I was deeply saddened to learn that a distribution centre, housing thousands of records distributed by PIAS, was burnt down during the London riots last week.
I hadn’t realised just how many independent record labels PIAS distributed. Last Wednesday I dedicated my show to artists who are on record labels that PIAS distribute. I could easily have filled a a show 3 times as long, just with the stuff I had to hand.
I’m pleased to see there has been such a lot of support from music lovers for PIAS since Monday. A website has been set up and there is also the new Twitter account @_label_love_ and the hashtag #labellove.
Last Tuesday I read an article on The Guardian website saying Why the Specials’ Ghost Town is still the sound of a country in crisis.
I thought that was the best thing I’d read yet about the riots, so I finished my show last week with a cover of Ghost Town by Kode9 & The Spaceape. It was the only tune in the show not directly related to PIAS, but there could have been no more relevant song, or version, to play the show out with.
If you want, you can listen again to the whole show.
Here’s a full list of the show’s tunes:
Raffertie – “You Could Be Forgiven For Thinking That” (EP – “Visual Acuity”) (Ninja Tune)
Blonde Redhead – “Here Sometimes” (4AD)
Darren Hayman – “Drive Too Fast” (BCB Session) (Track and Field)
Mazes – “Summer Hits” (single and LP – “A Thousand Heys”) (Fat Cat)
Ghostpoet – “Lines” (single) (Brownswood)
Prefuse 73 – “The Only Hand To Hold (feat. Shara Warden)” (LP – “The Only She Chapters”) (Warp)
Frank Turner – “If I Ever Stray” (single and LP – “England Keep My Bones”) (Xtra Mile)
Cymbals Eat Guitars – “Keep Me Waiting” (single) (Memphis Industries)
Micah P. Hinson – “Beneath The Rose” (BCB Session) (Full Time Hobby)
Dels – “Capsize feat. Roots Manuva & Joe Goddard” (single and LP – “Gob”) (Big Dada)
The War On Drugs – “Come To The City” (LP – “Slave Ambient”) (Secretly Canadian)
Caged Animals – “Girls On Medication” (single) (Lucky Number)
Yann Tiersen – “Monuments” (single) (Mute)
Mogwai – “San Pedro” (single) (Rock Action)
Kode9 & The Spaceape – “Ghost Town” (compilation CD – “5 Years Of Hyperdub”) (Hyperdub)