefully constitute the first "full length" speed record since Godspeed and its predecessors (My Speed and Edicts and Muskets).

And so, we're clear. The AED has spiked the speed pulse and we are up and we are running again. Hopefully with the long slog behind us, you'll hear from us more frequently here, like it or not.

GOOOOOOOODGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODSPEEEEEEEEEEEEEED!


Listening to:

Simon Joyner - Ghosts

Dinosaur Jr. - I bet on Sky

Beachwood Sparks - The Tarnished Gold

Japandroids - Celebration Rock