Isan- Damil 85

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I just bought Isan's Clockwork Menagerie, having never heard any of their music. Or so I thought- When track 6- Damil 85- came on, I immediately recognized the vocal sample of a child saying something about a doctor and "Is that really necessary?" Clockwork Menagerie is a compilation of songs from Isan singles and from various compilations, but I can't figure out where I've heard this song. Can't find it on AMG either. Anyone have any idea where I might have heard this song before?

lou, Saturday, 27 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

it may be the sample that you makes it seem recognisable (i think its from the tv prog Babylon 5). i'm going to play the 7" in a minute, make sure i'm thinking of the right one...

gareth, Saturday, 27 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

what an amazing alb BTW. i can't remember the last time i was so impressed with a b-sides/rarities jobbie

Mark, Saturday, 27 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

It may just be the sample I recognize, but it seemed like I had heard the song itself somewhere. I wonder if this song is on any compilations.
I've only listened to the album once, but I was definitely unimpressed and actually pretty bored by it. This is the first Isan release I've heard though and I'm sure it's not the best place to start so I won't give up on them.

lou, Sunday, 28 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I actually prefer the ISAN singles to their full lengthers, especially "Titled not tithed" and "Betty's Lament". Damil 85 was their debut single, I gather it got a fair bit of airplay at the time..

electric sound of jim, Sunday, 28 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

funny this should come up today as i just spent the whole weekend mp3ing all the isan i have for an uber compilation and i'm listening to the first draft of it as i type (276 minutes and 29 seconds of it with more to add).

according to discography damil 85 was on the 'casablanca' compilation on elefant records, maybe you heard it there.

i heard it on peel a couple of times when it was released and went into rough trade to buy a copy having forgotten the piece of paper i wrote the details down on but the bloke serving recognised it from the sample. which as nice. have bought everything of theirs i've seen since.

(if anyone has the two tracks that were available on their website then, well, i'd like the one that isn't 'disruptive elephant')

cheers andy

koogydelbbog, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I was very tempted to get this LP at the weekend. Like lou, it would be on spec purchase tho', so any other views on Isan generally - or even a "Search and Destroy" - would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Jeff W, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

def search beautronics

it is their best

Mark, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Salamander" has some excellent tracks on it, and I will agree that "Beautronics" is ace. Any of their first half-dozen singles I rate highly as well.

electric sound of jim, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i'm not so keen on beautronics, much more into the singles, so the menagerie is a good buy, fo sho. lucky cat shows the guys going in a nicely deep direction, but my favourite is digitalis - 7 track mini- album on liquefaction empire, re-issued on cd by darla records. check out www,isan.co.uk for more info.

dbini, Tuesday, 30 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

maybe you heard the song on a compilation called casablanca, released on spanish label elefant records a few years ago. then again, i don't know if you're into non-anglosaxon labels (well you're into morr music...).

joan vich, Tuesday, 30 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Mmmm... Morr music... those recent 7" by B Fleischmann and Other People's Children totally float my boat.

electric sound of jim, Tuesday, 30 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

three years pass...
i guess this is old album, but clockwork menagerie is sooo pretty. been listening to it all weekend.

Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Monday, 3 October 2005 16:31 (twenty years ago)

it's good. salamander is good also.

kyle (akmonday), Monday, 3 October 2005 16:36 (twenty years ago)

"doctor ivanovich.."

jimmy glass (electricsound), Monday, 3 October 2005 22:31 (twenty years ago)

they were deeply inspired

Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Monday, 3 October 2005 23:03 (twenty years ago)

four years pass...

Loving "glow in the dark safari set".

djh, Monday, 31 May 2010 21:12 (fifteen years ago)

i have it ordered.

in the meantime:

Kings Place, London. 25 February 2010
http://www.isan.co.uk/isan/?p=96

(first and last tracks are from new lp)

koogs, Tuesday, 1 June 2010 15:25 (fifteen years ago)

(also i know the answer to the original question. they sample the same thing on Betty's Lament...)

koogs, Tuesday, 1 June 2010 15:33 (fifteen years ago)

didn't think the new lp was out until 7th, but mine turned up this morning from boomkat.

koogs, Thursday, 3 June 2010 11:52 (fifteen years ago)

one year passes...

