Spymania

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Notwithstanding a quick mention on a thread about Hula, it seems not too many dudes on this board know about the Spymania label, most active in the early noughties. The first release of theirs I got was MDK's "A Friend Is A Stranger You Haven't Met Yet". I think many of you here would really like MDK's album; a rawer, less rigid Squarepusher. threadhttp://www.forcedexposure.com/labels/spymania.uk.html
There's plenty of other good stuff in the label's back catalogue; but the one you must, must track down is Spymania Allstars "Welcome To Celebrity Fog Donkey".:
http://www.houseofcuss.com/hocvault/thepipe/archives/000238.shtml

― Flo James, Thursday, 14 July 2005 10:54 (twenty years ago)

Anybody know why Welcome To Celebrity ~~Fog Donkey~~ was censored? I have my own suspicions but I want to know if anyone else knows?

MDK's Open Transport is amazing.

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 14 July 2005 13:20 (twenty years ago)

I didn't know it was censored. Not sure now if the copy I have is complete.

― Flo James, Thursday, 14 July 2005 13:29 (twenty years ago)

The only spymania thing i have is muddlin gear.

― leigh (leigh), Thursday, 14 July 2005 13:30 (twenty years ago)

Spymania was one of my favorite labels, back in its day. the 12"s by D.I.A.L., Wafta, and Alroy Road Tracks haven't dated too well, like much of the 'spunk jazz' on sister labels No Future, Bovinyl, Rephlex, and iLL, but i think they're still great fun. lots of once and future IDM stars supposedly got in on Spymania's pseudonymous namegames. i know Wafta = Hardy Spymania = MDK. but who was Alvis Parsley? Modi Jedson? Tightpac?

all of the Spymania CDs are great, including the overlooked Hypo (their Active Suspension releases are even better), DJ Beattie and, yes, MDK (Open Transport >>>>>>>>> A Friend..., IMHO). Welcome to Celebrity Fog Donkey is an excellent overview, with a Transbeauce (Hypo) track so pretty i could keel over just thinking about it.

Hardy must have made a small fortune licensing the early TJ stuff to Warp. and he launched Jamie Lidell. anyone know if he's still making music of his own?

― echoinggrove (echoinggrove), Thursday, 14 July 2005 13:41 (twenty years ago)

I tell a lie, i've got a MDK track on a compilation.

― leigh (leigh), Thursday, 14 July 2005 13:59 (twenty years ago)

By censored, I meant the name. I noticed a lot copies were crudely covered so the "Fog Donkey" part was obscured.

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 14 July 2005 14:01 (twenty years ago)

there's a UK band called Fog Donkey. maybe they raised a stink?

― echoinggrove (echoinggrove), Thursday, 14 July 2005 14:12 (twenty years ago)

Indeed, they lived three doors away from me. Actually it might all be my doing cos I mentioned it to one of them at the time and he was like "Well, we're going to have to sue them" or something. I thought he was joking at the time.

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 14 July 2005 14:18 (twenty years ago)

I was once in an early incarnation of that very band (the UK band called Fog Donkey). The name changed to Fog Donkey shortly after I left. Unless there is more than one UK band called Fog Donkey.

I cannot confirm or deny the theory that they had anything to do with this though.

― Wobble (Wobble), Thursday, 14 July 2005 14:22 (twenty years ago)

haha. who knew?!

― echoinggrove (echoinggrove), Thursday, 14 July 2005 14:25 (twenty years ago)

I went to see Shellac with one of the band Fog Donkey last year. I never bought that Spymania Allstars album and rather wish I had now

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 14 July 2005 14:30 (twenty years ago)

I think I saw Fog Donkey's first ever gig at my old Secondary School. It was lunchtime on Comic Relief day and they got bollocked by Mr Burnham for smashing up a keyboard onstage and encouraging the kids to crowd surf.

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 14 July 2005 14:55 (twenty years ago)

They've changed their name to Boom In The Diamond Industry now.

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 14 July 2005 14:56 (twenty years ago)

If I remember correctly, they were called Fog Donkey, split up and reformed as Stampede (which was when I joined) and then after I left, became Fog Donkey again.

I didn't go to the same school as the rest of the band although i may have seen a video of that first gig.

I assume we are talking about this lot:
http://www.drownedinsound.com/bands.php?id=1375

Can only assume it's the same band as they never went by those names when i knew them (which was nearly 10 years ago)

― Wobble (Wobble), Thursday, 14 July 2005 15:05 (twenty years ago)

I feel we may have hijacked this thread somewhat - sorry about that!

Carry on....

― Wobble (Wobble), Thursday, 14 July 2005 15:09 (twenty years ago)

Yeh same band. They had a few line up changes. I think D4ve and J0hn W1nstanley were both always in there; D4n Furr for quite a while; 4Ndrew Theak5ton.

So you from Letchworth/Hitchin then Wobble?

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 14 July 2005 15:14 (twenty years ago)

D4ve re-joined while i was involved and D4n joined when i left. The band was 4ndy, j0hn, me and m4rk until D4ve rejoined. Is it just D4ve, J0hn, m4ark and 4ndy now then?

I'm actually from beds but knew 4ndy beforehand.

― Wobble (Wobble), Thursday, 14 July 2005 15:18 (twenty years ago)

I haven't seen them in ages tbh. I thought 4ndy The4kston joined last as he's a bit younger than the rest of them.

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 14 July 2005 15:21 (twenty years ago)

Spymania = the Ron Johnson Records of IDM

― Dave Segal (Da ve Segal), Friday, 15 July 2005 00:43 (twenty years ago)

best label ever... anyone know what hardy wafta is up to these days? still (occasionaly) spinning "we cuts mens hair" by tightpac... -k

― pieter christophssen. (djhekla), Friday, 15 July 2005 13:32 (twenty years ago)

eight months pass...

Yeah, what an amazing label.
i loved pretty much all there output.

You can still get hold of about half the titles on the website www.spymania.com - hypo and dj beattie cds are only 9USD inc postage.

You cant go wrong!

― robin jerome, Wednesday, 29 March 2006 01:33 (nineteen years ago)

eight years pass...

I recently found a copy of Welcome to celebrity fog donkey. This isn't usually my thing but I'm loving it. I bought a MDK 12" the other day too. What next?

― mmmm, Monday, 19 May 2014 20:59 (eleven years ago)

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