It feels like it is "glow in the dark safari set" season.

djh, Saturday, 31 March 2012 17:04 (fourteen years ago)

eleven months pass...

meet next life is v v pretty

君ちゃん (clouds), Sunday, 24 March 2013 03:37 (thirteen years ago)

three years pass...

http://www.indiemusic.fr/2016/10/07/isan-glass-bird-movement/

djh, Saturday, 15 October 2016 20:32 (nine years ago)

Felt strangely ambivalent about new ISAN music but have been seduced by it, particularly "Risefallsleep".

djh, Saturday, 15 October 2016 22:02 (nine years ago)

My copy is in the post.

There's a talk through on a German website where they talk about each of the tracks. Am waiting to hear the CD first though.

http://dasfilter.com/sounds/spickzettel-und-songanalysen-isan-ueber-ihr-neues-album-glass-bird-movement

koogs, Sunday, 16 October 2016 03:36 (nine years ago)

two months pass...

Enjoying this a lot ... I was listening to it while writing Xmas cards/letters to friends earlier ... It's lovely and *sounds like ISAN* and I was pondering if I was finding some re-assurance in that.

djh, Sunday, 18 December 2016 16:11 (nine years ago)

two years pass...

Aargh. I appear to have missed a tour CD!

djh, Thursday, 10 October 2019 19:34 (six years ago)

like what?

new lp out next week (ish). playing union chapel (albeit covers) on the 26th.

koogs, Thursday, 10 October 2019 19:37 (six years ago)

oh, nine simple works? i guess that's for these current few dates (robin keeps posting pictures of railway stations on facebook - paris, dijon, limoges) but i don't think it's that extensive a tour, only 2 french dates and the daylight music thing.

koogs, Thursday, 10 October 2019 19:57 (six years ago)

Yeah, that.

By coincidence made a compilation that included ISAN, Plone, Komputer, early Piano Magic this week ... and I ended up at ISAN's discogs page.

djh, Thursday, 10 October 2019 19:59 (six years ago)

Where can I hear that comp?

Le Bateau Ivre, Thursday, 10 October 2019 20:09 (six years ago)

Message me with your address and I'll burn a CD.

It didn't end up particularly coherent. Bits of it are "Me, at 29".

djh, Thursday, 10 October 2019 20:23 (six years ago)

Curiously excited about the new album - they're the sort of band its easy to take for granted. Been playing old ISAN. They are gorgeous.

djh, Tuesday, 22 October 2019 20:15 (six years ago)

they've ditched the laptops for other hardware so it might have a different sound. the two 'singles' have sounded ok (i've only listened to snatches, don't want lp spoilers).

they've been posting little things on their youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1lM9KBBPOvSgLYP5jILENg

seems to be mostly microfreak and 0-coast based.

koogs, Thursday, 24 October 2019 09:13 (six years ago)

union chapel gig was short and not the usual fare but very good. some photos here (Daylight Music facebook photos):

https://www.facebook.com/daylightmusiclondon/photos/rpp.367055630001218/3392877914085626/?type=3&theater

(photos by mike who posts here sometimes, mostly during wimbledon 8) )

nine simple works is lovely, think i prefer it to the real lp (based on one listen of each).

koogs, Thursday, 31 October 2019 11:41 (six years ago)

robin using microfreak there, anthony seems to be mostly using some tablet - the gig was a game of two halves really, no time to practice together so they each did 10-15 minutes with a brief transition in the middle.

koogs, Thursday, 31 October 2019 11:43 (six years ago)

one month passes...

Wasn't the gig a concept one? Playing Susumu Yokota covers? Possible I have dreamt this idea.

Anyway, I need to find a way of getting hold of Nine Simple Works, ideally by buying a copy off the band but am open to other ideas ...

Really enjoying Lamenting Machine tonight.

djh, Monday, 2 December 2019 19:35 (six years ago)

Yes, it was a gig, with 3 acts, all doing yokota-inspired pieces.

koogs, Monday, 2 December 2019 19:39 (six years ago)

two weeks pass...

Synthspotting article on facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/synthspotting/posts/822094204903556

koogs, Wednesday, 18 December 2019 20:23 (six years ago)

never noticed the RS-09 in their earlier recordings, for some reason I thought they were mostly softsynths

their studio is really cute! also why hasn't Korg put out an MS-10 mini? they could even do a desktop version and it would sell like hotcakes

clouds, Saturday, 21 December 2019 15:22 (six years ago)

one month passes...

Robin has a new solo lp out (21st feb)

https://www.anost.net/en/Products/Robin-Saville-Build-A-Diorama/

and they've also just released this, a sample pack.

https://intimatenoise.com/sample-pack/isan-pond-skating/

koogs, Friday, 7 February 2020 13:03 (six years ago)

Thanks for the heads up!

Le Bateau Ivre, Friday, 7 February 2020 13:05 (six years ago)

two months pass...

new compilation of music from the recent youtube videos made available for fee-free bandcamp day

https://isan.bandcamp.com/album/isan-workshop-1

(also remembered to pick up the a couple of other things i slept on at the time
https://bronamcvittie.bandcamp.com/track/eileen-aroon-feat-isan
https://couriersound.bandcamp.com/album/silhouette-cameo-3 (2x solo tracks))

koogs, Friday, 1 May 2020 08:07 (five years ago)

nine months pass...

Just spent a contented hour with this:

https://www.mixcloud.com/isan/isan-december-playlist/

djh, Friday, 5 February 2021 22:04 (five years ago)

one month passes...

There's a new playlist here:

https://www.mixcloud.com/isan/isan-march-2021/

... but replaying the December one at the moment - it's glorious.

djh, Monday, 29 March 2021 21:53 (five years ago)

two years pass...

New Robin Saville:

https://robinsaville.bandcamp.com/album/lore?label=781663124&tab=music

djh, Saturday, 13 May 2023 08:01 (two years ago)

oh, a track from Diarama popped up just this morning and i wondered if there was anything new planned

koogs, Saturday, 13 May 2023 12:22 (two years ago)

one month passes...

out today (6 euros, plus tax, ~£6.50)

koogs, Friday, 23 June 2023 19:14 (two years ago)

one month passes...

second compilation of tracks from the workshop videos, out today

https://isan.bandcamp.com/album/isan-workshop-2

koogs, Friday, 4 August 2023 10:22 (two years ago)

Also, another Robin Saville release:

https://handstitched.bandcamp.com/album/siphonophore-versatile-clouds

(Grr. Missed the CD and can't quite be bothered with cassettes!)

djh, Monday, 14 August 2023 19:46 (two years ago)

one year passes...

rare gig next saturday lunchtime in leytonstone
https://www.daylightmusic.co.uk/events/380

and another the day after in faversham

koogs, Thursday, 3 October 2024 11:49 (one year ago)

^ this was slightly disappointing, through no fault of isan's. the two earlier acts both spent 5 minutes describing their work before / after and the compare did his usual admin for 20 minutes, and two 10 minute breaks and it all ate into isan's time as they were the only act with a hard deadline. also, church was cold. and it's not as nice a place as the Union Chapel is for gigs (congregational chapels have better sightlines than processional churches) especially given the acts were playing at the same level as the audience (in fact Robyn was sat on the floor for a lot of hers).

anyway it was recorded and might be here, starting at 1:35 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GMS_9kYM4A

still, 10th time seeing them, i think, and i had a nice catchup with them both afterwards.

koogs, Wednesday, 16 October 2024 14:07 (one year ago)

(oh, the timings there go from 1:38 to 2:18 so it was exactly 40mins. felt shorter)
((video not great here, keeps halting, but sound is ok))

koogs, Wednesday, 16 October 2024 14:13 (one year ago)

two months pass...

New seasonal release:

https://isan.bandcamp.com/album/winter-chimes?from=fanpub_fb

djh, Tuesday, 17 December 2024 13:13 (one year ago)

seven months pass...

Have been really enjoying ISAN and some of the Robin Saville solo releases. In the mood for something new from them.

(Definitely a relationship between me enjoying gardening and enjoying ISAN ... though perhaps as simple as knowing that was a former job of Robin's).

djh, Tuesday, 5 August 2025 21:58 (eight months ago)

four months pass...

Random but saved some tracks played on one of their MixCloud comps - actually one from December five years ago, mentioned above - and was loving them tonight (Timmy Thomas' "Why Can't We Live Together?", Shaw & Grossfeldt's "klavier ppp", Ellen Arkbro's "Three", KMRU's "Continual")

djh, Monday, 8 December 2025 23:12 (four months ago)

four months pass...

New Anthony Ryan/Mugwood here: https://subexoticrecords.bandcamp.com/album/eskypism

I could do with it selling out to remove the temptation to buy the vinyl ...

djh, Thursday, 9 April 2026 17:03 (five days ago)

it's a split, only 4 tracks from the 11 are him, but still an instant buy (announced on his birthday too)

koogs, Thursday, 9 April 2026 20:06 (five days ago)

You can play all the tracks now. The Mugwood ones are decent.

djh, Friday, 10 April 2026 18:49 (four days ago)


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